HoosierHuddle

I had not thought about that but I think it is an outstanding comparison. I really like Ben McCollum and would advocate for him right behind Brad Stevens and Dusty May. I have watched Drake multiple times. To my untrained eye, they appear to have a negligible edge in talent (or are at an athleticism deficit even) on most nights but are VERY clearly better prepared and better coached. The tempo (bottom of the country...dead last) is a very valid concern but the efficiency and precision of his team makes up for that in my mind. I am confident he would be committed on the recruiting trail and would have MUCH better resources than he's ever had but the question would be: is he capable of landing talented enough players to reach the level IU fans will rightfully demand? I want IU to hire Stevens or May so I hope we don't find out but he'll be at a major school quite soon and we'll see one way or the other.

The same individual also tweeted a joke about Brad Stevens offering a scholarship to Dallas James Jr. and calling him Grande Dallas with a mustache of some sort drawn on his picture so....ha.

Right...I know Scott is not stupid. Very far from it. That was kinda the point of my post but I rambled a bit. The only reason a very smart person chooses to have that type of conversation with that type of wording is because of extreme confidence in the outcome. The scheduling part is odd as well. Things that, without context, could be seen as normal course of events for a basketball program that needs to fill out a schedule with better games and a basketball program that needs to have a better relationship with AAU programs in the state...normal things that the AD is proactively taking care of. However, with the added clear hint at Brad Stevens being candidate #1, plus those other dots...even someone as dim as myself can't help but connect said dots.

The AAU call is really difficult for me to understand UNLESS there was extreme confidence from Scott Dolson that Brad Stevens was going to be the new head coach. If Scott Dolson actually said some version of "we have our top target, he's not currently a college head coach and he has two weeks to decide" to leading AAU figures in the state, clearly alluding to Brad Stevens, there can only be a couple of logical explanations: First, Stevens is all but signed and they are just working out small-picture contract details and begin working with the Celtics to figure out succession plans. Of course, those plans would be very short-term due to the pending ownership change. Stevens knows how important the relationship with Indiana Elite and others would be so he has Scott not-so-vaguely let them know what is likely coming. That seems like a stretch to me but this call apparently happened so...maybe this is not crazy? The second option is that conversations have been had with Brad Stevens, Dolson is hopeful and confident but nothing is really close to set in stone. He knows Dusty May is getting approached for a new contract with Michigan so time is ticking and he has this call to apply a very unsubtle timeline to Brad Stevens. This seems like a serious overplaying of his hand and looks a bit foolish to leading AAU figures if Brad Stevens is not the guy. I find this second option even more unrealistic and it seems like something Scott Dolson would not even consider doing. I am extremely hesitant to get my hopes up but that is getting more difficult by the day.

I don't anything indicating that has been determined yet. However, since we know the Kentucky game is at Rupp Arena and we know Marquette is in Chicago, I would imagine any further power conference opponents would be scheduled as home games. Meaning, I'd guess Kansas State would be a home game. I'd argue that is a good opponent but probably no better than South Carolina was as a "marquee" non-conference home game.

Per Rabjohns..."Indiana vs. Kansas State is also in the works for 2025-2026"...Marquette and Kansas State is a strong beginning to a non-conference slate. If (big IF) we hire Brad Stevens, it would not be surprising to see the Hoosiers put into a Feast Week event (unless the Marquette game is part of an exempt event and we'd play campus games against a couple of smaller schools with Marquette as the headliner). Kind of odd to have scheduling stuff being done with no coach in place, unless....

A couple of national writers, guys that have a good relationship with Scott Drew, have previously posted that IU pursue him. Trevor Andershock, who I think does an outstanding job and is generally quite measured and not prone to exaggerate or lead people on posted that it is believed Scott Drew holds the IU job in higher acclaim that Kentucky or Louisville and has genuine interest. If that is the case, he immediately vaults to the number two spot on my list, directly behind Brad Stevens. He has been consistently very good to excellent at Baylor. Thoughts on Drew?

Whew...the Chris Beard back and forth was getting very old. I imagine everyone is SOOO happy we can fill several pages of the chat with the Will Wade discourse while Brad Brownell (who, by the way, has Clemson at 9-1 in the ACC after going to the Elite Eight last season) catches strays for no apparent reason. Anyway, I'd be interested to know some answers to the two following questions: if we assume Brad Stevens is #1 and Dusty May is #2 on Scott Dolson's list and we also end up at the unfortunate position that both say "thanks but no thanks"...if we needed number three to say "yes", who would the third call go to if you were making the hire? Who do you believe would be the third person Scott Dolson would make if he needed the third person to say "yes"?

A name that I don't believe will be considered but he has been mentioned on other boards, mostly in passing. Probably not related to the IU search but Jeff Rabjohns has pointed him out specifically on a few occasions...again, probably just because his team plays good basketball. Randy Bennett at St. Mary's. The time for him to make a move was probably a few years ago but the Gaels are always fun to watch and if I am not mistaken, they have won 15 straight road games and are now 19-3. It doesn't seem to matter what resources he has or what roster he has, St. Mary's keeps winning and gets to the tournament. Now, exempting the blowout of King Woody, they have not had much success in the Big Dance but they usually have a large athletic disadvantage no matter who they get matched up with in the second round. Anyway, he has an interesting resume and if IU misses on Brad Stevens and Dusty May...number three on the list would be a mystery.

I live near the Clemson campus and have a lot of exposure to the athletics program (very well run, by the way). Since Brad Brownell was brought up, I figured I would add my two cents. I love watching his teams play. Ian Schieffelin is, quite possibly, my favorite player to watch on any team in the country right now. He's battled some back spasms but still, no one gets more out of his given ability than Ian does. Clemson plays tough, "Clemson Grit" is a real thing and they are a tough out for anyone. Brownell's teams have historically struggled to consistently score and they do go through some exasperating droughts and occasionally blow games they have no business losing (this year against South Carolina as an example). Long story short, every interaction with or story I have heard about Brad Brownell and his staff (including assistant Dick Bender, yes really) has been extremely positive. I think IU would consistently make the tournament with him as the head coach but he's a great fit at Clemson and I think IU will and should look elsewhere.

There were rumors this past offseason about IU putting in a "GM" type role. This is not unusual now, several high majors have put something similar in place. Zeke says IU just doesn't have the right players...sounds to me like someone would like to join his fellow former players and help his buddy Woodson pick the right players. After all, Isiah has experience in a front office and was once a great player...what other qualifications could you possibly need to succeed? What could go wrong? I don't know how much you are posting ends up being the truth or ends up as reality but I do appreciate giving me stuff to read to pass the day at work! Your stuff is much better than further moral arguments about Chris Beard and whether or not IU should/would hire him or arguing about whether or not one should be rooting for IU to lose or win and what difference it makes.

Bosnian forward/shooter Harun Zrno is committing to IU tomorrow, it appears. I don't think this has anything to do with Woodson and this guy is committing to the location and the NIL deal available to him. Regardless of who is coaching, I love that IU is getting into the international player market. Zrno is going to be a 21-year old freshman that has played against professionals for multiple years. He will be a "freshman" but he'll be very capable of making a big impact very early in his collegiate career. There have been a whole lot of recent examples of players like this having a very good transition (look no further than Illinois this season) and Zrno will be a good piece for whoever the new coach is. OR...Zrno doesn't get to watch any college basketball in Bosnia so he has no idea what he's getting into with Mike Woodson as his coach and he'll get 4-5 shot attempts and play the nail, slot, rim "defense" in front of a booing home crowd next season. In concept though, I love the addition.

I do believe I wrote something to that at the end of my post. I thought it worth pointing out the medical condition as a reason and that its not just boredom or laziness as has been joked about. It's largely irrelevant and he doesn't need me to defend him. I do agree...he should not be involved as a full-time assistant/staff member given the condition. I just thought it was worth mentioning in case some were not aware.

I've seen it posted by others that there was a "emergency meeting" yesterday afternoon...I don't know if it is an echo chamber where it just gets repeatedly posted out of wishful thinking or the meeting actually did occur. If it did occur and was not a regularly scheduled one, there is really only one thing it could have been in regards to: the best way to get rid of the hump.

On Armond Hill...it has been said that he has a medical condition. I'm not being flippant at all but I don't think it's necessarily fair to call him lazy for his low-energy and sleepy appearance during games on the sideline. He is, by all accounts, a very nice man. It's probably very fair to say he should not be involved as a key member of a high-major college basketball staff given the medical condition but still, I thought it worth pointing out given the jokes being made at his expense.