JonO

Did my message to this board get rejected?

I don't blame Cal that some players only play one year and leave. If you go back and look at the players recruited by Indiana, few, really fit the mold of superstar. Isiah Thomas would be one of the exceptions. Indiana has a tradition of recruiting student athletes who have jelled together to form a team. I don't blame Crean that Vonleh left after one season, Zeller left after only two seasons and Oladipo left after three seasons. I blame that on the NCAA for allowing players to leave after only one year. The NBA should have to recruit them out of high school or only after three years like in baseball.    The problem as I see it is that we are not able to recruit top Indiana high school players like was done in the past. Where we got one superstar each of the last two years, Kentucky and the other elite programs are getting three or four. Look at Michigan and Michigan State and notice how many top Indiana high school players they have on their teams.    The whining about one and done programs is just sour grapes. We need to recruit more quality players and coach them better. 

It's sad that much of an IU basketball forum focuses on hatred of Kentucky and little, if anything to do with IU basketball success. 

A lot of critics point to the performance of the team this year. However, if you look back on Crean's overall record it is not that good. The play of the team last year was inconsistent. Even with a good amount of talent, it appeared Crean got out-coached in many games. Player talent is a lot like a new coat of paint, it can cover up some flaws but the flaws are still there.   How many games was Wafford MIA last year and the team struggled? However, Wafford continued to play regularly. I just don't see mental toughness from Crean or the players that is necessary to make a run at the end of the season.    My overall impression of Crean is he is a good man. He emphasizes academics and cares about his players. In many ways, he has increased student interest in the men's basketball program. I think it is debatable if he has actually "brought the program back." I just don't think he is that great of a coach. 

Huh?  Hollowell got lots of playing time last year and this year and hasn't done jack either year. I've seen more life at a funeral home. The Hollowell experiment lasted too long. 

There's a lot of basketball to play this season so I don't see the record being in jeopardy. Two modern factors will make it even more difficult to go undefeated:  conference tournaments and the expanded NCAA tournament.    Personally, I am not worried that we won't get into the tournament because it really doesn't matter. The only consistent pattern with CTC teams the last three years is up and down execution resulting in some big wins and some confusing losses. He hasn't shown the skills to get a team to make a consistent run for an extended period of time. We might get into the tournament but our run will be short, . .  very short. 

Too much emphasis is placed on potential and not enough on execution. Quit worrying about Hollowel's potential and focus on his execution. If he wants to play more, he needs to produce more. It worked for Landon Turner and it can work for Hollowel if he wants it. 

The boos were not aimed at the players, they were aimed at Crean. Crean has to understand that he has worn out his stay in Bloomington. People are tired of his bizarre player rotations, lack of half-court offense, and inability to use bigs effectively. I don't see any more banners (that mean anything) hung in the CTC era. 

The team has virtually no offense except for Noah and Yogi and most of those points are one-on-dribbling plays that often get deflected of off someone's foot. We were lucky to get the lead we had in the first half:  two straight away bank shots were laughable.     The team relied heavily on Cody Zeller's inside play last year but the mainstay on offense this year is "a turnover" when Yogi pushes the ball up the court even when there isn't anything there.    You take Noah out of this offense and this team would struggle to score 30 points a game.   Remember, this AD is the same one who hired Kelvin Sampson. 

I can't comment on his future as a coach because I don't know him personally. Will does not have the shot to make it in the NBA or even in the D league. His biggest adjustment this year is playing without Vic and Cody, and to a lesser extent Christian. So much attention was paid to those other guys, Will was able to get a lot of scoring opportunities which are just not there this year.