lillurk

I believe the comment was that the Tucker connection may have kept Hunter on the staff in the interregnum, and sealing him to IU may keep him on the staff next year. In other words: he looked like the fall guy after a bad year from the outside, but he was able to save himself by bringing in Tucker. That’s the theory, at least.

Do we have reason to believe Connell would get a waiver? Or reason for concern? I know there’s a court injunction or something right now but under the old model he used his one-time transfer already.

I assume McNeeley is not an option, unfortunately. The only other highly-regarded guy uncommitted in ‘24 is Khani Rooths, former UM commit and, I believe, he once had an offer. Saw him comment on Tucker’s IG commitment post but I haven’t heard anything about his plans. Suppose he’s theoretically an option but TBD where his interest lies this time around. Diamant Blazi has an offer and his other D1 offer as yet was Monmouth…I’m not down on him, late riser who played one year in US. He might want to make some other visits. But if those are your offers, you’re going to IU. Anyone else would have to be a ‘25 reclassification or someone asking out of a LOI or commitment, probably because of a coaching change. I.e. USC has 3 commits and just lost its HC, Andy Enfield, to SMU. Maybe they won’t stick at SC, though it appears they’re all west coasters so it might not be an obvious fit for any of those specific ones.

Wonder how permanent this is, “consultant” makes me wonder if it’s just through the spring term or something. Imagine he may have some advocates in Ann Arbor if Dusty wants him back.

Yes — all things being equal I like multi year portal players if you go that route. Expanding on my assertion that Malik can cover you SOME defensively at the 5, think there’s a few considerations: 1. With Malik himself, you give away some rim protection but potentially take away some of the fouls he accrues far from the hoop. 2. As others outlined, you can diminish (but not eliminate) the need for some rim protection with better defense everywhere else. 3. No Edey next year, Dainja’s a part-time player, none of the other 5s in the B1G next year as of now project to be Edey/TJD/Dickinson-level performers IMHO

Don’t have the numbers but someone posted Cupps’ catch and shoot #s near the end of the season and they were substantially better, as you’d expect. It’s a bit unorthodox but he’s an easier guy to slot in and get ANYTHING from offensively if everyone else on the floor can provide ball-handling and rim pressure. He can space, and his defender then has to leave him open — ++ play for IU, maybe 1.3 points/possession if he’s a little over 40% from 3 on open catches, OR his man doesn’t leave him, and then it’s easier for whoever’s getting to the tin. That, and a normal progression for a guy who played a bunch of minutes, is probably a top half of the league backup PG.

These shorter spring recruitments are much more like NBA free agency — meet the staff, see the facilities, here’s NIL range, can you be here in June, we’re also after Players B and C, think these players are returning…. So that and charism, plus what IU more broadly can offer?? Makes sense it’s Woody’s wheelhouse. Need to get better at the more typical, longer HS ones. 2 McD AA wings would’ve been nice this offseason. One is a nice consolation after the other dropped away. Malik at the 5 can work defensively some of the time — really need a backup, truer 5 who can protect the rim and can stretch out to 20-25 minutes some nights. That’s an easier portal patch than someone with Malik’s skills.

Yeah I liked him at San Fran and would have him on my “long list” if I were an AD or consultant.

My guess, too. Not how I’d do it but I also think it can absolutely work — IU’s best offensive games under CMW have been with X, Trey, or JHS playing at their peaks. if you had a couple guys with high floors, it can work. Just think better schemes can put players in less of a tightrope walk

Wonder how that looks to Haralson too, even if he’s not in the group chat (yet)

Yep — e.g. Oakland’s Gohlke shooting 37% when everyone knows he’s only shooting 3s, they’re all on the move or contested, is amazing

Curious to see who else sniffs around, not sure we’ll get a service ranking him until that indicates more. But toolsy is good, and late risers are often underrated.

NBA is shuttering the G League Ignite team. NIL basically killed it: the goal was primarily to give prospects a place to earn $ during the year between HS graduation and draft eligibility without having to go overseas. But they’ve had a miserable year on the court and NIL basically nullifies most of its original purpose.

I hope the extended time recovering has Newton right. He’s one of the big reasons for optimism in the program going forward if so, I think.

Love Shrews and think in a year if IU needs a new guy he’ll be near the top of my wishlist as far as intersection of gettable, good, long-term, pleasant scheme, so on. (Some folks will not believe he’s great until he has multiple deep tournament runs I will continue to say that the trick is to identify coaches BEFORE they do that, and it’s possible if you know what to look for etc.) Still like May but aside from Beilein’s tenure — which was not without its bumps! — and Juwan’s first year with Beilein’s guys, their modern history is not some sparkling unbroken run. Bball is always second fiddle, hockey’s season overlaps and is a big deal, people do NOT turn up when they’re middling or worse, hoops NIL has been poor there…Hope he succeeds (and loses to IU) but don’t think it’s some guarantee even though I think he’s great. All of that means if he really wants to be at IU he can probably still be had at some point in the future. Yes UM has deep pockets but IU is clearly a better job in many ways. I wonder if he doesn’t have huge success if the bloom comes off the rose somewhat and then will there be some doubt he’s a home run for IU? Conversely if UM wins consistently they’ll of course be more inclined to pony up to keep him. Maybe you get a Roy/Kansas/UNC thing. Or maybe you just hire Shrews and beat him.

Some of the best coaches of our current era either did or would’ve come to IU: Pitino, Beilein, Sampson, seemingly any of Pearl, Stevens, or May if the timing was right. I think it can be true that 1. IU is one of the most well-resourced, best jobs in the country AND 2. they’ve handled the Knight-Davis, Davis-Sampson, post-Crean transitions and Sampson’s indiscretions poorly. Sampson HIMSELF at IU show with a good hire you’d be in great shape in a year, and that was at a time when building a team took much longer.

That could happen, though UL’s AD has been open about budget issues and bball is just not as much of a money driver as fball. The B1G deal makes IU wayyyyy ahead of UL and other ACC schools in this regard.

Tend to think IU can afford to lure him away if it wants later. Not a risk I would’ve taken, but I can see a certain advantage to letting him swing on someone else’s dime.

I do genuinely wonder if that moves the needle. Wishful thinking for me too, I suppose.

Ehhh maybe, I’m not even totally sure of that, given he’d need a new multi year contract. There are other options.

They should be! I’d be surprised if they had the juice to get to the end of the line even if the $ is there, just clearly a much worse job than these by like two orders of magnitude

Please please please let us be “mystery team,” not sure who the other candidates would even be to get his attention? Like if you can choose UL or UM who else is even getting to the table? https://x.com/rickbozich/status/1770592931918893560?s=42&t=amyLA-ibyLT69zYMzsU5bA

As a person who was in high school 20 years ago, I don’t think he would’ve been some special recruiter. My classmates and teammates hadn’t watched him play. He would’ve made our parents happy, I guess.

I just think you can aim higher, even within that archetype. We should be wiser than to assume he’ll be amazing just because he went to IU, that’s not some secret sauce.

I think the quick answer is something like 1. He got a shot at a blue blood and didn’t get past the S16, and 2. he’s not at an age where he’s a long term upside play. There’s more too. Mishandled at least one player misconduct situation egregiously, doesn’t move the needle with recruits, so on. At least when IU hired CMW you could say he had some NBA guys in his corner, league connections would appeal to recruits, he had some theoretical pluses. Alford doesn’t even have that juice.