Stuhoo

  FWIW, now up to five crystal ball picks, two of them from today, all of them for...   Your. Indiana. Hoosiers.   Get ready to welcome OG to IU!?!

  Very Troy Williams. That's a great thing!

    We shall give OG the nickname... "Ogugua"!

Many things in this world surprise me. Jaquan Lyle attending Indiana University would not surprise me. Not one little bit. Not at all.

  Two things:   1)  At least 6'6", long and athletic makes for a fantastic frame for a defensive wing.   2)  Hova and djsalway are extremely credible posters and are on campus. If they stood/sat right near OG during his visit and saw that he was about the same height as Troy, DD, etc, that's more than good enough for me!

  If they stay at IU, yes.   In other words; post season convo between player and coaching staff:   Player: "Coach, I really think I can be a starter next year".  Coach: "We don't think you'll even be a rotation player, but you're welcome to stay". Player: "I will look around for other options".

  Nope. Puts absolutely no pressure on them. They will have a starting spot as long as they want to stay.   It puts pressure on the players who see no clearly defined role for themselves in the rotation and want to get semi-guaranteed minutes, ala Remy Abel.

  I LOVE getting players from academically interested - squared away families.

  I think you may be missing the takeaway, Wayne.   Howard as a freshman was in no way, shape, or form ready to play defense for a D1 team. By his senior year, he had gained considerable strength, quickness, and in-game knowledge, and was probably our best versed big defender (sad, but true).    MSB was weak, slow, and confused on the defensive end during the Canadian trip, but he's a fair bit bigger than Howard (2" taller and already weighs the same as an incoming frosh). That trip was three months before his 1st practice with the team! If he develops a bit physically, his shooting could turn him into a real rotation player by his junior year

    I like most of your post above, except for the last line.   Middle School Bob has the same size, shape,and athleticism as Jeff Howard, but his skill level is inherently different. If (and that's a big if) MSB could be an effective stretch four and play position defense to Jeff Howard's level, he might carve a niche and have a real go at IU basketball.   As you said that's a big if, but the good news is the coaching staff is starting to get answers over the next few months.

OG Anunoby. Discuss.

    I give.   Who, pray tell, is "wholegrain22" on snapchat??

  That's a long trip for a Colorado kid to come to HH for a weekend.  Don't think it can be an official visit for a '16 yet, can it?   PS: pap - what did you hear about HH being extra excellent?

  I put the odds of a verbal this weekend at 50/50, minimum.

   I saw him on ESPNU during the Peach Jam.   He is a true defensive big, and a very good one at that.

I watched Bryant play in the Peach Jam ESPNU games.    He has a GREAT nose for the ball, plays with a great motor, and is a true big defensively.   I haven't seen Zimmerman play, but it's hard to imagine a better fit for IU than Thomas Bryant.

    Us or Oklahoma.   Between our oversign situation and his close family bond, I'm worried that Shake will stay as close to home as possible.

  Yogi will have a degree and will have developed to near his potential as a college player.    If someone is going to college as a D1 player, those are the two goals, whether that player ends up as a first rounder or not.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H84SlV60cdg

  Yes.   Perea, Davis, Holt, Morgan, MSB, and April give us plenty of good choices for our front court. Add in Rojo, JB, Stan and Nick and we have a very solid returning group, even if we lose Yogi or Troy. If Yogi or Troy return too, look out!

    McCarthy was a college kid sitting in an IU classroom a year or two ago. His crystal ball choice is not especially relevant. When Juwan signs I am satisfied.   That having been said, I am entirely more optimistic than if I were any other school in this horse race, and Juwan Morgan is exactly the kind of young man and ballplayer we should be getting at IU.   This is all looking very, very good.

Alex McCarthy is only like 23 years old. He's trying hard, but it's not a level field to expect him to compete for sources of info with guys like Meyer, Rabjohns, Osterman, etc.

  Don't confuse Juwan's in-game attributes with CWat's just because they physically resemble each other.   Juwan is far more athletic than CWat, and has nowhere near the soft outside touch.

You all are forgetting one of the truly stellar things about Juwan Morgan and Shake Milton:   In addition to being top 100 players, they are both great students, have parents instead of handlers, and are exactly the type of players that will immediately contribute to a culture of character on the IU bball team.   I like the Holt and Zeisloft pickups for the same reason, and the quality of Rojo's work ethic and character cannot be understated!   Whoever gets Juwan and Shake are getting great people into their program.

    Good big men want to play with excellent guards. Rojo is a leader, and is an excellent guard.   Rojo is gonna be one of those special, special Hoosiers.