Stromboli

This was obviously fake news. But Grantland isn't necessarily all fake news. It's by a contributor "Spike Friedman." Also funny that back in 2013 Crean got lumped in with "all the best coaches."

“I could just feel [Indiana head coach] Tom Crean looking at me as I was at the line,” said MSU guard Gary Harris, who missed a chance to tie the game at the line after being fouled on a 3-pointer. Harris went on to explain, “I’m from Indiana and the guy recruited me hard, and I really wanted to go to IU, but then you see him smile, and it’s not a real full smile, it’s like a creepy half smile. And you start looking at his hairline, and the way it goes way back but he still gets all that volume in his hair, and you start realizing something ain’t right. And then you realize Tom Izzo looks kind of the same, and so does Calipari, and so does Pitino, and you start to wonder whether your trapped in some sort of nightmare, where all of the best college basketball coaches out there are the same guy. Or maybe avatars of the same demigod? And that maybe there is no free will, and you’ll always end up playing basketball for Tom Crean, or whatever it is that Tom Crean represents, assuming it’s supernatural, which I now do. So, yeah, I missed some big free throws, but I had a lot on my mind.”

I don't need anything to happen for me to know how far we've fallen. The Mastodons beat us last year. We gave up home-court for a first round out in the NIT. There is a legitimate debate across the country as to whether or not our blue blood status should be revoked. Flip that. We landed Archie, the prodigious young coach that turned down a bunch of offers to P5 schools until a worthy offer came along. That we landed him legitimizes that we are still one of the programs with pull. That we have an entire starting 5 of promising recruits already signed on for 2018 shows that we have not lost our luster. Recruiting isn't just some allocation of players to the best programs. There are a ton of other factors. The fact that we are even in on Romeo has everything to do with our proximity to his hometown. Honestly there are a number of fortuitous circumstances that have put us in a good position with some great recruits. On the same token, Vandy is very lucky that the Garlands moved to Nashville with their talented middle-schooler in time for him to connect to the city and have interest in the program. I think the "slap in the face" comments are unwarranted. The program earned its lessened statute in 1,000 decisions since 1987. We're lucky that we have enough capital to work with to rebuild this thing. I agree with you regarding the possible decommitment. It puts a din on what is otherwise an upbeat time for the program. It may even cause one of the Indiana recruits to leave, and create an instant reputation of Archie that could hurt him. Just the same, I'm not going to view this in a vacuum, either. There are a million factors. Two months ago we had zero recruits, and weren't sure that we'd get any. We watched Robbie Carmody, Darius Bazley, Brandon Johns, Cole Swider, and I'm sure others I'm forgetting choose different programs that we view lower on the totem pole. We weren't desperate, but we weren't sure about anything. Obviously, things changed in a hurry. We started to adjust expectations somewhat from Top 100 guys to Top 200 guys, and the Aaron Henry offer came through. At this point, we got swiftly assured that we're not dead. Race. Jerome. Damezi. Then Robert. Then Jake. You can't fault Archie for having these offers out there, and rather loose restrictions on acceptance. He didn't know (just as we didn't) the strength we'd have. Did we end up with 5 quick recruits while two 5* players are on the line? You betcha. But I can see why it happened. And you have to wonder, if we were sitting here without the other 5 commits, would Darius and Romeo still see the luster with the program? Maybe not. Dang I'm long winded. Anyway, I think Archie is a straight shooter. I think he does view success of the program as his #1 objective. And I don't think he's going to work to achieve that objective by screwing over his players. It's just a situation that we'll work through.

I will not get too excited about this recruit. I will not get too excited about this recruit. I will not get too excited about this recruit.

I don't think they're that thrilled with the commitment. They're building a team, no hate. I'm really pumped to see what becomes of Forrester as a Hoosier. Let them be excited about getting ED. (hehehe) This guy is 6'11", and so they'll just hang onto this notion that you have to have a 7' center to succeed. I think they're now just hoping for Eric Hunter to commit, and they'll have a fine 3 man class. As I understand it, Hunter is likely a Purdue lean, but OSU was looking very good but less so now with some other guard commitments expected. Minnesota is still in it, and Hunter goes there this weekend.

Durant himself says he didn't like playing for Billy Donovan. Silver lining!!

Maybe you were trying to focus the conversation away from true love and on Mr. Garland... Or maybe you were trying to link the post from ITH with that picture. http://www.insidethehall.com/2017/09/19/indiana-has-terrific-in-home-visit-with-five-star-point-guard-darius-garland/

Miss u

I just rewatched some videos of him yesterday. The dude has length! Ever since Chris007 said something about one of our current recruits possibly backing out, I've been pretty anxious to get Jerome's signed LOI. Everyone's wishlist for 2019 has Watford and Brooks on it. Emotionally, I get it. Objectively, I don't know that there is a need for both if we get one. I think I'd prefer a TJD (assuming he adds another inch or so), and then get some more guards. Guards make the engine go. Final Four teams always have an excellent pair of guards back there. Best case scenario, I guess, would be that Darius Garland is then returning for his sophomore season, and CuJo has rounded out into a weapon that can be relied upon. Then just a Watford and TJD may do it. That's just me. Tuesday musings. I'll change my mind tomorrow.

Also this. Blind luck that Adidas's ascension coincides with the rise in influence shoe companies have over commitments. I can remember 6 months ago, when this place was a total powderkeg, posters were saying IU needs to dump Adidas and rebrand to be cooler, so we could have some hope of getting recruits.

Cole Anthony's post yesterday.

Treesh could use a guy like you as part of his operation.

Yeah remember Crean hadn't even contacted the family yet about Trendon! Dude is a 5* with connections to IU! Archie reached out fast with an offer, and Trendon was thrilled that it came through. I'm not saying he's a sure thing. But his family is big on IU. Seems like a great family, too.

Yogi and Troy are on campus this weekend, too. Having some of the old guys there that earned themselves NBA contracts has to be good!

How would this affect OSU or Hunter? Not following. I'm guessing Archie's words are being misconstrued. Likely meant it as a compliment, and the recruit probably understood that. Anyway, good pickup for Dayton, seems like a cool program.

Yeah I wasn't really on board with calling Juwan a "3 and D" guy. He's not really even a wing. He's a forward. He plays inside, ready for rebounds, putbacks, set screens, get dump passes, provide help, absorb contact, and hustle plays. His defense is good but not outstanding. He's just a very good college player. His biggest asset is probably his attitude.

Consensus is that there are no OAD point guards in 2018. Garland is presumed a 2 year player.

I read that his sister has a volleyball tournament in Bloomington. So it's not an entire visit just to visit. But yeah, awesome kid, great family.

A couple days ago Chris007 weighed in on this, maybe you saw it. There's a chance we'll lose a recruit (he even had a specific one in mind, but didn't feel comfortable sharing) before LOIs are even signed. I'm still wrapping my head around this recruiting bonanza, but I think we may be selling Phenisi (I'm trying to think of a spelling variation I haven't seen yet) short. The last top 100 PG we had was Yogi, and he was a legit star. The next guy doesn't have to be Yogi to be a baller for us. Before that was probably Jordy? Nope, looked it up, he was 137. Phennisee is a talent, and could be a guy we really come to rely on. I know that Garland is better, but I think we have a really good player here. All I'm saying, Fyneesi likely doesn't see himself as RS material.

I think they are high on Eric Hunter, too, and they have a good chance to get him. There was chatter that he and Henry were a package, but that's not the case with Henry committing to MSU.

Welp. Maybe it's just recency bias, but I'm really excited about Jake coming in. It's weird to have this many guys ready to be Hoosiers that we've never seen play for us. Eight so far. An entire team. It's so many that I'm ready to focus my fandom on the development of what we have, rather than who we'll get. I really wish that there was more information coming in about how the team is doing. Which guards are emerging? Is RoJo playing any point? Are the guys buying in to the defense? Is Clifton going to be Crean's last gem for the program? How's Hartman's mobility after the surgery? Can he contribute? How many monstrous jams has Justin Smith had? Is his game rounding out to make him more than a "spark off the bench"? How's Juwan right now? The guy lost his entire class to the draft, he's dealt with injuries, he's our most proven big, and darn it if he doesn't come off as the most affable, tough, capable player/leader on the team. Is all this hardship going to be rewarded with an excellent junior season? This team, even though built with many of the old pieces, seems entirely new. All these interviews with recruits are fun, but we've got a lot more going on than that.

Yeah, I wish Georgetown had gone in a different direction this time around. They are a proud program, but a bit antiquated in what they're doing. I saw Ewing at the EYBL event in Westfield, he had himself tucked waaaaay back in a corner, sitting with what looked to be an assistant. They weren't talking or engaged in anything. He wasn't in a spot to be watching games, or certainly to be making contacts. It would be easy to interpret his demeanor as haughty, like he was still more concerned with being the famous former Knick than a coach trying to field a good team for Georgetown. Contrast that with Izzo, who was there with Dane mixing it up and smiling and being seen. Or Shaka Smart, sitting right under the basket (looking like way more like Tupac than you would think possible), also not interacting, but laser-focused on the recruit that was playing. Or Archie and Sean, who seemed to know everybody, were cutting up, and acting like they owned the place (Archie's real demeanor is very different than the stoic middle-ager you see in media). Anyway, to be honest I still hate anyone that wore a Knicks uniform 15 years ago, so maybe I'm just biased.

Appreciate the insight, hoosierpap!

Don't forget, Archie is from Pennsylvania, and played college ball in the ACC. As to Bruiser, I think he offers a lot beyond just x/o coaching. Sounds like the parents like him, and feel he will be a good figure for the young men as they transition to college.