Aaron

I don't think money is an issue. However, all the high end players are pretty much gone from portal and there are not any spots for frontline players on the roster. You already have at least nine players who will need time (Maya, Lenee, Z, Petrie, Kenzie, GiGi, Addy, Pitbull, and Alisa), one ball, and 40 min. For health and future of program, all of these players need at least a few min a game.

I don't think Fenn will be relied on much. She just simply is only backup 4 on roster I made so it looks that way. There was no way to reflect on the depth chart I made that Maya or Alisa will often slide to 4 in lineups when Petrie needs a break.

Maybe one more but main rotation set. At 12 now with almost full roster. C Big Z, Williams, Jackson PF Petrie, Fenn SF Makalusky, Addy SG Lenee, Hare PG Samuels, GiGi You can argue with roster but this is how it was put together and if Z stays healthy team should win 20-22 games and return to NCAA Tourney (Also note some of these combinations and starters can slide around into multiple positions). Your elite frosh wont have to be overworked with the portal rentals who were actually solid p5 starters for most part last year. Key is your 5 star frosh in Addy and GiGi growing into your next cornerstones as we go down the road. Especially with another 5 star top 30 frosh Finley Parker coming in for 2027.

That is exactly what you need is for Petrie to play the stretch 4 position alongside Z and the 5 only in Emergency. Alisa Williams is your backup center who you got from Iowa St who is basically Noyan 2.0. The fact Petrie is a 4 who can shoot and not a 5 is exactly why IU got her. IU doesn't need a starting 5 as long as Z is healthy and no starting pure post player is going to come here as long as you have her on roster. The choice was to evict Z into portal or bring her back and pray her health is good. IU chose the latter and you can argue whether that was smart, but no high level pure 5 is a possibility as long as Z is on roster in modern game.

Z is def a go to player inside when healthy. The question is her health. Saw enough last yr to confidently say she is a top 3-4 center in this league when on the court. Also, most importantly, with Jess Petrie and Kenzie Hare out of the portal to go with Lenee, you have three top-tier three point shooters. Z demands enough attention inside to open the three point line for these players. Clearly the team also had way more money for the portal this year which was good to see. I wouldn't say it was top-tier, but solid middle class money that got you three solid p5 starters in Petrie, Hare, and Samuels and a decent backup in Williams. Last year everyone who came at the time was a low end rotation player from the p5 or a mid-major starter. Clearly team went from a working class budget to a middle class budget for the portal given who they brought in.

Stanton gave Tholl another lesson today in her culture and system again today. Sometimes Stanton's system of power ball and avg pitching result in the 9-8 type losses you saw yesterday against decent teams. However, the joy you see in the dugout on every pitch and the home runs being hit like they are going out of style with wins far more often than not, you more than accept the sometimes shaky pitching. Stanton has built a winning program in this sport that has not been seen since the 1980's.

I believe Smiley does stress all of that as that is what Heller and Hannahs build their program on and how Heller took Mercer to school this weekend with Iowa.

Yup. Got the perfect guy who will almost certainly take the job and his name is Brian Smiley and he is only 41 years old. Born in Evansville and worked for years under Rick Heller and Mitch Hannah at Indiana State who are two of the most respected coaches in the game. Then went and instantly turned Miami (OH) and they are good again for the first time in 20 years after we stole the last good coach from them (Tracy Smith obviously) and he built IU from nothing. Miami (OH) might hate IU for stealing their best coaches but oh well. Def need to make a move on Smiley before someone else does but can absolutely get him if you act now given this is his home state. Do NOT bring back Chris Lemonis as fans on social media seem to want. Given Mercer's struggles, some people have gotten Tom Crean syndrome and remember that era far to fondly. Lemonis was better than Mercer, but that is a low bar right now and had serious issues with player development and was living off what Smith built. Did same thing at Mississippi State inheriting a palace and winning a championship before driving it into the ground. Other guys you should call who will probably say no is a Tracy Smith reunion (although he is getting up their in age), Hannahs himself, and Kansas' Dan Fitzgerald. Assuming they do say 'no' though your list should end at Smiley and bring him home to 812 area code. Most importantly IU seems to have good luck with Miami (OH) guys (Smith, Terry Hoeppner) and very bad luck with Dayton guys (Mercer, Archie Miller) making Smiley ideal.

Look everyone is entitled to disagree and maybe I will be wrong and you all will be right. Only time will tell. Scouting is like a weather forecast that is a pretty good guide but often not perfect. This was definitely a case of drafting someone way higher than any so called expert (aka meteorologist in weather field) thought. As a fan with the ability to be an amateur scout due to a brief job in past, i can tell you I see all the red flags that the scouts do. Doesn’t mean anyone is right and Black can absolutely be the ‘sunny’ pick on the ‘rainy’ day forecast as happens a lot when teams ignore the consensus. I am just trying to provide realism without the rose colored fan glasses. Doesn’t mean I am right and everyone else is wrong. I really hope Black is still in the NFL in five years but my ‘amateur expert’ opinion tells me Mendoza, Cooper, Ponds, Sarratt, and Fisher will be the ones around in five years. As with everything above, could be very wrong here. I wish all our Hoosiers luck in the NFL and hope Black tears it up even if i’m skeptical now.

Great pick!. Franchise CB in making.

Mendoza, Cooper, and Ponds will all be solid pros for a long time and great picks where they were taken! However, removing my rose colored glasses, that is a bad pick in third round with Black. He would still be there in the late rounds if 49ers like him and could make a nice complimentary back with his grittiness and ability to grind for yards. However, the third round is for franchise backs and Black is not that with his lack of speed. Not a knock on him and think could have a nice pro career and one of my favorite players. Just not a primary NFL franchise back with his somewhat slower wheels. He got caught from behind far to often on runs a franchise level pro back would not in college. Also, wish someone would have taken Sarratt or Fischer and whoever does next round will be getting steal on other solid pro guys for next several yrs. Also can't wait to see Coogan, Kamara, Hemby, and Nowakowski hopefully taken in late rounds for 10 total guys even if extended pro careers are a long shot. Mendoza, Cooper, Ponds, Sarratt, and Fischer will likely be the ones who are still playing in NFL in five years. Never thought I would live long enough to see double digit Hoosier pros taken in one draft including top pick but its a potential reality that makes me smile everyday:]!

I love IU as much as anyone but that is a horrible pick in third round. He would still be there in the sixth round for 49ers if they like him and could make a nice complimentary back with his grittiness and ability to grind for yards. However, the third round is for franchise backs and Black is not that with his lack of speed. Not a knock on him and think could have a nice pro career and one of my favorite players. Just not a primary NFL franchise back with his somewhat slower wheels.

The flood lights going out for a few minutes due to a glitch late in the game is the perfect message and metaphor from the baseball gods on the state of the program right now. Its why a leadership change is likely needed this year or next. Mercer really struggles with coaches like Rick Heller whose entire system is based on pitching and fundementals.

Michigan softball is basically IU soccer in the Mike Freitag era right now who gave the job from the retiring legend (Carol Hutchins) to her top assistant (Bonny Tholl) a few yrs ago and while it has not gone horribly, it has definitely led to a fairly noticeable drop off. Shonda Stanton basically gave Tholl a lesson in her system and culture she has built today. As soon as the Hoosiers hit or miss pitching gave up a 2-1 lead late to trail 4-2, IU didn't panic and instead poured it on with power ball in last two innings and pulled away to win 8-4 while being loud and joyful in dugout. That's the program Stanton has built in her time at IU and today was a microcosm of it and its why the team is cruising towards a fourth straight NCAA Tournament, while the Wolverines are likely to miss the postseason all together for the second time in Tholl's four year tenure. If Michigan is smart and wants to go back to being a top tier squad in college softball as they were for 30 years, they need to being in someone new who has head coaching experience and not keep the legend's top assistant as doing it this way almost always leads to slow decline.

Skim Milky just dropped the IU meme on twitter meaning Malia Samuels who just visited likely committed. Avg 3.4 pts at USC. Likely 7th-8th person in rotation based on those numbers. Update: Talia Goodman confirmed it is indeed Samuels who committed.