Class of '66 Old Fart

Surely they would know by now if there were solid reasons to continue his recruitment. Ugh, being on the outside looking in is incredibly frustrating.

From the Indpls. Star: Here we go again? The Indianapolis Colts sure hope not. Star quarterback Andrew Luck missed his first practice of the season Wednesday, resting that sore right shoulder of his. He said he anticipates practicing Thursday but will defer to the training staff and coaches to make the final decision. The natural concern for the Colts, after watching Luck miss nine games in 2015: Is there a reason for alarm? “I don’t think so,” Luck said. “But I don’t raise the alarms. That’s you guys.” Of the seven practices the team has held during the regular season so far, Luck has been limited in three of them. This is the first time he’s sat out completely. He was rushed relentlessly in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos and took five sacks. But it could just be the Colts being cautious. He was limited twice before the team's season opener against the Lions. Luck responded by throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns. He was limited once last week and struggled against the vaunted Broncos' defense. Asked he if expects to be under center on Sunday when the Colts host the Chargers at 4:25 p.m., Luck didn’t hesitate. “Yes, yes, absolutely,” he said. “Absolutely yes.” Through two games, the Colts have allowed seven sacks, tied for third-most in the league, and 15 hits, also tied for third-most.

If it was Groce, I hope Wilkes checks the police rap sheets of several of the players Groce recruited.

In the category of FWIW from Eric Bossi: Ten teams poised to make a jump in 2017 team rankings INDIANA In the fold: SG Al Durham (NR 3-star) On the line: Tom Crean and the Hoosiers already have a commitment from the high-scoring Durham, but they want more. Number one on their wish list is Indiana native -- and five-star prospect -- small forward Kris Wilkes (No. 18). The Hoosiers appear to be in a good spot for Wilkes and they’ve also positioned themselves to make a legitimate run at four-star point guard Tremont Waters (No. 36). Four-star wing Justin Smith (No. 105) has already taken an official visit and four-star big man Deng Gak has Indiana in his final five. Others like five-star Nick Richards (No. 19), four-star wing Jordan Tucker (No. 42) and guard David Beatty (No. 135) along with three-star big men Clifton Moore and Brandon Huffman remain possibilities. Full Article

FWIW - Osterman tweet: No. ACL tear in 2014 was in his right knee, per program. This is the left knee.

Absolutely agree with 8bucks. Count me as one of the completely mystified that we have yet to secure a commitment from our summer recruiting efforts not to mention the time and money effort we've put into many of the '17s for well over a year or more. Other concern is that efforts over the past couple of weeks indicate to me that the higher rated recruits we've invested a lot of time and travel expense into aren't coming our way and we are moving into a scramble mode. Not that we're down to recruiting April's and the like, but we are having to take a step back in terms of talent level. And it will be especially painful if we get shut out on the Indiana talent and the question of why can't IU recruit it's own state. I'm not on the side that thinks we should only recruit Indiana kids, but with the '17 talent pool in the state why is it we can't win one of those recruiting battles - if we do get shut out? Probably shouldn't have put this in the Waters thread, but instead in the generic recruiting thread, but Waters is one of those kids in which we've invested a lot of effort and can't afford to lose with the overall talent pool dwindling each day with new commitments being announced. Lose him and who's his replacement? The Nike AAU circuit is the biggest and we had offers out to 23 kids that played on that circuit this summer. If my record keeping is accurate, only 7 are still uncommitted and only Waters is a PG. There are still 5 uncommitted Under Armour targets; 2 are PG's: Scruggs and David Beatty. On the Adidas circuit there's only 1 uncommitted kid with an IU offer-Brandon Huffman.

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Does the number of offers we throw out help or hinder our recruiting? I don't know if we're 'normal' in that regard when it comes to a second tier program. Clearly, the top dogs can be very selective and operate with a very narrow focus on their recruiting efforts. And before I get jumped on, I don't mean second tier as a slam against our team or CTC, but the facts are that we are not an elite program at this time and I know our recruiting approach can't be as narrowly defined as is Duke's for example. But are we too far overboard in casting such a wide net with offers? Does the number of offers to the same position players give the impression to recruits that maybe we really aren't all that interested in them when we've got 5 other offers out for the same position? Inquiring minds want to know.

Multiple tweets: IU kicker Aaron Del Grosso was arrested this morning by BPD. He was booked into the Monroe County jail at 3:33 a.m. on charges of public intoxication and criminal trespassing. Del Grosso was IU's starting kicker to begin the 2014 season. He appeared in the Ball State game two weeks ago. Police arrested a backup kicker for #IU football team this morning after he refused to leave an ex-girlfriend's during fight over dog. Second off-the-field incident for IU football this month. Freshman DT Jerome Johnson cited for illegal consumption of alcohol Sept. 3. Then this popped on from the Indiana Daily Student: IU junior kicker Aaron Del Grosso was arrested at 3:04 a.m. this morning for criminal trespassing and public intoxication. Officers were dispatched to the 400 block of the Indiana 45/46 Bypass after Del Grosso called wanting his dog back from his ex-girlfriend. They then received a second call, BPD Capt. Steve Kellams said, from a roommate of the ex-girlfriend who said an intoxicated man had forced his way into their apartment. "When we got there we came into contact with Del Grosso, he was out in the street," Kellams said. "He claimed that his ex-girlfriend had his dog and he wanted it back. There was a disagreement about the ownership of the dog. Both parties claimed ownership of the dog." Kellams said officers advised Del Grosso that it was a civil matter and that he needed to leave the property. Del Grosso refused. "We gave him several opportunities to leave, asked him several times to leave and he would not do it," Kellams said. "Finally we did get him onto the sidewalk area, off of the property, and officers did leave, but within just a few minutes he went back onto the property and began knocking on the door again." Officers received a second call from the ex-girlfriend and roommate about Del Grosso being back on their property and knocking on the door. When officers returned to the scene it was at that point Del Grosso was arrested for trespassing and public intoxication. Del Grosso was IU’s primary kicker in 2014 as a freshman before now-junior Griffin Oakes took over the starting job early in the season. Del Grosso did not appear in any games in 2015, but did appear on a kickoff in IU's win over Ball State in the 2016 home opener. This is the second incident involving an IU football player in September. Freshman defensive lineman Jerome Johnson was cited on Sept. 3 for illegal possession and consumption. Resident assistant staff found Johnson passed passed out and unresponsive in a stairwell landing between the third and fourth floor at Briscoe Quad. Jordan Guskey

Had 36 total shots with 10 on goal and only scored twice - UGH!

From Adam Zagoria: The No. 2-ranked power forward in the Class of 2017, Bamba is considering Duke, Kentucky, UConn, Michigan, Syracuse, Texas and Harvard, although he never announced a formal cut. https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/mohamed-bamba-working-with-group-of-7-schools-meets-with-duke-uconn/202425632 Always seemed a like a long shot to land him.

Not a lot to see. 6'6" 215 lbs. Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ. No MaxPrep stats for last year. Played AAU ball on South Jersey Jazz on the Under Armour circuit but only played in 4 games all at the end of the summer. Don't know why such a limited number. For the 4 games he averaged 12.5 PPG on 53% FG / 45% on 3's / 100% FT's - only shot1 / 2 reb / 1 asst / 1 TO / 1 stl.

From Jordan Wells and TheHoosier.com Indiana Underclassmen To Watch: Kevin Easley Jr. Kevin Easley Jr. looks to be the next in line of talented prospects to swing through Indianapolis Lawrence North. Two all-timers include former five-star prospects Mike Conley and Greg Oden from the class of 2006. Other standouts include former four-star Michael Chandler (2011,) former Louisville Cardinal Stephen Van Treese (2009,) and current Michigan State Spartan Eron Harris (2012) among several others. Easley, though, has a chance to make his mark. "Kevin's one of the top kids to come through," Lawrence North assistant Chandler Thompson said. "He has a chance to pull it off earlier than some of those guys because he started varsity as a freshman and contributed right away." Several college programs have already made it to an open gym to check out Easley Jr., including the Hoosiers. He already holds early offers from IU, Purdue and Xavier among others. “He has an aura around him," Thompson said. "It’s not one great thing he can do – he can do a lot of great things. "He can both score and rebound with the best of them. He handles at a decent rate. He can shoot at a good range. You won’t expect him to block a shot but then he comes out of nowhere to do that. "He does a lot of small things really well. He reminds me of a [former NBA star] Grant Hill-type player, in that way.” Like many underclassmen, Easley Jr. has to continue working on his conditioning to continue making strides in improvement. "I think he’s also working on more of a wing type player," Thompson said. "His explosiveness and taking people off the dribble, so improving his ball-handling. "He’s not going to be a power forward in college. He’ll be a big guard or a small forward. At the level of IU, he’d be a big guard or small forward. "If coaches max him out, I think he could become a great player at that level. If he keeps working and coaches can get the best out of him, the sky is the limit for him." Easley Jr. was named to the "Underclass Supreme 15" list by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association after a standout sophomore season at Lawrence North, when he averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to help his squad to an 18-6 overall record. Lawrence North's full 2016-17 schedule hasn't been released yet. However, it will include the Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle, Ind., which could feature a matchup against New Albany High and 2018 five-star guard Romeo Langford.

From Cameron Drummond and the Indiana Daily Student: Foreign women’s soccer freshman finds footing at IU Transitioning to college soccer has been a common challenge for some members of the IU women’s soccer team this season. For freshman midfielder Julia De Angelis, though, the journey has been especially long. A native of Canberra, Australia, De Angelis, who is currently in a starting role for IU Coach Amy Berbary, has had a decorated start to her young playing career. “Julia has been fantastic for us,” Berbary said. “She has played at the highest level possible with the Australian national team and has come here and helped us out a lot in the midfield.” De Angelis has represented Australia at both the under-17 and under-20 levels. As a member of the Australian under-17 national team, De Angelis played in qualifiers for the Asian Cup in the Philippines and also went on a playing tour of South Korea with the team. Before arriving at IU, De Angelis made a name for herself in Australia playing for semi-professional soccer club Canberra United. While differences exist between the styles of play De Angelis experienced in Australia and the style of play at IU, she credits Berbary with helping the change be a smooth one. “It’s always going to be slightly different coming from another country to another coaching technique, but Amy is a professional coach,” De Angelis said. “She has the same kind of mentality, and she brings out the best in me and the other girls on the team as well.” Canberra United is one of the nine teams that compose the W-League, the highest-level women’s soccer league in Australia. De Angelis was awarded the team’s W-League Rising Star award in both 2014 and 2015. The opportunity to play for the club was presented to De Angelis after she played well as captain of the women’s soccer team at the ACT Academy of Sport in Canberra. The highlight of De Angelis’ time with Canberra United came in 2014 when the team won its second W-League championship. De Angelis started several matches for Canberra United during that championship season, although not in the same position she currently plays at IU. “I’ve been playing as a number 10 recently, and I have never really played in that attacking position before,” De Angelis said. “I’ve had to get used to trying to have an attacking mindset.” After not playing for IU in the first five matches of the season, De Angelis has played in each of the team’s last five games. She recorded her first collegiate assist in IU’s 4-2 victory against James Madison on Sept. 11 and started IU’s Big Ten conference games against Northwestern and Illinois. “In the midfield you need to really work as a unit,” De Angelis said. “It’s not just individuals out there running. Our defensive shape is something that we’ve improved on in each game, and we keep trying to solidify it. It’s just about getting used to working with everyone who is going to be coming into the midfield together.” Aside from adapting to life at IU on the pitch, De Angelis has also had to adjust to a new country and style of living. The American university system is very different from higher education in Australia, but De Angelis said it is a change of pace that has pleased her. “Culturally in Australia, college isn’t as big of a thing,” De Angelis. “We don’t really have college sports and if I was going to college in Australia, I probably wouldn’t be living on campus. It’s really different in that sense. It’s something nice and something new.”

Impressive steals stat. Quick hands and overall reflexes a good combination for a PG.

ESPN recruiting writer Jeff Borzello went through the top 25 college basketball teams and named each squad's top recruiter Tuesday. To no surprise, Borzello chose IU assistant coach Chuck Martin, who has firmly entrenched the Hoosiers with many of the top players in the Northeast. Martin, in his third year at IU, has used his connections in the area to bring in talents such as Thomas Bryant, Devonte Green and Curtis Jones. Borzello had the following to say about Martin: The Hoosiers have been dipping into other parts of the country to build their roster over the past few years, and Martin has been at the forefront of those efforts. He was the main recruiter for Thomas Bryant from New York and also closed the deal for ESPN 100 forward De'Ron Davis. Martin also helped bring in ESPN 100 guard Curtis Jones. Martin came to IU after working in the Oklahoma City Thunder's front office. He honed his player evaluating skills there, but complements his recruiting prowess with the skills of a head coach, the role he filled at Marist just before he was in Oklahoma City. In his introductory press conference, Martin was asked about recruiting and said getting the right fit is as important as getting the right talent. "Clearly for me I would like to get involved with the better players in the country, but that doesn't always work," Martin said at the time. "It's about getting the right fit. I learned that with the Thunder. We've had guys who were very critical of the Thunder last year when we took Steven Adams from the University of Pittsburgh who averaged 4 points and three rebounds. He helped us win 15 games this year and get close to 60 wins and get to the Western Conference Finals. It's not always about how highly they're rated, it's about what is their talent? Can we use their talent? Does it fit with the scheme that we're trying to execute here in Indiana?"

Signed today to the Redskins practice squad.

Athlon Sports' college basketball preview has IU women ranked No. 19 going into 2016-17.

BTN releases TV schedule. CHICAGO - The Big Ten Network will broadcast six of the Hoosiers Big Ten contests during the 2016-17 season. BTN will carry IU's league opener on December 28 against Nebraska at 7 p.m. The Hoosiers also will host Rutgers on January 15 and travel to Penn State on January 18. The Network also will air the Hoosiers visit to Northwestern on January 29. In the month of February, Penn State will travel to Bloomington on February 1and the Hoosiers will visit Minnesota on February 15. IU might play one more game on BTN February 25 or 26 against Northwestern. Conference Games on BTN Date Day Opponent Location Time TV Dec. 28 Wednesday Nebraska Bloomington, IN 7 p.m. BTN Jan. 15 Sunday Rutgers Bloomington, IN 12pm/4:30pm BTN Jan. 18 Wednesday at Penn State University Park, PA 7 p.m. BTN Jan. 29 Sunday at Northwestern Evanston, IL 6:30 p.m. BTN Feb. 1 Wednesday Penn State Bloomington, IN 6:30 p.m. BTN Feb. 15 Wednesday at Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 9 p.m. BTN Feb. 25/26 Sat./Sun. Northwestern Bloomington, IN TBA TBA Four Games Can Be Seen on BTN Plus The Hoosiers two exhibition games and two regular season games can be seen on BTN Plus. IU has exhibition games scheduled for 7 p.m. on November 1 and November 5. In addition, IU will host Liberty on Saturday, November 19 , at 7 p.m. and Austin Peay on Thursday, December 22 at 7 p.m. on BTN Plus. BTN Plus programming includes non-televised games and events available on BTN2Go with a purchase of a BTN Plus subscription. BTN Plus content features live games produced by students at Big Ten universities. A subscription to BTN Plus on BTN2Go does NOT require a Big Ten Network TV subscription with a TV provider. A monthly pass is available for $9.95, while an annual pass for school specific content is $79.95 per year. Indiana Games on BTN Plus Date Day Opponent Location Time Stream Nov. 1 Tuesday TBA Bloomington, IN 7 p.m. BTN Plus Nov. 5 Saturday TBA Bloomington, IN 7 p.m. BTN Plus Nov. 19 Saturday Liberty Bloomington, IN 7 p.m. BTN Plus Dec. 22 Thursday Austin Peay Bloomington, IN 7 p.m. BTN Plus

Disappointing news to say the least but probably not all that unexpected given the turnover in the IU coaching staff since her original commitment. It's the way it is in today's college recruiting world.

Falcons knock of the Raiders in Oakland 35-28. Coleman 12 carries for 46 yards and a TD; first of this season; second of his career. Also had 2 receptions for 25 yards; 24 of them on 1 of the 2 receptions.

Mind numbing that statistically we've kicked the absolute crap out of them and yet we're still trying to pull it out in double OT.

Received an offer from Notre Dame while on an unofficial visit.