Aaron

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.

I don't expect stars. However, the next level players like Merkle, Stotijn, and Guyton are within reach and that is the type of players fans should want to be competitive at level they were at last yr or better and can be starters. Its also the level Shay and Strip were at as transfers last year. Spreen is a level below that. There is a tier between stars and Spreen's level and those are who IU needs to be going after as featured players. To many Spreen's in main role will put team on tier with bottom five teams in league. As a 7th or 8th option on bench bring Spreen on, but need higher levels players for main roles and team clearly has access to those as evidence by Merkle and Stotijn visit.

Those were 5* recruits on loaded elite team. Spreen was a recruit just outside top-100 on a good but not great team. Not same thing. Would love to take her on as a backup but if playing big minutes that is type of player that will move you towards bottom of league. Not dissing her but she has limitations neither Patberg or Parrish did.

https://www.on3.com/teams/iowa-hawkeyes/news/iowa-point-guard-aaliyah-guyton-enters-transfer-portal/ Woah! She would look great at IU and could start as AJ's daughter and Moren can right the mistake of not getting her in first place. Much better player then Spreen and loved what I saw in her potential when IU played Iowa.

No doubt. As an 7-8th option def worth a look. However, to many of these types of players playing big minutes is how team falls off. Unlike Stoitjin and Merkle who could start on a good team, Spreen would not. If this is the level of player team gets in portal there is a serious NIL or culture problem. More Merkle or Stoitjin type players and NIL would seem to be fine and no different then every other program losing top players and replacing them.

Maybe being from Indiana will help, but her time at Alabama (albeit a good team) was not terrific last season. Also not even in ESPNW top-100 from last year (albeit just missed) but was Miss Basketball here in state. To many of these type of players getting big minutes is how you turn into one of the bottom five teams in the league that struggled this year. Have no problem taking her, but it better be as a 7th or 8th option unless she has some great potential that needs unlocked. Stotijn or Merkle would be far more exciting as potential starters and fill needs. Spreen's ceiling appears to be Jules as key reserve on a good team. If she is starting, IU might in trouble.

Outside of Yarden, none of the players entered will command much NIL anywhere. Yarden could be that. Rest zero chance.

If Moren can get players like Merkel and that Arkansas guard who posted yesterday about visit, says NIL is in decent spot and the turnover of best players happens everywhere and IU not unique (see Ohio State and Maryland a couple of yrs ago). Key though is when good players enter at good programs (top players enter at every school), they are able to use NIL to replace them with just as good. If Moren brings in a bunch of solid players mean NIL is adequate. If stuck with a bunch of Mid-Major players then clearly NIL is a massive issue. This will be answered in next couple of weeks. In Yarden's case she may just want a new situation to chase a national title but totally speculating. Who Moren gets over next few weeks will answer a lot of questions about NIL and state of program.

Well Merkle is one. Not sure on the others.

Dustin Glant cannot continued to be employed by IU after this year. Period. Its very likely Indiana will figure out this pitching debacle down the stretch and go on a huge winning streak as they do every year since Glant has been here. However, enough is enough. With this much talent you shouldn't be needing to rally late each year. I don't blame Mercer for most of it and think he is a better coach than given credit for. However, regardless of what happens down the stretch, pitching coach has to be changed. If Mercer continues to stick with him and these problems continue he will need to go to which is to bad since I think he is a solid coach. However, if he keeps being to loyal to Glant who is not good at his job, then anything that IU does to Mercer including firing him will be deserved. Change Glant out and I think almost all of the problems go away. Mercer's only issue is continuing to employ Glant. Hopefully its not what spells doom for him but absolutely could if he stubbornly sticks by him.

This game is a case of USC being patient and killing the best pitches given to them, while IU is mindlessly hacking at everything and missing, mostly due to difference in arms discussed below. Like UCLA, USC is showing IU how to play high level baseball and how far behind Big Ten is. Like Moren talking about needing to adjust to modern game with west coast teams, other Big Ten teams in baseball are going to need to make same evaluation. Hoosiers are hacking pitches just short of over wall while USC is getting them out of park. Also, Trojan pitchers pitches break just a bit better. These west coast teams are showing Big Ten what it lacks in discipline, talent, and athleticism in all areas. A few guys like Taylor and maybe Wiggins would start anywhere. However, more higher level players throughout roster are the difference in margins much like Moren talked about size and athleticism needed for rest of Big Ten to adjust for her sport. All the old conference squads need to adjust to these subtle differences to really compete and that goes for all the current coaching staffs who will either adjust or be replaced with ones who can. Not a shot at Mercer and a he may already realize it and adjust, but will be needed across board in league. Glant is the one who may have hardest time adjusting given pitching struggles last few seasons but we will see. This happened with coaches when Big Ten adjusted from essentially a one-bid low-major like the MAC in mid-late 2000's to a high end mid-major like the Mountain West that gets 2-4 bids most years. Some coaches like Rich Maloney and Doug Schriber couldn't keep up with increased competition and were canned. Now with the west coast schools, Big Ten will likely adjust again to essentially being a high major like it is in other power four leagues and a few coaches who won't be able to compete at this higher level will be canned. Whether one of those is Mercer (or he adjusts like John Anderson did at Minnesota to stay very good for many years with better competition) remains to be seen. However, some coaches will find their current job is too big for them with west coast schools now here and it remains to be seen who. To early to say. USC takes game one 10-5 simply by being a bit more talented and discipline in the small margins of the game.

Add in Kneepkens (which may well be my own dream that wont happen), and you have basically recreated the team that was at or near the top of college basketball for four seasons from 2021-24. A good center surrounded by four elite shooters which is signature of Moren. Garzon, Merkle, Ciezki, Kneepkens, and Beaumont is exactly that with Merkle and Kneenpkens being a bit more athletic.

Yes. In February, she was scoring big at level she did in November and December leading team many nights. She was bad in January, hence the article. However, since she was good again right after that article was written and would be in a much better culture and system, everything written is pretty much not at all relevant anymore.

An FYI, after that article was written she closed year on a terrible team as strong as she started it and looked really good down stretch. Notice Jan. 27 date on article. She was very good in November, December, and February and did very well against multiple power five teams in those months

She is visiting IU and there is no ooof. She is exactly the center they need and more athletic and finishes around basket much closer to what Holmes did and starting center they need. That PSU program is a basket case and Merkle is uber talented. Under Moren and a good culture she will fit perfectly. Just like some of the people on the men's team will thrive next year in other systems and culture next year when put with right situation, the inverse is true with Moren taking on supposed head case. She would bring best out in her. I have no worries and the answer at center they desperately need.

Utah star Gianna Kneepkens just entered portal and would fit IU perfectly as three-point shooter and starting guard. Wonder if Moren tampered with her when they played last week:). When I saw her play last week, I though "Teri Moren player". Unlike people who wanted McMahon and some of the other stars which felt a bridge to far, this one feels realistic given how she would fit in system and Moren saw her first hand last week. Would look great next to current guards who start and is a bit bigger and more athletic like Moren said she wants. No idea if Hoosiers are interested or can afford her, but this one actually feels within somewhat of realm of possibility.