cthomas

They may be three deep better than we are.

Disappointed that we haven't made them work a little harder, but I'm not ready to judge the season just yet. They may just be that good. I need to see us against teams we have a realistic chance to beat. If we look bad then I'll admit we are who we have always been.

There's unprepared and there's overmatched. I'm going 75% overmatched in this one.

While an interesting debate, I believe it misses the bigger point. To compete with or upset a team like OSU, we need to bring everything we've got. Being down a key player won't get it done. Their size and strength can be punishing. I would love a win but would settle for getting out of this one as healthy as possible.

If we add 4 to 6 in 2020 and then do something similar with the very good class in 2021, how do we possibly "get old and stay old"?. That would mean a lot of roster turnover and continually counting on young kids to play major minutes. Is this a change of direction for CAM?

What excites me is if quality depth has increased as much as advertised, this could be a really special season by IU football standards. There have been so many games over the past few seasons that could have been won if the team had just a little more depth. Add in a big play potential at quarterback, instead of just a game manager, and it is hard not to be just a little more excited about this team than usual.

Given the targets for 2021, I'd rather take one more, two at the most, and concentrate on the next class. More than that and we are counting on kids transferring or going pro. I know that stuff happens, but I prefer to have kids stay committed to the program and grow within it. It's CAM's call and I'll just go with whatever he does.

I think this is the year we finally see a culture shift begin to take place. Coach Roberts is just another piece of that process. The players we will depend on and feature this season are mostly CAM's guys and have some experience to learn from. I really like what I see being built. We need to stay healthy to reach our potential, but this is the most complete team we have had in some time. I expect our shooting to be adequate and we finally have size, skill, and depth in the frontcourt. I think we will get better and better as the season progresses and that by the end of the year no one will look forward to playing our Hoosiers.

I don't know any of the guys being discussed beyond what is/has been said here and other places. CAM is really the only one who has real "skin" in this game and I'm sure he has put in some time and effort to get this right. Whoever his choice turns out to be will be fine with me.

Began following around the end of the Jurassic period and, except for a small handful of seasons, it's been pure misery. But, once again, I'm actually looking forward to the start of the season. I clearly need professional help!

About January I'm going to hate you!

I grew up listening to the Hoosiers on the radio in the mid to late '50's in the barn while milking and tending to the cows. I have been hooked ever since. Perspective means a lot and this is not meant to belittle anyone else's experience. We all started somewhere. I see the program from a different place than those who came later. Different, not better. I thought it interesting that Leal referenced the Wat Shot as the the way IU used to be. That should tell us something about how kids think these days. It's not the McCracken days, or the Knight days, or Davis or Sampson days. It's the Crean days. That is the experienced view of IU basketball that kids today think about. They see the banners, but can't really relate to those days or those players. We have to be able to sell what can be again, not what was.

I really think that the degree of success CAM has will depend on his ability to tweak his offensive and defensive systems. I believe this will be a big part of his growth process. The last two years have to have been humbling for a person as competitive as he is reported to be. Rigidity is not your friend at this level.

After the shell shock of the past several seasons, a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted. However, I see a team with tremendous growth potential and one that can begin to build the continuity we've been missing. I really like the guys we are recruiting and what they can bring. Last year everything that could go wrong went wrong. I don't think anyone on the team wants to go through that again. This group has the potential, and I think they will, to be greater than the some of the parts. I'm not an overly optimistic person, just ask my wife! But I think the coming season is going to be a lot of fun.

I really don't get this thread. Generally, we are discussing players CAM is actively recruiting or at least showing interest in. I watched Brown play at least three times last year online. Fun player to watch and a great shooter and passer. At this point, CAM apparently is not interested. No amount of lobbying on a message board is likely to change that. From my perspective this seems excessive and a little cringe worthy. And, I understand that I am free to ignore this whole discussion so if it annoys me, that's on me.

Getting ugly won't be nearly as bad as losing interest altogether. That, in my opinion, is more likely if mediocre seasons continue.

That comment was the most troubling for me. CAM didn't have adequate options to use the bench the way he probably wanted to. A coach cannot "stick" with a player who is not getting it done and still expect to win games.

Count me in on the cranky old guy category. If I were the former coach I'm not sure I would welcome him back for his announcement. Now maybe there are circumstances I don't know but actions have consequences.

I'd like to say that I don't know, but I guess the obvious answer is that the staff thinks he is better.

Isn't everyone recruited over to some extent. I never understood this complaint/excuse. What coach is not constantly trying to improve the team. It's the player's responsibility to defend their position on the team. If a player truly thinks he is that good, he shouldn't fear competition.

Wait.....basketball players are being 'familiar' with girls....during the season? When did this start?

At the risk of being politically incorrect or insensitive, this thread is getting rather hormonal.

If shooting is not significantly improved, next year will look more like this year than anyone wants to see.

I try really hard to not worry about things that I have no control over. IU basketball fits neatly into that category.

Like it or not, big time college basketball puts kids in the public spotlight. For better or worse, their life and those around them is open to scrutiny. I personally don't like it, but that's the world we live in. It's also the reason I want the best possible outcome for the kids, no matter where they choose to play.