Old Friend

This. THIS is what just infuriates me about the Tom Crean tenure. I hate this excuse. Tom Crean's Marquette teams were in the same conference as Syracuse for 3 seasons, and it looked like his offense was structured as if he'd never seen it. Butler beat it the year before. You're (the collective "you") telling me Butler was more athletic than Indiana was? Indiana had two of the NBA draft's top 4 players, for crying out loud! Butler showed the formula. You put a shooter at the FT line and make the defense collapse around him, which opens up other things. Crean? He put Zeller there. First possession of the game, he gets the ball at the foul line...WITH an available jump shot. Instead? He drives the ball, gets his shot blocked, and was timid for the next 39 minutes. Game. Over. We needed combinations of Sheehey or Oladipo there; Zeller in the short corners and on the block, Hulls, Oladipo, and Watford on the wings with Yogi running things. But alas, we allowed the defense to stay extended because we didn't have a shooter in the middle of the floor, and both Hulls and Yogi were scoreless. I lost all faith in Tom Crean after that game. I do agree that we need to be in the Sweet 16 on a regular basis. I personally think we need to be in the top 4 of the Big Ten year in and year out. Start with that, and everything else takes care of itself.

I don't think he is in a mental capacity to really feel as he did before. I don't think he's well, and when people get old, they tend to gravitate to their roots, and his roots are near Bloomington. I really don't think it's any more than that.

Very simple for me. The key to sustained success in college basketball unless you're Duke, is "get old and stay old." The 5* kids are great, but unless you can reel them in year after year, you won't win consistently. I want kids who want to be at Indiana and want to STAY at Indiana. Yes, an occasional 5* talent is great, and I have nothing against that. But.....a strategy that relies on getting enough of them every season to sustain success is a fool's errand. Get old and stay old. See : Virginia, Michigan State, Gonzaga, what Wisconsin used to be, etc. That's the formula. We're not Duke or Kentucky and I don't want to be. Our best teams at Indiana have ALL been experienced and full of upper classmen, and that strategy still works.

Sure. It's an opinion, right? Franklin is just as long as Romeo if not longer. He's just as athletic. He's just as strong. The reason I said that came from watching him against Lawrence North. LN had 2-3 D1 kids, and Franklin scored an easy 30 doing exactly what you mentioned Romeo did. Now, it boils down to opportunity and fit within a system. So.....Franklin CAN do those things, but I would agree he probably won't be asked to so the numbers won't be there. And if Hunter's healthy, Franklin won't get enough minutes to put up great numbers. I just believe he's an exceptionally talented scorer with the same general skill set as Romeo

I'm in this camp. We need to make the tournament and we need to compete for a top 3-4 spot in the Big Ten. There is no reason we can't do that. Every team loses scorers and leaders every season. I'll submit both Langford and Morgan had to play a little or a lot out of position a year ago, and both took a lot of shots. Phinisee getting hurt killed momentum and he wasn't right for a month when he got back. Thompson's injury set him and our front court back; and Hunter not being available at all hurt depth and played a role in Langford's mis and over use. So much of the negativity around here seems to come without taking the whole truth into consideration. There are a whole lot of truths from injury to a roster that didn't fit to some dead weight on the bench to a couple of guys being asked to play a role that was either too large or didn't fit.....on and on. Last season, we had significant dead weight on the roster. This year, we do not. Last year, we were small in the front court. This year, we are not. Last season was the first that any Miller recruit played a minute on this team. Not true this year. Last year, we relied on a freshman point guard and when he got hurt, a kid who was maddeningly selfish and kind of dumb until late February. If one stays healthy and the other just continues to progress; Al Durham and Armon Franklin will REALLY help. I believe we will see growth from the ever enigmatic Justin Smith, too. And if Hunter's healthy? I see no reason Indiana can't win 22-24 games next season.

For the first time in several seasons, I'm going to tell you I think you will be pleasantly surprised instead of let down.

I still think Gelon, in Crean's transition could have been okay as an upper classman. We'll never know, but I don't think it's fair to judge what he might have been in a 5 year career parked in the corner or on the wing in a transition system. Priller didn't fit Crean at all. I will never understand that. Okay, state of the program : 1) I saw Archie learning and progressing last year. I saw the defense improve. I saw the team run more. I saw better shots later in the season than early. I saw more consistent effort. And I saw better offensive sets and better movement. I saw players improve (Green in particular). Archie, unlike Crean, does not seem to be a finished product, and I don't equate his Dayton results with anything he'll do at Indiana. I think he's a different coach and has figured out he needs different players. He can't win at Indiana with Jake Forrester and Clifton Moore. He could at Dayton if he had pieces to go with them, but here? He needs a significant upgrade, and I think he had to learn that. To me, he seems adaptable and like HE can learn as well. It's only year 2 for his players, and this season and next will tell us a lot. I am a "soft buy" on him right now...with optimism. But...he will not be given 9 seasons as Crean was. One sign to me the administration DOES care is Crean won two Big Ten titles, but had no consistency. And he was terminated. Consistent success is the expectation, I believe and I also believe Miller was given a period of transition that has either closed or is closing. 2) The one person nobody talks about who I promise you has some clout is Cindy Simon-Skjodt. There is no way she or her family want their name on a building with a mediocre product inside. And I promise you, their ongoing funding of things is in some way tied to the on-court product or at least progress. Fred Glass and Micheal McRobbie answer to her/the Simon's on some level. They HAVE to care. Michael McRobbie could not be a worse president for high level college athletics. He sees athletics as nothing more than either a cash cow, a money drain, or school pride; which he seemingly applies equally to all sports. IU wins in field hockey? To him, that's just as good as a win in men's basketball; and of course, that's a fool's mindset. But....he is who he is. A research-oriented, east coast focused, .edu fundraiser academe who doesn't truly understand the culture of the school he runs. 3) Recruiting will tell a lot. I loved the Joey Brunk addition and I think he'll really help. If Hunter can play at something close to full strength, he'll really help. Jackson-Davis will really help. And...I am very high on Franklin, having seen him play a few times. In my mind, there's nothing Romeo did a year ago Franklin can't do, and I think Franklin is a more consistent shooter...and "longer." But what's next? Who commits for 2020? Beyond? Where does Indiana stand in the minds of recruits? Can we get shooters to spread the floor? Can we get a ball handler to back up Phinsee when Green graduates? Bigs to replace Davis and eventually Brunk? Who will be our scorers? Our leaders? 4) I am disappointed Michael Lewis isn't on our bench. I am disappointed Indiana hasn't spent more time developing the culture that expects to win and win big; and plays every game like we're getting other teams' best shot. I'm in the camp that says this season will be telling, but I also think it'll be a success. I think top 4 in the Big Ten, I think a NCAA appearance and perhaps a second weekend showing. Much less than that is not acceptable in my opinion. And if that isn't achieved, he gets one more season.

Um....no. It doesn't say that unless you're uber sensitive and thin skinned. If that's you......Okey doke. Wow. What this DOES say is I know the guy. I've known the guy for a while, and many here paint him as something he's not. You can like him or not as a commentator. That's up to you. I suppose it's also up to you whether you like his radio show, but as a part of that, there have been other criticisms. Many have said he hates IU. Wrong. WAY wrong. 180* wrong. Completely missing his point wrong, as a matter of fact. Many have said he goes out of his way to be critical of IU because he's bitter about not getting the head coaching job. Also wrong. Many have been pretty hard on him because they don't like him on air. Unfairly so in my opinion. But...if you want to take that to an extreme and post what you did? As you said....Okey doke.

Just so we are clear, the two guys know each other...I know them both. And they are not "best friends." This sort of makes my point. Your information is fabricated to fit the narrative, and it's inaccurate.

Lot of you guys are pretty hard on a guy whose job it is to get ratings. He's been courted by at least 2 much larger entities to host a show, yet he remains in Indiana. Lot of you guys also think DD hates Indiana or is angry he wasn't kept as the head basketball coach. Funny how much some think they "know." Opinions are what they are, but I was happy to see this because it's accurate.

Runs a training academy for basketball players, everything from youth to college players; has an AAU team that does well, and is the head coach (newly hired) at Bishop Chatard in Indianapolis.

Remember where you heard this. The next great "IU Guy" college coach will be Taylor Wayer....if that's a direction he wants to go. And there is zero doubt in my mind about that.

If Ostrom can't do this, why is he on the staff? Indiana needs a guy who understands and can sell what Indiana is. Don't care if it's an IU guy or not, but it cannot be a Dayton retread or some guy the Miller's have known for a while. This needs to be a smart hire...and if it were ME, I'd do everything I could to pry Michael Lewis back to Indiana, but that's one man's opinion.

Visited this weekend. Long, smart combo guard (6'6" I think) from SB St. Joseph. Seen him once and was impressed. Good range, good position defender, sees the floor well and very long. Interesting to see how this goes. Reminds me very much of Brian Evans.

Indiana University will never change. I hate this.

I just don't see a downside to offering a kid who has real shooting range to 27', led Indiana in scoring at 35 PPG as a sophomore; and who wants to come to IU. I would love to know what Archie is waiting on.

Thanks very much. Been on the road and just perusing. Appreciate that.

What am I missing? His Twitter account earlier today said he is "blessed to have an offer from Indiana University."

Ed Schilling may have ties to the state, but they're waning the further away he gets from his camps, and I have not been sold on ANY of the assistant coaches from a basketball standpoint. Can he take Bruiser with him? Surely an IU guy can stand with his hands in his pockets and look away from the huddle.

Interesting take.....

Thanks! For perspective - Jordan Hulls was no bigger than Brown is. Michael Lewis was no bigger than Brown is. Yogi is shorter. I don't know why size statistics matter as much as they do. Position defense is more important to me than on-ball; and he's a smart enough player to avoid hurting his team. Romeo got beat defending on the ball plenty a year ago, and he's 6'6". Brown is a basketball player. He is a fantastic passer. He knows the game. He can MAKE shots. As MikeRoberts basically said above, what do we lose?? I've seen enough bad players with better "measurables" come through Indiana to know I'd rather have a basketball player 100 times out of 100.

It may be only me in this camp, but I have recently seen tape on this kid, and he's a legit 30 PPG guy who's NOT small/slight anymore. His legs are thick, and he's got range to 28' with no problem. Kid may break Bailey's scoring record, and I think he's better by far than a 12th or 13 scholarship guy. I think people here sell the kid way short because of Blackford's schedule. I want Archie to offer this kid and secure him. Kid's a great passer and had 55 in a game last season. Being looked at by several high D1 schools now, including Purdue and Butler. That's better than a 13th scholarship player in my mind. I differ with you on this one.

I didn't see an offense designed otherwise....

No disrespect, but are we afraid of in state opponents, now? This mentality makes me want to throw a brick through my computer. WHAT????? So what if we've seen losses time and again?!?! What good did beating Jacksonville do us a year ago? You think Duke won't play UNC Greensboro and instead play Montana State....because they're afraid of an in state loss????? That's absurd! SO WHAT if there's a higher chance of a loss?? It would also be a far better win! WOW, Moye.

Lots of wins against the Portland State's of the world would land us in the NIT. The Big Ten will win us some and lose us some. Portland State is a no-win situation. It's a bad win, and would probably lower our RPI