LamarCheeks

Isn't arm strength either something you have or don't have? For instance, John Elway has it; Drew Brees doesn't. ... That doesn't necessarily mean you can't be a decent or good QB. But how do you gain arm strength -- and if you can, wouldn't a guy like Brees have an arm like Elway by now?

Obviously, very little light has been shed on Ellison's suspension. But you're going to college for free, you're the team's best runner and maybe one of the better players in the conference. Can it be that friggin' difficult to follow rules and stay out of trouble!

To me, this tweet doesn't mean anything -- because of the word "could." A source says he could resign? What's that mean? You really don't have to go that far out on a limb to say he "could" resign.

I thought about that, too. But if it were because of the year, I would think the 17 jerseys would be on clearance by now. Why pay full price for it? That site -- and others -- have several jerseys that they're selling for $25 or so -- that have real numbers. And wouldn't 17 be two years old by now? If they were gonna come out with a current version, it should be 19, right? Since we're heading into the 2018-19 season?

I was wondering who was gonna wear No. 17? ... I'm not sure I understand why you'd sell a No. 17 IU basketball jersey -- yet I've seen this on a couple websites. First of all, in the college game, you can't wear No. 17. Second of all, what is the significance to that number -- especially if nobody's ever worn it? And it brings me to a question I've asked before, but will ask again: Isn't it time for college and high school ball to abandon the rule that jersey numbers have to end in 0-5 and can only go up to 55? I understand back in the day, it was easier for a ref to call a foul with those numbers -- because he could do it with one hand -- but times have changed. There's no reason (in my mind) why a ref can't go to the scorer's table and say: "Foul's on number 1-7 in the red. Number 3-9 in white will shoot two." ... NBA and international refs do it. It's not that complicated. If a player comes to IU (or any other school, for that matter), and wants to wear No. 7 or 17 or 27, why shouldn't he be able to? The current rule just seems so silly and antiquated.

Troy, who is from my neck of the woods, was back over the weekend. Didn't see him, but here's an update from the local paper ... https://pilotonline.com/sports/basketball/professional/article_075823f6-94d5-11e8-832b-dbcc5530f4e4.html

Just my opinion, but I think our basketball uniforms are fine. I like the fact that we haven't changed them over the years -- I'd rather have that than a new design every other year like some schools do. I do, however, like the idea of wearing a script Indiana jersey every now and then. As for black jerseys -- in basketball, football or any sport -- no, no, a thousand times no. Black is Purdue's color. We are cream and crimson (or essentially, red and white). There's no black in the equation. Hell, if we're gonna wear black, why not wear blue like Kentucky. Or green like Michigan State. Let's stick with our school colors.

I don't know enough about this hire to offer an opinion, but it sure seems like I recall reading that several folks here liked Kyle Bunn. ... Guess Mercer just wanted his own guy, because it seems like Bunn might have been willing to stay. Wasn't he the interim coach after Lemonis left?

Looks like he had a baby a couple weeks back (or technically, his wife did). Hope we will be seeing young Grady in cream & crimson duds out at Kaufman Field for years to come. (And I guess his parents live in or near Bloomington -- free babysitting!).

Wright?

When I pored over the list of realistic candidates, Mercer was the guy I liked best. ... Then again, I thought Tom Crean was a good hire back in 2008, so what the hell do I know!

The same argument you make against Maloney are exactly why I'm not all that interested in a Tracy Smith redux. These coaching reboots just don't seem to work. From your list -- and most I've seen -- I find Jeff Mercer the most intriguing. Also, I wonder if there's a dark horse assistant from a Power 5 school that could be viable. Kevin O'Sullivan was an assistant at Clemson when he got the Florida gig -- he's won a CWS. ... Tim Corbin also was an assistant at Clemson when he got the Vandy job (although he did have a short stint as HC of Presbyterian, a small school in S.C.) -- he's won a CWS ... Brian O'Connor was an assistant at Notre Dame when U.Va. hired him -- he's won a CWS. ... By going that route -- a Power 5 assistant -- we'd be assured of getting someone who knows what it's like to compete at the highest level. I'm just thinking that bringing Smith back wouldn't be a great idea. I sorta have a been there/done that attitude with him. And we'd be getting him not because he wants to return, but because he failed at ASU. Let's face it, if the Sun Devils are a regular in the regionals or super regionals during his tenure, he's not even in the conversation at this point. And I'm with you on Henderson -- want no part of him. I also have a been there/done that attitude with interim coaches who've done well (i.e., Mike Davis and Bill Lynch).

I was pretty underwhelmed by the Lemonis and Allen hires. And who knows? Maybe Allen will turn out to be a great fit. But I was disappointed that we at least did not test the waters and do a national search when Wilson was let go ... I did not think that hiring Archie was an underwhelming move. Archie was seen as one of the top up-and-comers in college hoops and I, for one, am glad we have him. And I can almost guarantee you that had we not hired him, Ohio State would have when Matta stepped down/was fired. ... But back to baseball -- I don't see Tracy Smith coming back and to be honest -- and I might be the only one -- I'm not sure I'd want him at this point. There have been a handful of coaching reduxes over the years, and they just don't seem to work. Plus, I can't help but think that if he did come back, it wouldn't be because he wants to be here, but because he failed at ASU. So let's find a fresh face -- a good recruiter who also can help develop that talent and instill solid basic baseball fundamentals. I have no idea who that person is, but personally, I think it would be better all the way around if it were not Tracy Smith.

Dude, lose the shades before you do your introductory presser! I wanna see the whites of your eyes! LOL!

This, from Zach Osterman of the IndyStar. Lemonis undoubtedly leaves the program better than he found it. If Tracy Smith, his predecessor, proved you could win big at a Big Ten school, Lemonis proved you could sustain that success. I completely disagree. How can you claim he leaves the program better off than when he found it! That's preposterous! When Lemonis took over, he had a team that two years prior, had been to the CWS and the year before, had a No. 4 national seed and in B1G games (including the tourney), went 25-3 with the three losses coming by one run each. That's dominance. IU, under Lemonis, dominated nothing. He might be a decent recruiter, but from what I saw, his teams were very poor fundamentally and didn't seem to have a very high baseball IQ.

I didn't get to watch IU much this season, but when I did, I was somewhat disappointed. Among other things, I noticed atrocious baserunning and a horrible approach at the plate (for example, I seem to recall seeing two guys walk on 8 or 9 total pitches and the next guy up swings at the first pitch -- which was out of the zone). I still don't get what Mississippi State -- one of the final four teams at the CWS -- saw in this guy. Oh well ...

Calipari didn't want to play the UK-IU series on campus, but Crean and Glass did. So why not do a three-year series with a compromise: Year 1: Dum! Center or Bankers Life Year 2: Assembly Hall Year 3: Rupp Arena Or do a four-year series with the neutral arenas as bookends to two on-campus games.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/6/13/17460076/ncaa-redshirt-rule-change-2018 You can now play in four football games and still redshirt. Interesting ...

Beilein staying at Michigan. Despite talking with the Pistons, I wonder how interested he was in the job and/or how interested they were in him. Either way, not a surprise to me that he's staying in Ann Arbor. https://www.freep.com/story/sports/ncaab/bigten/2018/06/06/michigan-basketball-john-beilein-staying-after-detroit-pistons-talks/677286002/

The Cavs need Zach McRoberts. He knows what to do after rebounding a missed FT.

I don't think there's room for him. Perhaps someone with more intelligence or who's more well-connected would know better, but as far as I know, here's how our 13 scholarships will be allocated next season: Freshmen Phinisee Langford Hunter Forrester Anderson Thompson (rs) Sophomores Smith Moore Durham Juniors Green Davis Seniors Morgan Fitzner

He mentioned Clifton about 9:30 in. As far as I know, after signing Romeo and Fitzner, we're at 13 scholarships -- the limit.

Not scared of Duke, but we just played them. I was hoping for something different -- maybe Virginia. We haven't played them yet in the ACC/B1G Challenge. Would've loved to have seen Romeo vs. Kyle Guy.

I found it interesting that he went into pretty specific detail about the sophomores -- Al, Justin and even Race. Then, it was almost like he said: "Oh yeah, there's Clifton, too." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but given Clifton's lack of PT last year and being barely mentioned last night, I wonder if there's some friction there?

Tracy Smith reminds me in many ways of Rich Rodriguez (minus the slimeball behavior -- and the lying). Rich Rod seemingly was at his "dream job" -- his alma mater, West Virginia, and he was doing very well there. But he became infatuated with the bright lights and big city that is Michigan football. And after lying about it, he bolted. How'd that turn out? ... Then, he took the Arizona job. He never did much there, then gets fired amid reports of workplace misconduct. It seems as if he'd just have been better off staying at WVU to begin with. ... Please, don't misunderstand me -- Tracy Smith seems to be a very upstanding guy. As far as I know, he never lied about the possibility of leaving IU and never behaved inappropriately, so those aren't the comparisons I'm trying to draw. But he had just turned IU into the top program in his home state and into the premier program in the B1G -- maybe even the entire Midwest. But he was drawn to the allure of the Arizona State program -- or maybe they simply made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Either way, If he'd just have stayed put, he'd probably be happier and we'd probably be happier. Lemonis seems to be a very adept recruiter, but as many have pointed out here, he doesn't seem to have a knack for developing talent. ... Smith took a football prospect from Middletown, Ohio, and turned him into a bona fide NCAA baseball star who is now a legitimate big leaguer. ... Many times, the grass isn't always greener ...