DougWil

What will impress me is if DeVries achieves what he talked about in his opening press conference: We want to build something that is sustainable for a long period of time, and we will do that by staying true to what this program is about. We will know when we have made it when every time a fan, a booster, an alumni, or a former player comes to watch us play and turns on the TV, and after that game is over, that they are filled with pride because they have so much respect for how our team plays, how unselfish they are, the joy they play with, and the enthusiasm they play with and their love for this university. What DeVries needs to do now is set the foundation for the culture and personality of his IU teams. The coaches he hires and the players he recruits will be important first steps in this process. I'm paying attention to the players IU is contacting, but there isn't any way for me, as an outsider, to know how well DeVries is doing in his first 17 days. Josh Dix picking IU would have given me a good impression because he can shoot, but he just finished with a season in which Iowa matched IU's 10-10 Big Ten record (19-15 overall vs. IU at 19-14) and also got their coach fired. Would he be a difference-maker in what DeVries is trying to establish? I don't know. Would he have come at a cost preferable to what other talented players in the portal will ultimately cost IU? I don't know. Am I upset that he's not coming to IU? No. Am I upset that Ryan Conwell isn't coming to IU? No. I think DeVries and his staff aim to build a program by knowing the kind of players and people they're looking for and fitting them into a system that has continuity in the way the team plays every season and every game. How can we judge progress toward that today? I'd rather sacrifice a bit on talent, at least initially, if they can attract players who really want to be here and will compete, like DeVries said, with joy, enthusiasm, and love for IU. With a better-than-average budget and a clear direction on our program, I'm hopeful the team on the floor next season will have good talent, pieces that fit together, and play with a plan and a purpose like we haven't seen at IU in a long time. You can tell a lot by how a team plays and competes. Like many, I haven't liked how IU plays for a long time, even in many of their wins. I want to see a team that is exceptionally difficult to beat at Assembly Hall and never gets blown out there. I'd also like to see things move faster, too, but I have no idea about whether that would lead to more success next season and in the years ahead. How could we possibly know? In a month, we should know more about the talent level of next year's team, but we still won't know about all of the players' intangibles and the impact of coaching that will make the team more than a collection of players. That's the important stuff to me.

He was hired on March 18. As of today, that's been two weeks and three days. Why don't we wait until he's been here a few weeks to judge his first few weeks?

I wonder how IU would negotiate the amount of his NIL deal with his dad being the head coach. Not that it's an obstacle to his coming here, but might it make it a little more complicated to wrap up his deal quickly? Who negotiates and approves the NIL deals? With Tucker, it ought to involve someone other than his father.

I'll be happy if we start putting more emphasis on the size of the fight in the dog. On intangibles, as well as tangibles. On a team full of guys who won't get outhustled and will never show up with a half-hearted effort that leads to getting blown out in Assembly Hall - or in barely beating overmatched opponents and thinking they played a good game. I don't know how you look at the list of names, heights, and stats of players in the transfer portal and figure out which players are the right fit unless you've seen them play a lot and know about them as a person. IU obviously needs players who can score and defend, but it also needs competitors who can excel in ways that aren't easy to judge unless you really know the player.

In his IU introductory press conference, DeVries talked about building a program with players who have the right motivation and enthusiasm, who fit together as a team, and who have a desire to be part of something special. In building that, he may start with some players he already knows and who already know him and his expectations - guys who can help shape the team culture and team expectations the way that the JMU transfers did in Cignetti's first year at IU. Maybe Enright is one of those guys. Isn't that a crucial aspect of transforming the program from what it's been to what many fans would like to see? "We will know when we have made it when every time a fan, a booster, an alumni, or a former player comes to watch us play and turns on the TV, and after that game is over, that they are filled with pride because they have so much respect for how our team plays, how unselfish they are, the joy they play with, and the enthusiasm they play with and their love for this university."

That's fun to see. I went to middle school with Jon Gruden in Bloomington back when Binford was a junior high (it's an elementary school now) when his dad was an assistant coach at IU under Lee Corso.

Incorrect. Please remove

The ESPN story explains why courts and judges have a say in this. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/43048561/vanderbilt-qb-diego-pavia-granted-injunction-allowing-extra-year-eligibility A federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction Wednesday that allows Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to pursue another year of eligibility and could represent another significant blow to the NCAA's ability to enforce its own rules. Pavia sued the NCAA in November, claiming the organization's rule that counts a player's time in junior college toward his overall years of NCAA eligibility is a violation of antitrust law that was unfairly limiting his ability to make money from his name, image and likeness. NCAA rules typically allow players a total of five years to play four seasons, but the current crop of college players have been granted an extra year on top of those limits due to the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic. Pavia argued in his initial complaint that the NCAA was unfairly limiting his ability to make money by counting his years in junior college -- which is governed by a separate organization -- against his eligibility. "We're not saying the NCAA can't have eligibility requirements," said Ryan Downton, Pavia's attorney. "But a junior college season shouldn't be the equivalent of an NCAA season when the junior college season has no meaningful opportunities to earn NIL, no television exposure. They take other athletes [who are playing somewhere outside of high school] and don't hold those seasons against them." Downton cited junior hockey leagues and post-graduate prep school leagues where athletes compete after finishing high school without losing any of their eligibility. The judge's ruling Wednesday specifically addresses the NCAA bylaw that deals with junior college players. It does not restrict the NCAA from enforcing the rest of the restrictions it has in place on the number of years athletes can play a sport in college, but the limited injunction could signal that the court system sees the NCAA's eligibility requirements as an illegal restraint. Campbell is the third judge in the past year to issue an injunction on NCAA rules due to concerns that they limit the athletes' ability to maximize their earning potential.

On 11/18, Michigan beat Miami of Ohio 94-67, outrebounding them 44-23 and outshooting them 58%-40% (48%-34% on 3-pointers). Those are some numbers I'll have in mind watching tonight's game.

This isn't correct. When IU was up 21-5, Woodson put in Tucker, Galloway, Hatton, Goode, and Carlyle - four subs, plus Carlyle (we played nine guys). Hatton didn't play for long, but was in there when there when IU lost its early momentum. Why play all four subs at one when things are going so well? Why not put in a sub or two early in the half and a couple of subs late in the half so that they always have at least three starters on the court? And if you're only going to have one starter in, is Carlyle the one to keep on the court?

They are clearly IU's three most talented players, but I'm not sure about the order. JHS is probably IU's most talented player, even if Trayce is their most valuable player. And Reneau isn't as athletically gifted as Trayce perhaps, but I would say even as a freshman may have more refined post moves, a softer shooting touch, and appears to be a better ball handler.

Of course, IU barely made the NCAA tournament last year and had a losing Big Ten record. IMHO, if we are expecting DRAMATIC team improvement this season, we should hope that the roles of some of last year's players are reduced somewhat because the freshmen, plus Bates in his second year, are ready to contribute significantly, even though they're less experienced.

This game made me wonder if IU's ceiling is higher at the end of this season if CJ Gunn is playing more minutes than Miller Kopp and if Schifino is playing more point guard minutes than Xavier Johnson.

If you watch Malik's high school games from last year, there's no doubt he's better than Jordan Geronimo. I don't mean that as a slight to Geronimo. Certain guys - Cody Zeller and Yogi Ferrell were others - you can watch in high school and there's just no doubt that they will be standout players in college. When Trace and Race say they couldn't stop Malik from scoring in practice, I don't find that surprising at all.

Watching Reneau again today, I still disagree. There's nothing over the top about the idea that he's ready to play starter minutes. What minutes he actually does play given the presence of Trace and Race will be interesting to see.