Stromboli

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:

Great article. The Daily Hoosier puts out some great content. Hard not to like a lot of these kids. I'm genuinely impressed by how well they handle the questions and media. This video interview was linked in the TDH article, it's worthwhile to listen to what he has to say about Indiana. https://www.hawkcentral.com/videos/sports/college/iowa/basketball-men/2018/02/01/iowa-2019-target-d.j.-carton-talks-relationship-iowa-indiana-visit/110013204/

Jerome and Romeo, in Cook Hall at midnight. Both made quick Instagram posts, 5 min apart. Can't tell if anyone else was there. One of the 'insiders' reported that Romeo has called his dad raving about Jerome, how good he is. Maybe these two have an iron-sharpens-iron thing going here.

Jerry Meyer CB pick to Indiana.

That's funny. It rained on Newman.

Great article, nice kid. I hope he and TJD are texting, hatching a plan of Hoosier dominance. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/high-school/recruiting/2018/06/25/inside-five-star-life-bettendorf-point-guard-dj-carton-iowa-indiana-michigan-ohio-state-kansas-duke/727614002/

PG is oversimplifying. He didn't want to be here, and acted like it. It was known for years that he wasn't thrilled to be in Indiana. He's bitter now because his Super Team didn't work. His replacement sure is awesome, though! Here's some fun on Instagram I think everyone will enjoy. First, a post by Victor earlier today. And then, a few hours later...

Conflicting reports on Newman's interest in IU. Some say he favors Purdue, some say he wants the IU offer. This is a tough one. With 6 guys in our '18 class, we don't need depth too bad, and so we have an option to swing hard. I think most of us have been twitterpated by Carton and Lewis and TJD and Brooks and Stewart and Hurt, and we haven't paid a ton of attention to Armaan and Newman. I think most other years, we'd be pining away for a commitment from a top 100 Indiana guard. Here's what I know: When I saw him play at EYBL in April, he was more involved and a better player than Franklin. He stood out as one of the weapons on the floor, a guy a coach would want. It could have been an anomaly, but he really played well that weekend across all games. I think he fits in the mold of a scoring guard. Not the best ball handler, but good enough, and he's good at putting points on the board. In the Indiana Jr/Sr game, he guarded Romeo fearlessly and some would say effectively. Maybe even got under his skin a little bit if you read into Damezi's comments. You have to love that. Add a willing defender mindset to a guy that shoots at a high rate (both in usage and in percentage made) and he's someone you really want on the floor. Finally, he's a riser. Newman is just now gaining momentum. It doesn't hurt that Purdue wants him. Knocking them down a peg after the Gillis commit would be a nice offseason victory! Newman apparently did an unofficial on January 14, which was the Northwestern game. Probably the best game we played all year, and supposedly the game when Romeo's interest in IU became very real. Uhh. Still hard for me to call this one. We need guards. I want Indiana players. I don't think his commitment will scare away a Carton or Lewis, but it won't entice a Hurt or Keion, either. Or will it? I don't know. I'll put it this way, I'd be thrilled with his commitment.

http://bfy.tw/Ig6A I kid, I like knowing, too. Ethan Morton is 57 (composite) Galloway is 66 Didn't see Leal

Whew! What a relief. ...that some twitter handle has 1 follower. Unfortunately I posted from Instagram. Maybe it's a joke. Someone else responded to that by laughing only. Maybe it's even a joke based on forums freaking out about the Hurt thing. No idea. Have I mentioned I want Kira to IU? Because the dude is awesome. It seems like he has some real interest, too. As we say, if we get him up here, it can change everything. He's said multiple times he knows about the Indiana basketball thing because all the good things the Watfords have said over the years. Without that connection, he probably wouldn't be considering us.