DougWil

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.

I didn't attend many games last season but during one that I did get to go to late in the season, I saw the same kind of thing. Galloway was hitting one 3 after another in warmups.

I agree that we don't disagree. : ). Geronimo is one of my favorite Hoosier players and certainly one of the most exciting and spectacular -- and game-changing at times! I'll be extremely interested to see where he finds his spot and what steps forward he takes next season. Two great things for the team from my perspective would be if Bates grabs hold of the 3 spot and becomes a consistent shooting and scoring threat, and if Reneau is as good as advertised as the backup four and looks like a near future high-level all-Big Ten player. But where would that leave Geronimo? Who knows? These are good questions for a team to have, especially with the chance of injuries along the way.

But would the current day Jordan Geronimo destroy what TJD was as a freshman? Is the current Race Thompson better than TJD was as a freshman? Is Reneau at a similar level of talent and maturity as TJD as a freshman? I think these are at least as relevant questions as how JG would fare against the kids Reneau was playing against. Even so, I wouldn't downgrade that competition. Reneau became a key player for a Montverde program that had a record seven of its former players picked in the 2021 NBA Draft and five of its 2021-22 team sign with high majors - Duke, Texas, IU (2), and Illinois. The Montverde players compete against high-level competition in practice every day. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-sp-nba-draft-montverde-six-selections-20210730-vf7wochp7rh2divrrocthkg3jq-story.html I am not suggesting Race won't start. I do believe Reneau may cause him to play fewer minutes than he otherwise would, which wouldn't be a bad thing. I think Reneau has a good chance of being a core rotational player, despite the logjam at his position. His soft interior shooting touch, high basketball IQ, and team-centered game seem pretty special based on video and scouting reports. I don't think you leave that on the bench most of the game when you're trying to win a Big Ten title. Look at what Woodson has said about Reneau: "Malik has enjoyed success at the highest level in high school and brings a competitive and winning presence to our program,'' Woodson said. "He’s an outstanding offensive player who continues to expand his game. He has great touch and tremendous footwork and he uses his quickness to his advantage.'' Reneau has played with and against a roster full of Division I talent for two years running now, so making the adjustment to college basketball should be easy. Reneau is smart, and has a great feel for the game. "He has a great Basketball IQ and is an unselfish teammate who has benefitted from working with and against some very talented players on a daily basis,'' Woodson said. "Defensively, he is well suited to today’s game. He keeps his man in front of him and can step out in pick and roll situations and hold his own." https://www.si.com/college/indiana/basketball/indiana-basketball-mike-woodson-impressed-with-signee-malik-reneau-both-ends-of-floor

You are right that the count of resisting law enforcement using a vehicle was dropped as part of the plea agreement. That's the definition of a plea agreement, of course, which doesn't mean the charge was untrue -- an agreement between the prosecution and defense, sometimes including the judge, in which the accused agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for more serious charges being dropped. You can see that the charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement at Indiana MyCase. https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/#/vw/CaseSummary/eyJ2Ijp7IkNhc2VUb2tlbiI6InpOcFRyQ3dINEVTdndYWmlVMkZTQVNybERnUFkxenFnUktrdVlzMm9wZWsxIn19 Charges Show all charge details 01 04/03/2022 35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/F6: Resisting Law Enforcement-Same as 3929, but def. uses a vehicle. 02 04/03/2022 9-21-8-52(a)(1)/MC: Reckless Driving Drive at unreasonable high or low speed so to endanger safety Plea Agreement 08/23/2022 Order Issued State appears by Chris Pierce. Defendant appears in person and by counsel, Joseph Lozano. Defendant pleads guilty to Count II: Reckless Driving as a Class C Misdemeanor. Count I is dismissed. Defendant is sentenced to 60 days all but time served suspended. Defendant has 1 actual day and good time credit. Defendant is subject to a term of Unsupervised probation for 360 days. Defendant is to complete 50 hours of community service and be evaluated for and complete any treatment recommendations. Defendant to pay court costs of $185.50. Court directs the Clerk to release the cash bond to costs and fees and probation fees. Any remaining cash bond to be returned to the defendant. CR 311-c05/mtb

I think the writer of the story probably described North Walnut as a street running through downtown Bloomington to give some context to readers who might not know that, but in this case it was misleading. Does that matter much in understanding what happened? Are you saying he pulled over promptly when the police tried to pull him over or not? It seems the police were saying that he did not. I'm not one to blindly accept what police say as fact. Did Johnson or others on his behalf refute the idea that he attempted to evade police?

It seem like he was trying to avoid the cops in pulling into the parking lot and then running a stop sign. When the cops turn on their lights to pull you over, you pull over. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — Indiana University point guard Xavier Johnson has been arrested for reckless driving and resisting law enforcement, according to Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain. Just after 3 a.m. Sunday, a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy saw a Dodge Charger going 90 mph on North Walnut Street, a main thoroughfare through downtown Bloomington. The deputy tried to pull the Charger over, but the driver refused to stop. The car drove into a parking lot at an apartment complex and ran a stop sign while trying to get away from the deputy. The car eventually stopped and the deputy saw Johnson, 22, get out of the car and switch seats with a passenger, identified by police as Lee Marrioti. https://www.wishtv.com/sports/college-basketball/iu-point-guard-xavier-johnson-arrested-for-reckless-driving-resisting-law-enforcement/

The aspect where I may disagree with you is when you said that if Malik is as good as TJD was as a freshman than Malik would be starting. I don't think that's necessarily true. And you say that Malik won't be as good as TJD was a freshman because he won't be starting. Which again may just be an indication of being on a better team. But like you say, "as good" is subjective. In any case, it's probably just semantics and doesn't really matter. Let's hope he's a strong contributor and not worry any further about ranking his place in history just yet. : ).

You seem to be saying that him being an effective backup to TJD and Race Thompson means that he's not one of the best players on the team. I think he could be one of the best freshmen IU has had in many years and still be a backup to TJD and Race Thompson. As a sixth-year senior who was honorable mention all-Big Ten last year, Race may not be dislodged from the starting lineup even if Reneau is as good as TJD was his freshman year. I don't see a problem with that as long as Reneau is getting his share of minutes, too.

Have you watched the tapes of Reneau playing in high school against high-level competition? As gifted as Geronimo is athletically, I don't see how he will get more minutes at the 4 and 5 than Reneau. In terms of skill level, Reneau is a clearly better player. Geronimo has potential obviously, but in his sophomore year, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. He is still a project and is learning and possibly transitioning to a new position. Reneau is not a project.

How do you know Reneau isn't better than Race Thompson, whether or not Malik starts? I predict that Reneau will right away be a more effective post scorer than Race. He might be a better defender, as well.