BLOOMINGTON — When healthy and out of trouble, Armon Bassett has been a dependable force for the Indiana Hoosiers at the point guard position.

As of late, Bassett hasn’t been on the court to be counted on for the Hoosiers, who took the weekend off after picking up a victory at Iowa on Wednesday to open the Big Ten slate. The Hoosiers are back in action Tuesday at Michigan, and

Bassett’s availability is unknown due to an ankle injury.

Bassett, who just returned from a three-game suspension Dec. 29, has had trouble with the ankle since originally hurting it during his high school days at Terre Haute South.

Coach Kelvin Sampson said if IU had to play this weekend Bassett would be unable to play after seeing him try to put weight on his ankle in three minutes of action at Iowa. Sampson said Bassett didn’t practice this past week but went through shootaround Wednesday.

“It is kind of like a, just think of an old truck going through a big old pothole without shock absorbers. You could see his leg just kind of crumble,” Sampson said. “If he was going to play, he had to start. But I saw how he was moving, so obviously he couldn’t play. The good thing is we don’t turn around and play.”

Bassett has received treatment on the injury, which could require surgery in the offseason.

“I saw him in here this morning getting treatment,” Sampson said in a Friday news conference. “I have never had a kid with bone spurs … bone chips. [Athletic trainer] Tim [Garl] says it is something that may have to be cleaned up when the season is over.”

Bassett said in an interview in Assembly Hall on Dec. 6 that the ankle was bothering him. Two days later, Bassett had another problem to deal with — a suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules, announced prior IU’s blowout win against Kentucky.

The mistake by the 20-year-old Bassett is unknown.

Attempts to contact Bassett since the suspension have been unsuccessful. Dec. 6 was near the end of finals week at IU, and coach Kelvin Sampson if Bassett had matured since last season and the second-year IU coach alluded to the fact that Bassett has not had any academic issues this year. In fact, Sampson said that his sophomore guard’s biggest improvement came with his grades.

“Armon has improved almost in every area,” said Sampson, who added that he and his staff keep a close eye on players’ academics. “The place I am most proud of him, though, is in the classroom. As coaches we take a hands-on approach to our kids academically. We are proud of the way he has approached the classroom. His grades across the board are a lot better. That tells me he is maturing off the court, and I think that is reflected on the court too.”

But the following week, Sampson said in his weekly press conference that his guard “has got some work to do” before he gets back on the floor.

Prior to the suspension, Bassett struggled with a heavy load of minutes in what began as an outstanding season for the Terre Haute native.

The reason for the heavy workload was another suspension.

IU’s backup point guard and Bassett’s “best friend on this team,” Jordan Crawford, was suspended for three games for an “undisclosed violation of team rules” prior to the announcement of Bassett’s suspension.

Prior to being suspended, Bassett had reached double figures in scoring just once in the past four games, with 12 points in a victory at Southern Illinois. But the former Terre Haute South standout played 35, 37, 37 and 39 minutes during that span of games.

“[The minutes are] kind of starting to wear on me a little bit,” Bassett said Dec. 6. “I’m just trying to get my legs back under me so I can get back to how I was playing early in the season.”

Bassett began his sophomore season with red-hot shooting, especially from long range, connecting on 4 for 5 from 3-point range against Chattanooga on his way to a 20-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance in IU’s opener. He added 14 and 19 points, respectively, against Longwood and North Carolina-Wilmington, shooting a sparkling 11 for 15 from long range in the first three IU victories.

The weight of Bassett’s heavy amount of minutes showed in a home victory Dec. 3 against Tennessee State.

Bassett had open looks, but finished 2 for 11 from the field and 1 for 5 from beyond the 3-point arc. In a game in which freshman phenom Eric Gordon didn’t play in the second half after suffering a bruised tailbone, Bassett finished with eight points and had his first game this season with more turnovers (4) than assists (3).

“When I made the decision to discipline Jordan, we knew these three games were going to be tough,” Sampson said after the Tennessee State win. “I am really happy we are 3-0. We won all three games and that is the most important thing to me.”

A special bond

Besides being talented young point guards, Bassett and Crawford share another bond. Both spent one season — Crawford arrived a year after Bassett — playing at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

“I had him on his visit,” said Bassett, who originally committed to Missouri out of high school. “Anybody that went through what I went through, I have a respect for him.”

Bassett said last week he was glad to have Crawford back.

“I’m happy he’s back. Hopefully I can trim down about eight or nine of those minutes,” he said two days before his own suspension was announced.

Prior to the suspension, Bassett was looking forward to getting back in action with Crawford, Gordon and others. Being part of a backcourt so talented has been inspiring for Bassett.

“Talent is not a problem on this team. It’s fun to be able to play with all these players,” he said.

Supremely talented backcourt

Sampson said he’ll rotate his guards — Bassett, Crawford, Gordon and forward/guard Jamarcus Ellis. “You keep them fresh and they’re going to be a lot better in every area,” said Sampson, who has since added A.J. Ratliff to the mix. Ratliff had to sit out the fall semester because of academic ineligibility.

Sampson said that Ellis had a chance to grow with his new team. The versatile Ellis, the 2006-07 Junior College Player of the Year, took the team lead in assists and has not relinquished it after dishing out 10 in the victory against Tennessee State on Dec. 3.

Crawford showed his talent in the Kentucky win with 20 points in a starting role, but the freshman has shown he’s comfortable making an impact off the bench, scoring 12 points in IU’s victory at Iowa.

With Crawford filling in for Bassett at the point, the Hoosiers didn’t miss a beat, but IU’s games after the UK contest were against Western Carolina and Coppin State.

The team can handle playing without Bassett because of its talent and depth — Gordon and Ellis are certainly versatile enough to handle the ball when needed.

“It is somewhat different. Armon’s experienced,” said senior D.J. White. “I am used to playing with everybody, no matter who is at the point, whether it is EJ [Gordon] running the point sometimes Jordan [Crawford] or Tone [Jamarcus Ellis]. We do it in practice with coach mixing it up who handles the ball. I think we are used to it.”

The 6-foot-1, 178-pound Bassett relished being the focus of every opponent when he played at Terre Haute South. However, he acknowledged the benefits to being the Hoosiers’ third or fourth offensive option.

“I’m used to creating shots for people, but I’m finding that I get shots off of [the attention defenses give] EJ [Gordon],” Bassett said.

Bassett elaborated on the joys of playing with Gordon, one of the best freshmen in America. He likened his backcourt mate to a silent assassin.

“He’s trying to embarrass you out there even though he’s so quiet. He’s trying to take your heart out,” Bassett said.

Bassett said when he penetrates the first guy he looks for is Gordon spotting up for a shot outside the 3-point line — and probably several feet beyond that arc.

“I look forward to trying to get some assists going to him. When I penetrate and kick it out, I know Eric’s going to put it up,” Bassett said.

It works the other way as well because Gordon is as astute driving the basket as he is knocking down long-range shots. Bassett can make defenses pay for giving Gordon too much attention.

“If EJ’s driving the ball and they’re inside helping off of Armon, I want [Gordon] to get to the rim and get fouled,” Sampson said in the days leading up to IU’s win at Southern Illinois, where IU became just the fourth team to win since 2001. “If somebody runs at him and takes away penetration then kick out to a shooter. But a lot of people are staying home on Armon because of the way he’s shooting the ball.”

Bassett is leading the team in 3-point shooting accuracy at 47.6 percent (20 for 42), while Gordon is second at 43.4 percent (33 for 76).

Bassett has gone from being more of a combo guard his freshman year to being IU’s point guard or “lead guard” as he called it.

Bassett describes his offensive game as doing what’s best for the team.

“Some people think a point guard have [sic] to play a certain way. On this team, I kind of do have to be like that [a pass-first guy],” he said. “My teammates get on me when I don’t shoot. I think that’s one of the things that help us go [is his shooting]. There’s not really any just pass-first point guards any more.”

Professional dreams

Bassett’s goal is to take his versatile game to the NBA someday. And he’s got goals to help him achieve that dream. His assist to turnover ratio is below 2-to-1 (33 to 18) at this point in the season.

“I want to get that to 3-1 before the end of the year,” he said.

“We’ve got so many good guards, I don’t know how many assists I can get. The ball can’t be in my hands as much as a guy like [Mike] Conley [at Ohio State] did last year, Bassett said. “I feel like if I can get it to 3-1 I can impress some NBA scouts with that.”

Just a few years ago, some observers would have laughed at the notion of Bassett playing in the NBA, and some of his classmates did laugh at him when he talked about it as a freshman at Terre Haute South.

“My first class my freshman year was with coach [Patrick] Rady Jr. It was a career class. We had to name some goals. One of my goals was to be the best player to ever come through Terre Haute South. I remember that day well,” Bassett recollected Thursday in Assembly Hall. “I told them I was going to be better than [former Purdue player and South standout] Maynard Lewis. A couple kids laughed at me.”

Patrick Rady remembers that day well.

“He wanted to play junior varsity that year, he wanted to start JV and dress varsity and he did,” said Patrick Rady. “He wanted a Division I scholarship and he wanted to go to the NBA. A lot of kids snickered at that. They said he there was no way.

“I always tell kids they should follow their dream and respect others,” said Patrick Rady. “You set your goals and you may not obtain all of them. Armon is definitely a goal-oriented kid. He always set goals for himself.”

Part of the problem keeping Bassett from achieving his dreams is an immaturity that led him to problems in the classroom. Bassett missed half of his junior season for coach Pat Rady because of academic ineligibility.

Some criticized the elder Rady, now 67 years old and coach at Cloverdale, for sticking with the talented but enigmatic Bassett.

“I was persistent with encouraging him with his schoolwork,” Rady Sr. said. “He’s a fine player. I’m so pleased to see him reap the benefits of his dedication and work. I’m very proud of him.”

Bassett hopes to declare his major in the sports communication field. If all were to go well, he’d like to sit next to Charles Barkley on TNT as a basketball analyst.

Armon among

South’s greats

Rady Sr., who has also coached Brian Evans and Steve Hart on to IU and met with coach Bob Knight during their playing careers, has also had the opportunity to visit with Bassett and Sampson after an IU game this season.

Bassett’s ability on the basketball court was evident from his first day of practice, said the elder Rady. Rady wouldn’t say if Bassett was the best player he coached, but puts him up there with Lewis, Evans, Hart and Tony McGee.

“Tough, basketball savvy, very good off the dribble,” Rady said. “Not sure I’ve had a better player in my coaching career off the dribble.”

And confidence is a necessity that Bassett has never lacked.

“Always had confidence, which I like. You have to have that. It oozes out of the great ones,” Rady said.

Bassett started as a sophomore at South and by his senior year was the leader of a Braves’ team that reached the Class 4A semistate and lost to three-time state champion Lawrence North and Greg Oden and Conley.

Mike Saylor took over the coaching South that season and has always respected Bassett’s love for playing the game. Saylor said Bassett has fit in well to what Sampson and the Hoosiers are trying to accomplish and should end up as a better college player than Lewis, who had a solid career at Purdue but was a bit undersized as a wing.

“I think he’s doing a great job of distributing the ball,” Saylor said of Bassett. “He does what he feels like he needs to help the team. If ball distribution is premium, he does it. If they need him to score, he’s also got the ability to do that.

“I like the way his defense has improved throughout the years,” Saylor added. “He’s a great kid who loves the game, he’s competitive and wants to win.”

Saylor, a 1978 South graduate and longtime Rady Sr. assistant, said Bassett is the best guard to develop out of Terre Haute South’s boys basketball program. Bassett wasn’t necessarily better than Lewis during high school, but he has the potential to be a better collegiate player than Lewis.

But Evans was a third-team All-American in 1996 at IU and played in the NBA, and 6-foot-8 Kevin Thompson was one of the most highly touted players to come out of South, Saylor said. Thompson played for former South coach Gordon Neff, leading his team to three straight Final Fours from 1977-79.

Despite offers from Indiana and Illinois, Thompson committed to Bill Hodges at Indiana State, Saylor said. But the 1980 graduate died of cancer before ever playing a collegiate game.

Like any Division I athlete, Bassett has had to work hard to get where he is, a starter at one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the nation. For that reason and Bassett’s love of basketball, the 37-year-old varsity Patrick Rady, coach at Southwestern High School, has welcomed Bassett into his gym in Shelby County as a role model to his players.

“To see a player of that caliber, it’s not something that happens very often down here,” said Rady Jr., who looks forward to following the career of Bassett through whatever ups and downs the young man provides. “He sets goals and he’s not satisfied until he achieves it. It’s fun to watch him. He’s really worked hard at it.”





Wabash Valley

Hoops update



Through Dec. 29

Bloomfield

Jarrod Brett, men’s ass’t coach, Franklin — Has helped coach team to 3-5 record this season.

Jon Neill, Sr., Franklin — Has started 6 of 8 games for the 3-5 Grizzlies, averaging 6.8 points (fifth on team) and 1.2 rebounds.

Michael Crane, So., Rose-Hulman — Has played in nine games, averaging 0.2 points per game.

Casey-Westfield

Aaron Warner, So., Lake Land — Has averaged 1.0 points per game in four games this season.

Chrisman

Brent Owen, So., Southern Indiana — Has played in all eight games off the bench, averaging 0.6 points per game.

Clay City

Jason Shouse, Fr., Tri-State — Member of junior varsity team; statistics not available.

Cloverdale

Chase Haltom, So., Wabash — Has played in all eight games, starting one, for the 5-3 Little Giants. Fourth on team in scoring at 8.5 points per game.

Former area residents

Ryan Cherepkai, men’s head coach, Lindenwood — Has coached team to 8-5 overall record and 2-1 mark in Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Mike Roberts, men’s ass’t coach, California — Has helped coach team to 7-2 record entering Friday night’s game.

Dirk Ratcliff, Jr., Marian — Averaging 0.8 points per game in four games.

Jake Kelly, Fr., Iowa — Averaging 7.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game as starting guard for the 6-6 Hawkeyes. Kelly started for Iowa in the Big Ten opener against Indiana but played only five minutes, leaving the game with an apparent high ankle sprain.

Ryan Russell, Fr., DePauw — Has appeared in five games, averaging 1.2 points and 0.4 rebounds per game for the 6-2 Tigers.

Linton

Mike Carpenter, men’s head coach, Danville Area CC — Has coached team to 6-3 record this season.

North Central

Andrew Gilman, Fr., Wabash — Has not yet appeared in game action this season.

North Vermillion

Mike Newell, men’s head coach, Arkansas-Monticello — Has coached team to 3-3 record this season.

Northview

Heath Chamberlain, So., Marian — Has started all 11 games for 6-5 Knights, averaging 9.3 points (third on team) and 6.2 rebounds per game (first on team). Shooting .592 from the field and averaging 1.0 blocked shots per game.

Matt Stuckey, Fr., Lincoln Land — Averaging 4.7 points per game, shooting 91 percent from the free throw line, .387 from 3-point range, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Josiah Brock, Fr., Lincoln Christian — No statistics available.

Robinson

Tyson Schnitker, Sr., Southern Indiana — Fourth on team in scoring at 9.1 points per game.

Shakamak

Jared Rehmel, So., Olney Central — Redshirting due to injury.

South Vermillion

Lou Gudino, men’s ass’t coach, Indiana State — Has helped coach team to 6-5 record this season.

Terre Haute North

John Grimes (Gerstmeyer H.S), men’s head coach, Marian — Has coached team to 6-5 record this season.

Marc O’Leary, Sr., Hanover — Second on team in scoring at 9.8 points per game. Averaging 1.4 rebounds per game and shooting .492 from the field. Made Dean’s List for fall semester.

Dan O’Leary, Jr., Hanover — Averaging 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Made Dean’s List for fall semester.

Andre Dickson, Jr., Lindenwood — Only player to have started all 13 games for 8-5 Lions, ranks third on team in scoring at 10.3. Has 62 assists and only 36 turnovers as starting point guard.

Wendell Mardis, Jr., Alabama State — Has played in all eight games for 4-4 Hornets, starting the team’s Dec. 20 game against Auburn-Montgomery. Averages 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Had nine points on three 3-pointers in loss to Southern Mississippi.

Kyle McFadden, Fr., Lincoln Land — Has played in seven of 14 games, averaging 0.7points and 0.5 rebounds per game.

Nate Blank, Fr., Gardner-Webb — Has started 12 of 13 games for 5-8 Runnin’ Bulldogs, averaging 9.8 points (fourth on team), 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Shooting .387 from field and .306 from 3-point range.

Terre Haute South

Jim Shaw, men’s head coach, Rose-Hulman — Has coached team to a 4-8 record this season.

David Conrady, men’s associate head coach, Tennessee-Chattanooga — Has helped coach team to 7-4 record this season.

Anthony McNeal, Jr., Brescia — Second on team in scoring at 19.6 points per game.

Jay Smith, So., Trinity Valley (Tex.) CC — Statistics not available.

Travis Davis, So., Illinois Central — Averaging 7.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Armon Bassett, So., Indiana — Has started 9 of 12 games for the 12-1 Hoosiers, ranking fourth in scoring (10.3) and also averaging 3.3 assists per game.

J.T. Hatfield, Fr., Olney Central — Averaging 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

Turkey Run

Adam Overpeck, Fr., Lincoln Land — Averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

White River Valley

Marc Hostetter, men’s ass’t coach, Southern Indiana — Has helped coach team to 6-2 record.

Matthew Graves, men’s ass’t coach, Butler — Has helped coach team to 11-1 record entering Friday’s game with Southern Illinois.

A.J. Graves, Sr., Butler — Leads team in scoring at 16.8 points per game.

— Compiled by Joey Bennett