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He might not suck but the manner in which seemingly zero of his former players give him props, or even acknowledge that he was the coach here, makes me wonder a bit more. None of them mentioned him on senior night, no expressions (at least what I read) of regret when he was fired, a few of the guys we still have when he left would have been gone if he stayed around, etc etc. Calling Crean goofy etc is somewhat of a sport but I have heard multiple podcast with players (Yogi, Troy, Cody, etc) that speak very highly of him, say how important he is to them and they still exchange tweets, extend congratulations to each other, etc etc. For whatever reason the entire chemistry was “off” with Miller which I think was part of the reason that he had some teams that seemed to essentially give up. Wish him luck with his new gig but man he was a total bust here. He is young so hopefully, for him, he learned a few things and will grow.

They’re really different dudes, but this stands out. Crean was demanding, goofy, and actually won meaningful stuff at IU, and his players, broadly speaking, seem to maintain a fondness for him. I’d add that in the macro, his offenses are IU were truly excellent, not just a matter of reputation.

three charges in the first half…Brad Underwood is going to get so red-faced about Cupps

I think Hunter probably was the real deal before the medical issue. It's hard to quantify the psychological damage that very serious problem did to him. That being said, CMW seems to be doing things on a whole different level. The kids he is targeting, and signing, are what Indiana basketball should look like.

Wait...so Archie sucked? Who knew

I guess plugging the toilet at a recruits home wasn't included in you thinking.... Sent from my Moto Z (2) using BtownBanners mobile app

True. If one of them can play wing and be able to drive and shoot from distance we will be a really good team. If both can we can be a great team

That’s fair. Miller was/is a terrible leader. He couldn’t establish credibility in anyway other than winning. He inherited winning in Dayton. Let’s see about Rhode Island

Archie feigned confidence but didn’t truly have it yet. He always knew his big brother was better. We took the chance too soon on him. Bad hire atm. Sent from my iPad using BtownBanners mobile app

picture from his visit…try not to notice that Booker commented on it……I’m sorry can’t do it, BOOKER commented on it!

Makes more sense for Queen than most. It wouldn’t be a move up, he’d be returning to his original class. Interesting that he’s a ‘24 right now and Page is a ‘23, but Queen is actually older. And his game is skill-based more than just out-athleteing guys or being more physically developed. You couldn’t tell it last year at Montverde, but I watched a couple of games from his freshman year in high school when he was offered and the kid is a terrific passer. Really exceptional vision. Both Queen and Reneau can facilitate from the high post, and that is such a useful skill. Creates so many options.

Yes, I’ve been thinking this all offseason. The hoped-for depth isn’t much about projection, IU returns a bunch of players who have played meaningful roles on a tourney team: TJD, Race, X, JG, Kopp, and Trey. Add in a guy who got some burn and doesn’t hurt you (Leal), and a sophomore who had flashes (Bates) and you’re not even asking anything of the newcomers when you say this team will be good and have some depth. Every leap from Bates and the frosh is gravy.

It sounds like reclassifying to 2023 might be an option for him. If so it sounds like IU would really like that.

A PRE GAME/SEASON DYNASTY? Next, on First Take...

I'm pretty sure I read where he will be able to resume shooting drills in 2-3 weeks

Agree but think it's Bates and JG. JG has that monster potential, while Bates is primed to explode offensively

If we had Clark, we'd be expecting great things from him ... as X's backup. We'd also be hoping he got healthy enough to battle Bates and Galloway for the starting SG slot. Illinois needs him to be their 30 minute per game point guard.

For sure. I think a lot of the Illinois skepticism just stems from adding so many new pieces. It’s a risky game to see if pieces from different systems can fit together. We have viable line ups without any newcomers. That’s so reassuring a coach. The only new comer that we really even need to play a bench role is JHS as back up PG. Generally when you only NEED freshmen 5 stars to play 6-8 minutes a game that’s a good sign. Granted that’s a team that is probably middle of the pack big ten. We have a much higher floor than Illinois I think. And a slightly higher ceiling. Our real difference Maker is Bates. If he can be the player we all hoped he can be. Able to drive or shoot from perimeter. Fingers crossed

"Just win, baby" is where I'm at. Tired of not seeing the off season hype pay off. I do feel optimistic but cautiously so.

I’ve always raved about his skillset. I just didn’t know how long it would take to translate. I’ve always thought of him Watford type player with more agility. Nice to hear his confidence translates to practice, hopefully it translates to games. Sent from my iPad using BtownBanners

soon

Interestingly enough I switched Purdue and Ohio State. The situation where Ohio State is good and Purdue isn't then the schedules balance a bit more. Hopefully this board is right and Ohio State will be good and Purdue will SUCK Indiana Michigan Michigan State Illinois Ohio State Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Mean 49.8 56.4 61.8 54.9 57.9 47.1 59.3 63.6 59.8 46.7 Median 47.5 52.5 63 52.5 52.5 47.5 60 63 58 45 Top 50 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 3 5 Nebraska Maryland Nebraska Illinois Maryland Illinois Michigan Iowa Minnesota Nebraska Ohio State Minnesota Ohio State Iowa Minnesota Penn State Michigan State Maryland Penn State Indiana Wisconsin Penn State Purdue Rutgers Northwestern Wisconsin Rutgers Purdue Wisconsin MIchigan Iowa Iowa Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Illinois Illinois Illinois Illinois Maryland Maryland Iowa Iowa MInnesota MInnesota Northwestern Northwestern Michigan State Michigan State Michigan State Michigan State Michigan Michigan Nebraska Nebraska Michigan State Michigan State Michigan Michigan Minnesota Minnesota Nebraska Nebraska Northwestern Northwestern Purdue Purdue Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Maryland Maryland Rutgers Rutgers Penn State Penn State Purdue Purdue Wisconsin Wisconsin Rutgers Rutgers Purdue Purdue Wisconsin Wisconsin Rutgers Rutgers Penn State Penn State Iowa Iowa

This kid has gotten very little attention given his ranking and skill set. Are we sure he’s going to be an afterthought this year? Race Thompson kinda raved about him at the media availability today.

2013 Big Ten season was as tough as ever. You had IU, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin all legit. I think IU played OSU, Michigan, and Michigan State on the road as well as home. They won all the road games and lost to only OSU at home. Ended up winning the Big Ten outright. Point is if this team is as good as we think, they're going to do just fine. 100% agree too..so glad to avoid Madison.

Tell me who Purdue’s three best guards are… Nope, not him. No, he sucks. Nope, he transferred. Nope, not him either.