87ashtonhoosier

Not another board filled with frustrated males stuck on manual, is it? What ever happened to going out chasing tail on a Monday night? I've got an excuse, iM married and too old to do justice to two at a time. ITH, I mean.......

What the hell is ITH?

If you ever visit the northern part of the state a.k.a. God's country, I'll slug a Pabst with you!

I hope we're not going that way, and I don't believe so. I can tell you that in the 'glory' days, A certain well-known player went to visit a basketball player friend at UK. He came back with a athletic bag full of UK gear, shoes, shorts, shirts, etc..., telling stories about the players benefits(money, cars, extravagant dorm). That same year, IU was recruiting a certain player, and upon his official visit he asked his guide(an IU player) what they give you(meaning off the books). The player explained the scholarship, training table, tutors, etc..., again he asked what they offered. The recruit told the player what UK was offering to which the player replied, " you better take it and run, 'cause you ain't get tin' s... Here! HaHa! For those of you who refute tradition, there's one example of how tradition impacts programs.

This has been a problem for the last 10 or more years. For years, IU had networks built with coaches within the state, not so much anymore. IU abandoned that approach and went looking outside first in many sports and lost some very good athletes in the process. I'm not a Wilson fan, but he is rebuilding that network.

IU has recruiting difficulty in all sports. It comes from not securing your home state first, getting to know the high school coaches, winning the battle at home first. Then you can build your scope of influence outward from there!

you're right, tradition doesn't play a part in any college program. Michigan, Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, etc.., the heck with tradition. Let's change the name to what's happen in' U., it's all the same. Let me tell you, sonny, the real problem with recruiting today comes from a mindset that says, 'we need to get ...' Instead of, we'd like to get ... The difference is that IU has more to offer an athlete than that athlete can EVER offer IU.

if the little ...... Is going to choose UK, we don't wAnt him anyhow. Reread my original post on recruiting, cookie! Ha Ha!

So we offer the kid stardom, women, NBA, starting time, ESPN. If it weren't for the 'glory' days, you'd have nothing to complain about. There would be no expectation of greatness, just a group of Varsity Club members asking why we aren't getting more for their buck! I still say that times may change, good coaching doesn't, if you can't handle the fact that the object of the game is still to get the ball through the hoop more than your opponent, the food network could use a new moderator for its cookie blog!

You're absolutely right, the jury's out on Crean, I'd just add that Fred Glass had a place as AD a few years ago, when we needed a PR man. He offered some stability, brought calm to many, and had a place in rejecting the shame brought to IU by Sampson. I believe though, that his usefulness as an AD is insufficient to plotting a successful course for IU athletics. I'd like to see fresh blood in the AD office, someone who can manage sports better, not someone trying to be everyone's buddy.

Real IU basketball begins with recruiting selfless players, and if you'd have read my previous post on the topic you'd get a fair picture of the rest. Instead of always looking for blue-chippers, in an effort to boost our prominence among our peers, let's look for players that fill positions and roles logically.

Alfordbailey, You have to remember when posting here, many of the respondents were either in diapers, or not around to experience the "real" IU basketball tradition.

Is my mic on?

I believe Crean has recruited good players, but the problem is that he fails to recruit players that compliment each other. Recruiting five great shooters is great if one never needs a ball handler, rebounder, defensive stud. If you look back on the IU champs of he past, many of the former didn't have great pro careers, or even play NBA. That's because former coaching staffs understood the importance of role players, meaning guys that didn't have to play all the time, but we're good in specific situations, eg., Brian Sloan. Brian's primary function was to set screens, that's it, set screens for shooters and ball handlers. Brian is one example, I could list dozens of roles assigned to past players, each recruited not to be a star, but to serve a specific function that complemented the team. Our style of play(NBA stand around the perimeter and try to take it one on one) is not conducive to recruiting players that will win national championships. IMHO, we have moved away from strategic recruiting, and toward what I refer to as 'buffet' recruiting, going after popular choices with a shotgun approach, hoping pure athleticism will win out.

O

Congrats!nothing like being a student at an IU game. You will have the official rights to praise and b...h about IU athletics once the checks flow!

Guys, this is a good team. Unfortunately, they haven't figured out how to play to each other's strengths to the maximum yet. They will get it together. Imagine yourself getting plugged in with a whole crew of new players, having to adjust to your role, and learn everyone else's. Then put it together on the court, against the toughest teams in the nation. Stay patient!

Ok

Change will come, not Crean, too expensive and not totally incompetent. When other IU athletic teams experience coaching changes, whether head coaches or assistants, something is brewing. Where there is smoke there is fire. Some of IUs non-major sports are underperforming and Glass is feeling the heat. Too much money being spent on facilities and recruiting trips to get weak results from some of them. When non-major sports recruit in Hawaii for a week, Puerto Rico for a week, etc..., they had better land some athletes and not just run up a tab. I know for a fact that this is the case, and it's not well received!

Stillman, I believe that Dakich is grabbing some attention, sorry that he's not coaching IU, and resentful of the way Coach Knight was fired. He (Dakich) spent years as errand boy for Coach Knight, and was in his confidence, hence the yearning for a Knight-like figure( strict, demanding, and with a terrific understanding of the game and how to defeat opponents). Those days are gone, and in many ways Dakich is like his mentor. He cannot let the Knight era die. Dan, it's not coming back, he's not coming back, you're not coming back. I don't dislike Dan Dakich. He was a hard-working player, a friend to players as a coach, and a dedicated university employee for years. Sometimes it takes time to find satisfaction in what you're doing and to let the next generation have their turn at what you've already done.

Don't anyone put firing Fred Glass out of the realm of possibilities for the next couple of years. His job, as well as others in athletics rely on the continued support of the BIG bucks donors in Varsity Club. If you're not tuned in to coaching switches in other sports, you're missing the start of things.

Tough to buy after bringing back the '87 team two years ago to be honored at the Stetson game. They gave out commemorative calendars to autograph. They split the team in half for signings, and we're still unable to accommodate fans waiting for autographs.[attachment=1580:ImageUploadedByBtownBanners1422562730.192850.jpg] Can we copy these two for four years?

Next season should tell the tale for Kevin Wilson.

Hopefully we don't lose next year's starting QB.

Nice job by Hartman, Farrell. Never seen such a quiet 22 points as Blackmon had tonight, classy play.