cthomas

Painter is not an idiot. I'm sure he sees the same things with Loyer that we do. And I'm sure he is planning for a way to compensate. I have no idea how good Purdue will be next year, but I'm pretty sure they will be difficult to deal with.

Man, I'm right there with you. But, I also realize that things have changed and they are never going back. I loved watching kids grow within the program over a number of years. Now, we are NBA lite. We can either embrace it or move on to something else.

It's been a really long time and I still marvel at the skill of McGinnis. You are absolutely right, probably two generations ahead of his time. And Wilkerson remains one of my all-time favorite Hoosiers. It's heartbreaking that he was not able to finish the championship game and celebrate with his teammates. He certainly earned it.

Realistically, we are never going to be viewed the same as Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, or the other top of the food chain football factories. But, we have a coaching staff that acts like we belong in that conversation. That's the first step. And getting an official visit for a top rated quarterback makes a difference in perception. CCC is absolutely right when he says the first order of business is changing the perception.

I heard him say on some podcast that he hated losing more than he liked winning. That's my coach.

I'd like to think that NW is a team we can beat on a regular basis going forward. If we are going to get where we want to go that's going to be a must.

I was in high school during that time. Tipton played in the Carmel sectional and I remember him and a guard named Macintosh, I think. Both really good players. Curnutt was an excellent shooter. They were ranked in top five in the state in 1964/5 but were upset by Noblesville in the sectional. For small schools the real goal was to win your sectional because that's where the heated rivalries were. Great memories.

Without getting to far ahead of things, all of the portal additions seem to have improved our team top to bottom. Not many glaring weaknesses. Could be a very good year.

Yes he was. As I remember, it was a close game. Maybe 14 to 3 off the top of my head. A pretty good defensive effort against a really talented offense by IU.

This is IU football we're talking about, right?

We could make a pretty good living snagging their cast offs. When CCC gets things rolling here, and I think he will, maybe we get some of those guys outright.

I have the utmost faith in our coach and staff. Can't say I have felt like that, maybe ever.

Let me start by saying that I don't like the portal as a way to build a team. As much as I hate them, I like the way Purdue goes about it. I think continuity matters. That's why Painter's teams are so good in November and December. Guys playing together multiple years is a good thing. We will be well into the season before these new guys are fully integrated into what we want to do. They will be learning a system instead of getting better at executing it. So I expect, at least early on, that we will be less than the some of our parts. Hopefully, it comes together soon enough for us to have a great year. If not, there will be even more angry people around here.

I think it gets real tricky at this point. We are either signing someone who will likely have a limited role or pushing someone we have already signed into a limited role if we are talking a wing or guard. Now if we are adding a center, then there are clearly minutes and a definite role available.

Hate to hear that. I'm hoping you have a great outcome. Cancer is getting more treatable everyday.