TrueHoosier62

Of course, of greater concern is, when the hell is Nat going to send me my trophy for winning the pro football pickem' contest? lol

I agree with you 110%. 

6'- 5"; 315 lbs That's big DT. Could probably carry 335 lbs without losing much speed, but would gain quite a lot in plugging up the middle.

I'm not sure what to make of this team's lack of stamina or drive. Somehow, I can't see Crean putting these kids through any more taxing practices than did Knight, yet Knight's teams used to start building towards the end of the season, (if they were going to be serious contenders), whereas Crean's teams begin to implode around February. Something doesn't make sense there. You can see it in their play, and in their faces, their tanks are empty; emotionally, physically, psychologically, empty. I'm sure that Troy is a nice kid, but he simply doesn't have what it'll take to make it in the NBA. He has athleticism going for him, but that's about it. He has no consistent jump shot, can't handle the ball to save his soul, and utilizes not one shred of that athleticism on the defensive end.

I applaud your optimism, even if I question your judgement  :-)

I've been fairly consistent in my appraisal of Yogi, and that's to say that he's a shooting guard trying to play the point. True, he has the school record for assists, and there's no arguing that, but stats are for losers. Getting assists and making your teammates better, are two completely different things, and in my opinion, he simply isn't very good at the latter. Too, for all his quickness, he's at best, average, on the defensive end. Nice guy, no doubt, but I can think of at least five former PG's who've donned the candy stripes, who I'd prefer running my team.

Like it, love it, hate it, or despise it; this is who we are.   We're long range missile launchers and great athletes racing up and down the court in search of the next score and highlight reel play for ESPN. We're also talented, and at times, exciting to watch.   But we're also mentally fragile, hopelessly flawed, and subject to scoring droughts. We're non-existent on defense, inconsistent at the line, and woefully absent at gut check time. We're legless by February and heartless by March. We're equal parts inspiring and depressing.   "It's Indiana". I don't like it, but this is who we are.

In all honesty, I've tried to like coach Crean, and I've tried to remain open minded about the evolving game of college basketball. No one can expect it to remain the same as it was back in 1976; internal and external forces are always going to tweak it here or there. I get that. What I don't get is the complete lack of commitment to the fundamentals of the game. It would be easy to say that not one of the current roster of players would make it off the bench if Knight were still roaming the court, but I'd wager a fair amount of money that the same could be said if it were Gene Keady, Lou Henson, Jud Heathcoate, or practically any number of other coaches, who preached fundamental basketball. Keady's and Henson's teams in particular, lost not because they weren't fundamentally sound, or athletically gifted, but because Keady and Henson were simply inferior to Knight when it cane to game day adjustments and preparation. Every player had a function and a role, and each player played that role to the best of their ability, as that ability developed with coaching. Knight's system of motion offense was a thing of beauty and precision that relied upon it, and his defense was stifling man to man. So what is Crean's approach? After seven years I still cannot, for the life of me, determine what the game plan is under Crean; what the roles are for the players; and what the system is meant to accomplish. Defense, for this squad, appears to be putting forth any level of effort greater than nothing at all, but there's no hint of system or philosophy or strategy; only effort. I've nearly given up trying to understand the offense, which at best seems to be based on "drive and kick", or (with Troy Williams), "slash and burn". There's no cohesion or unity or synchronicity to it at all, just five random players trying to hit shots. At any rate, I've said enough. I just get depressed at times, watching the unraveling of a dynasty. 

I'm not convinced that a coach like Bob Knight still exists. Even if there were such a coach, I'm not sure how that approach would square with today's game. Most of the games I've watched are little more than a collection of athletes, (not basketball players), many of whom are doing little more than auditioning for the big leagues. Of the younger coaches out there, I'm probably impressed most by Brad Stevens. He seems to have the ability to improve teams using little more than whats on hand. To me, that's the sign of a good coach, and one who can do great things given certain circumstances.

I didn't see him, but that's not to say he didn't superglue the bastard shut.

Post of the Day! lol

I have a better chance of throwing my hat in to the ring for the Presidency, and wining a few state delegates, than IU does of winning an NC this year. I love IU, but it just isn't happening this year. 

I know what you're saying, Brass. Under coach Knight, "most years" we had a fighting chance. It didn't mean we thought we'd actually win it all, but we felt we had a fighter's chance. We knew we had the best tactical coach on the planet, and that he'd have the team mentally prepared for almost anything. His teams were fundamentally sound, and knew exactly what they were supposed to do. We won three championships under Knight, and with a break here or there, it could easily have been five. Under Crean, even when he appears to have some nice bits to the puzzle, his teams are still lacking in so many areas as to render them virtually incapable of winning it all. And when you factor in Crean's game day qualities, (he's an abysmal tactician), it leaves most of us convinced that any number of other coaches would get us closer to the prize.

Beating ranked teams means absolutely nothing. Ask Digger Phelps, who holds the record for upsets of ranked teams, and who had exactly one trip to the final four in 20 seasons. Oh, and no NCs. I was glad to see IU beat Iowa, but in no way do I think this team is NC caliber, nor do I think it ever will under Crean. I've yet to see one single team that he's constructed look the part. They're all sometimes exciting, but always frustratingly flawed teams, and those teams rarely get the job done.

Chuck was one of the great ones. I'm glad he had a good innings.

Dr. Tom Davis' canaries: 70 Dr. Jekyll / Mr Hyde's boys: 68

Quit confusing me with facts, damn you! lol. I just know that when I watch IU play on offense, they can go awfully flat for extended periods of time, particularly against the better teams. That's not unusual, as any good offensive team will struggle against a good defensive team, but with IU in particular, when their offense goes south, the whole game goes to hell in a hand-basket.

Tell me about it.

Excellent points.

Good post, and I can see where that would be justification for his dismissal.

If Iowa comes in and plays sound perimeter defense, forcing us to play an interior game, we'll struggle, as we almost always do. We have one player, (Bryant) who can play, but his offensive arsenal is limited and his propensity for emotional instability can be costly in a game like this. I don't know how good Iowa's defense is, but they don't have to be world beaters; they just need to guard the perimeter, keeping us from going off with a barrage of threes. Speaking of defense, we'd better manufacture an "A" game, or it might not be pretty. Keeping the ball out of Williams' hands, (to the extent that he's not bringing it up the court) might be a good idea too.

You may be right about the reasons surrounding Knorr's dismissal, but it begs two questions:   1.) Was Wilson that wrong about Knorr's capabilities in the first place? If so, that seems like a poor reflection on him. Usually, it takes a team at least two or three years to determine if a coach is going to pan out, as schemes and talent have to be adjusted to reflect his philosophy. That seems like an awfully quick hook.   2.) If Wilson was quick with the hook, what does that say about Tom Allen's potential?   I'm left wondering if there was something more to Knorr's dismissal that just opening up a position to hire Allen. Hmmm

LMAO. I was thinking the same thing. lol

"That respect by Davis should mean something to Spartan fans, but I have a hunch it won’t go over well in Bloomington. Indiana is a standard bearer college basketball program that should be a perennial national power every year. Instead they have simply been struggling to gain national relevance again".

Nice read, and sounds like a good "get". I wonder why Knorr was "dismissed"? I shouldn't have thought he was down there long enough to be guilty of much.