There's a New King in Town at IU

(photo: ESPN.com)

Evanston, Illinois was part of Hoosier country last Saturday night. And Dan Dakich, of all people, was king.

Dakich led the Kelvin Sampson-less Hoosiers to an extremely ugly 85-82 against Northwestern, despite rumors of a possible player boycott (which were bogus from the start) and an incredible 37-point performance from the Wildcats' Kevin Coble. Dakich's debut wasn't pretty, but it got the job done - and is just the beginning of the post-Sampson era, a time in which Hoosier fans and players will struggle to shed the burden left behind by the former coach.

When Dakich strolled onto the Welsh-Ryan Arena court just moments before tip-off, I got chills. It wasn't because of his high school science teacher appearance or his ever-growing bald spot, but rather the ovation he received from the overwhelming amount of Hoosier fans in attendance. The former IU player walked with his head down for most of the trek to his bench before peaking up to catch a glance of the sea of crimson. The response took control of him. All of the sudden Dakich brightened up, cracked a smile and threw his arm up in the air. Hoosier nation had officially welcomed and accepted Dan Dakich as its (interim) coach, and he knew it.

When IU re-hired Dakich this past summer as its Director of Basketball Operations, I applauded the move - the Hoosiers had "one of their own" sitting on the bench, though not as head coach. Dakich brought with him an impressive resume (come on, a winning record at Bowling Green?) and an overall fantastic knowledge of basketball, especially that of Indiana University. So when Kelvin Sampson "resigned" as head coach of the Hoosiers last week, it came as no surprise to me that Dakich got the call to take over. The fans, media and all of the so-called analysts in between called for a coaching search to take place during IU Athletic Director Rick Greenspan's week-long investigation. But what would be the point? This year, for the first time in several, the Hoosiers are seriously contending for a Big Ten title. They're hitting their stride at the right time (even a three-point win against Northwestern still counts) and have one difficult game remaining on their schedule (against Michigan State in East Lansing). A full-fledged coaching search right now makes absolutely no sense, and would only provide further distraction to a young and confused team.

Dan Dakich might not be the long-term answer for a downed Indiana basketball program. But for now, for the rest of this season - and if IU has any brains, the next couple of seasons - he's the man running the show. He's a great solution to a ridiculous problem that the Hoosiers can and will overcome in the long run. Instead of wearing blue shirts and red ties to games now, Hoosier fans should shave a spot in the back of their heads. Just don't ditch Dakich, folks.

Hop on the bandwagon with me, IU fans - there's plenty of room aboard. That is, unless Dakich's phone lines have been as busy as Sampson's were.