LamarCheeks

Since it's been almost two months, I'm starting to think we're not gonna replace Schilling and instead, use his salary for under-the-table payments to recruits! Why not? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!!!

As horrid as that song is, with the way the NFL has been trending over the past few years -- she'll be the Super Bowl halftime act in the next season or two!

The story specifically says "there is no evidence that the offers or payments were made to Williamson, Langford or their families." ... How is that proof that Nike offered money to Zion and Romeo? And how is that proof that Nike arranged for payments to players and their families? ... The writing of that article is very unclear.

I'm very confused by this passage in that ESPN story -- which are the second and third graphs. They seem to contradict each other. The first graph here (second in the story) says the "offers" to Zion and Romeo provide proof that Nike execs arranged for and made payments to players and their families. The very next sentence says there is no evidence that any offers or payments were made to Zion or Romeo. Huh? The alleged offers -- $35,000 or more for Williamson and $20,000 for Langford -- were purportedly discovered among "text messages, e-mails and other documents from 2016-17 ... proving that Nike executives had arranged for and concealed payments, often in cash, to amateur basketball players and their families and 'handlers,'" according to the motion filed in U.S. District Court in New York. There is no evidence that the offers or payments were made to Williamson, Langford or their families.

I never said Ostrom wasn't the top assistant. ... I said "a top assistant." ... And when Archie was hired, he had his staff in place by mid-April.

Maybe I'm getting overly antsy about this, but it sure does seem to me we should've known something about this by now. School opens in a week and a half and the dead period ends soon after. It's hard to imagine a school that considers itself a blueblood going this long without a top assistant for its basketball program -- especially this late in the game. ... I mean -- the Schilling decision was announced in late June.

Damn! ... Nate broke his wrist last night. Not sure how long he will be out, but his coach said the injury isn't season-ending. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/08/08/nate-sudfeld-to-undergo-surgery-on-fractured-wrist/

I remember on Senior night in 1993, Greg Graham said at various times throughout his four years, people would come up to him, think he was Calbert and ask for his autograph. ... So he would just sign Calbert's name!

Ha! ... You know, it's funny -- I thought, and still think to this day, that we got totally hosed by the officials against Duke in the 1992 Final Four. ... And I know a lot of IU fans thought that was a bad call in 2002 against Duke, but IMO, Fife did foul Williams. ... And man, was that a stupid play. ... We got sooooo lucky in those final seconds that night. But still, it was a helluva win.

That's an interesting mix. ... South Carolina is the only true women's BB blue blood in that group ... Since she's from Baltimore, I'm surprised Maryland isn't in the final five. ... Glad we are, though.

So, back on the topic of Schilling leaving for a second or two ... Does anybody have any intel on when and with whom Archie is gonna fill this position? ... The Calbert-to-IU rumors had legs for a while, but that front appears to be quiet -- at least for now. ... Although we are in a quiet period as far as recruiting goes, it seems as if Archie should get cracking on this ... I wouldn't know for sure, but I can't imagine there are too many Power 5 conference schools missing a top assistant at this point in the year. School starts toward the end of the month and the quiet period ends soon after that. This position needs to get filled!

Don't know where to post this -- and don't necessarily want to start a new thread -- so am trying here. If it gets deleted or moved, that's fine. I go to hoosiersportsreport.com every now and then to get IU news and check out to see if anything's new. But lately, I'm blocked from going there. Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer -- none will let me there, citing a security risk. Anybody else having this problem? Is there anything wrong with that site? Has it been hacked? Just curious.

I'm gonna take a break from all this gloom and doom to wish a Happy Birthday to three Hoosier greats ... Enjoy your day, fellas! Cal (No. 48) OG (No. 22) And Slick (No. 87) ...

Love Calbert. He's my favorite all-time Hoosier. He checks a couple boxes -- is an IU guy, so he gets what it's all about and knows the heritage, what it means to be a Hoosier, etc. I know he's been an assistant before, but I think it still remains to be seen actually how good of a coach he is. And how well can he recruit? If he is the choice, hopefully in due time, he'll check those boxes as well.

You just reaffirmed exactly what I wrote. Thank you!

What this essentially says is that if you are critical of Dakich, your opinion is wrong, because OF likes him. And only positive opinions expressed about DD are correct ... Okey-doke.

You've got a wide-open 3 from the corner to win the NBA championship -- and you hit the backboard? ... Really?

Pretty interesting read on Mike Davis and his son. ... I always liked Davis, but I thought it was a mistake to hand him the keys to the IU empire after he really hadn't accomplished anything. After that interim season, the administration should've simply said: "We really appreciate you stepping in and getting us through a difficult situation, but we're going in a different direction." ... Initially, the optics wouldn't have been good, but if you bring in the right person, that is soon forgotten. (How many people remember that the Cubs fired Ricky Renteria as manager just because Joe Maddon became available? It was harsh and looked awful, but after four straight playoff appearances, including a World Series title, nobody even remembers that). ... Anyway, here's the Mike and Antoine Davis piece ... https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2019/06/03/antoine-davis-detroit-mercy-mike-davis-nba?xid=socialflow_twitter_si&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=sinow&fbclid=IwAR2RS0KqWbbJCLl_0VPIKcnf1iSFNqxeUo8DA4yY8HXPbOLoRylZtsotuIQ

What Archie said about Jerome: "Jerome is in Bloomington. He's continuing with his rehabilitation. He's been elevated in terms of his activity level. He's doing a lot more individual stuff. But he's far, far away from having any indication or final decision on where he goes from here. We're probably looking towards July and August to see what he's capable of doing as we continue to progress ... We're excited to get him back on the floor. He's doing a lot more individual work, a lot more weight training and conditioning, so it's good to have him back and being active." What many IU fans seemingly heard: "Jerome has developed gangrene in both of his legs. They will have to be amputated and he will never play basketball again. Because of this, we are likely to finish about 10-22 next season, with no better than a 5-15 Big Ten record."

I don't regret that Romeo played his one season at IU. I'm just disappointed he got hurt and didn't have more of an impact season -- although 16.5 points a game ain't all that bad. But I have a feeling (call me crazy if you will -- many people have), that the team's chemistry will be better without him. I think there's something to what Seth Greenberg was saying about having one one-and-done. I think having Romeo -- while on the surface, should've been a big bonus -- was a huge detriment to chemistry. Even before the rumors about him and other players' girlfriends, I think some of the older dudes really resented him and the attention he got. That's their problem -- not his -- but regardless, it was there. I don't know that we'll be any better on the court, but I have a feeling the chemistry will improve.

I would suspect it's about 99 percent certain that Smith, Green and Durham are returning to school, but I haven't seen anything regarding their decisions. I believe the deadline to withdraw your name from the draft and still be able to retain college eligibility is tomorrow, so I guess we'll find out soon.

Maybe the timing wasn't the best on that, but the Stanley Cup actually is the best trophy in sports. ... And I was born and raised in Indiana, graduated from IU and have watched the Indy 500 for 45-plus years.

Seems very strange to watch the race on NBC after all those years on ABC ... If you're a Danica fan, my apologies, but I cannot stand her. Could definitely do without her as Tirico's sidekick.

Ed Cooley is out. ... I always wonder in situations like this, when a coach "withdraws from consideration" -- did the interview not go well, and the school decides they weren't interested, so to save face, he says he's pulling out of the search. Or did he truly not feel comfortable with the school? ... Like when after Crean was fired and our search progressed, and it was became pretty clear Alford wasn't gonna get it, he goes on national TV and says he doesn't want the IU job. When you know you're not gonna get it, it makes it easier to say you don't want it! Either way, looks as if Juwan Howard is the front-runner now.