odd thoughts

I to ask the question before every game, which team is going to show up...For the first 6 minutes, it looked like the wrong one did...Then it was if they woke up. I think Johnson was the key in the first half and of course, OG in the second.  Johnson, well he played under control....all night.  Early on, Yogi and Williams weren't...I hope Johnson can play like that the whole tournament...I guess the key will be is how sore is he on Friday... Hartman played fairly well...so did Biefeldt and Morgan...KY is not going to be a piece of cake, though they are beatable, but man they look big Slow starts or sloppy starts are scaring me a bit... Hutch if you run into Fish, tell him his voice will be my eyes on Saturday as i am on the road.  I'm good with that...

Before most every game, I ask a friend of mine the same question...Which team is going to show up today? The good one or the team that plays down to the other team...Yesterday, we saw a bit of both...During the game, I made a comment, that they are a step slow.  Not overly bad, just a step behind...They pretty much were all day, with maybe an exception for about 2 minutes before the under 4 TO first half...For those couple of minutes, they looked like. gang busters, then TO and back to sleep... Terry, mentioned a few players, I think I will to.  Mr. Hartman...If you do one thing to improve yourself over the summer number 1 on the list should be the first shuffle step right or left against a dribbler...It is the one thing that gets you in trouble every game...You are averaging close to 4 fouls a game, and that is the reason...Having said that...if I could clone you, I would...As an x coach, having 5 of you and the way you play on the floor, sure would make me happy. Freshman all three, glad to have you and for the most part impressed.  3...Keep doing what you are doing, it's working. 13  Same applies for  you as well. 31...Mr. Bryant...Please learn something...On a basketball court the butt is a sensory organ...Years ago, in the Sampson era, there was a kid, whose name I forget, he was part of the in trouble group...The heavy one (some of us called him he 1 iron, mainly because you were never sure what your were going to get)  Anyway he would catch a pass posting on the block, and before he did made any move, he would bounce the ball exactly once, then make his move...Mr. B, you are doing the same thing minus the bounce...You catch the ball on the block, and freeze...Then you make your move...but if you sense where the guy is before the ball gets there, you don't have to wait...Comes with time, but watch the film...you can see it over and over... My biggest fear this week going into the NCAA, is that we play down to the team we are playing.  If we can play like we did against Iowa, Maryland or P, we got just as much a shot at winning this thing as anybody else...When they play good, they are scary...However, if we do like we have done a lot this year, and play down to them (think PSU), we got a big problem... Only time will tell

I have to admit, you won't see my hand...I did ask my usual question though...which team is going to show up?...I expected a decent season, but never did I expect what has happened... Easy schedule or not, IU did not make the B10 schedule, they just played it...The thing I do like is that during their toughest stretch of the season they played like a championship team... The other thing, to win the B10 you have to win at home, and they made AH a really bad place to play for visitors... If you have been watching IUBB as long as I have, you find yourself remembering certain teams, not championship teams, but certain teams that did the unexpected...Teams that weren't expected to do squat, and come out of it as a special IU team...this group with all the weirdness going into the year...will be remembered...

Terry, As usual, you nailed it...It is no secret to you that I have a different view of the starters than you do on a couple of players.  Yes, I expect Yogi to get points, but I expect him to control the ball better.  Your point guard is not supposed to get his dribble stolen, same applies to Williams. (Mr. Williams...speed kills, unless you control it...and you don't)  Might be wrong on this, but against N, the team had 8 TO's in the first half, and those two had 6 of them...that bothers me...The drives to the basket with either of them jumping in the air, with no shot, and no pass, and thus a TO... Game in and game out, the player that has impressed me more than any of them, is Hartman...Kid does a little bit of everything, and for a team that plays 'ole' defense, he seems the only one who plays face up, and defends anybody (from guard to center)...Not flashy, but steady... Tonight against W we will see just what kind of team we are going to have the rest of the year.  W is a whole different ball game compared to R and N...

Though I don't post usually, I thought I would chime in on this one.  Basically, kids are different today.  I don't have an opinion on TC one way or the other.  (Other than I am still having trouble figuring out his substitution pattern...) One thing I do know, is that he is not these kids father.  It appears right now, the rule is...first one you get a pass with some internal punishment.  Twice, and your gone.  HMP got slapped the first time, and was gone the second.  DDavis got a pass the first time, and is now gone.  Holt, got a pass the first time, now he is gone with number two.  The new kid is on notice (so is Yogi)...And I guess you could add Robinson to the list...Actually, I can live with that... So in my weird way, here is how we can correct it...When the kid arrives on campus, we shoot a small biodegradable chip into his butt. The chip will dissolve in 4 years or removed by the university if player leaves before 4 years. This chip will contain among other things, a GPS locater/sender, a alcohol sensor, a drug sensor, a ...If kid A does one of things from the no-no list, it sends a message to the coach, who promptly jumps in his car, and drags the kid away from whatever the no-no is...(Right now, TC would be spending quite a bit of time in the car)...Pretty extreme...However, if you want to make these kids saints, it's about the only way you can do it (short of locking them in the coaches basement)...The other side of it, no kid in his right mind would accept those terms...Parents on the other hand....just might...In truth, I would be with the kid...you couldn't get me to stand still long enough to inject it...Please note, this is all said with a wink, and a laugh, but you know, it would work...