Stromboli

A post so nice you made it thrice!

Yeah it's interesting that he's dialed down to IU and Memphis. Why do that if you've known for weeks where you're going? It was presumed Memphis for months before his IU visit. I dont want to read too much into quotes. In the recent one, he says Coach Marshall will get him prepared. Last week to Memphis radio he said that he and the other Memphis recruits will dominate. He did legitimately like the guys at IU. I love that Devonte was there as a fellow New Yorker. Jerome and Les seem to have hit off, and they would be in effectively the same class. Trayce is a MAA five star tweeting at him. We've got a major hole at SG. And he's getting recruited over at Memphis. And we have the dubious honor of being the most prestigious program recruiting him. Lester grew up with Precious Achiuwa. He wants to get to the NBA. He wants to be a part of what's cool at Memphis. Penny has been on him. I get the appeal, and wont be surprised if he picks Memphis. FWIW I think the decision is made and he has the edit being made already. Some IG shots. First is by an edit guy showing the Lester video in the works. The other is just Lester and Jerome tagging each other on stuff.

So this was posted on a Memphis basketball forum, reads like it was first hand information: Quinones loved his visit to Indiana and said they definitely moved up for him. loved the coaches, players, campus and how rabid they are about basketball there. players there made him know they want to play with him. will be an interesting decision. tells me there is definitely no Memphis lock even though if i was guessing now it's between us and Indiana. Lester said he's locked in to Indiana, LSU, Maryland, Memphis for his decision. On Lester's twitter, 9 of the last 11 tweets have been IU related, with the other two not dealing with recruitment.

The guys liking it:

Isn't Lester Quinones scheduled to visit Bloomington starting tomorrow? Maybe he's getting a commitment in before Lester leaves. (Yes, I know this reasoning works for UNC, also, since they're trying to get Keeling)

Fight me

From today:

Anthony Harris (V.Tech decommit) is taking an official to IU starting tomorrow. Rivals says its between UNC and us. There was a time when Harris and TJD were sending things on Instagram talking about playing together. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Guys the reinstatement of Wade at LSU is likely just legal posturing. I get it, it's the SEC and so I might be wrong. But my guess is they can't fire him now because the investigation isn't done, and they don't want to pay the buyout. They'll wait for the evidence then fire him with cause. Look at the wording of the statement. I'd guess that the Watfords know this. And I doubt they'd commit anywhere they don't know who the coach will be, as it sounds like development for the next level will be big. Are we sure that Trendon won't get the offer even if Hurt commits to Duke? ESPN has made Duke the biggest thing going. Even on the bench at Duke Trendon would get more recognition than at some of these other schools. It does appear we're not out of it. As I think about it, for next year we could pair either TJD or Watford with De'Ron and hopefully Brunk, and each of the four could get 20 minutes a game. And then there could be times when we play TJD and Watford, and that would be pretty darned effective, too. Side thought, we lost a couple games this year because Juwan was on the bench with foul trouble. Putting him in to guard the 5 was a pretty crappy solution, because it just took our best player off the floor. I get it, there weren't really better solutions on the bench. I really like the idea of having Brunk and De'Ron to soak up the fouls guarding the post.

Your signature line: "Your reach should always exceed your grasp." Devonte: "Ok." You: "No not u."

It's possible the strained thumb ligament didn't need surgery, also. Doesn't matter. It's a PR game now. They needed some NYC celebrity orthopedic guy recognized by the NBA. They needed something tangible to explain the 29% from distance. Get a medical record saying "yep, that strained ligament from the Duke game where Romeo got upstaged by other lottery picks definitely caused the poor shooting then and for the remainder of the season," get a quick scope, and now GMs can feel warm and fuzzy about drafting the new and improved Romeo Langford. It's not a serious surgery, or he wouldn't be ready to workout for teams in the coming months, which he plans to do. I obviously don't have any intel about the extent of the thumb injury, and I'm mostly talking out of my butt here. But I have a fairly good understanding of how this stuff works. Indiana held everybody out at one point or another this year. I'm certain that if Indiana's staff thought Romeo needed mid-season surgery on his thumb (especially surgery that can apparently have him back to work within weeks), they'd have shut him down, both for Romeo's health and to avoid any backlash from future recruits. ALSO, remember that the agents are playing a game here and trying to sign the kid. Someone laid out the plan for a high draft pick, and kind of wants to control the influences here. Wants to prove to Romeo that he'll invest in him, etc. Probably has a relationship with the ortho doc to make sure the medical record says what it needs to. Then send an email to Jonathan Givony with prewritten statements from Romeo and get the ESPN announcement out, already controlling the narrative and angling for a high pick.

I'd say with 95% certainty Romeo has an agent. That article to Givony at ESPN was clearly done by an agent. It was a prepared statement. They had already begun to spin things. It was laying the groundwork to get drafted high. It sounded nothing like a Romeo comment. And it was directed at NBA teams, rather than the IU fanbase. I doubt Romeo would have reached out to ESPN to make the announcement, anyway. Also, who do you think is paying for Romeo's thumb surgery in New York? It's not IU. Who is paying for him to do his training? Rehab? Flights and lodging out there? An agency is fronting all of those costs. I'd love to sit down with Archie and hear his real thoughts on the whole ordeal. I suspect he'd have a lot to say, and have reasons that would convince us the blown season was beyond his control. But he has to keep quiet, and it makes him look like a dope that can't figure out how to handle his team.

I wrote awhile ago that I can't see how Quinones would improve us more than Windham. For some reason Quinones' game reminds me a little too much of Jordan Tucker. And the offer list and IMG concern me. And yeah, Windham has put up very good numbers in the MIC. I have a hard time reconciling why people argue against Windham, but then say they definitely want Leal and Galloway. Forget about the rankings, and look at who's game is going to translate to B1G wins. My hot take is that Harlond Beverly has the tools to be the next Oladipo. Honestly Archie better be sitting down with a notepad creating an offense and a looser, more confident roster, or it won't matter. Harlond did watch the MSU game. Also remember this is the guy that prides himself on defense more than offense. Strommy like. Strommy want wingy.

Good luck, young man! Glad you were a Hoosier!

Everyone thought Quinones was a Memphis lock after his visit a few weeks ago. Time passed and he didn't commit, to the surprise of many. Then he schedules his official to Indiana, and this thing is real. Two nights ago he was on Instagram Live and listed his top 4 as Indiana, Memphis, Maryland, and Michigan.

Interpret this how you will. Who knows if he's leaving or being pushed out. Maybe a little of column A, a little of column B. Best of luck to Jake.

Chasing 5* players is so 2018. If we've learned anything, it's that the only way to the Final Four is with guys literally everybody hates. 2*. So hot right now.

I feel like I'm able to empathize with Archie sometimes. This is his big chance and he knows it. He moved his family here, he cashed in all of his chips and bet on himself here. This opportunity must work for him, for so many reasons. And so he's got all of this pressure, and it is seeping through, not always in the best ways. I think he was a little high strung last year and early on this year. I think the loss of confidence was at least partially due to Archie transferring some of that pressure on the guys. As the losses mounted, Archie withdrew a little bit, and to me it felt like he was going through a learning moment. He held his composure and did not throw guys under the bus or anything, but I think he also became pretty resolute that he needs to churn out some wins, and any players not on board to do that will be disposed of. I like to think that after he sees some success and settles down from these pressure-filled midlife years, he'll be warmer and more affable with his players. At this point, he does not have that security, and so he'll continue to be colder and harsher. I hope that he does find ways to be more effective in encouraging the guys. The old "beatings will continue until morale improves" approach may not work when getting guys to play loosely and confidently. The article on Devonte explores that to some extent. Like it or not, there's a human element here, and an effective leader acknowledges that there may be different approaches that can yield better results. I'm seeing some complaints about the assistant coaches; no shot doctor, no offensive guru, no family atmosphere, apparently no halftime speeches/advice from anyone. It will be something to follow.

Step aside, everyone! Time for the ol' Stromboli closer!

And I think Rivals is the better fit for you.

My buddy's boss knows someone on the BoT. Donovan is coming to be an assistant coach just for the offense. He said he saw the text on his boss's phone.

Yeah. I haven't watched him. I'm not for or against him. I do wonder if there's a difference between him and Quinones if you remove IMG brokering deals for Quinones.

Jalen Windham Everyone wants Indiana kids that play with edge and can shoot. Schilling talks to one and everyone balks. He scored 9.7 ppg on Indy Heat with Trayce, Keion, and Mulloy. He was 88.9% free throw, and 44.7% from 3 on 103 attempts. Also good size at guard. The rankings and other offers are worrisome.