Class of '66 Old Fart

A little like Mo Creek isn't it?

He can always have an "M" put on each side!!

You don't have the proper security clearance! LOL

Northwestern has announced it's playing 2017-18 basketball games at Allstate Arena in Rosemont. Welsh-Ryan undergoing "complete renovation."

High school coach breaks down Justin Smith’s game September 27, 2016 Mike Miller Men's Basketball Leave a comment Pat Ambrose won’t forget the jump, the dunk and the sophomore year that changed it all for Justin Smith. During a 2015 postseason game, Jalen Brunson — now a starting guard at Villanova — drove to the basket, drew a foul and tossed the ball at the rim. Smith flew in from the foul line, grabbed the ball and twisted in the air, throwing down a reverse, two-handed dunk just for fun — just because he could. “Everyone turns and looks at each other like, ‘Did we just see that?'” said Ambrose, coach of Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. Smith’s highlight reel was only beginning. The 6-foot-7 wing will now have a chance to add to that reel at Indiana, committing to the Hoosiers’ 2017 recruiting class on Monday night. Smith gives IU coach Tom Crean another long, athletic forward to run end-to-end, a player who can attack the rim and defend it on the other side of the floor. “He can really get up,” Ambrose said. “He’s not like Vince Carter unbelievable, but for a high school kid, he really has good hops. He’s blessed with incredible athletic hops. His quickness, I’d say, is definitely above average. I’d say his jumping ability is way above average. His athletic ability, his size will serve him well.” Smith was a priority target across the Big Ten. Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana were among the schools Smith considered closely. Within the last month, he whittled that list down to two options — Indiana and Villanova, which is Brunson’s new home and, of course, the home of the defending national champions. Indiana won. He picked up his IU offer after his sophomore season and made an unofficial visit to Bloomington last August. When he recently took his official trip during the weekend of Sept. 10, Ambrose said Smith came away impressed with the approach of IU coach Tom Crean and his assistants. “He really liked the coaching staff,” Ambrose said. “He really liked Coach Crean, Coach Judson, Coach Buckley. They really did a good job with him. They really showed him how he can get better. He came back and said, ‘Coach, you’re not gonna believe this,’ — and I did — he said, ‘Coach, they showed me videotape of how I can get better.’ “He liked that. He thought that was different. They didn’t scream at him and they didn’t tell him he was bad. They said, ‘Look, you can do this better and you can do this better, and we can help you.’ He took it to heart.” Outside of the paint, Ambrose said Smith is more of a catch-and-shoot player. Mostly, Ambrose has told Smith to make the most of his opportunities within 10 feet. “Even if he throws up kind of a bad shot or a quick shot, his ability to go back and get it (is impressive),” Ambrose said. “I saw that on the freshman level and I was like, ‘My goodness. You can’t teach that.'” Entering his senior year of high school, the 185-pound recruit has to continue getting bigger and playing tougher. He has to continue developing his shooting ability. But Ambrose likes where Smith is as a prospect — and where he’s headed. “He’s very excited,” Ambrose said. “He’s very excited to play in the Big Ten. I think he’ll look good in the candy stripes. He has long legs.” [Those last 2 sentences are priceless!]

TB name 2nd team All-American by NBCSports Thomas Bryant, Indiana: Bryant is another guy that had a chance to be a first round pick last season but opted to return to school. He had a promising first year in Bloomington, but it came with typical freshman mistakes: He was lost early in the year, especially on the defensive end. But Bryant has the tools, he plays extremely hard and he’s young for his grade; he was born five months after Josh Jackson. NBCSports Pre-Season All-American Teams

We've looked but maybe not all that interested? From Zagoria: After visiting Maryland and Georgetown unofficially over the weekend, Class of 2018 point guard Immanuel Quickley has slated more visits to some of the nation's top college programs. The 6-foot-3 Quickley out of John Carroll (MD) has scheduled unofficial visits to Kansas (Oct 1-2), Miami (Oct 8-9), Kentucky (Oct 14), Louisville (Oct 15), Virginia (Oct 22) and Duke (Oct 28) for the next four weeks. Quickley helped the USA U17 team win a gold medal this summer He was watched by a slew of coaches both at that event in Spain and on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit with Baltimore Elite. Quickley this month added offers from Providence, Virginia and UConn to go with previous offers from Louisville, Wake Forest, Villanova, Arizona, Texas A&M, UCLA, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Central Florida, Depaul, Miami, Southern California, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Washington and UMBC.

Four-star 2017 forward Justin Smith of Lincolnshire (IL) Stevenson commits to Indiana Jeff Rabjohns Yesterday at 7:31 PM Indiana added a significant piece to its 2017 recruiting class today with the commitment of Scout.com top-100 prospect Justin Smith. Indiana added a significant piece to its 2017 recruiting class today with the commitment of scout.com top-100 prospect Justin Smith. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward from Lincolnshire (IL) Stevenson in the Chicago suburbs and Mac Irvin Fire AAU program is a four-star prospect ranked No. 91 nationally by scout.com. Smith is an outstanding athlete who can score in the mid-range and off the bounce, is a solid defender and a very good rebounder from his position. Smith fits what Indiana coach Tom Crean likes in terms of versatile, athletic players who can function in various spots on the floor and defend players with different skills. Smith joins Berkmar (GA) guard Al Durham in Indiana's 2017 recruiting class so far. Smith made an official visit to Indiana earlier in September and made several unofficial visits to IU. He was at Hoosier Hysteria in the fall of 2015. Indiana offered a scholarship in May of 2015. Crean and IU assistant Rob Judson were very active in Smith’s recruitment, with help from IU assistants Chuck Matin and Tim Buckley. Smith comes from a Big Ten family that is well-versed in IU lore. His parents are both Illinois graduates, and his father grew up in Danville, Ill., and followed IU basketball closely. “What I like is the fact that Indiana has great history and great tradition,” Ed Smith, Justin’s father told peegs.com earlier this month. “I’ve been watching Indiana basketball as well as Illinois basketball since I was a young kid. “I knew all the history of Indiana basketball, growing up watching Bobby Knight’s teams. I knew all the players names on the Indiana teams, the Quinn Buckners, Wayne Radfords, Bobby Wilkersons, Scott Mays, all of those guys, as well as watching Illinois when Rob Judson was a player. It’s about the rich history of Indiana basketball. “I grew up in Danville (Illinois) which is about an hour from Bloomington. I had all that history and knowledge from the past, and the rich tradition has always been appealing.” IU built a strong relationship with Smith during the recruiting process that stretch over a couple years. "Just the way that they communicate with me. Not just the ‘We want you to come here and we want this, this and this.' It is more making me feel we're just having a conversation," Smith told peegs.com this summer. Crean’s player development program also stuck out to Smith. "Just the way they develop players," Smith told peegs.com this summer of why IU stood out to him. "Coach Crean and his staff do a really good job of developing players. They make players who may not be highly touted out of high school and turn them into pros. Just the way they develop and have confidence in their players."

4 stars; ranked 50-100 by the various organizations.

Good things come to those who wait!

Opportunity for Howard to make it is job on a permanent basis.

Durham's AAU teammate Collin Sexton just absolutely exploded this summer and what we don't know is if Durham's numbers weren't all that impressive because Sexton unexpectedly became the go-to-guy on the floor and Durham became the second fiddle. Just one of those things that we can speculate on but we just don't know the answer. And FWIW, Durham has been steadfast in his outward commitment to our program, but it's always possible that as the dust begins to settle on the '17 class, he begins to waver as others give us verbals. We'll know for certain come November 9.

Good or bad, it will give us something other to discuss than the debate.

Wayne, you should consider changing your avatar. LOL

Justin Albers ‏@Justin_Albers 1m1 minute ago Indiana, USA BREAKING: 2017 F Justin Smith will announce his decision tonight. Indiana or Villanova. Time not yet determined Hope Albers knows what he's talking about with certainty.

Indiana's Nov. 22 game at IPFW will tip off at 9 p.m. and air on BTN.

North Side's Austin Boucher transfers to prep school in Maryland By Justin Kenny, jkenny@news-sentinel.com Monday, September 26, 2016 3:57 PM Guard Austin Boucher has transferred to a prep school in Maryland, his father confirmed on Monday. The 6-foot-1 junior had recently been declared ineligible for varsity competition by the Indiana High School Athletics Association after transferring from South Side to North Side following his sophomore year. Instead of electing to compete in the 2016-17 season at the junior varsity level, Boucher decided to head to the East Coast and attend St. James Prep School in Hagerstown. "He could have played junior varsity, but we felt like he had to play," said Austin's father Joel Boucher. "It is a good opportunity at one of the top academic schools in the country." Boucher played his first two seasons at South Side, showing off his tremendous scoring acumen and terrific ballhandling. In his final game as an Archer last March, Boucher scored 54 points in a 110-104 loss to Muncie Central in sectional play, the fifth-most points ever scored in an Indiana high school tournament game. Boucher transferred to North Side this past summer, but South Side did not sign off on him being immediately eligible for basketball. The IHSAA ruled similarly after the case was taken to the state level. There is a possibility that Boucher - who is top five academically in his class - returns to North Side for his senior season. "That might be what happens, but we will leave it up to (Austin)," said Joel Boucher about a potential return. With just a single Division I offer from Ball State, the belief is a change of geographical location could help recruiting heat up. "Things may go so well out there he doesn't want to leave," Joel Boucher said. "I think this gives him the opportunity to be recruited by some East Coast schools."

Patrick Finley - Chicago Sun Times: ARLINGTON, Texas — Jordan Howard went from rookie to featured back in less than three quarters Sunday. Depending on Jeremy Langford’s ankle, it could stay that way for a while. Howard was the Bears’ leading rusher against the Cowboys, totaling 45 yards on nine carries, including a 36-yard gallop. “It felt good being out there but at the end of the day you always want to win,” the Indiana alum said. “None of that even matters. I feel like I played O.K., but I want to win." Any excitement generated by his spark was dulled when Langford left the sideline and was taken to the tunnel with what the Bears called an ankle injury. Wearing a walking boot on his right foot after the game, Langford echoed coach John Fox, saying he was unsure about the extent of the injury. Howard appears to be the next in line, with Ka’Deem Carey staying in Chicago because of a hamstring injury suffered Monday. “He’s done a really good job since he’s been here,” guard Kyle Long said. “We’ve got a bunch of good backs. We just have to block for them. You give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.” Howard said he’d be ready to be the featured back, if needed. After showing flashes in a brief appearance against the Eagles, Howard has proven to be the team’s most exciting back in the past two games. “I don’t really feel like it’s a challenge, because (Langford), Ka’deem and (Jacquizz Rodgers), when he was here, they all helped me get up to speed pretty quickly,” Howard said. “They’re the reason I was able to process so fast, because they helped me out tremendously. “I feel like I’ll be able to handle it, but I’ve got I’m going to have to get other people up to speed too.”

If I remember from last year it was about 6 weeks before the event and follow Stuhoo's advice and buy in the ND section if you want good seats because their fans don't support this event. Worked for me the last 2 years. mdn82 hit it on the head that you can't get good IU seats unless you're a season ticket holder.

And Dakich is killing Luck on Twitter.

BLEACHER REPORT: Following the team's disappointing 2-2 start to the 2016 season, the LSU Tigers reportedly fired head football coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron on Sunday, according to The Advocate's Ross Dellenger and Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman. Miles, who took over the program in 2005, leaves Baton Rouge, Louisiana, having won the second-most games in school history (114). He had a bright start to his LSU tenure, winning the Sugar Bowl in his second season and the BCS National Championship in his third year on the sideline. The Tigers haven't reached those heights again, though, and after Saturday's crushing 18-13 loss to the Auburn Tigers, Miles' ouster was only a matter of time. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee thought the decision should've been made long before the year got underway:

ND fires defensive co-ordinator but he may not be the sole problem. Interesting read from Doyel: Indpls. Star - Doyel Column on Brian Kelly

Played AAU ball for Baltimore Elite on the Adidas circuit but for whatever reason, I can no longer access the 2016 player statistics plus there's no statistical information on MaxPreps as well. By chance, today's Baltimore Sun has an article that indicates he was named Baltimore's All-Metro player of the year. Baltimore Sun POY Article Another article about him on a pUKe site that says he averaged 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore. pUKe Article John Carroll HS must be quite the athletic powerhouse. In addition to Quickley, we've followed his teammate Nate Roberts '18 (PF). On the football side, we're recruiting Devin Darrington '17 (RB) who attended John Carroll last year before apparently transferring to Bullis School for his senior season.