BGleas

Haha, he never played basketball either. It's like he's a clone. A reporter asked him if not playing hurts him.

Wow, what a train wreck...That was awful. Are there any cliche's left? He used all of them.

I didn't say a single word about Yogi in my post. I think it's crazy that it took 3.5 years for him to become a leader. IMO it was some flaw in Crean's model. i don't know if it was not naming captains officially, or this "everyone is a leader" mantra, but for some reason during much of his tenure it seemed leadership was a quality that took longer to develop. I also never said a word about not wanting any player, so not sure where your post is really coming from? I was addressing why JBJ and RoJo are taking more heat for their poor defense compared to other guys, and rightfully so. Crean basically flat-out said it when he called out his junior class publicly.

I hear what you and others are saying in terms of nobody playing D so how can JBJ and RoJo be singled out. But remember, these guys are 3-year starting juniors. Crean talked a lot this past season about a lack of leadership and specifically pertaining to the junior class. Seems he was pointing that finger directly at these two. Being the quasi leaders, they should have been leading by example on that end of the court. RoJo had a golden opportunity to be the prime leader for the next two years and hasn't grabbed it yet.

This was my big takeaway more than anything in particular that he said. He spoke well, but also seemed like he just wanted to get it over with because he has work to do. I loved it. I also like that we now have a coach that talks like a coach. He doesn't talk in concepts and taglines. He just speaks like a basketball coach. I think it's great.

See, Mike White! :)

Mike was great the last 2 minutes. Getting his guys defensively to foul the proper guys, etc., and put Barry in a perfect spot when he entered the game for a quick hit layup off a Wiscky free throw.

I feel like any conversation with the BOT would go something like... BOT 1: Alford is the only guy to unite the fan base. He's an "IU Guy" we need him. BOT 2: Don't forget Woodson, he's coached in the NBA BOT 3: Mack isn't bad. See what he did to Sean Miller. Go get him Fred! Glass: Hey guys, I got Billy Donovan, he's ready to sign BOT 2: Wait, what? BOT 3: You serious, Clark? BOT 1: Did you all hear about that Pierre Pierce case while Alford was at Iowa? I hate that guy! BOT 1, 2 & 3: Billy it is!

I have no idea if that post is true or not. For discussion sake let's say it is. You don't fly to Bloomington to say no, fly there to dot the i's and cross the t's in preparation for an announcement.

I'm going to assume you haven't watched the NBA in a long time? The isolation, one-on-one style of the 90's went away a long time ago. The 2015 Spurs (the year the won the title?) were an amazing offensive basketball team. If someone asked me to teach them offensive basketball I would just put in a tape of what they did to the Heat in the Finals. Have you watched the Warriors, Celtics, etc.? Also, NBA defenses are infinitely more sophisticated than college defenses. This mantra that NBA team don't play defense has always been a fallacy. Wrong thread, but figured we'd need some help to get to 1,000 pages...

After Stevens and Donovan, I'm fully aboard the Mike White bandwagon. Everything I've heard about him is that many expect him to be one of the next coaching stars, he's got good defensive teams, and I love his sideline demeanor. I hate to throw this out there, but I feel like he's got that Brad Stevens cool, calm and confidence in him.

Same logic, yes. But the context is different. In college you can finish 5th and then have a top 10 recruiting class coming and win the conference the next year. Whereas in the NBA Kevin Durant is an all-time great and you simply can't replace that, especially at a place like OKC. The fix is a great deal longer in the NBA.

I think it's been pretty well established that these firms are brought in after the candidates are established. They do things like background checks, drawing up/negotiating the contracts, allowing for anonymity so denials can be made publicly, etc.

I don't think the manager would know if the head coach was fielding offers from another school in the middle of a tournament run.

You don't think former players have agendas? Dakich has been openly lobbying for Alford on SportsCenter and everywhere else. Maybe have one former player on a committee or something, but Glass shouldn't be letting them really influence his decision making process here. Its the same reason a GM shouldn't let their players have input in coaching/trades/draft picks.

Disagree. Former players should be honored and involved (invited to speak, attend practice, camps, functions and game, and be around), should not be involved in hiring decisions. Too many agendas, etc.

I know you've been pushing White. I hate to be reactionary over one game, but I have read some on White before, and then seeing this performance, I think he's one of the next great coaches in college basketball.

Then he must be a PHENOMINAL coach to have all this success as a piss poor recruiter. Imagine what he could do with IU's resources?

Yeah, nobody is arguing for Marshall over Donovan.

In 19 years of coaching Marshall has finished below 2nd in his conference 3 times. Two of those were his first two years at WSU as he was building that program, Three times in 19 years. That's insane at any level.

Marshall is infinitely more proven than White or Holtman and it's not even close, and he's just as proven as Bennett if not more. How has Marshall not won with X's and O's?

I don't get it either. I guess some think he's on the older side, or the Canada thing? If can't imagine anyone not supporting his coaching. Like you, I don't think he's on the Donovan/Stephens level, but he's as good as anyone else we're discussing after that.

30+ wins four out of the last five years, and at least one win in the NCAA Tournament four years in a row. Add all of that to his conference titles (regular season and conference), the guy is a great coach. I don't know how he'd recruit at IU, but he is a great coach.

Bennett was an assistant for Ryan for a couple seasons before joining his father at Washington St. Bennett was also brought to Wisconsin by his father, so it's not like he's Ryan's "guy". Gard was Ryan's longest tenured assistant, having coached with him for 23 years. Seems Gard's appointment has nothing to do with any referendum on Bennett.

Yeah, that was a pretty weak denial.