Smith: Dismissing Holt was the right move for IU
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor 
After another alcohol-related incident within the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball program, another player has been given the boot. Sophomore Emmit Holt became the third member of the team to be dismissed from the program in the past four months.
The program released the following statement:
“Sophomore Emmitt Holt has been dismissed from the men’s basketball program effective immediately for demonstrating exceptionally poor judgment in the circumstances surrounding his recent citation, particularly coming after his involvement in the Devin Davis accident which should have motivated him to make better decisions. Freshman Thomas Bryant, as a result of his citation, is receiving internal team discipline and is subject to additional discipline for any future failure to live up to his responsibilities to the program.”
As they often are, fans have appeared to be completely split on this decision. One side believes it’s the right move for Coach Tom Crean to lay the hammer down. The other side believes possessing a bottle of alcohol is not enough to dismiss a player. To me, it was the right call considering what has happened in the last few years.
I believe this year’s team will miss Emmit Holt, but this decision will probably help the program long-term. Dismissing Mosquera-Perea and Davis apparently wasn’t enough to wake these kids up. Maybe this will finally do the trick. Maybe the fact that it was “only a bottle of alcohol” will be an even bigger wake up call to the current and future players of this program. Enough is enough, and the coaching staff is sending that message loud and clear.
Tom Crean will have his critics no matter what he does. He’s either “too soft” to discipline the kids, or he’s “too hard” on the kids for expecting them to act like men for a change. And of course, you have those who think Crean should be baby-sitting the players 24/7. The bottom line is, these young men are not your average college students. If you want to be treated like an average college student, I don’t recommend signing up for a major college basketball program. Like it or not, it’s part of the gig to represent yourself and the University well. In this case, Crean and the coaching staff did the right thing. Fans can only hope this will be the final story of its kind.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL
