Former player to coach against IU

By Paul Trembacki
Sports Editor

Cuonzo Martin played against Indiana eight times in his career as a player, but tonight he will be on the bench for his first Purdue-Indiana game since becoming an assistant coach for the Boilers.

He's looking forward to tonight's game, which starts at 7 in Bloomington, Ind., and marks the 178th meeting between the teams.

"It's going to be a lot of fun because I still get into it as an assistant coach because I feel for my players and I kind of go through what they're going through, so to speak," Martin said.

He even sounds like he's still playing when asked to talk about the game.

"We know we've got a tough task on hand but we've just got to go out there and compete," Martin said.

Martin never had trouble getting enthused for the Indiana game, but now he has to deal with players who might get too excited.

"As a coach it's hard to say, 'Keep it in perspective,' because the players read the papers and they see what's going on on television and it's just a big event," Martin said. "I know when I was a player, when the coaches told us it was just another game, we knew it was bigger than that."

Martin won't be the only man coaching in his first Purdue-Indiana game. Indiana interim coach Mike Davis will be the first coach other than Bob Knight to lead the Hoosiers into battle against Purdue coach Gene Keady.

Martin thinks Knight was a great coach, but he thinks the rivalry won't be diminished.

"Both teams will be focused and ready to play because it's a must-win for both teams," Martin said. "It's just a bump-and-grind game. The team that executes down the stretch will win that game most of the time."

Martin said the matchup might get overblown at times but at least that means the players understand the circumstances.

"It's one of those games that the coach doesn't have to give many motivational speeches because you're ready to play as a player," Martin said. "But that's the bottom line — just being ready to play in an exciting atmosphere."

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Former player to coach against IU

Boilers hope to avoid overconfidence

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Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki

Assistant sports editor:
Anne McLaren

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