Feathery

The NCAA didnt hammer IU for Sampson. IU hammered IU for Sampson. Sampson also killed IU by recruiting kids who didnt go to class and were into drugs. The NCAA actually does very little to major programs that dont flat out pay players with cash in fedex boxes.

You think Tom Crean is an angel? He hired a person to open the Indy Elite pipeline. Against the rules? No. But neither is hiring Mario Chalmers dad. You dont think IU plays the shoe game like everyone else? Sure they do. Anyone who reruits at a decent level of success has a layer of dirt on them. Hell, look at Creans mentor and the Dawson recruitment and how they got him away from Purdue. You dont think Crean learned any tricks from izzo?

College basketball is all about the coach. Get the right coach and you can win multiple national titles. Just because someone hasnt won a title doesnt mean theu cant at a top program. Coach K, Knight, Williams, Self, and Calipari didnt win a title until they were at a top program. Williams even failed at KU but succeeded at UNC. So you dont need to hire a Stevens or Donovan to win a title. Those two guys did fantastic at unheralded programs and are now in the pros bc if it. If they want to come, sure get them asap. But to hold onto a coach who has been at a top program and not get past the sweet 16, is crazy. 9 seasons of this is not the type of consistancy we want. There are clear statistical norms that have formed over time that tells you if a team can win a ncaa title. Since 2002 every national champion has had a top 21 defense efficiency. Tom Creans best defense at IU was 21st. Every other team hasnt been close. Defense wins championships and Tom Crean doesnt do a good enough job teaching that. you want names who are upgrades. Stevens, Donovan, and Self are all upgrades and probably longshots. Realistic names who are better than Crean are Gregg Marshall, Tony Bennett, Archie Miller, Chris Holtmann. You wont have to go any further off that list for the mext coach at IU, IF you make the change this year.

Time will tell. Right now Im subscribing to the thought that when a player gets injured, many tines a team plays great the following game. However, over the course of the season they will end up struggling. I think that is what we saw today, we shall see what happens goikg forward. Overall, tightening of the bench should have happened years ago. Play your best 8 and if you are really deep you can go 9 some games.

I wouldnt say a win AT PSU is a given

Honestly, id love Bill self and IU has better tools than Kansas. Kansas has no recruiting base, they must go national. IU has one of the best receuiting grounds in the country on its doorstep. So if your conclusion is correct, I wouldnt be shocked.

Several of my IU friends have been talking about him as a possible replacement. I gotta admit he gets his teams to play with grit/determination. They arent mentally weak and frenetic. Plays a style that is valued in this state. A definite upgrade.

I dont see IU firing Crean after the NCAA season to wait for Stevens. They would wait until the Celtics/NBA season is over amd then remove Crean. Is it coincidence that the buyout drops after the NBA season and not the NCAA? just a thought.

I dont think Crean has to be fired to leave IU. He can save face by taking another job bc he wasnt getting an extension. If he isnt being extended, then he knows he needs to make a move.

I dont believe Glass would love to extend him. I think Glass has been playing the Stevens waiting game. Like Pap said earlier, waiting for that perfect hire. The problem is, life happens, and timing is never perfect. While there is only one perfect fit and he will get the first call, there are many coaches who are better than Crean that IU can get.

To me the most interesting thing about the Tom Crean situation was mentioned pages ago: he will only have 3 years left on his contract and as a college coach you really need a 4 year contract for recruiting. This is a tough spot for Glass. If he extends Creans contract to a rolling 4 year deal, he could lose a large portion of the fanbase. If he chooses not to extend his contract, then you are potentially damaging Creans recruiting capabilities. Which means the writting is on the wall and you shouod go ahead and part ways. Which is ultimately what I think will happen. I see no upside to extending Crean. So i think Glass will take a pass. Crean will see the writing on the wall amd leave for a football school, like Buzz Williams did at Marquette. Get out before youre forced out. That might mean Creans stays one more season, but the end is near. Whenever the job comes open, Stevens will be the first asked. Its up to him. If he says no, then we at least have closure from the shadow of Brad Stevens. That shadow might be the biggest thing haunting Tom Crean at IU, that includes his questionable coaching.

Move away from "positionless basketball". All that means to me is you dont have a PG bc you recruited poorly. Illinois has been playing this way for the Groce era...lol. Instead of focusing on run run run, bring back the pro-sets from the Marquette days. Crean supposed had a huge playbook that he shelved on favor of the current offense. Which is great until teams get up into us and we have to rely on positionless basketball to break the defense down. Changes need to start at the top. This isnt meant as fore Crean. I mean Crean sets the tone for how the team will play and he needs to be the one to make the changes. Benching OG isnt the answer.

Yes he is. Make the opening and then male it rain. If he still says no, then move to other quality coaches like Marshall, Bennett, etc.

When IU stops being afraid of having a dominant coach with power, then and only then will IU get back to being elite. Crean isnt the answer. Extensions mean nothing, just keep the buyout low. Glass has proven he isnt afraid of making a change. Will he with the flagship program? I know they are afraid of 2 things: 1) a coach with too much power 2) a Kelvin Sampson type issue Crean checks both of those boxes and he wins enough to keep the administration happy. (At least thats what Im being told). Basically IU basketball is in a good place, just not a great place. That is evidently ok woth this administration. When I was told this, my love for IU basketball began to wane. Now losses to Ft Wayne and Nebraska dont bother me. I laugh and think, well the administration is getting what they want. They get sell outs, huge revenues, and smile to the bank.

Lol. That is all.

Is Hutch joining the Scout rebirth with Peegs? Just saw Peegs left rivals and the old scout board is now Peegs.

He has been at IU since 1997. He became president of the university later. Not sure if he was part of the anti-knight group that pushed basketball to the background or not.

Good luck to the young man and I hope his NBA aspirations come true. I don't expect him to return and I think t could be a win win for both Troy and the team next season.

Or they are thinking he is the guy to raise the talent level, then bring in a guy to coach them if he fails to win.

Marshall at Memphis could be a fantastic match, imo. He would get higher caliber recruits easier there and he is already a very good Xs and Os guy.

Rumor a friend told me about is Cal to the Lakers for the right $$$.

And it should become rampant. Let's be honest, if a university can have fake classes and give real degrees and the NCAA does nothing,then the NCAA doesn't pose a danger to anyone.

How did the NCAA nuke IU? The guys on the team nuked IU. They were the ones failing drug tests and classes. They were the ones kicked off the team or left, leaving us a walk on. The NCAA didn't really hit us that hard in my opinion. The wounds we felt were self inflicted.

Or they let James Franklin go bc they recognized that while he had a nice record he didn't beat anyone that was good. At PSU he still hasn't beaten anyone good.

6'5" PG, yes please.