Stromboli

No, they didn't. There was a cheer as Trayce was sitting down, but it wasn't fun like last year, and no one was looking for it. Even worse, since recruits weren't really acknowledged, there were no cheers for them. Anyway, it was all fine. Justin Smith should have won the dunk contest, but the crowd lived Romeo even though he was missing his duks. You could see on the jumbotron the guys weren't thrilled with that. I can't believe how many times Fitzner managed to get open during that short scrimmage. He was on fire. Clifton was twice as good this year. Better passes, better awareness. Rob will definitely be a pass first guy. Jerome dies not play like a perimeter guy. Combo forward is probably the best description of his style. Romeo didn't look great. He and Jerome seemed to be going hard at each other.

Hey buddy, I'll be going with my oldest (the same you met at EYBL). We won't be in line at 12:30, though! I'll keep an eye out for you!

Inside the Hall posted the Media Day press conference videos. Archie speaks for over 30 minutes. A lot of good stuff, even if none of it was particularly surprising to hear. Maybe the most candid he got was when he basically blamed some losses last year on having incompetent guards. https://www.youtube.com/user/insidethehallvideo

Edit: Answered

I'd call this CB pick as much good news as bad. Duke was presumed favorite for months, and the insider doesn't think he's going there. Also didn't pick Villanova, who was supposed to be the flavor of the month. I'd prefer we're up against just MSU at this point.

All of those measurables for Stewart are nuts. Scores very high across the board, even compared to the guards. We should recruit that guy.

Back to Ramsey, folks. As I've mentioned, my biggest hesitation with him is that he just doesn't, to me, play like en garde.

I heard Jahmius Ramsey is a victim of an antiquated amateur sports organization that pays everyone but the underprivileged and woefully disorganized class of persons providing the talent and won't receive his fair compensation through legitimate means, if at all.

A 6'4" guard hitting over 40% from 3 is a major weapon. I wanted him for sure, even over Ramsey. He's an effective player, scoring over 18 ppg in EYBL this year. I will say, I think Armaan is a better locker room guy. It seems like coaches all love him, and the players too. Is there anything to this? I don't know, but it sounds good in my head. Juuuust for good measure, this excerpt from the article on Armaan: During a holiday tournament last winter, when Cathedral faced Tindley, Franklin volunteered to guard Purdue signee Eric Hunter. He doubled his talented opponent up, holding Hunter to 15 points while scoring 30 of his own. Linky: https://usatodayhss.com/2018/armaan-franklin-indiana-basketball-recruiting

What, you expect me to watch the whole thing, and then report back the exact times Al plays in a 20 minute video? Asking too much. Unreasonable.

Looks like Al played in a high level pickup game in Atlanta recently. He looks fine, maybe a little more tenacious than we've seen. Al appears in the very beginning (like 10 seconds), then his game starts at 9:20-14:30, and then again at 16:45-18:00. The last part is a dunk contest, Al doesn't attempt any.

Can't you just let us argue, rather than coming in with your information and calm demeanor? I'm with everyone that wants to see the scrimmage. It's the best part. Dunk contests miiiight be so hype, or they might be the opposite. Last year's dunk contest was embarrassing. IUGradman, you make an important point. There's room to consider the show, but don't discount that some of the old school charm is unique and attractive also. We are one of the storied programs that can pull it off, and it would be foolish to discard it entirely. Still, I get what you're saying regarding the optics of a program with pep bands and cheerleaders in sweaters. Hilarious, but also:

Peanuts compared to value they provide for the university. These kids are getting swindled. https://www.businessinsider.com/college-basketball-player-value-2017-3 Edit: From that link, each of our guys provided a value of $870,000 annually to the University. D-1 average is $170,000 annually.

I get a little sick of the cheating issue. I know it's happening, I just don't find it all that interesting. The game would be better without it, but at the same time I do think these kids should be compensated for what they provide, just like any other entertainer that can fill a gymnasium, and secure multi-million television contracts and gambling fodder and merchandise sales. Also, it makes March a whole lot more fun when Loyola-Chicago can charge through, or Butler, or George Mason, beating the larger programs. And honestly, when our desperate fanbase starts whining about the cheaters, it makes us look a little pathetic. The other thing is people tend to lump all cheating into the same bucket. The coach isn't writing checks from his University checkbook. Except in the worst cases, he's not negotiating with shoe companies. Pitino got caught because he's careless and arrogant, and frankly the money was too good for him personally. I think the actual system is a little more nuanced than how it is discussed. The smarter programs limit a head coach's exposure as much as possible, keeping plausible deniability and really just to make sure the program can keep its coach. Money and favors change hands through cash transactions or in-kind goods and services coming from persons not connected to the university. Miles Bridges is from Flint, and went to MSU. Did his family receive some kind of benefit? Probably. Was Izzo the guy arranging for this to occur? Probably not. Do I view Miles as a cheater, or somehow wish I could stop his family from receiving the money? No way. I'm guessing when someone inadvertently provides proof of this stuff to Izzo, he has to make some official and documented statement stating that he is against it and won't tolerate it, etc. And this is known, so he's kept in the dark. Did Drewfus buy Darius Garland a car? Obviously not. Did some wealthy family from Brentwood have a channel to get funds to Garland and his family? Very likely so. Has Louisville continued to get recruits after Pitino was fired? Yep, because that framework is still in place. Of course the question is whether or not Indiana is involved in this. From what I've learned Archie keeps his nose out of it. And so Archie is not a cheater. Do the players receive benefits from elsewhere? Pretty naive to think otherwise. I don't think Indiana is bad relative to the other programs, and I don't think any part of the coaching staff is connected to it. I also don't think our failure to cheat is the reason for our middling success.

I don't know, man. Justin is good, but he wasn't dominant. He benefitted a lot from playing with Juwan after everyone found out he was our main threat. Just because we all expect a big jump this year doesn't mean he's earned it yet.

From LandofTen "First-year Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann is listed as the highest-paid Big Ten coach this season, though that figure is a bit misleading. Holtmann is listed as making $7,149,849 in “school pay” this season, but roughly $4 million of that pays for his buyout at Butler. “School pay includes $2,040,360 in one-time supplemental pay and a $1,879,640 tax gross-up payment on that amount,” USA Today noted. Holtmann — the 2017-18 Big Ten Coach of the Year — still makes good money. He had a base salary of $3 million per season when he signed his contract in June, which would still rank in the top 15 of college coaches."

There it is. Tried to message you, but it didn't go through. Feel free to send me a message. It's probably time to move on... For everyone else (ok, mdn, you can watch too):

Cool. Nothing gets past you, kinda like a zone defense against a Crean coached team.

Stu, I kid you not, when I was typing that I thought you'd pick up on the disparity. Left it anyway. I swear, it's like you're Tom Crean and can't figure out a zone defense or something.

Welcome. This place is the best. Greatest group, best information, good mods. I think a lot of us get information from around the web, but consider BTB home.

Guys I really appreciate these updates and the analysis! Please do keep posting. Great to see this team really take off since the WF game.

I'd say Karl Malone, minus the occasional hook. Fast, decisive, explosive, straight at the basket. Palms the ball and holds it straight up for a jam that just goes over the defender. Nothing tricky, just going hard straight at the hoop. He even does the one handed jam with the other hand behind his head sometimes. Trayce has polished moves. Fast footwork gets him in position fast. Really surprising speed sometimes.

Edit: I give myself full credit here for the commitment

Come on down, Armaan! Here's some trivia for everyone. In 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 recruiting classes, we've landed 2 guards (this includes PG, SG, and CG) that had a higher 247 Composite ranking than Armaan Franklin. Romeo and Curtis. I think the reasonable expectation here is that he's a new RoJo. Similar game and demeanor. Honestly I'm excited to get an Indiana kid just so I can follow his senior year. For your viewing pleasure:

We're one of the first 3 to get an official visit, with Louisville and Texas Tech. This is insane. Should we be more excited here? My scouting report on him wasn't great... I saw him, Lewis, and Mann play in April, and I liked Ramsey the least of the three. But I only saw him one time, and I'm no scout. In my view he just didn't play like a guard. Not even a combo guard. I think it's better to just consider him to be a basketball player or even just an athlete. He's certainly productive, and Archie probably likes his defensive versatility. He is one of those kids that handles contact well. This goes beyond squats and off-season lifting programs; just a tough-nosed type that isn't afraid to knock around. If I recall, Ramsey is from Texas, so that maybe explains the Texas Tech thing. He's already moved away to IMG (Florida) and now Oak Hill (Jersey?), so I don't know that he's beholden to home. I'm not thrilled with being considered with Louisville. Perhaps I'm punishing the son for the sins of the father here, I'd just be happier if they continued to get lumped with SEC schools and Memphis. I guess the bottom line is that this kid has showed out all spring and summer. At the very least he caught the attention of the recruiting services, who have been raising his ranking all summer until he is now at the cusp of a 5th star. Interestingly, he has not yet caught the attention of major programs. If you look at his offer list, there's no Kansas, Kentucky, UNC, UCLA, Duke, Villanova, or really very many 2nd tier offers, either. That's out of the ordinary for a kid #32 composite. What's the issue here? Would I like him to commit? Obviously, I'd be thrilled. Would I choose him over Brandon Newman, and his 43% from 3? Rankings be damned, probably not. After the last 2 years, I'm really jonesing for some shooters. Guys tailor made to get shots up from 3. Maybe Damezi will be the guy here? I think Newman could be, too. Where we have 2 scholarships already earmarked for TJD and Brooks, I'd like the 3rd to answer a team need.