Honkyman

Woodson seems to like Kopp which obviously counts for a lot. Geronimo's play so far is more natural for the 4 spot. His ball handling and outside shooting need a lot of work but he seems to have a solid work ethic. I'm sure Woodson promised him the opportunity to play the 3 but he has to demonstrate he is truly up to it for long stretches rather than simply in relief. As mentioned, Bates would seem to have the best chance of beating out Kopp for the 3. We shall see.

Perhaps. Becoming a good 3-point shooter and ball handler over a couple of months is easier said than done. I remember some predicting that TJD would develop an outside shot last summer. Obviously, players improve over time with consistent hard work. But good shooters usually arrive at college as good shooters and become better shooters. Same is true with ball handling. Bates would seem to start out with a better chance of playing the role of a shooter than Geronimo who demonstrated more aptitude for rebounding and putting back missed shots. Unless one of Bates, Galloway, Leal, or Geronimo suddenly become great shooters, the fact remains that Kopp is easily the best outside shooter on the team to play the 3. In any event, competition for the 3 spot should make the entire team better.

Sorry you feel that way. Maybe I should have simply said, given how some colleges have conducted themselves in recruiting athletes over the past several decades, it is amazing that anyone would be surprised some schools would take advantage of NIL. Many observers predicted this outcome.

The NCAA simply made legal what had been under-the-table conduct. In this world of ultra-competitive college sports, it is perfectly natural that many schools will do whatever they think they can get away with to attract talent.

What do you think getting paid for name, image and likeness means? Schools have been making millions of dollars off the names, photos, etc. of college basketball and football for years. Now a healthy portion of those millions go to the players instead. It is totally predictable. Anyone who didn't see it was totally blind or naive.

Really? Seems pretty obvious this is where NIL would lead.

Dexter Dennis may not want to wait around for Trayce Jackson Davis to make his decision whether to go pro or return to IU. TJD has until June 1 and many believe he will be back. According to reports, Dennis heard from at least 18 schools, including LSU and Virginia. It seems unlikely he would be available a month from now should TJD decide to keep his name in the NBA draft.

That's what many said about Bates going into this past season. Nobody really knows how ready he might be. Woodson may decide to begin the season bringing him in off the bench. There are too many variables to say anything with certainty beyond those three (TJD, Race, and Xavier) who are proven.

These projections are off after the top three. Kopp's playing time is way over-projected. Either Bates or Geronimo could be starting at the 3 meaning Kopp's playing time drops considerably. Galloway will play less than last season unless he develops a reliable shot over the summer. JHS and Renee could be like Bates this past season--flashes of talent but mostly inconsistent play. Too early to tell beyond TJD, Race, and Xavier.

Coaching is the difference.

I believe that is exactly the case. IU scheduled several visits. By the time Dexter Dennis and Sean McNeil arrived on campus there were no openings on the roster. The best the coaching staff could do was tell Dexter Dennis that if TJD decides to go to the NBA, the open roster slot is his. All this speculation about Anthony Leal was nonsense. We'll see if Dexter is willing to wait. In the meantime McNeil committed to Ohio State (and will probably score some critical baskets against us).

As a late comer to basketball, Geronimo is still learning the game. He more than makes up for mistakes with his talent. He will probably play some at the 3, but at present he is better at the 4.

I don't blame Rob Phinisee for wanting to take his game out of Indiana.

Not sure anyone claimed that Geronimo never played a minute at the 3. I believe the thrust of what many have said is that Geronimo is most effective at the 4. His rebounding abilities and knack on the offensive end for putting back missed shots make him especially valuable playing the 4. He also lacks the ball handling and shooting skills to be as effective at the 3 as at the 4.

Maybe the coaches already believe TJD is gone,

Yes, he has the raw talent. But he doesn't have the the shooting or ball handling skills to play the 3. Is it possible he could acquire those skills between now and when the season starts? Possible, yes. Likely? Probably not. That is a short period of time to acquire skills most players work on for years. We'll see. I'm sure the coaches are willing to give him a shot at it.

There are currently no available scholarships which may prompt Woodson to ask all of the players (except TJD) to commit now to remaining on the team for next season or state that they intend to enter the transfer portal. There's no point in players like Dexter and McNeil visiting IU if there are no available scholarships--unless they are willing to wait for another 6 weeks to see what TJD does.

Especially, Leal. Bates is more athletic than Leal and has demonstrated he can score by driving to the basket. Also, although his overall 3-point shooting percentage is not good, Bates hit some clutch shots down the stretch. Leal is court smart. But a shooting guard has to shoot more and with more accuracy than he has. Leal seems to lack the confidence of a good shooter as he passes up too many open shots.

Obviously. Gunn is 6'5" and athletic. I have no idea whether he is ready to play college level or not. But I am amused by how certain some are at predicting who will play and who won't. I am not predicting anything except allowing for the possibility that a 6'5" athletic player who shot well in high school will get some playing time if he can demonstrate he can shoot at the next level given how poorly IU shot from 3-point range this past season. Another way to say it is that the others mentioned--Leal, Galloway, and Bates--need to step up to improve their shooting to warrant significant playing time.

If Gunn demonstrates he can shoot from long range, he will see the floor. Reneau's commitment is obviously great news and exciting. But it doesn't address the primary weakness of the team--3 point shooting. The shooting guards currently are Trey Galloway (21% from 3--point range), Anthony Leal (31%) and Tamar Bates (29%). Gunn shot 37% this past season. Obviously, college defenses are better than high school. But if Gunn can shoot 37% from 3-point, he will earn playing time unless the others shoot considerably better next season than they did this past season.

Cameron Healy could be another Nick Zeisloft. Zeisloft shot 35% from 3-point range as a starter at Illinois State before transferring to IU. The move by Crean to bring Zeisloft to IU was widely criticized. Then in his first season in Bloomington (2014-15), Zeisloft shot 45% coming off the bench and was a real asset for two seasons, including helping IU win the Big Ten 2016. If IU is truly interested, IU coaches must feel he can come off the bench and hit 3s. Healy's highlight tape seems to show him as a very good 3-point shooter.

Since we don't have a 16-17 ppg shooter on the team and we don't seem to be in serious contention for such a player in the transfer portal, we will likely have to go with what we have. Galloway, as an energy player and in the absence of measurable progress in his 3-point shooting, is best suited for coming off the bench. Tamar Bates shows more potential as a scorer both from 3-point range and getting to the basket than Galloway. Hopefully, he can make a jump from freshman to sophomore that puts him in contention for a starting role.

You think Trey Galloway is a better shooter than Miller Kopp? Don't be ridiculous. Most players who are poor shooters going into their 3rd year of college don't suddenly become really good shooters. Good shooting requires relentless practice, but natural ability is also a critical factor. Trey Galloway is not going to suddenly become a good 3rd point shooter even with practice (which he presumably had been doing all along). Hopefully, he will improve enough that opposing teams don't slack off of him at 3-point range, as has become the case. Miller Kopp and Xavier Johnson are the two best 3-point shooters left on the team but I read posts every day arguing for sitting them down. IU's 3-point shooting was bad enough last year without benching their best shooters.

No more than 5% of criminal cases actually go to trial. The others are either dismissed or plea bargained. This case won't go to trial.

Teams sometimes take players with a local fan base but more often than not they go for the best player available. Teams change their minds all the time on draft picks at the last moment depending upon whether an earlier team has passed on a player they want but didn't believe would be available. TJD may have to gamble that won't happen in his case.