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I don’t think that’s the argument people are trying to make. I’m certainly not of the belief anyone of the younger bigs (who have been healthy enough to play) have been significantly better than Smith (although with effort and time they may become much more so). I think people just see his attitude as bad for the team chemistry (title of this thread) and that players with a good attitude, an enthusiasm for the team regardless of personal attention or accolades, and a desire to do whatever it takes (for the team) deserves time before a kid who sits and mopes while on the bench when players receiving .5% of the minutes Smith receives are up cheering on THE TEAM. It’s the sense of entitlement and selfishness most people cannot tolerate, or at least that’s the part that disgusts me.

There’s no question it’s a bad look for these parents. And, it would not only embarrass me but upset me if one of my parents acted this way. I would demand of them to allow me to defend myself and to prove myself without their public accusations which do nothing more than single me out and make any issues I’m having with teammates and/or coaches even worse. With that said, I would absolutely love to coach. I could deal with these entitled parents for one year and then retire rich and never work again. I have a lot of passions I could explore the remainder of my life. With one year of Archie’s salary I could easily retire. TOTALLY worth a couple morons berating me.

I have a hard time condemning Jake for his dad’s comment, if his dad’s comment is in regards to what needs to happen for the team to gel. If he’s not asking for Jake (specifically) to play more, but rather, asking for multiple others with better attitudes to play before Justin, then perhaps he’s on to something. If the team and parents are having issues with a singled out player, then there might be legitimate issues with that singled out player. Just my two cents. With that said, though, Jake’s dad would do his son a better service by keeping his opinions (and attacks on the coaching staff?) off social media. With the turmoil evolving between Smith, Smith’s dad, (and others?) it might be best to sit quietly and wait. My hesitation to condemn Jake is also influenced by what appears to be an enthusiasm for the team at all times and a great attitude. I imagine Moore will find playing time elsewhere. Smith is obviously not happy and will be gone too. Green still gets a lot of play, so who knows what will come of him. Thompson is getting more time and he has a little ground to make up but seems a capable passer and a hustler with a knack for rebounding. Forester has been getting more time than the others as of late (until Race became availabile). Fitzner finally had a game where he made a significant impact (although, he’s not the “younger bigs” referenced by Forrester’s dad). Smith sat a lot (part of this is due to Thompson and Davis becoming available, but is likely more than that). Demezi might be willing to give next year a shot after some off-season improvements, but it depends on how he’s mentally handling a much smaller role than he’s used to. Who knows what will come of all this? It seems like we might have APR issues early on in Archie’s tenure.

Jordan Bohannon disgusts me. With that said, Morgan finished with 15 points bringing his total to 1,237 career points. This leaves him 3 points shy of Dick Van Arsdale.

Outside of Bob Huggins being there a couple times and a couple other schools visiting 2-3 times, who else was in on him so much earlier that you believe Indiana is likely too late? I’m only asking because from what I have read McNeil has only visited a couple schools and he’s had only a couple visitors who have come more than once. You may be right, but I think if anything he’s showing mutual interest in a couple schools because they have showed more interest and that interest came a little earlier. It’s natural for an early suitor to gain a bit of loyalty, but things often change in a hurry when a school like Colorado State is a kid’s primary suitor but then other bigger fish come to see him and begin expressing interest. He may have already found his desired place, and if that’s the case, then you’re right. I haven't found enough info on this kid to come to that conclusion though.

They may have played harder last night than usual with it being their senior night, but they did have a couple decent players and some shooters. I run in that gym at different times of the day and number 5 and number 23 (their two senior captains) are in that gym every morning and most evenings in the off-season. A friend of mine said #23 broke his leg his freshman year and was never as good as people expected, but he and #5 are gym rats for sure.

Thanks, and welcome to Btownbanners!

Perhaps this explains why I’ve yet to see Smith (with his record-breaking vertical) win a jump ball, yet I believe Indiana has gained the possession to start the game each time Davis (viewed by many as not athletic) has jumped. I’ve been wondering how he hasn’t won any jump balls for Indiana. I realize it’s as much about timing as anything and Davis has a few inches on Smith (as do most of Indiana’s opponents in jump ball situations). Still...

I agree, Old Fart. Thanks for pointing that out. My brother said the same thing last night and then on the next possession he did exactly that...faked and drove left, then made an excellent pass from the lane or scored (forget now). You're absolutely right, though. It was very rare to see him go left...he certainly favors going right and needs to mix it up.

MY FIRST IN-PERSON LOOK AT BROWN (my overall experience and semi-amateurish evaluation): My brother made his way to Muncie to join me for tonight's game (see his evaluation above RCS29). Rather than endure the inevitably horrific junior varsity matchup, he and I went to Elm Street Brewing Company (a lovely gem in Muncie for serious micro-brew connoisseurs). After a couple beers we headed into the Ball Gymnasium building and I stopped to lower my alcohol level. While there in a crowded men's room, it was immediately clear people had come from different places to catch a glimpse (in many cases, not their first) of the 16-year old basketball star currently living in a tiny town in Indiana. One man, a proud resident of Hartford City, approached me and said, "People don't understand the impact this kid has on our small town. People are coming out in droves to watch games played by a team that before his arrival won only one game in 70. He has brought life to Hartford City." Another man, when asked if he was there as a fan of Muncie Burris or Blackford, responded with, "I could care less who wins. I'm from Cowan. I'm just here to watch a teenager score a bunch more points than anyone else ever has." I then entered the court to a full house. On my way up the stands I noticed a sign on the front row marked, "reserved for James Whitford" (Ball State's head coach) and then noticed him sitting there. I found a bleacher spot in the small gym next to my good friend, a philosophy of sports professor at BSU who was joined by other faculty members and a Ball State coach from an unrelated sport. My friend mentioned he saw who looked to be a Purdue scout, possibly a Matt Painter look-alike or his brother in full Purdue garb. We settled in. As the players were warming up it was quickly noted Brown's shooting stroke was pure and consistent. He drained 5 shots in a row from near half court before the 6th bounced off another player's shot. Brown moved to another location where he continued to find nothing but nylon. At the start of the game Brown was guarded by one of Burris' senior captains, listed as 6'4" with a lot of length in his arms. That matchup would soon turn to double teams as Brown easily jab stepped and crossed over his opposition with ease. Okay...I'll just get to it. My observations and what stood out to me most: (NOTE: my stats may be a bit off) 1. More important than anything I witnessed, it was absolutely clear he was a team-first player. He was far more excited after every assist than he was from scoring...becoming pumped up for his team (throwing up his hands and/or slamming his fist up and down in the air and hollering). I counted 9 assists for the game, but it could easily have been 15 or more had his teammates been capable to drain open shots where Brown made no-look passes that left them with no Burris player within 7-10 feet of them. For a 36-38 ppg scorer he was as unselfish a player as you'll find. He had one teammate who had a pretty shot (Stroble), but outside of that he is very limited with options. Still, I believe he had 9 assists. 2. His court vision is superb and seemingly on another level for a kid his age. He saw the entire court at all times on offense. He didn't make any poor shots and was very capable of breaking down the defense on his own and scoring or finding open teammates. 3. He may not be the most athletic of players and he needs to gain a lot of strength, but he didn't back down and was extremely quick on his feet. He is much faster than I anticipated. 4. His defense was suspect at times, possibly from helping out too much and jumping passing lanes prematurely, but I believe he is very teachable in this respect. For the record, I lowered my alcohol level at half-time too and heard people talking about how his coach wants him to back off and remain out of foul trouble. As my brother pointed out, this could be a sign of weakness the coach recognizes (can he not play good defense without fouling) or it could be that the coach knows they have little chance of victory without him in the game for the full duration. Again, though, I don't see him incapable of playing defense as he is much quicker than I imagined he would be. With a basketball IQ that seems miles ahead of players in his age range, I think some additional bulk and some freedom to play defense could greatly improve his only weakness I witnessed. For the record, he did make at least two very sweet on-ball steals where he left the player wondering what happened. He also jumped a passing lane once or twice. 5. High basketball IQ. For example, he faked a pass coming to him from a teammate which made his defender completely bite and left Brown wide open to drive (the teammate didn't find him for an open layup). 6. His ability to score is obvious. In the third quarter, the game was stopped briefly to announce that Brown (in less than one and a half seasons) had broken the school scoring record as a sophomore with a limited freshman season. To go back to my first and most promising observation, when he stopped to be handed the ball and to be recognized for his record-breaking moment, he barely paused long enough to have a picture taken before he tossed the ball out of his way and immediately ran to his teammates and started giving instructions. He is a floor general in the grandest sense, even before he is a scorer...always looking to pass when possible, but obviously unafraid to score at will...albeit, a general of a less-than-ideal army of teammates. 7. He had very few turnovers and a whole lot of passes that made the crowd ooh and ahh. I had him for two turnovers. If my stats are correct, that's 9 assists to 2 turnovers (and as noted before, he left teammates with "shootaround" shots with no defenders that they didn't bury). 8. I had him for 34 points. And as I said before, he didn't take any hero shots or ill-advised shots. He missed a couple he probably makes most games, but he didn't have too many misses. 9. I will finish not by saying Archie needs to offer now, but by reiterating a sentiment I've made in the past on this thread. God help Indiana University if he chooses to play at Purdue.

UNC basketball won a national championship shortly after multiple athletes from multiple sports were caught red-handed with transcripts (in their red hands) listing nonexistent courses. Maybe I just don’t understand the whole APR thing either, bigrod?

I should have read this thread first today.

I, too, see so much potential (and possible value) in Smith...which is largely why I become so frustrated with him at times. He has areas he needs to improve on, none more so than giving full effort at all times and championing a better attitude, but he has a knack for rebounding and can be a great defender when willing.

Thanks. This helps answer questions I made in my previous post.

I agree to an extent, but I also realize the team has not been healthy all year (Davis was cleared to play only recently and is fighting back into the rotation, but I would absolutely like to see him used more). Langford is being "forced" to do things he's not comfortable or effective at because of the defensive schemes presented to him by opposing teams (and at times he likes to stand around), but I would like to see less of Romeo creating for himself and more team offensive plans to free him to drive into the lane (which is hard to do when the lane is clogged and the outside shooting is below par). Romeo is also quite good at coughing up the ball, which is something many don't nag on him about. Morgan plays wherever and however he's needed, (usually) quite effectively, although I wish like hell they would feed him in the paint WAY more than they do (he's a lethal weapon under the basket, but he's too often hanging around the top of the key or starving for the ball underneath with no feeding). What puzzles me is if Smith and Green are as cancerous as everyone claims, then why are they still playing a large percentage of minutes? And, to take it a step farther, if they are that cancerous then why are they even on the team? Yes, injuries have made it almost a necessity to keep them (and the bench doesn't have much experienced talent to back them up), but still...it puzzles me a bit. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the first step is to try to kill the cancerous cells off.

I agree. I would say Brown’s range is as deep if not deeper and he is quite the passer. Ive not seen much of McNeil’s passing game to compare. And, you’re right...Brown cannot dunk. Ha! McNeil would be here next year though, whereas Brown is a sophomore in high school and cannot make any impact for IU over the next two seasons. IU needs a shooter today, or ASAP. McNeil, from the little I read, seems to be a physically tough kid who has good size and who can shoot. I wonder what the coaching staff thinks of him. As for the JUCO route (IU Hoosiers 41), I read he wasn’t confident he was ready for college. When he left Bellarmine (which he now regrets) classes were in session. Then, I believe he sat out one year. I would guess this would leave him with fewer choices than your typical high school senior or transfer player. I’m not sure though. He said he felt out of place at Bellarmine and it didn’t seem like a good fit at the time, but upon arriving at Sinclair he felt the opposite (maybe because he was a year older and more mentally mature or maybe he felt the academics and/or competition level was more comfortable?) I too wonder where the lack of confidence stemmed from to leave school in the first place, but I also wonder if it was just a gut feeling that where he was just wasn’t right. He would have been 18, so who knows?

You're welcome. I should have more specifically stated my question. He received a scholarship from Bellarmine and enrolled in classes, but left before the season started. Does the fact he accepted the scholarship (even though he didn't play) change his eligibility? It shouldn't, I don't believe, if he never played a game. I may be wrong though. Those saying we got in late are right, and there are a lot of schools expressing interest (West Virginia, Virginia, Dayton, and others), but most (if not all) have just recently began to show interest. I don't think anyone is much later than any others.

He did, but he never played a game. So, does the fact he was on the roster of Bellarmine (before season started) effect his eligibility?

Chris007, would he only be eligible for two years? He is technically only a freshman on basketball eligibility.

Agreed. Sorry to ask about him in the Keion thread (someone had mentioned him on that thread so I brought up questions). Thanks for starting this.

Morgan scores 9 points and grabs 11 rebounds. He passes Tom Coverdale and Steve Downing to move into 35th all time with 1,222 points. Haarms went over Juwan’s back for the game winner and no foul called.

It’s been a trying year for your dog, then. Poor thing.

Sean McNeil... Does anyone know what level of interest Indiana has in him? Tough kid who can score at will and bury threes all game long. He grew up in Union, Kentucky which is outside Cincinnati. I know West Virginia is hot on his trail and Huggins coached at UC. He’s also getting interest from Louisville (which is the same town where his first school, Bellarmine, is) and Dayton (where his current school, Sinclair, is). Even UK has been in contact with him, as has a ton of other schools. Does a JUCO player have to sit out a year if they leave after one year, or is he immediately available? Indiana could sure use a pure shooter, and this kid certainly fits that role well. I’m over the whole KBJ recruitment. On to something perhaps more probable, I guess. Anyone know anything more about the basketball future of Jerome Hunter? That could help ease the sting of this, I believe.

Wise words from you, good man. Fortunately, your wise words are only needed to protect me from my own words and the words of others. All we have here are words. No one knows.

I’m going out on a limb here (a relatively sturdy limb, mind you) with absolutely no sources and saying Brooks will be at Indiana. I will claim to know (yet, only wishfully believe) he has taken a trip to Lexington to see a fantastic matchup and watch (as a sea of blue “watches him”) Kentucky knock off the number one team in the country. The knowledge that he’s perhaps the top dog (only now after a few strikes on other recruits Wildcat fans preferred) on Kentucky’s watchlist to become a cat, he sees a perfect opportunity to buid his brand on ESPN (let’s not pretend the Romeo saga wasn’t in part because it helped bring his name up again and again and flash a spotlight on him). So, KBJ’s there, knowing it’s the one and done capital of the world, yet he’s also very much aware that TJD and Franklin have all the love waiting on him. TJD, as it turns out, was the first to know after KBJ and has played along pretending to be persuading him. Or, he goes to Kentucky. Unless it’s true and he has agreed to play at Depauw on an intramural team. That, too, is a possibility...although, I might willingly go farther out on a more fragile limb to say he won’t be attending Depauw.