pumpfake

Boy, I can't say that I remember hearing that. But then again, we had very little knowledge of recruiting outside the state (Street and Smiths or Sporting News). During that time there were a few HS to the NBA guys like Dawkins, Moses Malone, Bill Willouby). From what I observed, those guys would have been big academic challenges.

aka "Chocolate Thunder" or "Zondukan".

I was beginning to get an uneasy feeling about an impending coaching change. It felt like too much "smoke" was being released, putting pressure on the desired target(s). Heck, it was being discussed by prominent (anonymous) reporters and even on the Auburn message boards. Those "targets" didn't want or need the controversy swirling when they have plenty left in their season. An unofficial announcent would (and did) stop that speculation dead in it's tracks. If it was a ploy to turn the heat way down, perhaps it will reignite for real in a few weeks. That would be amazing. All that said, I have to believe it is what it is - loser management doing loser things, despite how foolish and illogical it is.

After they start getting paychecks, they can pay for the best tutors & test takers.

Plan "C"....

Not just $$$. This new Woodson Doctrine is the cutting edge of basketball evolution. A new paradigm where traditional recruiting and student athletes athletes are passe. We are witnessing HISTORY in the making, damnit!

100% agree. Another point is: If putting in the legwork on the recruiting trail is beneath him (apparently it is), how much effort will he give to portal guys? Does he expect them to fall into his lap, travel to Bloomington and be swayed by breakfast, or simply by waving a big NIL check? Also why even have assistant coaches if he doesn't listen to them or need them for HS recruiting? It's just a damn mess!

I suspect there are many of us in the same situation. I don't subscribe to cable and have paid for streaming only for November-March - solely to watch IU basketball. My discount expired at the end of December and I just let it lapse. I may watch a game if it's on broadcast TV or a "free" stream but I don't fret if I miss seeing a game. I'll listen to Fisch if possible albeit with little enthusiasm. I started paying attention to IU basketball in my early teen years around 1973 and it just isn't the same - not just the bad to marginal W-L record, but the style of play. Losing him stinks, but Liam made the right decision. With the current state of the program there's little to zero upside to sticking with his LOI.

This is the one, tiny sliver of hope I have going forward and I don't think putting "training wheels" on Woodson (adding a coordinator or 'specialist') would be anything more than lipstick on a pig. All this talk about us firing coaches too soon or keeping them too long wouldn't be a topic if we hadn't made bad hires in FB & BB every time for the last quarter of a century.

I'm in the middle of that podcast at the moment. One could say Woodson spent the "honeymoon" locked in the toilet.

Might be able to get him to give an update on his lawn care, lol.

I don't like watching a team of rentals. I don't like watching a team that plays a boring offense and always gets burned by the same things over and over. I don't like a team that can't shoot. I really don't enjoy IU basketball these days. My interest any more is "morbid curiosity". Sad.

Given the dire circumstances, we'll likely only have a chance with guys motivated mostly by the money - not the desire for team success, not to advance their skills. Maybe there's players who are looking for playing time but they probably won't be difference makers. The best chance for a major name would be a big who's looking to be the feature player so he can bolt to the NBA at the end of the season. This is the recipe for failure.

A couple of weeks ago the Assembly Call guys were debating the "Woodson problem". One of them cited the historical outcome for coaches who have bad records in their third season - it's not good.

This is all part of a very carefully orchestrated plan by Buckner and the Simon family. They're clearing the deck of HS players and will force out as many returning players to achieve a near empty roster. Then the "magic" happens: they shock the CBB world and forego the portal route, instead they will buy an existing G-League team and hand the reins over to Mike. Guaranteed lock to finish no worse than third in the B10 next season and get a 5 seed minimum! Seriously though, this is why you never, ever hire a CBB coach with zero experience as a college coach.

Makes 100% sense. They're accustomed to fielding also-ran teams.

I do believe RMK would have a similar feeling about facing a Woodson team as he did a Dale Brown team. lol

I have zero issues with the info you share, and I'm glad you do. I believe I can think objectively and pragmatically, so I don't take rumors as certainty. Honestly, I think the gullible ones are those who lashed out last evening (JMO).

I wonder if the boo$ters have just grown weary of getting asked (begged) to pony up buyout money for our constant hire & fire carousel of basketball and football coaches. Maybe Dolson was trying to arrange the foundation for a change and struck out. On a couple of related notes: 1. Because of this pattern with BB coaches, hiring an established guy (BP for example) with an arranged successor would be attractive since it would mean stability for several seasons, albeit with the risk that the successor didn't pan out. 2. There were a few posts about getting Cuban on board. I may be wrong, but hasn't he said he won't give money directly for coaching decisions like buyouts or salaries?

Yay! A rental team! As Jerry Seinfeld called it: "Rooting for Laundry"

Truer words were never spoken.

How many different ways are there to post "God, we suck!"? Nope. I think a lot us us have reached our breaking point and have nothing but apathy left for this once great program.

Definitely plausible...

Right now my "coping mechanism" for the suggestion Dolson is having trouble getting support for hiring BP is that this is being spread to cool the rumors for the time being (keep the pressure off Pearl).