Honkyman

This is totally wrong and misleading. Nobody instructed Archie to recruit Indiana to the exclusion or detriment of national recruits. What IU fans were frustrated during the Crean era by was missing out on top Indiana high school players, e.g., Gary Harris (Michigan State), Zak Irvin (Michigan), Kyle Guy (Virginia), Kris Wilkes (UCLA). Miller came in and recruited three successive Indiana Mr. Basketballs. But he also recruited out-of-state, e.g., top 100 player Race Thompson and top 50 player Jerome Hunter. Recruiting suffered over time under Archie because the team was underperforming on the court, not because Archie wasn't trying to recruit in both in-state and out-of-state. In fact, we lost out on several top 100 out-of-state players. Out-of-state players are interested in playing for teams that play in the NCAA tournament. Miller inherited some good players, like Juwan Morgan who is still in the NBA and then recruited top ten player Romeo Langford (also still in the NBA) and then Indiana Mr. Basketball Trayce Jackson Davis. Unfortunately, the one year when it looked like IU would make the tournament was the year it was cancelled because of COVID. But the fact is, Archie's offensive schemes were terrible and his pack line defense didn't work against team that could shoot the 3-point shot.

If TJD returns, IU could easily make Sweet 16. And, if TJD & Race both return and the open scholarship goes to a player who is really good, Elite 8 is possible. I am assuming measurable improvement out of players like Bates and Geronimo. But it is difficult to predict what might happen next season until we know what we have.

IU won't be as good next season without either TJD and/or Race.

What 6'8" player currently on IU is a more complete player today than Race Thompson? Nobody in the front court was a more complete player this past season (except Trayce Jackson Davis who is 6'9"). If Race returns for another season, whoever believes he is a "more complete" player next season than Race will have an opportunity to beat him out at whatever position he plays. If TJD doesn't return and Race does, Race will play the 5. Is Duncomb a more complete player than Race? No way. If both TJD and Race return, Race will play the 4 and back up TJD at the 5. "If he's back he should play to his strengths.." What does even mean? Race is playing the way Coach Woodson asks him. If he wasn't the coach wouldn't play him (he logged 2nd most minutes on the team). Nobody plays harder and as the 3rd highest scorer on the team behind TJD and Xavier and shooting at 54% from the field--2nd best on the team behind TJD--he seems to playing quite well to his strengths.

I'm sure their contract pro-rates the compensation based on how long they remain at IU.

I think Kopp starts. He and Xavier are now the best 3-point shooters on the team. And Woodson likes Kopp. If TJD and/or Race Thompson move on (it seems likely that at least one isn't back), Geronimo will play the 4 where he is most comfortable.

I live in Washington, DC and saw that Dematha team play. Victor Oladipo didn't shoot anything but layups and dunks. Cook was the shooter and the star. Oladipo was obviously athletic but nobody back then predicted he would be a standout in college and end up in the NBA. Have to give Tom Crean credit for seeing more potential than Oladipo showed as a high schooler.

This issue has nothing to do with winning or losing. Indiana will do about the same next year whether Xavier stays or doesn't stay. There are two relevant questions. How do the courts handle it and how does the coach handle it. Monroe County courts will not hang a felony charge around the neck of a motorist under these facts. These prosecutors will not do that. And, it has nothing do with Xavier being an IU athlete. They handle dozens of virtually identical cases every year. This case will be handled exactly like all others. Unless there was a bona fide police chase or some other aggravating circumstances, the resisting arrest charge is dropped. Then it comes down to the speeding charge. The parties will settle on some level of speeding infraction depending on how reliable the police report is deemed to be. Xavier will pay a fine of some kind. Depending on his driving record, his license could be suspended. That's how the legal case will be resolved. The legal part of it will be over relatively soon. So then it comes down to the coach. Mike Woodson is not thinking about winning or losing when it comes to off-court behavior. He proved that with the way he handled the violation of team rules before the Northwestern game. Xavier getting arrested during the off-season because of traffic violations has nothing to do with team rules. Woodson is thinking about the team and the individual. How can they best learn from this. Is sending Xavier on his way the best way to teach him and the team or does he think he can teach him and the team his way by keeping him on? Anyone's guess is as good as anyone else's. But as has been noted, the longer it goes on without a dismissal makes a dismissal less likely.

Trayce has until April 24th to declare for the NBA draft which means he has 2 1/2 weeks.There is still plenty of time for him to decide to go pro. I suspect he will ,make an announcement that he is or isn't during the week of April 18 leading up to the deadline to declare. Trayce has the benefit of being the son of an NBA player who has reliable connections. His father can speak with NBA scouts and executives and pass along honest advice regarding which course is in Trayce's best interests. I agree regarding Xavier. If Woodson was going to dismiss him, he likely would have moved quickly.

Evans is in the 2023 class. He said recently he would make his decision before the 2022-23 season starts next fall.

Sherron Wilkerson was the starting point guard in 1996 when he was dismissed by Knight after being arrested for domestic battery. Several good players have left because they didn't get along with Knight, e.g., Ricky Calloway started on the 1987 championship team and then transferred to Kansas.

Of course, he was. Tolbert played four years and Baker played barely over one year. My point was not to quibble about Ray Tolbert. It was to disagree that Knight dismissed players based on how "replaceable" they were as opposed to whether or not they had leveled with him about smoking dope. No player is irreplaceable and obviously all eventually have to be replaced. The implication of the comment was that Knight got rid of a few bench players while keeping the starters. Tommy Baker was not only a starter, as a McDonald's All American who had been selected with Magic Johnson to play on an All Star team overseas, he was a player with real potential. Of course, IU did fine after he left. After all, Mike Woodson was the star player on that team--even if he did smoke a little pot now and then.

I was referencing turnovers. Tolbert and Baker turned it over the same number of times per game although Baker handled the ball more.

All signs point to Purdue for Pack.

Baker played no worse than Tolbert did at that time. It took Tolbert a couple of years before he became a reliable player. Your claim that Knight dismissed expendable players is simply made up. Besides, it accomplishes nothing to gratuitously trash former players.

You are right. I knew that. Don't know why I wrote Michigan.

I'm sorry. Early morning post. Must have been still partly asleep.

TJD will be lucky to be drafted in the 2nd round.

Having a friend and former teammate on your squad helps land a top player occasionally, but not often. I think it helped put IU in his top 5. Not sure it gets us any more than that. Coach Woodson will have to really connect to overcome the allure of Kentucky.

It's hard to imagine he chooses IU over Kentucky or even Auburn or UCLA. But stranger things have happened.

One of those "replaceable guys" was McDonald's All American Tommy Baker, the point guard, who came to IU the same time as Ray Tolbert. Baker played overseas during the summer on an All Star team that included future NBA stars Magic Johnson and Darnell Valentine. After getting booted by Knight, he played for Eastern Michigan where he was All-Conference. He was drafted by San Antonio but never played in the NBA (he was only 6'). In a sense all college players are replaceable since eventually they graduate or otherwise leave. Baker had not reached his potential at IU, but he was a pretty good player. Eventually he would have been replaced by Isiah Thomas who arrived a year later. But if Baker had stayed, he would have been a member of the 1981 championship team and even as back-up to Thomas would have been remember fondly rather than as so dismissively by brumdog45.

I attended an IU-KU basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse once years ago. IU's starting point guard was a freshman named Quinn Buckner. IU's star player was Steve Downing. That IU team would make it to the Final Four before losing to UCLA.

The fact that he passed a breath test for alcohol is a big deal in terms of the disposition of the case. Had he been drunk, he would be in much greater jeopardy.

Broome was the 478th ranked player coming out of high school; ranked 78th among high school centers in the country. Some indication of interest from Kentucky and Auburn.

In the end it will be just a speeding ticket. The resisting arrest will be dropped. Since he apparently has another excessive speeding ticket, his drivers license could be in jeopardy. This case will be resolved well in advance of next season. Very unlikely he will be dismissed, imo, but Woodson is going to make him pay in other ways.