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Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein Robert Johnson is withdrawing from the 2017 NBA Draft and plans to finish his senior year at Indiana, per a source. #iubb Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

The takes in this thread are hilarious. Rojo can't be civil with his dad now because reporters jumped the gun on him returning? Lol. Ever think it's possible reporters got wind of something and could be wrong? Stop chastizing Rojo and saying you don't want him back because he's thinking about his future. Everyone on here would be glad to have him back and they're kidding themselves if they think him leaving would be any kind of positive.

http://www.insidethehall.com/2017/05/16/four-star-forward-race-thompson-talks-iu-offer/ Thompson said he’s intrigued by the program’s culture and tradition, and wouldn’t have to change his game too much to fit into what Miller wants to build in Bloomington. “They have probably one of the best colleges in the nation, one of the best fanbases,” Thompson said. “Up there at the top in pretty much every category.”

200 minutes to divide up: Four guards in regular rotation for about 100 minutes per game: RoJo (28), Josh (25), DeVonte (25), CuJo (20) + a little bit of Al. Five bigs in regular rotation for 100 minutes per game: DeRon (26), Juwan (26), Collin (24), Freddie (10), Justin (14) + a little bit of Clifton. Need someone to be able to carve out space and get to the rim; that's what Al Durham does best, and if that's our biggest weakness he might get a little more run than expected. If Clifton can replace a rotation guy, that means he is more ready than we thought, and the team is better than we thought. Sounds like a solid tourney team to me.

Back on topic...The nutrition aspect and the new dining area is a big thing in recruiting right now. The current Hoosier Room is buried underneath the west stands, so this new one will be a big plus for all the athletes: "As part of the Excellence Academy, the Tobias Nutrition Center will be home to one of the premier nutrition facilities and dining spaces in all of college athletics. The nearly 10,000 square foot space will provide a place to fuel the nearly 650 students who participate in IU's 24 varsity sports. The main dining area will have seating available for 300 people with various table sizes and includes large windows to allow for natural light and magnificent views into Memorial Stadium. Large televisions will be also scattered throughout the area. Lunch and dinner will be served five days a week with a daily breakfast oasis for students. Service will be in a food station concept with stations including Italian, grill, homestyle, subs and wraps, large salad, fruit and soup bar. Menu items will be prepared fresh on site by dining staff at each of these stations. The breakfast oasis will be a morning fueling station for students with a variety of options to start the day. Two large beverage stations will be installed including a water bottle filling station as new electronic menu boards will display what is available each day." More info: https://spark.adobe.com/page/ph5K71uFOqyS9/ This family also donated to have a new donor hospitality area made at court level at Assembly Hall.

Offered - 4/26 Detroit, MI (Cass Technical) 6'1"/200 247 Rivals ESPN Scout out of Cass tech. He released his top ten recently. We made it with some pretty top dogs. Hopefully he can see what we have done with developing fast and athletic LBs. Love his speed and skills. Yes he's undersized but so was Tegray. Would be a great steal out of MI.

Cool thread. Thanks for posting this stuff. I love the culture change happening and I hope it translates to more victories!

Not trying to schedule out minutes - and Archie don't give a crap what I think anyway ;) Like you Str8, I also think that our best players should go over 30 minutes per game whenever possible, and that's why my guesses that I posted above are as such only when averaged out over the long run. For instance; there will be games where DeRon gets two quick fouls and plays only 15 minutes. The next four games he can go into the low 30's and end up at 25-30 per game. Against Purdue if Archie wants to especially pick up the pace? More Josh that day. Against Iowa and he wants to pound it into DeRon down low? More Collin. I am making the assumption that Archie will let eight or nine players see the court regularly, and those are the most likely candidates, I believe.

I think DeRon will end up being our best player next season. If he puts in the work this offseason and buys in the sky is the limit

I wasn't going to say anything because people have already covered it.... but it here I go. You realize allen isn't running the offense. Do you watch anything related to IU athletics or iu football. Because Debord wants to be quicker than Wilson was last year. He wants the ball snapped 10-15 seconds after the ball is placed or set or even quicker. Wilson this past year to on average almost 20 seconds. Oh btw iu has been growing in the receuiting circuit for the past 3-5 years. Also most kids you see in the NFL or excelling are 3* kids which iu gets and develops in their "menard's" weight room. The new buildings and rooms will only help with recruiting which will bring in the 5 and 4 stars you want. It's also statistically proven that 5* and 4* do not make a huge dent on on field performances. I also created a formula and wrote my my senior econometrics paper on this topic and actually presented it to ADs and the NCAA panel just as my friend flew to Houston to present his findings on drunk driving and age. Many of these things can be proven with formulas and equations. And schools are actually focusing in on 3* players or lower and working to develope players (which is what these donors are doing) investing in youth and lastly Athletics in all actuality. So your asinine argument that these buildings will not help are fully opinionated and actually false. Recruits are caring more and more about facilities and what the behind the scenes can offer rather than W-L. Yes that is a variable, but like I said they want facilities and they want to train in an NFL caliber facility which iu has and will continue to have. So please if you don't like what iu is doing and continuing to do with IU football please do not contribute, please do not buy a ticket and do not cheer when they make another bowl this upcoming season, remember this conversation as you are a doubter and a hater on what iu is trying to build and create in Bloomington. Luce is out breakthrough 2k17!

Cancel the expansions and renovations. We'll never be anything anyway. No point in trying. Just keep existing as we are and ignore the progress made in the past decade. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Social media is the worst thing to ever happen. It's nothing but crap

And on this episode of As the World Turns! Seriously social media has turned everything into a soap opera!

Robert Johnson to Return!

Great news. Could very well be our best player this year.

Thompson is the big we end up with IMO. Him along with Garland or Romeo or even both with Phinisee or Carey as well as another wing is the best case scenarios for us. Sent from my LGLS676 using BtownBanners mobile app

I hope we can carve out a 8 man rotation that expands only due to foul trouble, in game injuries, etc... Run 10-11 in games against Directional U. Give guys spot minutes to see who can really help us in games that matter. I'm very happy Rojo is back. I think he'll have a good year. Am I the only one that is reminded of Marshall Strickland with Rojo. Sent from my iPad using BtownBanners

First of all, despite our attendance issues, we already sell out the club seating/suites that we have. There is a demand for that. They will sell these too, because people like to schmooze and drink alcohol. So actually, yes we will make money off of this because the club seating is expensive and is a revenue producer. Second, facilities are pretty important, I don't know if you just never read any recruiting articles or what, but it appears you just don't care about that because you continue to ignore the fact that seating is a tiny part of this project compared to the actual training facilities. We are not adding another general seating section, the seats we are adding are specifically for varsity club donors. The terrace just replaces Knothole Park. Third, we literally took Ohio State and Michigan (2OT) to the final play of the game two years ago, and scared the crap out of both of them on the road last year (especially in Ann Arbor, where we were winning at halftime and well into the third-quarter before losing 20-10). This year, we can get to seven wins simply by beating UVA (2-10), FIU, GA Southern, Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, and Purdue. I tried to be nice earlier, but let's face it, it appears that you are completely talking out of your you know what. Our attendance over the past five or so years has been around 44-45,000 per game. Our capacity is 53,000. So no, the stadium is not half empty, even acknowledging that the announced attendance is tickets sold. All I know is thank God you are not our athletic director, because you have absolutely no long-term vision whatsoever. Football revenue is topped out? Really? No one is suggesting that we need to expand the stadium to 80,000 and try to sell another 40,000 seats per game. Simply getting to 50,000 out of 53,000 would increase our revenue a ton. Your logic on this is completely asinine. How do you suggest fixing a struggling program other than through investing in coaching and facilities? And it has already paid off because the program is already back to getting to bowls and making incremental progress. This is the most competitive they've been in years And for like the third time, the entire thing is being funded through private donations, so who is this hurting? Obviously a lot of people wanted to donate to this and it's their money, so who cares? The university isn't taking funds away from education, and several other sports have gotten or are getting facilities upgrades as well. You suggesting that adding a new seating section does not help anything is completely disingenuous and you know it. No one said it would: the training facilities help attract recruits. You completely ignored 90% of this project and my post to focus on a tiny part of the project. No one said those seats would improve recruiting.

NBA Comparison: Tony Mitchell/Noah Vonleh Strengths: Excellent wingspan (7’2.5”) for his size ... Possesses the body control to get to and finish at the rim ... Very capable of making an impact off of straight-line drives ... Has an NBA-ready frame ... Surprising lateral speed for a player with as much muscle mass as he shows ... Defensive potential is his calling card ... Already shows the signs of being a high-level defender ... Can guard multiple positions on the court ... Length could allow him to develop into a small-ball big in the future ... Light on his feet on the perimeter ... Disruptive defender, jumps passing lanes whenever he sees the opportunity ... Was an interior presence defensively, especially as the weak side defender ... Able to stay on the floor and block shots as a perimeter defender due to excellent reach ... Possesses nice defensive instincts ... Closes out well and under control on shooters ... Flashed solid footwork understanding on the offensive end ... Will make open or uncontested threes ... Shot has a nice rotation and backspin on it, hits the rim softly ... Sees and makes the extra pass ... Monster on the offensive boards ... Can keep possessions alive with rebounds and will convert second-chance opportunities into baskets ...Very good cutter off the ball ... Good at cutting back door. Looks for defender to turn head and then makes his baseline move to the lane ... Ally oop threat, likely to make plenty of highlight plays on lob passes ... His offensive numbers are misleading as he actually has very good potential as a shooter, if he can hone his ability in using deception to create looks ... Weaknesses: No real defined role offensively yet ... A little bit stiff in his movements and running the floor ... Thick legs ... Doesn't always exhibit an ideal level of intensity ... Needs to work on his ability to create shots ... Shot mechanics need some fine tuning as he has a bit of a slow release and seems to telegraph his shot too often ... His motion gets sped up if a defender is too close to him ... Shoots with minimal arc and not much rotation ... Only shot 52 percent from the free throw line ... Is not a strong ball handler, dribbles high and away from body ... Can be very loose with the ball, especially with his off hand ... Does not create his own offense ... Won’t be an instant facilitator at the next level ... Has trouble recognizing the open player as a playmaker … His effort was very up-and-down during his stint at Indiana ... While he has the tools to become a quality defender, was slow at times reacting on defense ... Late-bloomer so his basketball IQ needs some catching up ... Post skills are extremely raw and in need of refinement ... While he shows solid attributes and potential as a rebounder, remains extremely unproven having averaged 2.6 and 5.4 rebounds per game over his FR and SO seasons ... Is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in late January, which could cloud his draft stock ... Outlook: Hoping to capitalize on the substantial internet hype that he had generated, Anunoby entered the 2017 draft and signed with an agent, despite a disappointing season in which he suffered a torn ACL ... After shutting down Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray in the Round of 32 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Anunoby became a hot name and one to watch for in the 2017 draft class ... His numbers saw an uptick, but with his struggles in getting clean looks, his game didn’t change much before he ultimately went down with an injury ... Had Tom Crean kept his job at IU, Anunoby likely would be back in Bloomington, IN ... However, with him being young for his class (won’t turn 20 until September) and possessing the body and athletic profile that he does, he certainly possesses a lot of intrigue to teams ... A bit of a tweener as he lacks a polished skill set, especially offensively at either forward position ... At this point he's a project, coming off a major injury ... With proper development, Anunoby could become a valued asset in the modern NBA game ... Notes: Averaged 25 mpg, 11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 56.3 FT%, 31.1 3P%, 55.7 FG% in 16 games as a sophomore ... Measured 6'6.5 without shoes, 243 lbs, 7'2.5 wingspan, and a 8'10.5 standing reach in the summer of 2016 ... Brandon Jefferson 5/8/17 http://www.nbadraft.net/players/og-anunoby

Meeting with the Clippers and Jazz Alex Kennedy: LAC meeting: Charles Cooke, Jeremy Morgan, James Blackmon, Austin Nichols, Mangok Mathiang, Troy Caupain, Antonio Blakeney, Chris Davenport. – via Twitter AlexKennedyNBA Alex Kennedy: The Utah Jazz are meeting with James Blackmon Jr., Tidjan Keita, Antone Warren, Jeremy Morgan at the @ProBBallCombine. – via TwitterAlexKennedyNBA

I will preface this with I have and think that Rojo should return. I believe this for personal reasons as a fan and as a non-traditional college student who would like to see him finish out his degree. He will not be drafted, but if he wants to play in the d-league or overseas, I will not and cannot fault him for that decision. Regarding my comment earlier, it was never stated they were having issues. Conflicting reports from him and his family were released though. Zach Osterman confirmed the report of Rojo's intent to return with Robert Sr. He tweeted it and wrote a story on it. However, this does not make Mr. Johnson's statement factual. Rojo tweeting that he was still in the draft process confirmed that some form of communication breakdown has occurred within his circle (i.e., his family). My comments weren't meant to get anyone worked up, merely speculation based upon what I had read.

The strength and weaknesses come off so contradicting

Spurs, Pelicans, Magic, Suns, Thunder, and T-Wolves too ORL meeting James Blackmon Jr, Maverick Rowan, Justin Leon, QJ Peterson, Bakari Copeland, Jeremy Morgan, Mangok Mathiang at @ProBBallCombine – via Twitter AlexKennedyNBA Alex Kennedy: Pelicans will meet with James Blackmon Jr, Antonio Blakeney, Austin Nichols, Charles Cookie, Malcolm Bernard, Maverick Rowan, Devin Carter. –via Twitter AlexKennedyNBA Alex Kennedy: The San Antonio Spurs are meeting with draft prospects James Blackmon Jr. and Austin Nichols at the @ProBBallCombine. – via Twitter Alex Kennedy: Suns are meeting with James Blackmon Jr., Canyon Barry, Antonio Blakeney, Austin Nichols, Maverick Rowan, Tidjan Keita at @ProBBallCombine. – via Alex Kennedy: The Thunder are meeting with Antonio Blakeney, James Blackmon Jr, Austin Nichols, JJ Frazier, Jeremy Morgan at the @ProBBallCombine. – via Alex Kennedy: The Timberwolves are meeting with James Blackmon Jr., Charles Cooke, Gian Clavell, Dallas Moore and Jeremy Morgan at the @ProBBallCombine. –via Twitter AlexKennedyNBA

JBJ getting a look from the Clippers Alex Kennedy: LAC meeting: Charles Cooke, Jeremy Morgan, James Blackmon, Austin Nichols, Mangok Mathiang, Troy Caupain, Antonio Blakeney, Chris Davenport. – via Twitter AlexKennedyNBA

Rojo is having a hard time hearing from NBA GM's/scouts that he's no where near ready for that level. They are all advising him to return.

With all due respect I sure hope not... this reminds me of scheduled substitutions no matter the game flow to get everybody equal minutes (or at least scheduled minutes). If we are so well conditioned (and we should be) I want at least 4 of these 5 (Rob, DeVonte, DeRon, Juwan, & Collin) up above 30.... that leaves 50 minutes spread between the rest (4-6 players) and go with the hot hand of the rest for a bigger chunk, or based on matchups with the other team. EDIT: Ok maybe that is unreasonable..... Maybe for the Bigs... but for the guards at the very least I think they should be above 30..... And I really think is DeRon can stay out of foul trouble he should be up there as well.

The guy is either a troll, as he continues to ignore the main points that everyone is making, or he seriously just does not understand football. I'm really not sure which is true, because he's completely wrong on basic aspects of our team like our offense, so who knows.

What are you talking about we won 6 games last year with a crap offense.

At least some have a sense of humor about all of this. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

If so you have at times been really hard on yourself

I truly believe JBJ finds his way onto a team next year. He will probably go back and forth the league and d league but he will have his shot. Sent from my LGLS676 using BtownBanners mobile app

Nice find Luce. Updated the first post with all his links

The takes in this thread are getting too hot to handle.

I mean, his dad "confirmed" he was returning. But hey, what does he know... Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Robert Johnson to return to Indiana for senior season http://dlvr.it/P8vlzg #iubb #hoosiers https://twitter.com/IU_Basketball/status/864470538101473281/photo/1

Ok so which one is it lol. Even though Robert says he hasn't decided I'm gonna go ahead and asssume he's back Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

Awesome news! We've got everything we need to be a successful team next year, we just need everyone to buy in and put in the work.

Agreed. I hated the way Crean rotated players. Why would your best players only play 25-26 minutes? Guys who can score and get their own shot NEED to have as many minutes as possible and that should mean 30+. Also, I think that ROJO could be an All-Big Ten caliber player if he could get more consistent and become the guy who puts the scoring load on his back. Very happy about his decision to come back.

You seriously have no idea what you're talking about. Not a clue. You're completely making things up. We had the 88th "best" scoring offense in the country last year. We were ranked 120th in red zone offense. The only reason we went to a bowl was because Allen took our defense from the 120s to the 40s, and he's done that now at two separate schools. I'm in not saying Wilson isn't a good offensive mind, but the offense was really bad last year other than putting up some big plays. And who said anything about running a slower offense? You're completely making that up. DeBord and Allen have talked nonstop all off-season about continuing to run a tempo spread offense and going fast. DeBord's offense at Tennessee during his two years there averaged nearly 500 yards per game and 37 points per game. Tennessee set a school record for points in a season last year. If you watched our spring game, for the most part, we went faster than Wilson's offenses because there was much less staring at the sideline for the play call. I don't really know how much clearer I can make this: we are running a spread tempo offense. No huddle. They got the plays off really, really quickly at the spring game. That's what the coaches what. We also already have 4 commitments for the class of 2018, which includes either 4 three stars or 1-2 four stars and a couple of three stars, depending on the site you look at. Each one has other Power 5 offers. This is the best start we've in recruiting in years, and Allen has only officially been head coach for a few months. And yet again, for some reason you continue to ignore the fact that the facility upgrades are for the entire athletic department. It helps the football program and makes the stadium look better, but also will be used by every single sport. So other than the things I pointed out, you are spot on. And thanks for hijacking my thread.

There will be a new one to latch on to... Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

I'm sure I missed the memo and this has been addressed but I can't for the life of me understand why there is a Dedicated Duke thread on an IU dedicated message board.

RBB89 just dropped the mic. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

It was electric. We had Doc Ferrell and Ms. Williams. Makes me believe there are others lurking... Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Personally, I got sick of Bryant's antics quickly. By the end of last season I was completely fed up; he'd cry like a toddler every time a call went against him and act like he won the Super Bowl after a routine play. You can care about winning and be passionate without losing your composure and acting like a diva.

Absolutely. I am not saying he is a bad kid, but he knows very little about mental toughness. I don't feel I am bashing him. Hell I was probably less mature than him at that age. His actions on the court will be hard to justify if a GM questioned that statement. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

I like Thomas Bryant. However, he came to IU as a pretty immature kid. He played at IU during a time period when the head coach had a manic, quirky personality. I can see how that was someone Thomas could relate to during his recruitment, but it did him no favors. With Yogi, Max, and Z leading the team his freshman year, he seemed to mature substantially during the season, and his improved play reflected that. During his second season, without Yogi, Max, and Zeis, he was asked by the manic, quirky head coach to be one of the team's leaders. It. Did. Not. Go. Well.

So you believe that season made him mentally tough? The same kid that would kick and scream like a 4 year old not getting an ice cream cone if everything didn't go perfect. I doubt very strongly if he learned much about mental toughness this last season. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

So, for the amount Crean's crew would have spent on one week's worth of recruiting, we now have a new staff. Sounds OK to me.

Yeah I'm just kind of annoyed by him at this point. It's been over a month since he was fired and he's still making excuses and whining about how people weren't supportive. It seems like he's never going to take responsibility for his screw ups.