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Seems like UCLA's decision to pay recruits under the table in krugerrands finally may pay off.

Jonathan Givony - In addition to the 9 players who received invites to the NBA Draft Green Room last week, sources tell ESPN that the following have also been invited: Nassir Little, Romeo Langford,Tyler Herro. They join Zion, Ja, Barrett, Garland, Culver, Hunter, Coby White, Reddish, Jaxson Hayes

The classic South Africa ---> LA pipeline.

I'm right with you on Green. I'm a sucker for high ceiling guys and waiting on them to figure things out. I'm still waiting for the Charlie Miller breakout... I wasted way too much time trying to defend Green last year :). And agreed, the negativity can be really frustrating. Making a negative observation and then proposing a solution (i.e. the offense is struggling, I wish Archie would implement x, y , and z) can lead to a fun, productive conversation. Posting that we're losing recruiting momentum and are going to be no better last year, while maybe true, and certainly possible, is just negative to be negative. And that is definitely a minority of posts. But it only takes a few posts like that to derail and bring down the conversation. We all know that last year was bad, and nobody is going to be thrilled if the team is no better this year. But it seems like every time there's conversation about a decent recruit, somebody jumps in with the groundbreaking observation that recruiting momentum seems to have slowed and that Archie is going to have a hard time bringing in recruits unless Indiana starts winning... We all know that. Even those of us who prefer to focus on the glass half full approach to next year understand that another year or 2 like these past 2 would be too much to overcome. Even though the statement is technically true, its sole purpose seems to be to bring down any excitement that others have for the future. And what's the point of following IU basketball without some hope in the future? Following IU is supposed to be fun. And hopefully it's more fun this year than it was last year!

This whole thing is a bit of a head-scratcher, but especially when you add in that little nugget.

It's sometimes hard for me to make it through the day carrying the extra weight .....

And it sounds like the schools have big interest....worthy of 20 point font.

I find myself personally in the middle of the optimists and pessimists.....but mostly from the viewpoint that my position doesn't make a difference in reality. If I only looked for the good, as an IU football fan I'd have ulcers by now. What I have found frustrating personally is that it's hard to bring up an optimistic statement on this board without being attacked (and this is 100% not directed on any one individual). I certainly hear the same pessimistic statement/developments as others but those already get covered/stated. Not bringing them up doesn't mean someone hasn't heard them, it just means that I don't have anything more to add to the conversation if it has been discussed fully. Let me bring up a couple of players just for context: DeVonte Green and Justin Smith. I have probably as high of an opinion of Green's game as anybody on here. Conversely, I am a Justin Smith naysayer. But I tend not to add much to the Justin Smith conversations because what I have to say has already been said. I don't talk much about Smith because what I am going to bring up isn't going to add to the conversation....I mean I could say the exact same thing as other people are saying, but it really wouldn't add anything. I'll just like their post and move on. With Green on the other hand, I feel what I put may add to the conversation because it offers an alternate view. I think too often people are getting labeled as optimists or pessimists based on singular statements and people get taken to task when they provide a unique view. I know I've been guilty of that.

Also PU just got their coach Mark Wasikowski hired by Oregon so they are in the market for a new leader. Not sure what Oregon is thinking (although he was an assistant there previously) as he did not set the world on fire at Purdue. Made tourney two years ago but team was an absolute disaster this year. If he really is all that he should of been able to at least maintain some semblance of decency this year. Either way baseball is the one sport where we are miles ahead of PU right now and if I am them I would not be to angry about needing a new coach. Important though they make a good hire, as besides 2018, the last 7 years they have been one of the bottom 2 or 3 teams in the conference year in and year out despite those being the years of them playing in their new stadium. Talk about not taking advantage of a new facility and actually being a lot worse since it opened. Lastly, Gorski signed with the Pirates for a million dollars yesterday and was assigned to Morgantown West Virginia to the Pirates Single A affiliate.

And you can see it has dramatically trickled down into the college and high school game as well

Vandy, Cincy, Indiana, and UCLA for those who can’t see it. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

I'm stealing the thunder from USPS but start making your plans for the December 14, 2019 Forum Tipoff Classic at Southport High School. Another great slate of schools and lots of players with IU interest. 1. Blackhawk Christian (Ft. Wayne) 2. Bloomington High School South 3. Brownsburg 4. Carmel 5. Culver Academy 6. FJ Reitz (Evansville) 7. Greensburg 8. Hamilton Southeastern 9. Heritage Hills 10. Silver Creek 11. Southport 12. West Side (Gary)

The Penn St bball beat writer "gets" Curtis Jones, and he's not especially excited about him. FWIW, the chances of CuJo having a big game against us aren't all that high: For transfer Curtis Jones, Penn State represents 3rd stop and 4th head coach in his college basketball odyssey Today 5:15 AM By David Jones | djones@pennlive.com Curtis Jones fits the typical profile of the big guard position during Patrick Chambers 8 years at Penn State – long, very athletic, able to defend, but spotty as a shooter. And that’s largely why Jones is now committing to his third Power Five program during his college career: So far, he’s been a shooting guard who can’t shoot. Maybe his third school is a charm. Or his fourth college head coach. That’s what Patrick Chambers will be for Jones. Jones announced his transfer from Oklahoma State to Penn State on Twitter yesterday. As a senior, he will likely compete for back-up time in the backcourt with rising sophomore Myreon Jones at the 2-guard spot. Jones’ case is an interesting one. He once played with departing PSU senior Josh Reaves at Paul VI High in Fairfax, Va. and was a sought-after 4-star, top-100 national recruit in the class of 2016. The 6-4 guard was offered a scholarship by many name programs including Maryland, Georgetown, California, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Missouri and West Virginia. He signed with Indiana. Part of a heralded 2016-17 freshman class with DéRon Davis and Devonte Green under Tom Crean, Jones created a stir by scoring 15 points in 16 minutes in the Hoosiers’ first game that season, a 103-99 overtime win over Kansas in Honolulu. That included a pivotal step-back three and a sealing bust-out dunk in the OT. Curtis Jones (0) began his college career with a bang at Indiana, scoring 15 points in his first game against Kansas in Hawai`i. But his playing time gradually dropped during two seasons, bisected by the firing of Tom Crean and hiring of Arch Miller. But that was pretty much his high-water mark with IU. Jones’ playing time diminished as he struggled with his shot (.352 FG%). The Hoosiers took a little longer to go in the tank but eventually got Crean fired with a 4-10 finish after starting 14-6.And when Archie Miller replaced Crean as coach, Jones took a semi-permanent seat on the bench in 2017-18. He played in only 7 games. That precipitated a move to Oklahoma State where Mike Boynton had recently replaced Brad Underwood who’d moved to Illinois after a single season. The Cowboys were pretty much a mess all last year (12-20, 5-14 Big 12) under Boynton. Injuries hit, followed by 4 player explusions in January stemming from a mindless air rifle vandalizing spree that caused thousands of dollars in damage to cars and property. Jones playing time benefitted, but he was beaten out for the starting shooting guard spot by a skinny Floridian driveway shooter named Thomas Dziagwa. Jones got a late start, only gaining eligibility because of his transfer in the second semester, and ended up coming off the bench for substantial minutes. He still couldn’t find any consistency with his perimeter shot (38-117, .325 3P%). And Boynton landed a top-20 recruiting class for 2019-20, likely meaning Jones again would’ve had trouble seeing the floor. Jones gets high marks from Okie State contacts for being a solid citizen, well-liked by teammates and program personnel. Further, he commonly plays under control. He led the Big 12 in low turnover rate in conference games (although, some of that can be attributed to his low rate of handling the ball). He also was 7th-ranked in lowest rate of fouls committed in the league. But Jones will likely gain or lose playing time at PSU next season based on whether he can find his perimeter shot. Nothing looks askew about his mechanics; they just haven’t gone in often enough. If he can turn that around, he has the athletic gifts to be a very meaningful contributor. According to Oklahoma State sources, there’s also the question of whether Jones will be granted grad-transfer status with an outstanding number of credits still to complete that may or may not be obtainable in the summer semester at PSU. If not, he’ll be eligible only in the second semester as he was last season, essentially the bulk of Big Ten play.In that respect, it was somewhat of a surprise to those at Oklahoma State that he didn’t decide to play pro ball overseas or transfer to a Division II school where he could certainly be immediately eligible.

The game is no longer about brute strength and bulk, it’s now about speed and space. This change has been happening for a long time. Even when the game was more about brute strength, guys like Allen Iverson and Reggie Miller we’re crushing it and now that the game has changed, guys like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are crushing it. The more you slim down the more you are able to make it through a full season. It’s hard on your body carrying extra weight. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

If this doesn’t tell a story..... Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Adidas ‘support’ operation must be shut down! TJ’s not getting anyone guys these days. Their premier programs reside in the BIGs - 10 & 12 + the Ville and no one’s going to touch it w a dollar! This could impact the program big time long term. Adidas conceding b-ball to Nike and Under Armor. Meanwhile, merrily they roll along..

He likely will

Up 4 spots.

One of my favorite events of the year. Take your own advice Old Fart and start making plans for this event. Hope to see you there. Very excited to see Jalen Washington in person. Some are calling the sophomore the best long term prospect in Indiana regardless of class Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

While it’s nice to read these things. Tons of people with inside info said Crean was the guy. At the end of the day no amount of words or hopeful musings are going to get the basketball program out of the dumpster. It’s going to be done with deeds and actions.

I wish U of L was more successful in recruiting you so you could take your incessant negativity to their boards.

Have no idea if the kid can play. What little film that’s out there is pretty useless. Doubt he gets a dozen high major offers, though I don’t doubt that he’ll get his tires kicked by a dozen high majors. So the kid’s a lottery ticket? Ok. 1) you have 2 open rides available, 2) you have 1 pg on your roster. And Green should not play 1 single minute as point. He is not a facilitator, period. Can’t be argued in good faith, 3) a 6’4” kid who may or may not be good enough to help is available. A kid who fancies himself a future pro, 4) if he’s good enough to play you’ve solved the biggest issue on this roster, a 2nd facilitator. And maybe done so for multiple seasons. No longer mandatory to find a pg in ‘20. Plus, a kid with enough size to play next to Phinisee as well, 4) if he’s not good enough, you’ve lost, what exactly? 1 year of a ride you weren’t using. The kid thinks he’s a pro, if he’s not playing, he’ll leave. He’s already playing in a pro league. Guarantee that he isn’t looking to sit on scholarship for 4 years. Bottom line: if he can play, you’re better. If he can’t, you’re not worse. Zero downside. Though I’m sure there’s some underappreciated 5’9” kid from Yokel HS somewhere in the southern part of the state who Miller should take a swing at instead because he really, really wants to wear the candy stripes. Side note: hate the term “Creaning” with a white hot freaking passion. Always have. It’s a lazy pejorative. Coaches have been “Creaning” kids since Crean was in diapers. A close friend on my College team was “Creaned” by our Coach and that was 198 freaking 3. Has happened forever, will happen forever. Crean’s treatment of players was in no way unusual.

College bball just moved the three point line to the exact distance that Austin Van Zyl has been shooting it from for the past three years. Prophetic?

People criticize the Fitzner offer way too much. That scholarship is already off the books and was going to go unused last year if not given to Fitzner. While Fitzner was underwhelming, there was no downside to putting him on scholarship. Because of injuries he played more than he should have and got exposed, but he was still more valuable than an empty scholarship would have been.