Golfman25

But they have 2-3 years on the kid. Experience sometimes does wonders.

Yeah. I said in one of these posts it looks like he’s got chicken legs.

Maybe he's looking at the buyout. Easy money. :)

Does he lack athleticism or is he just playing extremely timid (not that he is a jump out of the gym guy)? Is the game just too fast for him right now? Does another year or two get him more comfortable?

Yeah, I have seen our G-league team working out at our park district facility. No thanks.

Woodson said something to TJD. Kid turned out pretty good.

Delusional.

Yeah, nothing like waiting till last call to find the person to take home. :)

Simple. It's not this team so much. It's not this year's record so much. Every team has a down year every now and then. But it is an epic failure to build a base to work from. He's potentially losing 4-7 players after the season (graduation, NBA, transfers). He should have several 2024 HS signees lined up. He has one. He should have a bunch of 2025 stacked up. You can't build a program for the long term by going to the portal for 4 or more players every year. And even if you could, he hasn't been good at going deep in the portal.

you renting him a room? :)

No, but . . . The problems with this program aren't this season's wins and losses, or even making the tourney. This issue is an epic failure to build a foundation for the future. He really needed a good 2024 HS recruiting class coming in of 3-4 players. He needs to have 2025 stacked up. Right now, it's 1. That's just not good for the program going forward. Sure the transfer portal may get you an 8 man rotation next year, but that's doing it the hard way. From a player perspective, we have had massive wins -- TJD and JHS going in the draft. But also, epic failures -- the number of kids who transfer and/or fail to develop at all. There is no solid base there either which creates holes. So I could "encourage" him to retire based on that.

I was excited for the comeback, but wasn't excited for the game. I felt like the PSU loss at home doomed the chances at an NCAA birth. So it was great to win. But it was like rooting for the tallest midget.

He's got to get out there. Keep moving. Seek out his shot. Just play like his hair is on fire. What's the downside? He sits on the bench? Been there, done that.

I saw weekend at Bernie's blink. So there's that.

That's just it. If he had a top recruiting class of several players ready to come in, this would just be a down year. BFD. 3-4 core players coming in, plus the portal to fill in gaps, fans would have something to look forward to. Today, not so much.

I can agree with a lot, if not all of that. I appreciate that the guy stepped into the abyss and dug us out of the hole. Brought us some good teams and great wins. I just wish he wasn't so freaking weird and was able to adapt and sustain it. Imagine if you will in a moment of self reflection he said "man I got get a marginal improvement on D" and brought someone in to help with that. Imagine if he said, I have to change some of my recruiting so as not to PO everybody. He could have been a great one. Instead, like most coaches, he's on the trash heap of history.

Problem is lost in the sweet 16. And the next year missed the tourney completely. What could have been.

I think they can change the narrative. Mike comes in a rights the ship. Get's two tournament births, several NBA draft picks. Sets us up for the future and a smooth transition to the next coach. Now it's time for Mike to retire as an ambassador of IU basketball. And let me introduce our new coach ______________. But, If he stays another year, can't fill out the roster with portal guys, and this thing blows up next year, it will be difficult to change that one.

Right, and if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you. Friends of the program baby. Never forget the Golden Rule -- those who have the gold, make the rules.

It happens when you open the NIL money bag -- money talks and BS walks. Even worse when the staff is directing the amounts, to whom, etc.

As time goes by, I hope those jacka$$es drop off and we can get back to winning.

Which gives hope for the "Hey Mike, time to retire" crowd.

Bad, but increasingly likely.

Which is why you're not an elite player. :) These guys are competitive. They want to play the best and beat the best. Sure they care about NIL, Draft and rotations. But, if they have opportunities to play for a perennial final 4 type team, many will include that as a primary factor.

Saw him in an interview and it's reasonably clear he's waiting to see what rosters look like next year. If Ware goes NBA we probably have a shot, unless the roster implodes.