Stromboli

As always, Stuhoo, your use of formatting is exemplary. We're missing Newton, Jeffries, Coverdale, Moye, Odle... Moye is spot-on with the sentiment. You can't be afraid of them, get out there and punch back. But this team hasn't really matured yet into what it can be. I look forward to having Clifton, Forrester, and Davis out there controlling the lane with length and athleticism in the same way that 2002 team could. I want to know who will emerge with Coverdale's grit and leadership. I want to see which of these 6'7" guys is going to come through as our #1 playmaker (Smith? Anderson? Hunter? ) Who knows, maybe these guys will turn into one of those teams that can make a run. For Wednesday, I hope our guys walk out of it with some confidence that they carry with them for the season.

I was about to ask whether you thought we'd be clearly in, or clearly out. Nevermind. Send some Hoosier Guy vibes to the team for Wednesday, eh?

Absolutely. The article recently posted in the OG thread gives some insight into Crean/Martin identifying talent. I wonder if all the hype about Clifton Moore will pan out.

I think the ISU game was maybe exactly what the team needed. It stung, and it made a clear message that they stink. I think without that loss, Archie would have had a harder time getting their attention. My concern for this game will be that our guys are frozen by the magnitude of the moment. If instead they get out there without ego and just punch back, I think we can play with Duke. Same as this last game, if we limit turnovers and have time to get back on defense, that will help. Those transition baskets are pretty deflating. Give minutes to RoJo, Durham, Smith, Juwan, Collin, Deron. Freddie will have to get some minutes, too, and I hope he's ready for it. CuJo and Green should be used sparingly. Newkirk can play as long as he's effective. Otherwise, leave RoJo and Aljami out there.

You want to be like Kentucky? I can't believe we're legitimizing this as an issue. It's like you grew up without a father figure to teach you right from wrong. It's simple. Don't cheat.

I wish we spent as much time praising our players as we do criticizing them. Curt is still young and has time to develop. Seems like a good kid.

What's up, my dudes! Anyone else excited to be watching IU basketball instead of the Romeo Langford thread?!

Yeah it's hard not to get excited about Damezi!!! He's a natural scorer. He can definitely play full speed, and has excellent length. He gets a rep as an outside shooter, but I think that's more a function of his ability to get open and knock it down than it is what he's able to do. When you watch him, he's got great instincts and timing to sneak off to an open, unguarded shot and receive the pass. Very heady player. And another excellent kid with very good demeanor. I'm thrilled he's a Hoosier.

Yeesh. That hardly looked like basketball. Seeing those hards fouls and elbows Romeo took makes it a little more clear why he wanted to stay in. Anyone know what he has to average per game to get the scoring record?

I take solace knowing that ISU is experiencing a letdown similar to what they gave us.

Dude can't even score 50 pts a game! Think we dodged a bullet here, boys. (His season opener last night. Sniffle.)

https://twitter.com/KUHoops/status/930608678096564224 Surprise, surprise, surprise. Billy Preston's basketball scholarship to Kansas came with a car.

Give it a rest, dude. Four straight posts alleging that anyone recruiting better than us must be cheating. Bryce Drew got lucky. He's got a decade long relationship with a kid who is top ten, and happens to live next door. That same kid is a connector (Malcolm Gladwell, anyone) and has been recruiting his buds to Vandy for a while. It's a specific set of circumstances that leads to a shot at a one-year recruiting bonanza. Drew may win this year, and he'll try to parlay that into future classes. Same token, IU has a shot a some good players right now: Romeo, Watford, Brooks, TJD. They're not flooding in from around the country, woo-ed by our dusty banners. We are lucky to have pre-existing connections to these kids, be they geographical or relationships with the staff. Nothing untoward. This board is great because by and large posters provide some value when they post. Try that.

Who cares, guys. Move on. Someone guessed that it was a slight at IU to start the push for Romeo. Put down IU as a way to increase Vandy's chances with Romeo. Makes sense. Getting mad now seems more like sour grapes.

I'm feeling good about this, dudes. I think HH did the job. He received so much love in Bloomington that it tempers whatever he thought he'd gain by staying home. I'll tell my story about Darius one more time. I got to watch Darius play in April at EYBL. I didn't know who he was or anything about him. Someone on here (Old Fart?) had provided a list of targets playing at the event, so I was just matching up jersey numbers to players as they came out on the court. Keion, Carey, Swider, King, Brooks, Watford, etc. I got to see a ton of guys, in addition to all the great players there that weren't IU targets. Before Garland's game I saw him and his team take the court. Darius was the last guy you'd assume was a star, or 5* recruit. Smallish, under-developed compared to what is around. Tucking in his undershirt and jersey, tying his shoes. Nothing noteworthy. Game starts, and he is immediately going 1.5 times the speed of anyone else on the court. Ball in his hands, and you see him setting up something in his mind 3/4 court away from the basket. He'd get down there and squirt through the defense in ways you've never seen, and sneak in passes no one would expect. His scoring is crafty, too. Floaters and pull-up stuff, creating himself space for a shot aside from driving to the hoop or spotting up for a 3. The guy was a star, and I got the feeling this was the last time I'd get to sit courtside to see him without paying hundreds for my seat. After the game he was back to being nothing but a nice kid. He took time to take pics with youngsters in the crowd and say hi to anyone in the crowd that asked. I came away from the weekend being most impressed with Darius. I assumed he'd be a UK or Duke commit. Obviously things have played out differently since then, and we find ourselves in a two horse race with his hometown Vandy. Dammit if that doesn't make me like him even more!! The pull for him to stay home is real. I like Nashville, Vandy as an institution, and generally will root for Coach Drew under different circumstances. On Instagram, Darius would post of him hanging out with a 1yr old little girl (assumed a sister or niece or cousin) pretty often, and it looked like he was just very happy with his family life. I get the feeling that Darius is a very nice kid. I think we get him, but I'll be okay if we don't. But daaaaang do I hope we do. Sidenote: Anyone know if it will be streamed?? Edit:Looks like A.J.Nigh got it

Suddenly the Taco Bell makes sense...

Guys I lost some hope with the Shittu news. But I've since read some pretty reassuring stuff, too. Today's "announcement" seems pretty innocuous. I'm still confident.

Go away

Watch this clip from a game two weeks ago. This may be the game he had that prevented him from attending HH. Anyway it's 10 minutes of gameplay, and you get to see a lot of what Jake is up to on both ends of the floor. From what I can see the other team is better coached, while Jake's team seems to be looking for highlight plays (Jake included). You can tell he's not a focal point of the offense on his team (that goes to Reddish). That said, I like him. He definitely sees himself as a rim-protector, and has some fire to him. I love that he seems to take a lot of pride in signing with Indiana. And I like that Archie was laser-focused on getting his commitment.

Guuuuys. The schizophrenia is just everyone enjoying this, being a fan. We don't need some voice of reason coming in to tell us it doesn't matter. We know that. It's as arbitrary as the games and sport themselves. When IU plays, do you watch the game, cheering for every made bucket and block? Of course. And if IU loses, did you still get to enjoy the ups and downs along the way? Of course. That's why we watch the games instead of just check the score on ESPN the next day. Guys engaging in the board and hanging on rumors and tweets and CB picks is just part of it. Also, Darius to IU. I've never been more sure of something in my life.

No hate for Vandy. Nashville has been one of my favorite spots for the last decade. If I don't stay in the Union Station hotel, then I'm somewhere close to campus just to be around it. Regardless of how this comes out, I have high regard for Darius. (Hoosier Guy, you're our only hope.)

Huh. Let's hope the Vandy Insider graduated from the Gregg Doyel School of Investigative Journalism.

Game over. No doubt in my mind. Mom and Dad Garland are using this decision making process as a teaching tool for young Darius. Maybe also just to be sure that they didn't push him towards IU with dad's own preference. I'm very confident now. Edit: Lol. This sentiment has not aged well. Fuuuuuuuudge.

Big Burglar Brand. Like a Ball in a China shop. LiAngelo Ball Season Stats: Minutes played: 0 Steals: 1 (Edit: These were all stolen from Reddit)