HoosierHoopster

I tend to agree though with the add that Geronimo's continuing growth / maximizing his potential is at least equally important, he's a beast. Bates has the ability to make a big time jump, and brings a much more diverse game than Kopp. I remain hopeful / optimistic on Galloway, who brings that improve-everyone-around-him game, we do tend to play better as a team and the ball moves better when he's on the floor -- but he also needs to improve his out-of-control baseline drives and his shooting. - Also, in some ways the Galloway / Geronimo discussion reminds me of the old Sheehey / Vic discussions. Galloway has a lot (imo) of Sheehey in his game, the guy other teams don't like/don't want defending them.

That and Langford suffered that hand injury. We'll never know just how good he could have been for IU without that injury, but yeah, that team he joined was flawed

Great addition, great to see him back with the program

How I see it as well. Can't really speak to/think about rankings this early, and not trying to get my own expectations too high given that there are still unknowns and we were a fair stretch away from being a top B1G team last season, but the moves made so far are setting us up well for having a more dynamic offensive team while retaining the top-of-B1G D. We're not going to see a starting lineup with Kopp-Stew. We have a legit 5-star incoming combo/point-guard who already has a college body/strength. We have guys in JG and Bates who look very much poised to have big jumps in their games, and both bring strong 2-way play. Bates just scratched the surface, he could be really, really good this coming season. JG will be a 20-minute plus contributor now and will bring, minimally, top flight rebounding and blocks, front-court D and added scoring, and, at least possibly, increased outside shooting and more athletic perimeter D. Galloway as a junior is going to be nightmare, imo, for opposing scorers. We have the potential for a high level p&r game. We're going to be better if TJD returns, hard to tell yet how we'll be if he doesn't, those would be big shoes to fill, but there's still a lot of firepower on this team with its new additions.

I think we have a legit possibility of better outside shooting from guys on the team. Bates was a frosh, he’s a good shooter and think he’ll show it as a soph. JG has a good outside stroke, would bet on improvement over his 31 percent with more looks. Race grew his shooting towards the end of season.i’m not sure TG will develop a consistent outside shot but if he puts the hand-wrist injuries behind him it should be better. And if we’re running JHS - X (who shot pretty well despite his form) as the backcourt we could finally see some actual inside-out with spacing that will open up the outside game. Hell wr just need to shoot more, not be so dependent on the inside game and raise the volume of our outside shooting and that itself would improve our outside game. All that is to say i see reasons to be optimistic about a better outside game with who we have

Was he the driver? :)

Right. Zero tolerance was just stupid, it was clearly a fail in waiting, but RMK was not going to change, he wasn't going to even agree to anger management classes, and at that point in his career, he was who he was. Loved RMK for many years, and one of the greatest college coaches of all time, but he was out of control at the end.

Agree and just swapping out a 300 for a 200 level team improves SOS

Nice to see you around Fouls

Would add to all this, that the teams make those decisions (when they do) to tell a guy they’ll pick him after individual workouts, they’ve done their homework, and are confident he’s a good fit. There are always scenarios where guys fall unexpectedly in the draft and may be there at the spot offered, but the teams don’t make those promises or assurances lightly, if they do it’s brcause they value the player

Wait, Crean was weird? :)

It really was something of a joke. The phone call violations that the University self-reported, leading to NCAA major infractions (because the NCAA powers that be were furious that Sampson had gotten away from Okla when they were coming down on that program) were no longer a violation the very next year. This was not bags of cash, not fake classes, not buying a car or a house for a family member, this was three-way calls and otherwise impermissible phone calls to recruits. Do you think any other major program would have completely dismantled and destroyed their marquee basketball program over that?? Self-sanctioned leaving the University with not a single scholarship athlete and playing baseball players and walkons?? No way, no way in the world. Yes, it was a joke. A really bad joke. And yes it was controversial, and stupid, that IU hired him knowing of his violations at Okla and the probation the U placed him under, but that doesn't change that the phone calls themselves were exceptionally minor in the grand scheme of things, they were. The program was not screwed up before Sampson, it was undergoing a major transition from firing RMK but it wasn't screwed up. But agree or not on all that, my point was Sampson was and is an exceptional basketball mind and coach, but while the actual infractions were just silly in the grand scheme of things, as it became clear the 'program' under his 'watch' really was a 'lack of institutional control' because of the complete fall off in and disregard of academics, and a growing drug culture (and we lost out on some really good IN players including the older Zeller IIRC because of that), he wasn't going to work out at IU anyway, and -- imo -- as bad as the last decade has been, we'll be better off, hopefully now under Woodson.

Just curb stomp Wisconsin

Yeah, the latter. Love Sampson’s coaching, dude knows how to strategize and the guys play their best for him, but U of H’s standards for player academics and lifestyle differs from IU. Guys under Sampson at IU were failing out and regularly getting into drug issues. Phonegate was a joke, but Sampson wouldn’t have worked out at IU anyway

^^ I tend to think he's coming back to grow his game to climb into the first round, and the NIL money changes the equation, but of course he has several options outside the NBA and/or G League where he can make real money as a pro, practice and play against pros, and/or go undrafted and make an NBA team. Can't really call it at this point imo.

Said it above, and while I do think he has the potential to develop more handle to move into more of a wing role, just like OG did as he progressed in the pros, imo we're getting too caught up in the wing or else discussion. Kopp just isn't at the level the team needs to take the next step, he barely scored, he can't create his own shot, he can't defend slashers, he can't elevate well, he's a catch and shoot spot up shooter, which has real value, but it's not top of the conf competing play value. JG has all the tools, he already rebounds, defends, blocks and yes scores along with the top players on the team, and he will, I think clearly, continue to improve/develop, while Kopp is at his ceiling. Just look at Race after his red-shirt soph year and what he became as a junior and senior. That's what we should (imo) be looking for, not continuing to slot Kopp into the "3" or significant playing time just because he's been there.

broken record lol

Of course, like I said the wing discussion is beaten to death, we've covered that ad nauseum. I don't really care where Geronimo plays so long as he's playing well into 20-plus minutes, and honestly I think that Kopp's minutes should be reduced should be clear. Have said it before, this is not to disparage Kopp, he adds value, but if we want to be competing towards the top of the B1G, that's off the bench in a role player role.

It's a we shall see for sure, but seriously Kopp did almost nothing for the team offensively, and you're glossing over Geronimo's significantly increased playing time by the last few games, and Kopp's reduction in playing time -- UM - Kopp 34 min, JG 19 min Wyoming - Kopp 21, JG 19 (JG 15 points, Kopp 0) St Mary's - Kopp 22, JG 21 (JG 9 points Kopp 0) The wing discussion has been beaten to death. JG needs to play a lot, he's going to be even better, Kopp is not going to be any better. I'm a Bates fan, he can also make a big jump

Kopp scored at the bottom of the team, like 10th, and Geronimo repeatedly showed a pretty solid outside shot. His stroke is good. Kopp adds outside shooting, but he cannot create his own shot, he's a catch and shoot player. We will be much, much better, on both sides of the ball, if Geronimo continues to progress along the lines he's already shown. That progression is up to him, but man he's one thousand times better than having Kopp play extended starting minutes.

Minor point but the NCAA doesn't pass laws, they have rules and regulations which the member schools are required to follow (for "institutional participation"), and their enforcement mechanisms are limited...

2 things I like a lot in his shooting— elevation, and that he creates / shoots off the bounce and on breaks. Looks like a strong scorer in the making at the college level

Right. That’s the crazy thing the “regulation” is all over the place. That needs to change, but the “how” is complicated.

I would be surprised if any IU player went into the portal at this point. Think that would’ve happened already, like with the guys who did early.

Yeah poorly researched story ... but I still see the potential in Bates for the next level. Hoping to see a big frosh to soph jump in him, and will be surprised if we don't. Love tough 2-way players who can score at multiple levels, Bates has that.