cthomas

YIKES!! You mean literally Haas or through a common third party?

My high school, Westfield, was a part of the Carmel sectional. It is below ground level so you walk in at the top of the seating area. Some really good teams played in that sectional. Tipton had a team that was ranked in the top five in the state in the early to mid '60s. They lost to Noblesville that year. Later, Carmel had really good teams with the Shepard brothers eventually winning a state Championship. David Shepard spent a little time at IU and his older brother, Billy, was really good at Butler. Sorry for getting off track.

My wife has criticized me for about 30 years for being negative about things. So maybe I try a little harder here not to be that guy because of her. I don't mind the criticism as long as it doesn't get nasty toward the kids. I would have loved to see what a message board would have said about the '76 team. Probably would have similar to we see now.

Kind of harsh, but I can certainly see your point of view. CMW is doing about as much with this group as can be expected. When I look at the guys he has committed and the ones he is recruiting, I don't see many similarities to the team we have now. I think we have enough to beat about anyone in the conference on a given night. We can also lose to anyone on an off night. I think Kopp and Stewart are capable of more than we are currently getting and I think coach is trying to get that out of them. Durr is a big body with bad hands right now but will be useful in certain situations. What I don't expect is that Coach Woodson will put up with some of the stuff we have seen in the past few years. He has a presence that demands respect and he is clearly in charge of the program.

The program is in good hands. It might not be popular with some of our fans, but kids with a defensive mentality pop up quite frequently in his targets. He clearly knows the type of team he wants and is going out to get them. I'm more than fine with the direction he wants to take us.

As an alum, class of '70, even I would call that sparse. Come to think of it, that was probably the last time I went to a game, although I did see a John Mellencamp show there sometime in the early '80's.

I think CMW is pretty much spot on with his evaluation of the team. He sees them every day in practice and knows more about them than any of us. If a kid is not playing, then there is an overwhelming chance that they bring less to the table than who is playing. That we are recruiting multiple point guards tells me that he thinks we need an upgrade. I never thought it was in Lander's best interest to reclassify. He has potential but until his play exceeds those who are playing, he will stay on the bench. And I don't believe you play guys who haven't earned it in practice just to "develop" them.

I actually used to love watching the America's Cup races years ago. Kind of lost interest when the catamaran started racing. The teamwork on those boats was impressive.

Everyone wants the guy on the bench when things aren't going well....until he actually plays and they see why he was on the bench. Kind of like Lander on the basketball team.

This thread lately has reminded me of trying to define pornography: I can't define it but I know it when I see it. Except at this point, I'm not sure I know what it looks like anymore.

Kind of what happened. A lot of people on here have been calling for an end to this event. Like it's too small time for us. I liked it, but what do I know.

Really glad things are going well and welcome back!

Not going to be critical of the kid, but how is this possible. Really good players have multiple high level offers, unless there I something that makes people uneasy. Once again, I'm not trying to imply something. I just don't understand this particular situation.

The players may be able to return but the question for Me is if CMW wants them back. Probably going to be some hard conversations once the season is over.

I think this is an example of "you can't always get what you want" type of thing for CMW. Kopp and Durr were the best options available. Steward was already here but I doubt the Woodson would have recruited any of them. This is not meant to be critical of those players because I like them and that they wanted to be here. Bates is a different matter. He is a guy that we would want regardless. There is no reason to be critical of the coach or the players at this point because this is a makeshift roster at best. In a couple of years we can begin to know whether Woodson is going to succeed or not. But for now, I trust what he is doing.

Go 2 - 10 on the season and 0'fer in conference, probably should.

I think the bench use is a carry over for CMW's NBA days. The way he talks about the "second unit" kind of gives it away also. He seems pretty locked in to his starting five as well. He may modify his thought process as gets more experience coaching the college game. Then again, maybe he won't.

Games like this are part of his progression. He has all the tools, rough though they may be at times. If we expect to do anything this season beyond just meeting the experts expectations, he will have to be a part of it.

Is that a backhanded critique of Micheal Durr? Have we offered this kid or are we just in the evaluation period. As always, I'll probably just trust CMW on this one. I'm just an old guy who just enjoys watching and doesn't have enough knowledge to make a judgement.

What all of this tells me is that the conference is going to be a dog fight to the end. Whoever wants it the most, wins it. That Purdue could lose at Rutgers tells me everything I need to know.

My eyes aren't what they used to be. So I don't put much faith in my eye test. As a side note, the longer I live, the less I think I know.

From the fallout in the last game thread and the angst that has followed, it seems we have fans who might need to take a step back. I want all the things for the program that everyone else does, but my day is not going to be ruined if it doesn't happen. I played basketball when I was a kid because I loved the game. I watch now for the same reason. IU has been mediocre more often than not for the better part of the last 25 years. At my age, I may never see the greatness I've witnessed in the past. I, in spite of that, still enjoy the games. The chess match that is basketball is compelling. The combination of individual talent blended within the team concept makes it incredible. We have already seen several games where, on paper, the winning team had no business being the game let alone being victorious. As USPS says......

CMW put together the best roster he could given what was available. I think we can see what he wants by the kids he is recruiting. He is trying to figure out how to maximize what he has. I too like Lander and want to see him succeed. But, right now, CMW is playing the guys he believes give us the best chance to win. Leal is coming along nicely and we need Galloway back. Geronimo has an incredible upside but seems to be struggling a little finding his role. If he would just concentrate on defense and rebounding right now, he would provide more value. The offense will come when he relaxes and lets the game come to him.

Can't say that I'm sorry.

Frankly, I didn't see much difference between the subs and the starters in the second half. I thought it was curious that CMW left them on the bench as long as he did, but when the starters went back in, they did absolutely nothing.