Yay! Coverdale news <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> .

Coverdale Named To Big Ten Foreign Tour Team
Bloomington, Ind. – Indiana senior guard Tom Coverdale has been named to the 2002 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Foreign Tour Team, the league office announced. At least one player from each Big Ten institution is represented on the 12-team roster that Illinois coach Bill Self will take on a five-game tour of Germany, Belguim and The Netherlands on Aug. 8-18. Last summer, IU coach Mike Davis led the Big Ten Foreign Tour Team to a 6-0 mark through England and Ireland, marking just the second time in the tour’s 10-year history that a team had gone undefeated.

Coverdale was the heart and soul of Indiana’s 2002 national runners-up and Big Ten Co-championship team. The All-Big Ten second team selection was second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and was also among the Big Ten leaders in assists (third, 4.81 per game) and steals (seventh, 1.54). In addition to earning NCAA South Regional MVP honors, Coverdale dished out 178 assists, the second-best single-season effort in IU history. His 70 three-pointers are fifth in the Hoosier single-season record book, and the 6-2 senior needs 188 points to become the 37th member of Indiana’s 1,000 career point club.

Coverdale will be joined on the Big Ten Foreign Tour roster by Illinois’ Sean Harrington and Roger Powell, Michigan State’s Chris Hill, Minnesota’s Ben Johnson, Michigan’s Bernard Robinson, Jr., Northwestern’s Winston Blake, Penn State’s Jason McDougald, Wisconsin’s Dave Mader, Iowa’s Jared Reiner, Ohio State’s Velimir Radinovic and Purdue’s Ivan Kartelo.

<img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" />
Here's my favorite 3 <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />
(sorry its so big! This one was actually my desktop for awhile! )

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" /> Lauren

Another story~!

Play ball, will travel

Hoosiers' Coverdale to be part of Big Ten touring team in Europe

By Stan Sutton,
Herald-Times Sports Editor
Indiana guard Tom Coverdale, who was prohibited from touring Europe last summer because of disciplinary action by IU coach Mike Davis, will get another chance.

Illinois' Bill Self will coach a 12-player delegation representing the Big Ten Conference that will play a five-game schedule in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands Aug. 8-18.


Last year Davis coached a Big Ten touring team that went 6-0 on a trip to England and Ireland. That marked only the second time in the tour's 10-year history that a team had gone undefeated.

Coverdale had been selected to be a member of the 2001 delegation but Davis suspended him from the trip after the former Mr. Basketball from Noblesville reported late for a practice, reportedly because of oversleeping. Davis said earlier this summer that he might give the 6-foot-2 guard another chance to see Europe.

Coverdale will be the most experienced player returning from the IU team that reached the national championship game in April. Gone are Jared Jeffries, who left after his sophomore year to enter the National Basketball Association draft, and seniors Dane Fife and Jarrad Odle.

Illinois will have two players, Sean Harrington and Roger Powell, on the touring team. The extra player usually is a concession to the touring team's coach.

Also on the trip will be Chris Hill of Michigan State, an Indianapolis Lawrence North High product, Ben Johnson of Minnesota, Bernard Robinson Jr. of Michigan, Winston Blake of Northwestern, Jason McDougald of Penn State, Dave Mader of Wisconsin, Jared Reiner of Iowa, Velimir Radinovic of Ohio State and Ivan Kartelo of Purdue.



Coverdale was the Hoosiers' second-leading scorer at 11.9 points a game and was third in the Big Ten in assists at 4.81 per game. His ankle injury, suffered against Duke in the Sweet Sixteen, hampered his skills thereafter but Coverdale still managed to play.

The IU senior needs 188 points to become the 37th Indiana player to reach 1,000 points in his career.

The Big Ten will play its first game in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 10 and follow with a game from Bonn the next day. The schedule includes an Aug. 13 game in Leige, Belgium and an Aug. 15 contest in Charleroi, Belgium. The remaining game will be Aug. 17 at Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Big Ten also sends a women's team on a tour of Europe and Indiana's Jill Hartman accompanied that group on a tour of The Netherlands and Belgium last month.

And what the hell, its Saturday -- another pic <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />


(Once again, sorry so big!)

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" /> Lauren

Coverdale back to working at full speed



By Terry Hutchens

terry.hutchens@indystar.com

July 18, 2002

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- For a few weeks in late March, Tom Coverdale's left ankle was the most talked-about appendage in Indiana. Maybe the nation.

How effective could the Indiana University guard be on his badly sprained ankle as IU continued its quest for the 2002 national championship?


Nearly four months later, Coverdale is going all out again at Assembly Hall and trying to put the ankle injury behind him. He said he's not experiencing any lingering effects from the injury.

"I don't see it being a problem at all," Coverdale said. "Once practice starts and I start playing on it all the time, I'll be fine. The only time it ever hurts is if I cut on it wrong. When I do that, it might be pretty painful for about a minute or so, but then it goes away."

Senior guard Kyle Hornsby said Coverdale has looked good.

"I think the thing that stands out is that he's not favoring (the ankle) and that's important," Hornsby said. "He's being careful and taping it, but other than that you wouldn't know Big Red even hurt it."

Coverdale has other thoughts on his mind. One of them is the second chance he'll get next month to compete with the Big Ten Foreign Tour team that will play six games in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands Aug 8-18. Coverdale will be the IU representative on the team coached by Illinois' Bill Self.

Last year when IU's Mike Davis coached the team, both Coverdale and Hornsby were selected from Indiana. But on the day the team was scheduled to depart for Europe, Coverdale overslept and missed the morning practice. Davis believed Coverdale wasn't taking the tour seriously enough and opted not to take his guard overseas.

One year later, Coverdale is eager -- and grateful -- for his second chance.

"I screwed up pretty bad last year, so I'm glad they gave me a second chance to be able to have this experience," Coverdale said. "I really thought he would send someone else, but I think it shows the type of relationship we have. The fact that he was willing to give me a second chance shows me a lot."

Coverdale said he learned a valuable lesson.

"I think every time you make a mistake, it's a learning experience. It was like our team last year. We learned from our mistakes and got better. I think the same is true individually. With me, it was just a case where I needed to be more responsible and I think that experience has helped me."

Coverdale, a second team all-Big Ten selection last year as a junior, is expected to start at the point this season but likely will get pushed by incoming freshman Marshall Strickland. Coverdale said it's too early to worry about that.

"I think the freshmen we have are people that can contribute right away and whether I play the (point) or (shooting guard), it doesn't matter to me as long as I'm out there," Coverdale said.

Every day when Coverdale walks into Assembly Hall, he said he notices the banners that hang on the north end of the gym. Both the Big Ten championship and Final Four banners now have "2002" on them.

"It's definitely a good feeling to look up there and see that, especially because it looks so new compared to all the other numbers up there," Coverdale said.

this kid is such a hard worker and great 3 pt shooter.

Courtesy of Matt <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> ...
_________________________________

Four months later, the thrill far from gone

By David Hackett

Tom Coverdale is used to being recognized. It comes with the territory in this hoops-crazed state when a player is named Mr. Basketball after high school and goes on to become the starting point guard for the Indiana University Hoosiers.

Even so, Coverdale told me after a workout last week, the buzz that has followed IU's improbable run through the NCAA Tournament in March has been unlike anything he has experienced.


When last the spotlight shone on Coverdale, he was hobbling on a sprained ankle, gallantly helping the Hoosiers make their best tournament showing in 15 years, losing to Maryland in the title game.

Hardly a day has passed since then that Coverdale has not been reminded of what the Hoosiers accomplished.

At the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, for example, IU players were special guests invited to watch the race in Speedway owner Tony George's suite. Introduced to celebrities such as Florence Henderson and members of the rock group Incubus, Coverdale was surprised they knew who he was.

"How's the ankle feeling?" inquired business tycoon Donald Trump. ("It's fine," Coverdale says.)

Later this summer, attending games of his beloved Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Coverdale was stunned to see how many fans recognized him as he sat with his girlfriend in the bleachers.

"Hey, Cov!" they shouted across the aisles. "You guys were great! Way to go!"

But perhaps at no time do memories run deeper than late at night when, before falling asleep, Coverdale slips in a tape of one of the Hoosiers' tourney games.

"The only game I don't watch all the way through is (the loss to) Maryland," Coverdale said. "I turn it off with two minutes to go.

"I'm very proud of what our team accomplished," Coverdale added. "It's a great feeling to get Indiana basketball back where it's supposed to be. And especially the way we did it: We didn't beat people because of our athletic ability. We beat them because of hard work, playing as a team and playing great defense."

Coverdale may be proud, but he is far from satisfied.

A week after the season ended, the 22-year-old senior and his teammates were in the office of IU conditioning coach Geoff Eliason ready to get back to work.

"We realize we were one game away from being national champions," he said. "And more than that, we realize what it takes to win a national championship. This is the hardest the team has worked during the summer since I've been here. We want to make it back and win it."

No time to rest on laurels

It was as hot as a blast furnace at the old University High School gymnasium last Wednesday afternoon as Coverdale and teammates Mike Roberts, Sean Kline and Ryan Tapak, all shirtless and drenched in sweat (WHERE was I when this was happening??? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> ), ran wind sprints and agility drills around orange cones.

Coverdale was expressionless until the drills were almost over and the players were ready to quit. He then looked at Eliason, who was directing the drills, and said, "Make it competitive, Geoff. Time it."

Eliason tuned his watch and the drill continued with a new spirit.

Coverdale didn't win. But he competed. He always competes.

"There is no more determined athlete that I work with than Tom Coverdale," Eliason said. "He never lets up. He's incredibly motivated. And he's as tough as they come."

While not as fast or as tall as many players, Eliason said, Coverdale moves with more efficiency that any player on the team. He seems to instantly absorb everything happening around him, like a jazz trumpeter totally in sync with a combo. Many years ago, the writer John McPhee described this quality in former Princeton star Bill Bradley as "a sense of where you are."

Coverdale combines body control with strength. Many fans would probably consider 6-3 A.J. Moye as, pound for pound, the most powerful player on the team. But last season, Moye quit a wrestling match against Coverdale after he was pinned down.

Then there is Coverdale's capacity for work.

During the summer, a typical workout begins with 45 minutes to an hour of shooting, following by an hour of lifting weights. Then comes either a three-mile run or an hour of running sprints or stadium stairs. After that, a couple hours of fullcourt games.

"That's what summer is about," Coverdale said. "It's what you have to do to reach your goals when the season comes."

Second invitation to Europe

Coverdale isn't as innocent as his boyish smile and clean-cut looks suggest.

A year ago, he was selected to a Big Ten all-star team coached by IU's Mike Davis that would travel to Europe for a series of exhibition games. But Coverdale overslept and missed practice. Davis left him home. It wasn't his first mistake. Earlier in his career, Coverdale was cited by police for underage drinking.


"The coaches told me, 'You need to decide whether you really want to play basketball or do something else,'" Coverdale recalled. "I felt like I had let down my family, my team and the university."

It was among the lowest moments of Coverdale's career, ranking with his freshman season when he sat the bench and not only fans, but also fellow players, told him he wasn't good enough to play in the Big Ten.

Instead of sulking, however, Coverdale vowed to become more responsible.

"Everyone makes mistakes," he said. "The question is whether you learn from them. I think I have."

Coverdale went on last year to have his best season, leading the team in assists and steals and finishing second in scoring and three-point shooting. While Jared Jeffries was the star, Coverdale was the team's most explosive player, able to turn around a game with a barrage of three-pointers or a flurry of steals and sharp passes.

This week Coverdale is getting a second chance to go to Europe, as one of 12 Big Ten all-stars selected to play exhibition games in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Coverdale has never been to Europe, and he naturally is excited to see the sights. But far more than that, he wants to prove himself against the other Big Ten stars he will play against this season.

Power of positive thinking

In the summer, confidence comes as easily as sweat for college basketball. And like sweat, it can easily evaporate when the cold reality of the season sets in.

But around the IU team, Coverdale said, the confidence is extraordinary. Even losing three starting players — Jeffries, Jarrad Odle and Dane Fife — the strength of returning players, as well as one of the nation's most promising freshman classes, could allow IU to finish what it began last season.

"Take (senior forward) Jeff Newton," Coverdale said. "He is lifting weights twice a day. No player in the country has lifted more weights this summer than Newton has."

Newton, center George Leach, and wing players Moye and Kyle Hornsby all will be counted on to be better.

No player, however, looms more important than the red-headed senior from Noblesville. Like A.J. Guyton, Kirk Haston and Jared Jeffries before him, Coverdale is ready to be IU's leader.

"I want to be that guy for this team," Coverdale said.

Then he went looking for a game, another chance to run, sweat and push himself to get better. It was 93 degrees on a summer afternoon, but Coverdale could feel the season coming.

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

Coverdale joins foreign tour team

Kris Sanchack
Indiana Daily Student
E-mail this story Print this story

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published Monday, August 5, 2002

IU point guard Tom Coverdale was named to the 2002 Big Ten Men's Basketball Foreign Tour Team after leading the Hoosiers to the NCAA Championship game. The 6-2 senior ranked second on the tour team with a season average of 11.9 points per game and was third in the Big Ten Conference in assists (4.81 apg) and seventh in steals (1.54 spg).

Many teams this season felt the sting of Coverdale's strong play.

"He certainly contributed to our misery in Bloomington," Illinois coach Bill Self said.

Coverdale was asked over dinner by Mike Davis if he wanted to go to Europe and agreed.

"It's another opportunity basketball's given me to see the world and travel. I am looking forward to it," a grateful Coverdale said. "There will also be some free time for sightseeing."

During the NCAA Tournament Coverdale sprained his ankle, but he said this is no longer a big issue.

"My foot is pain-free." Coverdale said. "I'm playing on it, and it's getting stronger."

Self will be leading the team in the international tour, which consists of five games played between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands Aug. 8-18. Self said is eager to work with Coverdale.

"I wanted to work with either Newton or Coverdale," Self said. "Coverdale is a true point guard, does his team a service, and he's a competitor. He has great leadership ability, and is the best natural leader on the (Big Ten) team."

The Big Ten coaches corporately decided last year that the coach from year to year would go from youngest to oldest. IU's Mike Davis coached last year. This year, Self, the second youngest in seniority, volunteered to go to Europe. Illinois, because Self is the coach, will be allowed to take two players.

The other nine Big Ten schools are contributing a player each as well, creating a 12-person roster


From <a href="http://www.IDSnews.com" target="_blank">www.IDSnews.com</a>

LOL, can anyone see this turning into a "Steve Blake" thread? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Walton headlines Wooden's preseason 50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com news services


LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Wooden Award's Preseason All-American Team was announced Friday, a list of 50 players who based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most coveted trophy.

Arizona's Luke Walton is the only member of the 2002 Wooden Award All-American Team on this year's preseason list. Though Walton wasn't named on last year's preseason team, the senior enjoyed a breakthrough year for the Wildcats, averaging 15.7 points as a junior and leading the Pac-10 in assists (6.3 apg). In addition to Walton, several other 2003 preseason candidates are on this year's list, including Troy Bell (Boston College), Matt Bonner (Florida), Nick Collison (Kansas), Jason Gardner (Arizona), Jason Kapono (UCLA) and David West (Xavier).

Another member of the preseason list of 50 candidates is Kansas' Kirk Hinrich. The senior-to-be was not on the preseason or midseason candidate list in 2002. But his play during the second half of the year and in postseason tournament play warranted attention and he ended up among 20 student-athletes selected to the 2002 John R. Wooden Award ballot.

The preseason list is composed only of returning players -- transfers and freshmen are not eligible, though they are evaluated and considered for the midseason top 30.

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his university that he is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan and last year's recipient, Jason Williams.

The 2003 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American team and the presentation of the Legends of Coaching Award, will be held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Sunday, April 13, 2003.

Wooden Award Preseason All-American List
Player Yr. Ht. Pos. College
Mario Austin Jr. 6-9 F/C Mississippi State
Troy Bell Sr. 6-1 G Boston College
Steve Blake Sr. 6-3 G Maryland
Keith Bogans Sr. 6-5 G Kentucky
Matt Bonner Sr. 6-10 F Florida
Nick Collison Sr. 6-9 F Kansas
Brian Cook Sr. 6-10 F Illinois
Tom Coverdale Sr. 6-2 G Indiana
Willie Deane Sr. 6-1 G Purdue
Erwin Dudley Sr. 6-8 F Alabama
Chris Duhon Jr. 6-1 G Duke
Carl English Jr. 6-5 G/F Hawaii
Ebi Ere Sr. 6-5 G Oklahoma
T.J. Ford So. 5-10 G Texas
Reece Gaines Sr. 6-6 G Louisville
Jason Gardner Sr. 5-11 G Arizona
Marcus Hatten Sr. 6-1 G St. John's
Jarvis Hayes Jr. 6-6 G/F Georgia
Chris Hill So. 6-3 G Michigan State
Kirk Hinrich Sr. 6-3 G Kansas
Josh Howard Sr. 6-6 F Wake Forest
Brandon Hunter Sr. 6-7 F Ohio
Luke Jackson Jr. 6-7 G Oregon
Britton Johnsen Sr. 6-9 G Utah
Dahntay Jones Sr. 6-6 F Duke
Jason Kapono Sr. 6-7 F UCLA
Brandin Knight Sr. 6-0 G Pittsburgh
Chris Marcus Sr. 7-1 C W. Kentucky
Jason Maxiel So. 6-7 F Cincinnati
Brett Nelson Sr. 6-3 G Florida
Emeka Okafor So. 6-9 C/F Connecticut
Ugonna Onyekwa Sr. 6-8 F Pennsylvania
Rickey Paulding Jr. 6-5 G Missouri
Kirk Penney Sr. 6-5 G Wisconsin
Hollis Price Sr. 6-1 G Oklahoma
Justin Reed Jr. 6-8 F Mississippi
Darius Rice Jr. 6-10 F Miami, Fla.
Luke Ridnour Jr. 6-2 G Oregon
Romain Sato Jr. 6-5 G/F Xavier
Theron Smith Sr. 6-8 F Ball State
Mike Sweetney Jr. 6-8 F Georgetown
Chris Thomas So. 6-1 G Notre Dame
James Thomas Jr. 6-8 F Texas
Cory Violette Jr. 6-8 F/C Gonzaga
Dwyane Wade Jr. 6-4 G Marquette
Luke Walton Sr. 6-8 F Arizona
Travis Waton Sr. 6-8 F/C Virginia
David West Sr. 6-8 C/F Xavier

<img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" />

Coverdale scores 11 as Big Ten team rolls in opener, 108-52

Hoosier Times

TREIS-KARDEN, GERMANY





The Big Ten men's basketball all-star team opened play Saturday with a convincing 108-52 victory over Tus Treis-Karden.

Iowa's Jared Reiner led all scorers with 14 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. Indiana's Top Coverdale scored 11 pooints, with Wisconsin's Dave Mader tied Reiner with a game-high 11 rebounds.

"I thought we played hard, and pretty well considering the traveling we did yesterday," said Illinois coach Bill Self. "From the second quarter on we played pretty well. We were a balanced team and played unselfishly, for the most part making the extra pass to get an open shot. We could have five different guys lead us in scoring on this trip."

The Big Ten squad led just 24-18 at the end of the first quarter, but went on to outscore Tus 60-25 in the middle two periods.

Also in double figures were Illinois' Roger Powell with 13 points, Northwestern's Winston Blake with 11 and Ohio State's Velimir Radinovic and Michigan State's Chris Hill with 10 each.

Illini guard Sean Harrington made his first three three point attempts to end with nine, while Penn State's Jason McDougald scored eight points in just eight minutes of action. McDougald twisted his knee earlier in the week while practicing in Illinois and was limited in playing time tonight.





The Big Ten squad held a huge size advantage with four players taller than 6-10, while Treis-Karden's tallest player was 6-8. The Big Ten team used the height advantage to win the battle of the boards by a 70-29 count.

"We had a size advantage and we were able to control the boards," Mader said. "They were a bit undersized, more like a Div. III team. We started out slow, but got better in the second quarter. Once we started going, we had a lot of fun.

Reimer agreed with Mader's assessment.

"We played hard, it just took us a little time to get our legs underneath us," Reimer said. "We played well together considering it was our first game. Guys were looking to get the open shot."

The Big Ten squad takes on Bonn TeleKomm today in Bonn.