triple

I can't recall experiencing such a compact/consistent IU sports fix. Starting this past Monday and on eight consecutive days: MBB, WBB, MSOC, MBB, WBB, FB (gulp), MSOC, WBB

I understand why Kaufman didn't want to play for Archie, but the Purdue call was/is baffling to me. The last Purdue forward (or big for that matter) to see any level of success in the NBA was Carl Landry...drafted 15 years ago. Purdue makes sense for giants and others like Furst who lack the athleticism and range to make it to the league, because Painter plays to their strengths. I wish Kaufman luck, but first redshirting and then not starting in year two? Ouch!

Central to my point was that Sampson made those other coaches "look" clean in comparison, by wearing his indiscretions like a badge of honor.

In his time at IU Sampson made Izzo, Cal and Self look very clean. He made Williams and Coach K look like saints. He openly violated rules (regardless of how silly those rules were in retrospect) and looked the other way as rampant rumors of hard drug use, and even dealing, clouded the program. Not to mention the horrendous team academic results that became clear when the dust settled. IU went overboard in punishing itself afterwards. True. But Sampson wasn't behaving like the coaches noted above, who cover their tracks. IU would have been the poster child for cheating if they had not fired him. Playing that game is one thing. Playing that game out in the open and daring somebody to stop you is a whole different story.

When I read Page's Inside the Hall interview after his IU visit, the last thing that came to mind was excitement. I just don't think he clicked with the program. Sometimes that's just the way it goes.

Agreed. I avoided listening to them for a while based on comments here. Looking back that was silly. Live and let live.

I'm excited about Garzon and her hustle during that play was outstanding. But unless the rules are different there it was a blown call. She was well out of bounds, with a foot on the ground, when she tipped it off of the German player.

I'm not up to speed on the inner workings of the conference, but are you suggesting that the B1G added two programs without the Commissioner's knowledge? I'm just trying to understand how that would even be possible (e.g. who then negotiated with USC and UCLA)...rogue athletic directors?).

In my opinion Woody only gets one shot to compete with the big boys. Even just one more year of being a mid-pack conference team will likely put a cap on his tenure at IU. It's not just about the merits of one guy versus another. He's got to show notable progress on the court to sustain his progress on the recruiting trail. I hope this somehow works out well for all involved. But I think he would be crazy not to pursue a likely starter/contributor at a position of relative weakness for next season.

Last year we ranked 197th nationally in three-point shooting percentage. A two point improvement would have moved us to a tie for 55th. A three point improvement to a tie for 29th. I do love the idea of having an elite D. But outside shooting is the glaring weakness. Without it we struggle to build and maintain leads, which in turn increases the burden on our D. Shooters, yes, please!

I believe most of the top US women play here and in Europe, since the seasons do not overlap. I imagine that's Aleksa's intent.

Indeed. Having lived near Carmel back in the day and living in Evanston now, I would say that New Trier HS is the closest thing to Carmel, by way of comparisons. New Trier draws students from Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Kenilworth, etc., which includes #s 1, 2 and 7 on that list. It's also one of the larger schools in the state, much like Carmel, versus Lake Forest which is less than half the size. Not trying to argue...just stating an observation.

Lake Forest is the northern boundry where prices actually start coming back down. Just south of there, in the likes of Winnetka and Glencoe, is where home prices average well over $1M.

I agree. You hire a head coach to run the program, including making decisions about the staff. It's quite possible that Woody felt like he had one hand tied behind is back last year.

For the past 20+ years I've read that, one after another, five IUBB coaches quickly fell out of grace with Indiana HS coaches. I'm not convinced it's true. But if it is, at what point would it become noticeable that the 'problems' might be associated with the constant side of the equation?

Agreed. Drew V. has been excellent. Loyola thankfully got me through the Archie era and I still watch most of their games. It has the feel of a 2000s Butler program at the moment, being able to change coaches and lose valuable pieces without missing a beat. Next year will be a real test though. They'll lose a handful of super-seniors and move to the Atlantic 10. If Valentine has a good year I imagine he'll be a very hot commodity.

I agree with this. The workout videos we see every summer look much more suited to football than basketball. Even if the strength training is not directly impacting shots, my belief is that the time would be much better spent improving basketball skills. We may have the most "fit" team in the conference by the looks test, but we consistently run out of steam, year after year, as seasons progress. And the less fit players who knock us down a notch do so with good shooting. It's not rocket science.

The insanely impactful success of the pack line defense across all levels of basketball has forced non-IU teams everywhere to chuck the ball up from crazy distances. Even though we've moved on from that defensive philosophy, it's not recommended when on offense that IU try to shoot from such distances. That would require practicing and running plays designed to get open shots. Rumor has it IU used to do that before the turn of the century, for what that's worth.

Completely agree. In the eyes of B1G officiating the smaller guy commits the foul by default, when two posts players get tangled up.

Adding on. If you are driving there are four good microbreweries in Evanston. Sketchbook, and Temperance Beer Co are the best known of the bunch but each is a few miles from the arena. Smiley Brothers is more restaurant than bar but close to downtown. A new one called Double Clutch brews German beers and has a mini museum of classic sports cars...it's off on its own in a neighborhood, but just a mile away from the game. Bluestone is walking distance and has a nice bar but typically gets packed early on game days. There are also two new bars close together, downtown, called Tapville and Ridgeville Tavern, but I've not been to either yet.

https://www.on3.com/news/national-prep-school-invitational-day-1-recap/

I sometimes wonder if there are career counselors out there advising HS and college athletes who struggle to commit themselves to anything to go into coaching.

I had the exact same thought.

They ran that other commercial about being #1 in the polls during their Rutgers game. I hope they keep going with the campaign. It's awesome entertainment.

Just a shout out to Old Fart. Thank you for all of your posts to keep us up to date on all things IU athletics!