IU players coach media at Assembly Hall

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) - Assembly Hall was buzzing today with some of the hottest hoopsters around: the media!

Hoosier players took on the role of coaches Thursday for “IU Media Mania.” pitting the local TV stations against each other in a tournament.

“It’s fun. It gives you a different perspective,” said senior guard Jordan Hulls.

Head coach Tom Crean stopped by briefly before heading out on a recruiting trip. He commended his squad for not just their athletic prowess, but who they are as young men.

“You never want to take a backseat to character or integrity,” Crean said. “And we’re not taking a backseat to anybody on that.”

The WISH-TV squad consisted of meteorologist Ken Brewer, weekend Daybreak anchor Walter Allen, Sports Reporter Amanda Maynard and our sports photographers Adam Good and Brett Bensley.

The team was led by IU junior guard Victor Oladipo. Sadly, the WISH-TV squad missed a game winning three-pointer to lose in the first round, but Coach Oladipo was proud of the effort.

“We missed out last shot at the end, but it was a great play, great shot, but we came up short. We’ll definitely get them back next year,” he said.

The Hoosiers are gearing up for what could be a special season. They start the year ranked number one in the country in several preseason rankings. That fact doesn’t matter much to the team, but they do sense something different about this squad.

“I believe this team is special and can be special,” said Oladipo. “It’s going to be up to us to see just how special we can be.”