cthomas

I'm sure there were some hard conversations after the season ended. Probably didn't go the way some wanted. I'm not going to say anything negative about these young men and wish them much success at their current schools. My advice to them would be to let the past go and embrace the future.

That sounds like leadership, accountability, and the long overdue culture change.

I agree that there are questions to be answered. The reason for my optimism is that he hasn't played against typical high school kids. The competition he faced, and played with, was at the highest level. That should make him farther along than the average freshman. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Don't know exactly what went wrong here in Indy, but the local media (Greg Doyel) rip him on a constant basis. I don't follow the NBA that closely so I just think of him from his IU days.

I remember Archie Dees a little. But, Walt Bellamy was the first guy to really imprint on my memory. He was like some kind of monster in basketball shorts. Tremendous talent and in some ways, ahead of his time.

But, how good are we going to be if he is good enough to compete for minutes? Every review of him I have seen talks about his excellent footwork. Bigs with that kind of footwork are generally pretty successful. It's going to be an intriguing summer and fall. The competition for playing time is going to be at a level we haven't seen in a long time.

The difference being that we have size at positions that we didn't with that team. Granted that team had more shooting. I think this one has a very high ceiling.

The discussion about who starts is fun and how it plays out will tell us a lot about who has put in the work. But more intriguing to me is how our added depth will help us play through the inevitable injuries. We actually have the pieces to play through injuries that in years past would have cost us games. I'm really looking forward to that.

Beautiful little girl! What an awesome responsibility it is to be a dad. Tamar has a lot on his plate. We place great emphasis on the basketball side, but honestly, the dad side is what really counts. I'm sure that CMW is making sure he has the support he needs.

The pieces are there to do something special. Now the work begins. The work put in this summer will make the difference between a good year and a great year. CMW will sort this out as we go, but the potential is greater than we have had in several years. I believe how far we go will depend ultimately on the two 5 star freshmen. They are the x factor.

I respect everyone's opinion here. A lot of good reasons for what is being debated. I think CMW already has a pretty good idea of how he wants to use the guys we have. He recruited the incoming guys with a specific plan in mind. I think we will see a lot of them next season. From what I saw last season, CMW obviously sees value in both Kopp and Galloway. I don't think that changes. He also really likes the freshmen. It will be up the guys on the team to sort out the details over the summer and fall. I have to think the competition for playing time is going to be better than we have seen for a long time. That is a very good thing.

I'm pretty sure he mixed Indiana and Kansas together and thought he had it right. Hopefully, going forward he will learn to do a little research for things he's no sure of. Don't hold it against him (I wouldn't want to be held accountable for my youth), he learn and grow.

Well, he's a young guy and I like that's his perception, but I don't think basketball was created in Indiana. I believe Springfield, MA. gets that honor. Hopefully, the truth doesn't cause him to lose his enthusiasm.

A lot to like in this clip. Elevation is impressive as is the ease with which he shoots. No hesitation, just makes plays. He seems overshadowed by some higher profile kids, but I think he will surprise.

Just to be clear, I never said that girls can't play the same game that guys do. I have daughters and granddaughters so I know a little about how this works. I never knew if I was supposed to protect the girls from the guys or the guys from the girls.

She must have something special going for them if true. I know it's been a lot of years, but when I was in college there always seemed to be a lot of fish in the sea.

If the NCAA hasn't awakened by now, it never will. Exactly what did people think was going to happen? There was never going to be a gentlemen's agreement that would limit the the amount to be spent. The rich get richer is the only way this was going to go. We can play in this sandbox, not that I like it, but we are big enough to play. Cheaters now don't have to. The NCAA doesn't, and never will, have any control of NIL. Love it or hate it, but just get used to it.

I agree that it seems unlikely, but I didn't see what we have now coming this quickly either. Once a thing like this starts rolling, it tends to escalate until something stops it. It will be interesting to who or what that thing is.

NIL money doesn't come from the universities. And there are revenue streams like television and their advertising money from "made for tv" big games. I could see kids eventually wanting a piece of these other streams.

How long before players refuse to play in an event without getting a cut of the profits. Will a players union be next?

Might not be that far off.

I'd be OK with that. If TJD returns, I'll take my chances with our guys.

I learned a long time ago to not assume Purdue is going to suck. They have a good coach and he will find players who work within his system. And, although I want to beat them at everything all the time, I respect the way they play and do things. On the other hand, I have zero respect for UK.

Seems like splitting hairs. People are famous for whatever talent they have. They get paid for that talent. I am a photographer but I don't get paid to do it. If I did, I would be a professional photographer.

If they couldn't play, they wouldn't be famous.