Honkyman

The high expectations for the team in 2018-19 were within the IU fan base largely because of Romeo. Most conference previews had IU outside the title race and right around where we ended up.

More often than not players play in college at the level they are rated as high school players. Five star players are special and are usually better than four star players, four star tend to be better than three star, etc. Obviously, there are exceptions but they are exceptions. A two star most likely will not be a player who gets a whole lot of playing time at a top 30 school, especially in their first year. Again, there are exceptions which is why an underrated player garners media attention when he plays well enough to become a starter on a Final Four team. Maybe Windham will be one of those exceptions. Personally, I would hope that Miller lands a higher rated player who can shoot, like Lester Quinones.

The argument that IU should hire Dane Fife is academic. Fife not coming to IU. He is a top assistant at a successful program under a Hall of Fame coach. If he leaves it will be for a head coaching job, not for a lateral move to a less successful program. There may be other former IU players from that era like Michael Lewis willing to come to IU. But Dane Fife is not coming to IU. No rational person would make that move.

That's because Vandy's most exciting player got hurt in November and was out for the season. Georgia arguably has the top high school player in the country. Georgia will be covered more nationally than otherwise because of Anthony Edwards. It will happen. Edwards will get plenty of exposure this year which means Georgia will. More than IU--unless you live in Indiana.

I think there's a good chance Crean gets Beverly. Beverly will start at Georgia right away. He will play alongside a 5 star so they'll get a lot of TV coverage and attention. The only reason not to is he is from Michigan and he might want to play closer to home.

I just read a Bleacher Report mock nba draft that came out yesterday where Romeo drops to 16. NBC Sports mock NBA draft also released yesterday has Romeo at 19. If he drops a couple of more the Pacers can grab him.

There is a reason why Brunk is leaving Butler--he not only wasn't starting any more but he wasn't getting the playing time he wanted. My guess is if Brunk comes to IU, he will come off the bench behind Deron Davis but still get lots of playing time since Davis rarely goes more than 20 minutes a game even when fully healthy. Then Brunk would start the next year after Davis graduates.

Even bringing in Joey Brunk might prompt one of the current front court player to decide to leave as a result of reduced playing time.

There may be a player or two who decides to leave the program depending upon who is brought in either as a graduate transfer or a new recruit. If Trendon Watford would choose Indiana, for example, we might see one of the "bigs" decide to leave because that would mean less playing time.

IU already has lots of players everybody hates.

Three weeks ago, Jalen Blackmon attended an IU game. Why would he bother if not interested in IU? Why would IU be interested in having him attend a game if not interested in IU. I am sure the IU coaching staff knows more about the situation than you do.

My definition of flat out play is a guy who has the ability to compete at a high level, the drive to develop critical basketball skills, and a motor that won't quit. Victor Oladipo is a good example. Not highly rated but had ability and the drive that allowed him to reach his potential. I saw him in high school and at that time he wasn't even the 2nd best player on a very good Dematha team. But he was a hell of a defensive player even then (though he didn't do anything on the offensive end except dunk). Crean saw something in him that many other schools did not. Maybe Wyndham has the potential. I don't know. I've never seen him. My sense is that rankings shouldn't be taken as gospel, but more often than not they are a good guide to how a player will perform at the next level. There are exceptions of course. We'll see. If IU coaches having seen him play think he can help improve the outside shooting, I'm all for it.

I hope neither Damezi nor Smith transfer. I think both have great potential for strong careers at IU.

I'm all for getting guys who can flat out play. I'm not convinced Wyndham can do that at Big 10 level. But perhaps he can. Personally I'd rather give a scholarship to a highly rated guy who can flat out play. Maybe at this point, we can't land such a guy.

Wyndham shot 36% from 3-point range. That's what Romeo averaged his senior year in high school. Don't we need a shooter with a higher rate? Invariably shooting averages drop from high school to college.

Jalen Wyndham averaged 36% from 3-point range this past year. That was Romeo Langford's average his senior year in high school.

As a resident of nearby Washington DC, I can say that Maryland fans have become uneasy with Turgeon. He's an excellent recruiter but team performances have yet to match the talent. However, they should have a solid core returning depending upon who jumps into the draft. The Maryland campus doesn't compare to IU's but I wouldn't be surprised if they land Quinones.

Maybe with Clifton Moore leaving, Brunk makes some sense. We still need a shooter.

It is false to say no one was talking about Crean and Priller and the rest until I brought it up. I was responding to another in a series of rants about this topic. Hardly a day goes by when at least one person doesn't bring Priller and the others and go off on Crean up on this board and I let it go by. Instead, this time I expressed my opinion that getting Oladipo and Anunoby was worth a few misses. It brought out all the chronic Crean haters. Maybe I should have let it go by as I always have in the past but I didn't. That's the last time, however. My opinion on the subject, for what its worth, has been expressed. I would hope that the others on this subject also drop it but I'm not holding my breath.

No, let's talk more about Crean and Priller and April and all those bad players Crean recruited years ago. That is the perfect focus for a threat entitled "The Season Is Finally Over, Now Where Does This Program Go?" And, let's believe unsubstantiated rumors about having to keep Crean's recruits (even though Miller pushed one of them out of the program). How about a different angle? What should IU do to bring players into the program who can shoot 3-pointers at a respectable rate? I have to confess to feeling jealous watching Purdue hit 15 3-pointers last night on their way to the Elite 8. How do we get guys like Ryan Cline and Carson Edwards to come to IU? Should IU even be considering recruiting Joey Brunk when what we need most is shooters?

You say you're not obsessed and then continue on a rant about Crean recruits who haven't been at IU in years. I really don't get this continued obsession in 2019 with Crean's recruiting habits, a coach who has been gone two years, and players he recruited some of whom haven't been around in a decade. Very weird. You all can obsess about Tom Crean's long gone players. I think I'll focus on the current squad.

I find this obsession with bashing the former coach as a way to avoid addressing problems with the current program ridiculous. Tom Crean is not the reason IU lost 11 out of 12 games this year. Crean is not the reason IU lost to Ohio State in the Big 10 Tournament thereby losing a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. I know some people on this board really hated the guy and apparently still do. I'm glad he's no longer the coach, too. But he is not to blame for this year's disappointing season.

Before OG Anunoby was hurt, Indiana defeated future NCAA Champs North Carolina and Kansas--not struggling.

Fell off the cliff? IU won the Big Ten Championship in Crean's 2nd to last year. Some fans blame injuries for this year's disappointment. But had OG Anunoby not been lost for the rest of his sophomore year, Indiana's season would have been much different. Crean was not fired because the program "fell off the cliff." He was fired because a couple of Sweet 16s and a couple of Big Ten Championships were not enough for the fan base.

Priller and the rest are so completely beside the point of anything to do with anything related to the success or lack of success in IU basketball. Indiana won Big Ten Championship with players like those you mentioned sitting on the bench (and there were never 4 Prillers on the bench at any one time). Crean recruited McDonald's All Americans (Zeller, Ferrell, Blackmon, and Vonleah), 4 stars, and yes some diamonds in the rough like Oladipo and Anunoby. Some of those diamonds in the rough didn't work out. But having those guys on the bench had zero impact on IU's performance. Some fans seem to hang on to Tim Priller and others who left the building long ago as a way to avoid to discussing the reality of today. It strikes me as odd. I can only suggest you get over it and focus on what IU basketball should be in the future.