Aaron

Here is a different perspective. Maybe Devries is great and he is dealing with systematic issues within IU that other schools are not facing. Some potential thoughts although I have ZERO insight here: 1. Maybe IU does not have enough NIL (I know what is reported but no one really knows). 2. Maybe Woodson and his minions are badmouthing Hoosiers behind the scenes to important people making Devries' job harder which I could absolutely see. Most fired coaches would not do this but Woodson seems like a petty enough person who would. 3. Maybe the notion of IU fans hurting the program with 'unrealistic expectations' is turning prospects off. Note I don't think this is the case but sometimes perception is reality and that may have an impact on prospective recruits. My point is we don't really know what is going on behind the scenes and any of the following could be true: 1. Things could be great and a slew of prospects commit in next week or two. 2. Devries may have challenges others are not facing that he may or may not overcome in next week or two as described above. 3. He has no idea how to handle this and is in over his head. My point is lets judge at the end of the month when we see where state of the roster is at and it is to early to say. In election terms "race is to early to call" and needs more info before we start analyzing 'returns'.

They have been among the best 'midgets' in the Big Ten in the Mercer era and finished 1st, 3rd, 8th, 2nd, 3rd. Outside of that atrocious 2022, they have been competing for the title at or near the top of the conference ever since Mercer has been here and been to the NCAA Tournament. Iowa is a top competitor in the Big Ten each year like IU which has led to a great series every time they play and the Hoosiers have dominated Northwestern each yr who is indeed bad. Don't conflate this year with the rest of the era which has been as amongst the very best in the Big Ten.

They can ‘afford’ this level of player and are already recruiting two of this talent level we know of (Merkle, Stotijn). Poster is blowing smoke. Not sure if IU is interested though.

Whether we get her or not I can’t say. However, someone avg 8 pts a game is not outside IU’s price range. I’ve watched her. She’s good not great. Definetely not someone who IU could not afford though. She is on same level as Stotijn so if Hoosiers can afford her and get a visit, they can afford Howell. Zero idea if IU interested but this level of player is not a money issue. It would be about fit.

For so long people complained Moren could not get the best players in state of Indiana. She seems to have solved that. Makes me optimistic she can adjust and get more length and athleticism like she says she wants there.

As a follow up, Skim Malkey says on X she already knows where she is going but wont reveal unless subscribed to burner ball. Did see a post saying 'she is known for footwork in post' which sounds Moren esque. However, other than Syd's tweet having nothing connecting her to IU and nothing in comments of tweets about her indicate anything about IU or she is connected to them. Syd and her were teammates at Oregon before transferring to IU and ND respectively so could just be her rooting on a friend. We will see.

A name to watch who just enter portal potentially is Notre Dame's Kylee Watson. Syd tweeted at her 'go be great' making me wonder if IU is potentially her choice and already played in state on elite team. "Do Not Contact" for her means she knows where she is going but Syd's tweet makes me wonder if it is IU. She would be starting center likely in Strip's spot coming in with similar numbers around seven points a game as Irish starting big for a couple years before being injured all of last yr. However, her FG percentage is a tick higher and she is bigger and more athletic making you wonder if her finish at rim is better and scoring increases a lot at IU with center being more a vocal point with Moren. Remember she had some combination of Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles, and Sonia Citron who were among the best players in sport around her in lineup. Would probably prefer Merkle but this is an option for a starting center for a couple years on a winning team before being hurt last year as well.

Positives About Spreen: She looks like she could be Makalusky's Identical Twin and it shows she has talent at power five given time at Alabama. Also Moren can clearly recruit the state now which has been issue for long time and clearly has adjusted here showing she can adjust to bigger more athletic as she wants. Negatives: Not more than 7-8th option on a good team and need higher level players to start to stay competitive in Big Ten.

I read it the same way you did at first and was about to post that was not correct. Had to re-read correctly to not post. So don't feel bad about how you read it:).

Glant's pitching is gonna blow another game. IU led 4-2 to 8th against Louisville and IU give up four runs late yet again to fall behind. At this point it might be healthier for program if this season finally falls apart and Mercer is forced to get rid of Glant. Either that or we need an announcement that Glant is gone or 'retiring' at end of year. At this point Glant has become to Mercer what Darren Hiller was to Tom Allen. Slowly but surely eroding away a big part of game and winning with it even if not right away. If Mercer insists on keeping Glant he's going to go down with him and it will be well deserved.

The team was good enough to win a title. That does not mean they did it. They made an Elite Eight and barely missed a Final Four. They just miss winning a game against SC in Sweet 16 who went on to win title. Title contender does not mean winning it (ask 2013 IU men), it means having a roster good enough to do so and IU did. They did reach several Sweet 16's making it at least that far 3 out of 4 years (and three is 'several' by definition) which no one has done in any sport outside men's soccer since Knight. IU has replaced several players throughout multiple era's and each time gotten better. Clearly they are in a rebuild and need to do it again but Moren has shown she can do that. This is a huge offseason to continue to be a good or great team and Moren presser after South Carolina seems to say she understands that and hopefully proof will be in pudding. Everything people have complained about she has adjusted to. First it was she couldn't get the best Indiana high school players. Now she is. Other complaint was needing to be more athletic which was huge part of that final presser. Like with Indiana players you would assume she follows through and we see more athletic players going forward. Lets see what roster looks like after portal season before any judgements., but past indications seem to indicate she will follow through and adjust to what is needed to keep winning but proof will indeed need to be seen.

Its the reality. It was a title contending team for five years Holmes was here and in a bit of a rebuild now. Nothing is 'sad' that in year 11 they are a notch below title contention after spending years 6-10 as one. Teams go through rebuilds as even the best do such as Maryland did for a couple years before this one. Moren may build a title contending team again in next year or two depending on who comes in via portal and recruiting (note the recruits this year are much higher ranked then the past). Next couple years will be telling but don't align with Yarden's timeline heading into her final year. I agree this is a critical point in Moren's tenure to get 'bigger and more athletic' as she talked about after South Carolina loss but speaks nothing of any issues. Ohio State and Notre Dame just had their top player enter portal. Its the norm now and says very little about state of team or player.

Its not the reason. See my post.

Its not. See my post.

I have it on pretty good authority from a couple people that she is leaving due to potential NIL (there are ways around student visa not allowing NIL) and to chase a championship. While that thing with the emails likely happened (although I have not confirmed this), it played no factor in her leaving. I also think her not having her closest friends on team or staff anymore may have played a role but no insight. She was treated very well by IU overall and the Jewish community and loved her experience here. Sorry to see her go.