Class of '66 Old Fart

The Thunder worked on their roster reductions by axing Mitch McGary and his drug problem. The Oklahoma City Thunder waived former first-round pick Mitch McGary, ending a turbulent tenure that included a 15-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. McGary was the 21st overall selection for the Thunder in 2014. An agile, athletic 6-foot-10 forward, McGary, 24, had a standout career at Michigan but dealt with injury issues and a failed drug test before entering the draft. McGary will serve his 15-game suspension if he signs another NBA contract and lands on the active regular-season roster.

2016-2017 Player Profile: Thomas Bryant When Indiana’s 2015-2016 season ended in Philadelphia with a 101-86 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen, Thomas Bryant and Tom Crean shared a moment in the locker room that was viewed thousands of times on social media. As the locker room was about to close to the media, the 6-foot-10 Bryant sat with his head on Crean’s shoulder as his coach embraced him. It was a totally unscripted moment that revealed a behind the scenes look at the relationship between Crean and Bryant. That relationship, Bryant’s hunger to improve and his love for the IU program led him to return for a second season in Bloomington. Even with a new NCAA rule that would have allowed him to test the NBA draft waters with no risk, there was no drama with Bryant. No press conference. No social media announcement. No waiting until the last minute to make his intentions known to the coaching staff or fans. Bryant was all in on returning to school. In an era where plenty of five-star recruits are looking for the fastest path to professional stardom, Bryant instead wants to be a guy who can not just make it to the next level, but stay there. “Just seeing myself as a long term prospect in the game of basketball, I knew I needed to return for my sophomore year before I even finished the season,” Bryant told Inside the Hall at Big Ten media day in Washington D.C. “I thought it would be better for me for the long term.” Now at 255 pounds and as a centerpiece on Indiana’s 2016-2017 roster, Bryant appears ready to completely break out. As a freshman, he finished a ridiculous 71 percent of his 2-point attempts, which ranked fourth in the nation. He ran the floor hard and finished plays demonstratively at the rim. He’s not a great shot blocker, but by the end of the season, Bryant was comfortable guarding ball screens after being able to do so in Maui. In his second season as a Hoosier, look for Bryant to show off an even more well rounded game. He’s worked tirelessly in the offseason on footwork and explosiveness. He won the 3-point shooting contest at Hoosier Hysteria, a potential new wrinkle to his game that could help this Indiana team have even better floor spacing. And he’s continued to develop as a leader, which is something Indiana will need with the injury to Collin Hartman and departures of Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Max Bielfeldt, Nick Zeisloft and Ryan Burton. Bottom Line: It’s rare for a player to pass up the opportunity to enter the draft with a good shot at guaranteed money, but that’s exactly what Bryant did by returning to Indiana. He’ll be one of the faces of not only the Hoosiers this season, but Big Ten and college basketball. Having just turned 19 in August, Bryant should continue to take major steps forward this season as one of the game’s elite big men. Quotable: “I feel like I’m growing into more of a leader. Vocally on the court and off of it. Just trying to help my teammates each and every day.” – Bryant last Wednesday at Indiana’s preseason media availability.

He just tweeted the following link: http://www.flohoops.com/article/47613-moving-sooner-or-later-the-top-5-available-2017-forwards Don't think it has any other significance than the fact he's listed as one of the 5

Congratulations to Jordan and Aubrey.

From MadeHoops: David Beatty sets two official visits - Seven new schools have reached out Class of 2017 guard David Beatty made the decision this past summer to transfer from St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) to Imhotep Charter (PA) for his senior year. He and his team played in the Hoop Group Fall Showcase this weekend. Beatty has liked what he has seen from his new school so far. “We play with a lot of heart and a sense of urgency on the floor,” said Beatty. “Everyone on the team plays hard and I like that because I see myself as a player that gives it all I have whenever I’m on the court.” Beatty has enjoyed playing with Rhode Island commit Daron Russell. He thinks they complement each other on the court. “In my opinion, I think we could be the best backcourt in the country,” he said. “We both are able to trust each other’s decisions fully and can do multiple things on the court. We have a mutual respect for each other.” Two weeks ago he decided to reopen his recruitment from a list of eight schools. Beatty has seen this to be a good decision for him so far. “I just felt that I need to prove myself more,” Beatty said. “Since I opened things up this month, things have picked up even more so it was a good decision.” Since reopening his recruitment seven schools have jumped into the picture for him. “The new schools that have started recruiting me are South Carolina, Michigan State, Michigan, Syracuse, New Mexico, Texas and Texas Tech,” he told MADE Hoops. He has gone on one official visit so far and it was to Georgetown. “I went on an official visit to Georgetown two weeks ago,” he said. “I really liked the campus, they have a great vibe over there. Georgetown has a lot of history and they have a family like atmosphere.” Beatty has set two official visits for the next couple of weeks. “I have two official visits planned going forward,” said Beatty. “I have set an official visit to South Carolina next weekend and Indiana the weekend after that.” After taking a step back from the recruiting process for a moment, he will stay open minded this around. “I’m just going to keep my list open this time instead of cutting it down,” he said. “I feel like that is telling schools that you aren’t interested in their program and that isn’t something that I’m interested in doing.” Beatty is going to make a decision when he feels the time is right instead of setting a desired commitment date. “My decision will come whenever I feel most comfortable with a school,” Beatty said. “I’m not sure when it will be. It could be next week or next month, but I am going to trust my instincts and decide when I know I’ve found my school.”

We be good!

That's it from Pigtown. After 110 minutes, the game ends in a tie: 2-2. Both Hoosier goals from Mykayla Brown. Lady Hoosiers with 17 total shots; PUke with 31 total shots so our freshman goalkeeper did another outstanding job for us tonight. Final regular game of the season next Wednesday in Bloomington - Senior Night - against Michigan; 6:00 ET start time.

Big THANK YOU to all of you for keeping the rest of us up to date with your posts. Most appreciated.

Love the sound of raining 3's in the fall.

One would think the Ladies would want to get this one over with so they could get out of Pigtown ASAP, but no, they've decided they want to play another OT.

Time to start a fire Hartman/McSwain thread?

And to OT we go.

After giving up 2 goals to PUke, Mykayla Brown nets her second goal of the night at 81' and we're tied 2-2 with a little over 5 minutes left.

I'm guessing Jayla Everett. She's from Missouri, and I found some stuff with that twitter handle and some other girls and it referenced Missouri.

GOAL! Mykayla Brown with a goal at 22' puts the Lady Hoosiers on the board first.

Earlier posted information indicated his absence was totally unrelated to basketball.

Yup! IU offered last April.

Alabama announces on PA that there is a water pressure issue in Bryant-Denny Stadium & for the 100,00 K here to refrain from using restrooms. Good luck with that! LOL

I'm sorry, but I've heard we're close far too many times in 50 years and losses are losses. I like Wilson and I think he's the best we've had in quite some time, but the football gods simply do not look down favorably upon IU.

From Albers: Just spoke with Troy Williams’ agent. Confirmed he has made Grizzlies roster. He is guaranteed to make $543K this year, even if sent down. Also from Albers: To keep Troy Williams, Memphis had to cut Jordan Adams and his guaranteed $1.465M contract. That’s how much they like him. Earlier tweet from somebody else: The Grizzlies bet on Troy Williams & he bet on himself. He signed a 2 year deal. Partial guarantee this year. Fully non-gtd next year. Boo Williams on Troy Williams’ preseason: “If he would have played like that when he was at Indiana, we’d make the Final Four.”

So how about our basketball team this season? Anything to get away from another funeral sermon on a football loss. Same old IU football; 50+ years I've followed a mostly sub-mediocre football team. Much like the 17-year cicada every so often we emerge from dormancy for a fleeting moment of exhilaration only to quickly return to hibernation. I don't think a genie's lamp and 3 wishes could give us a consistent winning team. Bah!

Troy - I sincerely apologize to you. I'm one that suggested you have your passport ready because I could not fathom you'd ever make an NBA roster. Congratulations and hope you have lots of success in a very long NBA career. In six preseason games for the Grizzlies, Williams averaged 13.2 points, four rebounds and 1.7 steals in 25.4 minutes per game. He shot 52.1 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from behind the 3-point line. After playing with Phoenix in the NBA Summer League, Williams signed a guaranteed deal for $150,000 with Memphis to come to training camp. Entering camp, Williams was expected to end up with the D-League affiliate for Memphis, the Iowa Energy.

Indiana Looks To Reclaim Golden Boot And Solidify Tournament Spot Sam Beishuizen | Staff Writer. The Golden Boot goes on the line again Saturday, but the annual IU-Purdue women’s soccer rivalry trophy game’s implications span much further than that. The Hoosiers (7-7-3, 4-3-2) find themselves in the thick of a race to get into the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2013. IU is clinging onto the eighth and final spot in the conference’s postseason tournament with just two games left, but the Boilermakers (4-11-0, 2-7-0) will be trying to play spoiler. “This really is a big game,” redshirt sophomore forward Mykayla Brown said. “It’s so much more than just about the Golden Boot. We’re looking at it as a game we’ve got to pull out if we want to get to the Big Ten Tournament.” Still, the Golden Boot holds meaning enough it in of itself. “We love having the Golden Boot,” fifth-year senior defender Marissa Borschke said. “I think it makes it that much more exciting of a game, especially with an in-state rival. Playing for something and then playing for the Golden Boot on top of it makes it a huge game.” Borschke’s senior class has held the Golden Boot for two of the last three years, only losing it last season 2-0. Under head coach Amy Berbary, IU is undefeated in West Lafayette, where Saturday’s 7 p.m. match will be played, having won twice against Purdue and two more games against Baylor and Missouri in last season’s Boilermaker Challenge Cup. For whatever reason, Berbary said her team has something figured out about playing in West Lafayette. “It’s a cool environment that Purdue has,” Berbary said. “Their fans are right on top of you. We just love to play there, but it will be a very emotional game. We have to make sure the mental side of our game is on.” Purdue is already eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention, but Indiana is rolling. The Hoosiers have taken points in five of their last six games to shoot up the conference table. They currently sit in a tie for seventh with Nebraska, two points ahead of Ohio State and four points ahead of Illinois. The player don’t need reminding. The staff has the standings posted on the team’s equipment shed at its practice facility behind the University Gym. Three points would certainly help. “I really do think the turning point for us was the 3-2 victory over Wisconsin. We were able to find a way to get it done and we’ve gone on a nice little run at the right time,” Berbary said. “When you’ve got 27 kids and a coaching staff of three that believe, anything can happen.” Big Ten Standings Penn State - 21 Northwestern - 20 Minnesota - 20 Michigan - 17 Rutgers - 16 Wisconsin - 15 Nebraska - 14 Indiana - 14 (Nebraska owns tiebreaker over IU) ****Cutoff**** Ohio State - 12 Illinois - 10

Tweet from David Pick, pro basketball reporter: I can confirm that Yogi Ferrell will play with Brooklyn's D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.