OKHOOSIER

Ballo, MR, MM, Carlyle, Rice with Gallo/Tucker/Hickman/Cupps and maybe Newton off the bench sure looks like a B1G title level roster. Still not a huge fan of the two big offense, but that would be a really really talented roster on paper.

Gotta think we would be trying to get him to commit before leaving tomorrow? Based on the numbers involved seems like it would be crazy to have his NIL share pending/in limbo while he takes more visits. That is one piece of NIL that has always been perplexing. With seemingly finite-ish numbers to work with, having a guy slow walk a commitment would seem to hamper other recruitments in not knowing exactly how much cash on hand was left so to speak. ITH has UL, KSU, UNC, and Florida down as intended visits for Ballo.

Seems like it would have to come with some sort of program access if not actual input. I have wondered if say someone were to tell the AD I will give you 500K specifically for a player(s) they like and no one else or if it is simply added to the pool without any qualifiers on if it can be used.

Based on the targets and potential gets. It isn't a crazy thought when we have visits from this many guys for one spot. They would presumably all be looking for starter minutes. I seriously doubt the pitch to all of them is commit and compete for one spot. With Rice already committed, some combination of Conwell/Hickman/Carlisle are going to be jockeying for the other spots. Respectfully, would you rather have Hickman starting over Conwell? I am not sure I would rather have him start over Kanaan. I say that more on the assumption we land Ballo. If that happens we aren't starting 3 guards. Unless the money is so good they can't turn it down, all these guys are looking to transfer and start somewhere. I am just conjecturing on if Woody hits a grand slam with the guards and how the minutes would play out. I want Hickman, but not at the expense of landing Conwell. Now if we only land one of them, the entire discussion is moot. I am just spitballing here.

Would it be with the understanding hed be off the bench?

With all the visits and interest I really have to wonder who the odd man out is. Rice, Carlisle, Conwell and Ballo are not transferring to come off the bench, and one would assume Hickman would have to be talked into it. I am not sure where Gallo fits in the puzzle. That said, a lineup of Ballo, MR, MM, Rice and Conwell with Gallo/Hickman/Tucker off the bench would be pretty exciting. Pie in the sky hypothetical of course, but it seems like we have serious traction with all these guys. I wonder if Kanaan/Conwell are an either or situation. I cannot imagine any world where we land both and one comes off the bench, but who knows.

This is why I said “being Indiana” doesn’t matter anymore. Kentucky just found that out during their coaching search. Everyone has resources to use even for basketball. The whole “I could win a championship there” advantage that places like IU, KY, UNC, Kansas and Duke used to enjoy simply does not exist in the current iteration of college sports. And it is entirely football driven. It’s one of the reasons you have to pull the trigger on a Pearl or a May, because it is quickly becoming a world where everyone is committed to basketball. Not just a handful of “blue bloods.”

Sheeeeet I doubt they’re even paid. I’ve got a whole gang of cousins and friends I could use to start a social media campaign in my favor. I’ll bet it’s mostly just friends and family close to the team. My wife has been in my ear about Bahamas to watch IU and beach since we were announced. I’m very tempted lol.

Yea he just seems to have fallen off from 3 at the end of the season. I’m not reading too much into it, we need him creating for others and getting to the rim. If he’s around 30% on low ish volume I’m happy with it

It’s okay to get excited for good players. I’m not rooting for Woody, I’m rooting for IU basketball. I know he will be back if we are decent next year, but I have zero control over it. Woodson isn’t landing the players. Our money is. Not that I think it happens, but I’ll take a purchased FF eight days a week. Won’t make Woody a good coach but it is what it is.

This may be pure insanity on my part, but missing on ballo but getting rice and conwell is so much more exciting. That would be the best back court in CBB from the jump.

This kid is an absolut DUDE. Huge get

I am so ready to be hurt again.

And what if it doesn’t happen? Because every moron with a computer knew we needed shooting and added no shooting.

Good talk.

The title isn’t “Debate whether Mike Woodson should be Fired or Not.”

Bruh. We needed guards and shooting last year. Everyone knew it. It wasn’t a secret. We were all on board. Kinect, Timberlake, Ledlum, transition: boogie, literally any guard we recruited. They’ve all said no. Do you understand that Rajon Rondo doesn’t exist anymore? PGs are not interested in scoring zero points and having 15 assists. The NBA doesn’t pay guys who can’t score and only generate assists. Every player’s goal is an NBA contract and that requires scoring. If the offense runs primarily through dudes that are super tall, that lowers your chance at NBA money. We’ve missed on every guard we’ve recruited for two years, and if you think JHS is a lottery pick without TJD I’ve got ocean front property to sell in Arizona.

And TJD lol common dude. I’m not trying to shade JHS at all. But TJD in college would have dragged multiple teams to 20 wins. If you wanna give Woody credit for Trayce getting better at basketball, okay, but insert even a second team all conference player at the 5 and we don’t sniff the tournament.

And we are arguing over hypotheticals lol. We haven’t landed anyone yet. Let’s argue about the pieces once they play for IU. I like crystal balls as much as the next Hogwarts graduate, but until we know who we have this is all moot.

I know. I wasn’t attacking you my dude, just stating when I mentioned the Bahamas I meant more competitive not necessarily win it. I was too lazy to quote myself, and I am probably too much of a moron to do it on mobile.

I didn’t mean win it, just not get nuked by every top 25 team we play and win a few of them. Our best win last year was a loss to Kansas lol

I said a while back one thing that wouldn’t surprise me is if he landed a starting 5 and probably a good one. Maybe I am Trilly? Really makes you wonder how this would impact the guards we are pursing a la last spring. Clogged lane doesn’t usually equal creativity and slashing.

You’re not missing anything. I said as much in the post. If they were operating for the good of the program and its future, he would have been fired. Everything they have done has been for Woodson to save face and keep his job. Winning or not winning is simply a by product. The administration is supposed to have the program as its priority, not Mike Woodsons pride. Nobody with two brain cells to rub together and eye balls would look at his product and think keeping him was a decision with the best interests of the program involved. It was a decision in the best interest of Mike Woodson for 24-25. They’re trying to get so much talent even Woody can’t jack it up instead of making the hard decisions and trying to get the coach of the future. It’s like we are being coached by a guy operating on a franchise tag.

Honestly I think there would be a lot more positivity if this didn’t seem like some last ditch effort to let Woody buy a team and salvage his job. From the moment team portal became the plan with extra money it has felt like Woody is bigger than the program. Simply giving him more money to spend and save his job was not doing what’s best for the program, it was doing what’s best for Woody. I will readily admit there is an argument they are one and the same, but that’s not how it feels to me and I would guess a large portion of the fanbase. That’s the piece that is hard for me to reconcile. I’ll be excited for any big portal gets. I will root for the players. I desperately want IU to succeed, but what this feels like is the administration and money people trying to force Woody to succeed to spite the #nottruefans. Instead of say, hiring a good basketball coach.

So Kentucky is set to hire a guy with zero tournament wins. And some people thought Dusty May wasn’t good enough for us to hire. Lmao. At least we (hopefully) won’t embarrass ourselves by throwing silly numbers at dudes like Hurley and Drew who aren’t going anywhere. Rumor was Hurley got offered 12.5 a year. And given that Mark Pope is getting 5.5 I’d believe it. If Dusty May wins big at Michigan and they commit to him, this is going to be a watershed moment for the program. Didn’t quote it but @Home Jersey is right on the mark above. Maybe Dusty will come home after a while winning at Michigan, but the risk of him being successful elsewhere at a P5 and never coming far outweighed the risk of firing Woody and taking a chance on him. Money and program prestige simply don’t matter like they used to in the age of football TV contract money and NIL for recruiting. The built in and fundamental advantages to taking a job like IU or Kentucky simply do not exist as they once did. Kentucky just found that out. It can also mean that finding an established P5 successful coach is not as important to a rebuild, which they may also find out. The days of “blue bloods” simply opening a checkbook and spending more than schools not as committed to basketball just does not exist as it once did. That said, Show Woody the door and offer Dan Hurley a billion dollars and make him say no.