Stromboli

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.

Yeah he's been my guy since we saw him in April! I'll be following how he does for Alabama. USPS, where do you see this going? Bouknight? Newman?

Trayce, you big flirt. FWIW, they both have Indiana and Wake Forest.

[This was actually from the Zeke Nnaji thread, but VO5 and others were referring to Keion so I've moved my response here.] I've seen Keion play with his high school team, and in AAU. I will say, there is a remarkable difference between the two. Prior to about 6 months ago, Keion was supposed to be a 6'8" forward, which made some sense in Indiana HS ball since he was always the tallest kid on the floor. Of course that opens him up to everyone commenting how skinny he is, and whether or not he has inside moves. In AAU, his team's PG, Isaiah Thompson (Purdue commit) out of Zionsville got injured, leaving the door open for Brooks to play the role of a ball-handler/playmaker. He excelled. The team already had TJD and another big, freeing Keion to play more of a wing. He basically controlled the game, distributed, and took his shots when they were open for him. Remember he really dominated the April session, and surprised a ton of people. No one had seen him in that role before. Within the past few months, he tweeted something that listed him as a PF, and had the laugh emoji and said "I am not a PF." He's distancing himself from that. He's not as tall as he looks in pictures. A bunch of us saw him play opposite Romeo, and if he was taller than Romeo, it was by a centimeter or two. So what is he? I think he'd like to see himself as a Lebron/Simmons type of Point Forward. Again, he looked great in AAU, far more comfortable and effective than we've seen him before. I agree that college defenses are much more difficult, but that goes for every player. I also wonder if Keion's move to LaLu wasn't partially because he didn't want to be his team's big/5 anymore. Moving to LaLu lets him move out on the perimeter. Obviously, if he's to play and succeed in the NBA, it won't be as a PF, and so I can't blame him for looking for a situation where he's in a better position. Last note. Watch interviews with these kids. They are kids, mostly wide-eyed and trying to do the right thing. They are subject to tons of influences, and any decisions they make are mostly reflections of what kind of influences they're receiving. They also get more criticism than any of us have likely received. Let's go easy on them. Let's also remember that some connected people are saying IU is leading for Keion, and so let's cheer for his success.

I can't wait to see who he picks!

The other night TJD went "live" with Armaan while they were off playing some event. TJD said something like "Indiana needs to show this guy some love."

Ahem. Step aside, everyone. I've got this.

Hmmmm..... We're his best offer. Looks like he took 4 unofficial visits in June, and didn't commit to any of them. So he may be ready to make a decision, but isn't sold on his offers. What was our connection to PSACardinals? In the highlights he looks great (of course). High flying, plays full speed. Athleticism and length you can't teach. I'm sure after 3 weeks with Coach Cliff his vertical will be approximately 52". Obviously a tall guard, which is great. I suspect if we got to watch more of him, we'd see some careless plays or something. Nope. Just saw the article DYTHoosier posted. That really helps explain things. He missed April and most of the summer stuff while recovering, and puts up 33 pts in his first game back. Um, this guy could be a big catch. It will be interesting to see if he ends up on campus here in the next few weeks.

Appreciate the updates, stinky old man. I feel like I'm the only one beating the Kira Lewis drum. That kid is a star. Totally controls the game. Huge numbers. Like everyone I'm hoping for a Carton commitment. But maaaaaan, Kira is good. At EYBL he was my favorite guard. REALLY glad to see Trayce have a dominant performance. He can be so powerful and decisive out there. Aaand for good measure:

Hmmmm....

Live Stream! http://www.nikeeyb.com/live-stream/ As I'm posting, looks like Indy Heat (Keion and Trayce) is about to start.

Kinda quiet since the Carton visit, no? I have observations to share. 1.) Everyone is losing their minds about the Cousins signing to the Warriors, as if he will absolutely have an impact. Let's remember, he is recovering from the same injury as our own De'Ron Davis. Should we also have more faith that he will be contributing soon? De'Ron is a similar build, but younger. Cousins has access to better care, but De'Ron certainly has our team working hard on his rehab. Boogie himself believes he'll be back and contributing. Here's an article that discusses that likelihood. https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2018/1/27/16940178/demarcus-cousins-achilles-injury-golden-state-warriors-this-is-the-worst 2.) DJ Carton. I've read that he and his family are going to "enjoy the holiday" before they give interviews. Given the lack of information trickling out since the visits of last week, it seems a deliberate effort to circle the wagons by the Carton family. DJ may have a strong feeling right now, and his parents have simply suggested he sleep on it a few nights. Remember there has been a feeling that this one could wrap up soon. I'm not making predictions, but it is certainly within the realm of possibilities that the visit went great, he enjoyed his time on campus, and he's chosen to be a Hoosier. I tend to read into these things too much, but he posted 4 pictures of himself in the IU garb at the Center Court Wall. It could have been just one. He looks great, like he's having a good time. He's the first we've seen in the full warm-ups, too, right? And did anyone else notice that he mimicked Romeo's commitment picture? Maaaybe that's no coincidence. Anyone notice that while Trendon liked DJ's posts at IU and Michigan, TJD only liked his post while at Indiana? Those two seem to really support each other. 3.) Archie, man. In a single year we're the hotness. Legitimate chances with multiple 5* recruits, and everyone Archie identified early has been a riser in the rankings, not a faller. Our social media guys are just dominating. Just compare the pics DJ walked away with after his two visits. Most of our class keeps their profile pics of them at that Center Court Wall. 4.) Evan Fitzner is way shorter than I expected. https://twitter.com/PresidentJapple/status/1013557399704260608

Let's give him likes, eh? He got 2,206 for his tweet in Ann Arbor. (Not a suggestion to tweet at recruits.)

This is me: