HoosierHuddle

IU is at least maybe getting some traction with guards and we have a top 30 2024 recruit that's a wing on campus. I don't know if we'll land any of them at all but at least there's a bit of traction there and lots of players that could end up becoming options. I am curious what happens with the rim protecting center Woodson craves. That's a spot that we know IU is going to pursue, whether we love it or not, and with the recent success of TJD and Ware I would think it'd be attractive for big guys. I have not really seen any that seem like no brainer options though. Xavier Booker seems like he may stay at MSU after getting more run there late in the season. Maybe Bradshaw from UK portals and is the reclamation project this coming season? I'm interested in how that plays out.

Tony Perkins has been added to Trilly's "likely to portal" list. This has been rumored for a long while. The Hawkeyes lost to Utah in the NIT on Sunday. Perkins is...an interesting one. Originally from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis (same high school as CJ Gunn and currently Azavier Robinson), Perkins has outperformed his recruiting ranking and obviously has a ton of experience in the Big Ten. He's considered a leader and he's a plus-defender. Increased his average from 1.6 to 7.4 to 12.3 to 14 points per game. He's a solid free-throw shooter and seems to me to give maximum effort at all times. Effective at getting to the bucket and he's very strong. A good facilitator and decent rebounder for a guard. 4.4 assists per game to 1.9 turnovers despite high-usage. The issue for Perkins is that he will NOT help the perimeter shooting at all. He is a low-volume 3-point shooter and made only 29.9% this season. Even if he returns to his average, it's 33% max. I like everything about him except for the three-point shooting. If IU paired him up with a couple of good perimeter shooters in the backcourt, I think it could make a lot of sense. If he was running point and Trey Galloway was at shooting guard, teams might just line up with five defenders in the paint again. One to watch though.

If Louisville actually hires Richard Pitino...wow. I'm not sure what it would ultimately mean but options for that would include: -Louisville really believes he can do a good job and he would have the backing of the big money donors because of his last name. -Louisville tried for sitting high-major coaches and struck out. They thought they had Dusty May and then they did not get him and they were left scrambling and panicked because of the transfer portal and timing and went with a known name. -Louisville got turned down by so many that they needed to approach someone they knew would take the job and maybe Richard Pitino has a low buyout? The upshot for IU is that it potentially (not definitively) is a yellow light of caution that it's not easy right now to poach a sitting high-major established coach. No matter how much money you might be willing to offer.

Carlyle is not a perfect prospect...he is not an elite three-point shooter (although, 32% on decent volume for a true freshman is not dreadful) and he lacks explosiveness. However, I do think he has multiple things that are appealing: 1. Production as a true freshman at a major conference program 2. 13 double-digit scoring games against conference competition, including five of 16 points or more 3. Excellent FT shooter suggesting there should be an expectation of progress as a perimeter shooter 4. Not a bad defender 5. His lack of elite explosiveness or athleticism means there is a real chance he plays 3-4 years in college. If that ends up being the case, he very well could progress into an all-conference guard He's not my favorite portal prospect but I can easily see a backcourt of...hypothetically...Carlyle plus Conwell starting with Galloway, Leland Walker, Cupps and Newton being quite successful.

I hate viewing the NCAA Tournament this way because it means IUBB is not in a good place but I must admit that I watched each NCAA Tournament game through the lens of "what about this coach for IU"? My sincere hope is that IU has a good 2024-2025 season, makes the NCAA Tournament and Mike Woodson pulls a Keith Dambrot and announces his retirement in early March. All of that is very unlikely but a man can dream. Anyway, I've put way too much into a decision that will ultimately be made by a few people that clearly have motives much different than just putting forth the best program possible and they are clearly judging things based on different metrics than things like "Wins and Losses" and "Program direction" and "health of recruiting". But, who would be on a list? I think we can remove the following based on them just taking new jobs (and they may not have been on any list to begin with): Dusty May, Darian DeVries, Mark Byington, Danny Sprinkle. Josh Schertz can probably be crossed off shortly as well, either to St. Louis or Louisville. Candidates like Will Wade and Chris Beard won't be considered by Indiana. You can believe that's wrong or right but it is reality. The rumors about IU talking to Bruce Pearl might or might not be true but we could have hired him before and have not so I doubt IU changes course and does what makes sense. Options that I would love to ask and they'd probably say no: Shaka Smart (he's from Wisconsin but not Marquette/Milwaukee), Greg McDermott (he's 59 and if he's going to move, next year could be it), TJ Otzelberger at Iowa State. They'd say yes and would not be bad options: Mick Cronin...if UCLA is bad next season, we don't even call him but if the Bruins are good and their NIL is still a mess, this could make sense. Micah Shrewsberry...if Notre Dame has a good season next year (as they should if they hold onto their roster), Shrewsberry will be an attractive option. Take a swing on unproven options: Amir Abdur-Rahim (USF)...if the Bulls have a strong 2024-2025 season, he'll be moving on somewhere and I have enjoyed listening to him talk when I've heard him interviewed. He is an impressive guy, he's only 43 and he is from the talent-rich area of Georgia. Bucky McMillan (Samford)...he's 40 and from Alabama, Samford was awful his first year and has moved up to 21 wins, 21 wins tied for conference title and then 29-6 and should have beaten Kansas. If they validate that with another strong 2024-2025, he'll be a hot name. There will be others that ascend. All in all, there will be good options if and when Indiana makes a move at head coach. Do I have any faith that the IU administration, Scott Dolson included, will handle this in a way that most of us would be happy with? Nah. The next 11-12 months are going to be an absolute circus.

Orlando Greenlow left in the middle of last season. I don't know specifics but there off-field issues with the young man and I do not believe he is currently enrolled at IU or anywhere else. Another in a long-line of "what if" prospects that have life issues get in the way of "potential".

Not to toot our own horn but "toot toot"...Hoosier Huddle has position battle articles and position previews for spring. There is also an interview that Sammy Jacobs and myself (TJ) did with the wonderful Rhett Lewis. The Huddle-Hoosier Huddle The site is free and I think we do good work. Thanks!

Eastern Kentucky guard Leland Walker is a name that was just brought up in a "hint hint" kind of way by Eric Pankowski as a name he has heard a lot today. Walker went to North Central but was considered too small to be a high-major prospect, despite being highly-productive. Walker has grown to 6'1". He's still not big by high-major guard standards but he is built well and remains quite productive. Plays very hard, averaged 15.1 with a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio. Not an exceptional shooter but serviceable and improving. He has two years remaining. I'd put him below Gillespie from Belmont (who would be terrific) but Walker would be a solid depth guard. Scored 20 against Alabama, 25 against Western Kentucky, 12 against Purdue, 26 against Jalen Blackmon and Stetson.

Gotcha...that makes sense. Yes, IU needs to be very careful to not go all out for a few "tier one" guys, strike out and then have put no work into "tier two" or "tier three" guys that may not be 15-20 points per game scorers but would be attainable and could still play a valuable role on the 2024-2025 roster. They need to have a very clear plan on building a cohesive team with guys that fit together and have well-defined roles. My hopes are not high that they are thinking that way. I imagine the reality being closer to just hitting refresh as guys hit the portal and then tossing darts at any remotely plausible targets and seeing what sticks and who might want the big check. There are lots of really capable guards already in and many more than I know will be entering. I'm confident the backcourt talent will be better than it was this past season. It just might not make a darn bit of difference in meaningful results next season.

I prefer to think with an optimistic lean, when possible. I know the reality of the situation and I know a positive season in 2024-2025 is possible but incredibly unlikely. If possible though, I try to be positive. So, on a positive slant, there are a lot of good and productive guards in the transfer portal. There will be more that enter the portal over the next couple of weeks. IU has a whole lot of money to offer but they also have very clearly-defined and available playing time to sell. The system is a major issue. Mike Woodson is a major issue. But IU is not without some positive things to go shopping with as well. They can point to Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kel'El Ware as positives for the rim protecting big that they will pursue and that will be a plus for potential targets. Of course, quality players for that role are less plentiful. I think Mgbako coming back is really important. One, I think he could average 15-18 points per game next season and with good guard play, he could shoot 40%+ from 3. I liked his growth. Plus, players of his size and skillset would be rather scarce in the portal and IU has no proven track record to sell. That would be one additional hurdle. The NBA won't be particularly interested in anything he does right now so I think he'll be back, that's a plus. I'm pulling a muscle with my stretching for positives but there is still a pathway to finding a competent and enjoyable roster for next season.

What would work? Sorry, I'm not sure what you are referring to. I think those three guys will be priority targets but I don't expect the staff to actually succeed in landing priority targets. I'd LOVE Ryan Conwell. He is a plus defender, great scorer, good shooter, tough and has two years left. He'd be great. Small is a high-major proven scorer and the two of them could play together in the backcourt. I don't expect IU to land either one, especially not Small. Anyway, which thing were you saying has a small margin for error? Sorry, just not sure what you meant.

I certainly did not write that I expected Woodson and IU to land the priority target...ha. Just that Small would be a target for the staff to likely whiff on. MSU has to replace Tyson Walker so I'm sure that will be an appealing landing spot.

Indiana State's Ryan Conwell (likely portal once Schertz officially goes to Saint Louis), Oklahoma State's Javon Small and Stanford's Canaan Carlyle (from Atlanta so Yasir Rosemond knows him) will be priority targets. I think the first two on that list would be outstanding upgrades in the backcourt and would actually pair very nicely with each other as dual combo guards. Carlyle is talented but is a bit more of a potential player as opposed to a proven one. Still, I would not complain any of the three.

I understand that Scott Dolson may or may not have final say on whether Woodson stays. I know there are forces at play that extend beyond his authority to control. Money talks and I know that. Yet (and I might be too critical here, point taken if so), I am incredibly underwhelmed at the complete lack of visible leadership shown by the athletic director at the flagship university for the state of Indiana. By my count, Scott Dolson has answered questions for the media in a public setting exactly one time since December of 2022. That occurred at Curt Cignetti's introductory press conference. I know his hands will be tied by what he can or cannot say but nonetheless, I think it is ineffectual leadership and the complete lack of public answering to the fans about anything related to IU athletics from the athletic director is very poor. He may be a patsy in all of this but I don't think he's doing much of anything to help the situation.

I'm not sure who posted it first but it was posted here, yes. Not that whoever posted it is breaking news...Banks and Gunn are gone, it is only a matter of when it becomes public.

Maybe Alford ends up a candidate here but I think the frontrunners are: Darian DeVries (Drake), Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon), Paul Mills (Wichita State this past season but previously had done a good job at Oral Roberts), Stephen Gentry (associate head coach at Gonzaga and former assistant at OK State), Danny Sprinkle if he does not get the Washington job.

I'm not going to tell anyone whether or not they should be bothered by Leal's Senior Day comments. Feel whatever you want to feel. I did want to point out Anthony Leal's quote from last night after he hit the game-winner: “I’m not a hero. We’ve got some real heroes in this world, and I’m not one of them. But I do get to play the game I love for the school I love.” In a season without much joy, I have enjoyed an actual winning streak and good for Leal for playing a role in it and for the team for finding a win over PSU (finally) without Trey.

This may have been mentioned...I was busy yesterday and could not check the board...anyway, Small played high school ball in Indiana before going the prep school route and ending up at Oklahoma State. Notre Dame attempted to bring him in last offseason but they were unable to get him into school as a transfer (one of the difficult aspects of the Notre Dame job and why Shrewsberry won't be there long). He was around 37% from three. Looking at only games against high-major competition and only pointing out the highlights: -18 on 10 shots versus Kansas State along with 5 rebounds and 7 assists -18 on six shots against Houston -21 on 16 shots against Oklahoma -34 on 19 shots against BYU -29 on 18 shots against Notre Dame The largest issue for Small is turnovers. This season, eight games with five turnovers or more. Very good player though and he'd be a nice add.

I think reasonable arguments could be made between Archie Miller, Mike Davis and Mike Woodson. I don't know why anyone would want to argue about any of the three of them because the only logical conclusion is that none of them are good and have proven to be (or are proving to be) inadequate long-term solutions for Indiana University. I would personally rank them as you have...Archie Miller being last place is correct, in my opinion. Of course, with IU's NIL might at his disposal, maybe Archie could have done better but that's not a hypothetical we can prove and his results are worse than Mike Woodson's have been. No point re-litigating any of the other tenures. You are probably right, if Mike Woodson's 2024-2025 team is solid (I envision that as making the tournament as something like a 7-seed, finishing like 5th in the Big Ten) and they make the second-round of the NCAA Tournament, that would probably be seen as real progress and they'd point to the trajectory of the program as being upward and he'd likely be back for another year. Still, I think retirement at that point would be a clear option as well...he'd be turning 67 and could point to having the program in the NCAAs 3 of 4 seasons and leaving things on what he would describe much better than how he found them. I'm naive but that's my hope. We get to enjoy a decent season with a tourney bid and then we get a new coach.

I greatly respect those of you that are clinging to the hope that a coaching change will be made at the end of this season. Despite all evidence pointing to Mike Woodson definitively coming back for the 2024-2025 season, you're still holding out. I admire and hope you end up proving to be prescient. I am already at the acceptance stage of my grief and am attempting to convince myself that our returning players plus the massive NIL hammer IU can swing will help grab enough good portal players so that next season is enjoyable and then Woodson retires as Quinn Buckner's BOT run expires.

Ryan Conwell, in my opinion, would have been our best guard this season. He's a very good player. Big, shoots it well, rebounds well for a guard, scores at multiple levels, plus-defender in the Missouri Valley. I don't think he'd score 18 per game but I would be willing to bet he could average 12-13 points per game as an efficient player in the Big Ten. Plus, he has two years of eligibility remaining. Cade Tyson is a potential starter as well. Very good shooter for Belmont. Isaiah Swope is maybe 5'10"...he could be an asset off the bench but he would not be the starting point guard IU needs. Connor Hickman is a good shooter and would fill a role off the bench. He's better than Leal (in my opinion) or Gunn and could probably give IU 8-10 minutes per game. I think the targets that IU will ultimately pursue, given the urgency and the massive NIL budget we can swing around (and every recruit will know it and ask for top dolla as a result), will be top-end portal guys with guys like Conwell and Hickman as nice additional options that could be helpful.

I certainly think he's going to transfer but I don't know why IU would be remotely interested. He was darn near unplayable for the Badgers in the past two months. He's shooting below 30% from 3 and does not appear to offer much of anything positive right now. Could a change of scenery help him? Absolutely. Do I think there will be many, many better options that would be attainable for IU? I do (but that's a hope...I hope really good players are willing to take the big NIL check and the playing time available at IU).

This is my first time commenting in this particular thread so I apologize if many (or all) of these guys are repeats. I don't know if they will portal but they are players that I think could hit the portal and would also make some type of sense for one of IU's 6-10 open spots ha. -Ryan Conwell - Indiana State - 16.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds - shooting splits of 47%-86% FT - 40% from 3 - plus defender, 2 years left and originally from Pike High School in Indianapolis. This would be a really, really nice get and I think he could start for IU and do quite well. -Isaiah Swope - Indiana State - 16.5 points per game, 2.9 rebounds - 43%-91%-37.5% from 3 - he has one year left and is only 5'10"...he's quick and dynamic but I do have questions about how well he would do in the Big Ten. Could he be a depth piece? Sure. It'd be a drastically reduced role for him and IU should aim higher (and bigger). -Judah Mintz - Syracuse - lots of rumors of him entering the portal, are the rumors accurate? Probably not because they seldom are. If he does though, Indiana allegedly has the DMV connection with Kenya Hunter. That has yet to really pay dividends but we keep being told it's valuable. 18.7 points per game and 3.2 rebounds. He is a terrific shot-creator and driver and he's 6'4" with 2 years left. Not a good shooter...only 29.3% from 3. -Jordan Pope - Oregon State - more "Trilly" rumors on this kid Indiana and IU having some sort of connection - two years left, 17.6 points per game/2.6 rebounds/45-87-37% shooting. 6'2" lead guard with proven high-major productivity. 11 games of 19+ points against high-major competition this past season. That's for the last-place PAC-12 team, how does it translate that a team that hopes to win? -Chaz Lanier - North Florida - 6'4" guard that exploded this season after doing next to nothing for three seasons. 19.7 points per game/51-88-44% splits - 16 points against Iowa, 22 against Florida State, 16 against Georgia. Limited sample size but he could be a good depth piece. -Jalen Blackmon - Stetson - 21.2/2.7 rebounds/44-74-38.9 percent shooter from 3...Blackmon is 6'3" with one-year left. Much like his brother James, he is a really good scorer and does not bring much of anything else. Limited passing, limited rebounding and sub-par defending (even at his current level). He would get potentially abused on the perimeter in the Big Ten. BUT...he could be very valuable in the right role. If he was coming off the bench for 15-20 minutes per game, this could be a really nice fit and I'm sure he'd be attainable. -Langston Love - Baylor - Trilly rumors he's going in the portal - 48% from 3 and he has two years left. He's 6'5" and does not offer much beyond shooting but IU could far, far worse. With a bigger role than what he has at Baylor as a sophomore (24 minutes per game), it is not crazy to project a 15 point scorer that is 40%+ from 3. -Connor Hickman - Bradley - 6'3" from Bloomington - one year left. 14.5 points per game/41% from 3, 21 against Utah State, 19 against Indiana State. Could he play a role similar to that of Anthony Leal and probably be a bit better? Probably. Would he take reduced minutes and a reduced role to play at IU? No clue. There will be a lot of guard options out there that would upgrade Indiana's guard spot. IF, big IF, IU can bring a base of Galloway/Leal/Malik/Cupps/Newton and Mgbako back...adding a backcourt of something like Ryan Conwell and Langston Love plus depth pieces Jalen Blackmon and Connor Hickman would be a big upgrade. The more difficult spots to fill will be finding a rim protecting center (a must if Malik is out there) that could be used in the ball screen lob game that Galloway became really effective at and also be a good rebounder plus an athletic wing that can attack the rim off the dribble and be a positive switchable defender...those are going to be hard to come by.

Sources tell me IU basketball will be enjoyable again in 2025...I don't believe it but take it for what you will. An actual rumor that I think was mentioned previously on this board but maybe not, hard to keep track....Scott Dolson met with players and is under the impression that there will not be a mass exodus and guys like Malik, Trey and Mgbako will be returning to form a solid core of players for next season. I don't know if hearing the opposite would have made a darn bit of difference but IU's administration somewhat recently believed the core of the team (minus Ware, obviously) is returning.

It would not be Woodson understanding he has failed or anything like that. It would be Woodson seeing he has no roster yet and that the job to get to any level of even moderate success would be way too much work. He then decides it's not worth it and takes his buyout to walk. Like I wrote, that's very wishful thinking but wishful thinking is all there is left.