Stuhoo

That would be three of what will end being top 100 players in the portal. Too much gloom for me to say I'd be surprised if we do that well on P4 players?

Some will be immediately disappointed with the roster we assemble. Some will wait to see how that roster performs.

Sam Alexis was also properly identified; he would have been a pretty good 15-20 minute per game big if Bailey's failures hadn't necessitated him starting.

A different and better way of saying it: I would like Jacobsen's potential better if Dusty May identified him as someone he thinks is worth developing.

And unlike last offseason, we should have about six or seven full-price portal spots to fill, not ten.

Yuppers! Now who has been gushing about Daniel Jacobsen's potential lately? Dusty May saw the potential in Mara, but that evaluation wasn't a given.

Kevontay Hagan:

So let's play a little comparison game! Both of these players are 7'4", both played for a top 25 power five team, and I'm gonna list both of their stat lines for their second year of college hoops: Player 'A' 12.9 mpg, 5.5 ppg on .646 fg% and .627 ft%, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg. Player 'B' 13.1 mpg, 6.4 ppg on .590 fg% and .577 ft%, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 bpg. Who do you like? Pretty identical if the quality of competition is identical?

There are some worrying explanations for that and some comforting explanations: Worrying? This staff is not good at evaluations This staff cannot develop the guys that they evaluate After last year, the staff will not have enough of a track record to effectively pitch to priority recruits Comforting? The staff didn't have enough time to build a plan and a pitch for the guys they really wanted The staff put evaluation responsibilities in the hands of certain staff, when other staff should have been and are now the primary decision makers Hiring the two Carrs significantly boosts our evaluation abilities The staff now has a better idea of what will succeed at this level

I guess with Michigan I'm primarily talking about three guys; Cadeau, Morez, and Mara. Yaxel was a very high-priced signee, but the other three weren't. They weren't low priced, but they probably were in the same general range as Reed Bailey or Conerway, and likely lower priced than Tucker Devries. You liked the three UM guys collectively better than Bailey, Conerway, and Tucker? So did Dusty May. The key is, Dusty had a track record, a vision to sell, and therefore a choice when he was recruiting the portal. And as AH said, Dusty is a fantastic evaluator. We see it at IUFB; Cig is already raving about Boston College rb Turbo Richard. We absolutely jumped on his @$$ as soon as the portal opened, he wasn't that expensive, and I'll betcha he shows out for IU from day one. Last year Devries had little track record and a much more theoretical vision to sell. That makes the options fewer and the price tag higher. And the staff evaluations sucked last year; hopefully with time and a new GM they are world's better this time.

Paying a ton for the people who make the evaluation decisions is very much a Cignetti model; it's no wonder that Dolson likes it. Of course, many try to emulate successful models, but the devil is in the details, and in this case, our mega-staff budget has not yet turned into evaluation success. But it's too early for me to adjudge whether this staff, which now includes Carr, is up to the task. After this year and the next should have a pretty good idea.

Really good discussion. I think that teams like Michigan and UConn crushed last year's portal in retrospect. They got a home town discount on select retentions, and identified players like Mara, Morez, and Demary. They now get a discount on the highest price players because those players see the path to NBA success through their programs and can save money on the top tier signees. Just like Cignetti. And like Cignetti, Dusty May and Hurley will continue to identify mid-priced gems because they are that smart and that good. Whereas IU overpaid and misidentified last year. So IU needs to develop players like Sisley, the three freshmen, and some mid signees to get that discount and not have to overpay going forward.

The size, talent, and lack of distance shooting kinda reads like a Romeo Langford comparison?

Ummm…. True freshman Blake Smythe got name checked by Tyrique Tucker as the first young lineman he could think of that has made an impression on him. Indy kid and a legacy Hoosier. Good size and 3* high schooler with multiple P4 offers. Apparently a player to keep an eye on.

I'm a fan. Love his motor and body language, and he's pretty talented. I also think that his freshman lousy distance shooting was with reasonable form and could improve enough to be useful.

An underrated aspect of Haralson? All of his to date-inefficient talent comes via a 19 year old who will improve dramatically.

Hopefully exactly two; Burton and Haralson. They are both very talented. If our staff can't develop talent and scheme then it's all a moot point, but if they can, these two would be high-level additions.

In any event, likely cements Kansas as the leader and eventual landing place for #1 2026 recruit Stokes... over UK/Pope.

Highest ranked high school recruit in program history.

For those (mea culpa) worrying about the possible red flags about Teri Moren's ability to re-capture magic and recruit high level talent? Below are the 247.com five highest composite ranked high school recruits in program history: Finley Parker class of 2027 #29 Gigi Battle class of 2026 #39 Addison Nyemchek class of 2026 #45 Maya Makalusky class of 2025 #46 Nevaeh Caffey class of 2025 #60 and 2026 Ashlinn James is the sixth highest rated IU recruit ever. Sydney Parrish would be on the list, but was not a high school recruit to IU.

That 40 time is strrrrrong. Tell me how Kaelon Black doesn't get drafted and make an NFL roster.

Burton is a dude. Freddie is an enigma.

Thanks, that’s a great post that should calm our collective nerves a little. Can’t wait for Trent Sisley to work hard at his game and be our modern era, high motor, lengthy small forward

DeAngelo Ponds? smart disciplined poised FAST physical relentless