8bucks

You guys know how slow the NCAA clearinghouse is right? If he finishes late and is looking for a mid year joining the team I worry that he would not be cleared till much later. Especially with his non traditional route

I assume rob would go to the bench

What does that mean?

I agree with this but it does not fit what I would call a major sleeper.

So what level of contribution do you expect of him at IU this year. Calling him a major sleeper suggest to me he should be able to do much more for us next year than Holt did. Perhaps close to Rojos contribution. I think he can be pretty good and expect him to give us what Holt did but not sure yet what major sleeper really means for productivity on the court.

What are you basing your optimism on?

I don't think it is really the same. Last year we needed a big and we signed two guys that were obvious reaches and a shooter. We really did not necc need a shooter but rather we needed a big that could offset guys like Purdue's frontline. So there was legitimate concern last year because despite NZs good year we still needed a big far more than another shooter. That being said, I am fine with bringing Max on.

We have two spots open now so sign a max and if a guy like you describe is out there get him too

How can we know this until they play at the college level?

He is perfect fit at this point. Veteran big who would not be expecting a lot of minutes. Dakich is promoting him and he knows the kids on that team well. We have out primary big for next year in Bryant. If Bryant ends up being just an OK player then we are probably not going past sweet sixteen anyway. We need a dependable big who can give us 10 to 15 mins a night most of the time against the other teams back ups. Last year we missed on these guys and we needed them desperately. This year, guys like Max, are exactly what we need. Even though he may not have the athleticism of HP I could see this as an upgrade in some sense be said now there will not be a need to use some of Bryant's time with HP

That is true but the other veteran BT players are going to get better too.

Well two of the four teams he will have played on would be top 10 caliber teams. This is a great year to etch his name amongst the greats

Big big gap though between the All Time Great camp and knocking people. I might not knock him either but the all time greats have postseason success. Do you prefer Brady or Manning. Montana or Marino.

I will have a hard time calling him an all time great unless we do more in the postseason this year. He is right there on the precipice and has stats to support a claim but the more important stats are accomplished in the postseason.

Give me a guy who wants to play d and is not athletic vs an athletic guy who does not. He may never be BT defensive player of the year but if he understands the need for D and commits to it he will be fine. Just saying you need to focus on it is not enough yet but a good start

I agree. I do like how he has been back to IU a few times but it seems his visits are to IU and not to the Bball program. We have a video of Vic practicing this week at IU and a picture of Noah at a wing place. Does Noah go back to visit the coaches?

Marni should get a lot of credit but she is empowered only if the HC believes in the plan. Who originated the idea is important but if Crean did not also support it there is no way Marni gets this done on her own.

I have been doubtful that Crean can produce consistent winning teams here but this graduation in three years thing is something I really appreciate

Albers sources cannot even tell him that Blackman is considering the NBA. @Justin_Albers: Can’t believe James Blackmon Jr. is considering leaving school for the NBA. But he is, Tom Crean said today. #iubb

@BuffaLouies: @NoahVonleh just stopped by! Just another day on the life of world's best wing joint! http://t.co/xoPNQgXBvI Good to see him back on campus. [attachment=2059:ImageUploadedByBtownBanners1429746226.617195.jpg]

If Barnes is that loyal to Purdue he would be upset with MSU over the Dawson recruitment.

Plus he had a lot of veterans this year too.

I will add that Dakich, who was an AAU coach as well at that time, mentioned on air that the kids in this group were over rated and were generally not kids he thought would be great at the next level. You can miss on one kid in the class but if you are great at evaluating talent you can't miss on a large class like that.

I thought so too but then why use Instagram to announce it? Sure the school followed with a release but that was IU - the info from Troy and Boo were pretty tame and did not fit the idea of hyping him

I agree completely. I love Yogis heart and think he has improved his shooting incredibly but we remember those that led us to major victories. Most would be for banners but Cal, Grahamx2, Bailey, Henderson and Reynolds gave us a lot of memories and a FF and they are up there for me.