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Alford sends message to Jaacks
Posted: Saturday January 15, 2000 06:52 PM
By Mark Ambrogi, Special to CNNSI.com Iowa coach Steve Alford is trying to rein in senior center Jacob Jaacks -- especially his elbows. Jaacks, considered by many observers of the Big Ten to be a dirty player, came down with rebounds and swung his elbows in back-to-back possessions against Minnesota on Wednesday night. Alford sent him to the bench with 17:52 left and Jaacks never returned. "Jake's got to understand that I'm the leader of this team," Alford said. "I made the decisions. And when you don't listen to the way I want this program run, then obviously you don't want to be part of it too bad." Alford said the second half of the 85-82 loss at Minnesota was the best the Hawkeyes had played in four games. "And we did it without Jake," he said. "So I hope the message was sent loud and clear."
Nice catchMany media members are still amazed Purdue coach Gene Keady was able to lure senior forward Brian Cardinal to his program considering his father, Rod, is the Illinois trainer. Former Illini coach Lou Henson had some doubts about whether Cardinal would a big-time Big Ten player and was concerned what kind of distraction it would be to have a father-and-son team on the bench. Keady is pleased Cardinal's father supported his son's decision. "It was a compliment to me because his daddy had seen me act all different ways," he said. "I'm surprised they would send him there with some of the fits I've thrown there in Assembly Hall. I think [Rod Cardinal] thought we did the right things here as far as graduating our kids and teaching fundamentals." The decision not to sign Cardinal has haunted the Illini. Cardinal and fellow Purdue senior Mike Robinson, from Peoria, Ill., are 8-0 against the Illini. Cardinal scored 21 points in Wednesday's victory over Illinois, the only scheduled meeting this season. Cardinal said if someone told him four years ago he would be 8-0 against the Illini, he would have said they were crazy. "It's a powerhouse school. Just to be able to play well my whole career against them and stay undefeated is just amazing," he said.
Making the transitionIllinois redshirt freshman Frank Williams has had to make two adjustments this season. First, he had to make the adjustment from sitting out last season as a partial academic qualifier and, secondly, he had to adjust from being a shooting guard to a point guard. So far, he has 63 assists and 41 turnovers. He is averaging 12 points per game. He is 1-for-4 in last-second shots. He hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Ohio State in the Big Ten opener. He missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer against Purdue. Illini coach Lon Kruger said Williams has made solid progress. "Obviously, there have been some difficulties along the way," Kruger said. "He's a freshman with only [three] Big Ten games under his belt now. The inconsistency of top-level play has been what you might expect for a freshman point guard. Frank is learning the point guard position and doing a great job with it each game. But still we have those moments where he shows he hasn't played much at that position." Kruger said Williams understands that. "He wants to make progress and is very receptive to learning and listening and trying to do a better job at the point," Kruger said.
Tough press passIU sports information director Kit Klingelhofer has been overloaded with requests for the Hoosiers' home game with Iowa on Tuesday night. It marks the return of former IU star guard Steve Alford. IU coach Bob Knight no longer speaks to Alford for reasons he won't reveal. Press seating in Bloomington is limited to 73. Many newspapers around the area want to send a reporter and a columnist but some won't be able to get the second credential. "We've had a lot of national interest in this game, and Iowa is the second-largest traveling media group in the Big Ten," Klingelhofer said.
Worth notingIn September, the NCAA ruled Indiana freshman George Leach was a partial academic qualifier who would have to sit out this season. After three appeal attempts, Leach filed suit this week in Indianapolis in hopes of being considered a full qualifier. ... Comedian Richard Lewis didn't find anything funny about his Distinguished Alumni listing in Ohio State basketball media guide. It read: "Actor, Writer, Comedian, Drunk." The last word was rumored to be the work of a student assistant in the Ohio State sports information department. The embarrassing item forced the university's athletics communications director Gerry Emig to resign. ... Michigan State coach Tom Izzo on IU: "There seems to be a great chemistry with them right now. I'm not sure this is the most talented Indiana team, and that's not meant in any disrespect. This team is a lot like ours a couple of years ago. They know their roles, they fit well together, and I just think Bob [Knight] has done a great, great job with this team." ... Michigan leads the league in scoring (81.2) and field goal percentage (.491). ... Michigan State point guard Mateen Cleaves had eight assists against IU on Tuesday to break Scott Skiles' record of 645. Cleaves now has 653. Mark Ambrogi covers the Big Ten for The Indianapolis Star. Check back each Friday for his latest CNNSI.com Insider.
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