go iu bb

A good watch.

Sam West to the portal.

Double whammy for UK. Oweh just declared for the draft. He is keeping his eligibility so he might be back but I imagine possibly losing him and missing on Wilkerson in the same day isn't making UK fans very happy. Too bad, so sad.

It's looking like UCLA but probably for less than he was going to get at UT, possibly substantially less . Oops.

I thought one of the knocks on his game is that he has typically played lax on defense, mainly to save energy as we was the guy that had to do a ton on offense. It looks like he has the tools to be better than he has been on defense and in his interview today realizes he can definitely improve in this area.

Rabby says Drew Adams deserves a lot of credit for this recruitment.

I think Trevor Andershock said he talked to someone in Lewis' camp and it looks like IU isn't in the mix.

Idk, maybe. If he's a recruiting coach (unlike Bargen), then he could be to get some recruiting connections to Texas which tends to produce some nice talent. DeVries: Midwest (IA in particular) Norton: Midwest (IA? IL?) Adams: Midwest (IN in particular) Johnson: DMV Bailey: Texas It's just a rumor and he obviously hasn't been hired yet. If IU does hire him, I hope it's because he's a good assistant coach and not just to land Wilkerson for a year. Wilkerson is a good player but I don't know about that good.

Yes. If IU lands Conerway, I hope he's the last with just 1 year left. I think we'll add 4 more portal (including him) and a couple of freshmen. Just a guess, though.

Yes, Conerway has only 1 year. He was JUCO, I believe.

I haven't watched them play, so I don't really have a preference based on that. I'd be happy with either from their stats. Probably an edge in preference for Conerway. Conerway averages 2.5 steals per game. Was also a conference POY. Much higher PER than Mack. Mack has more eligibility left and is a slightly better shooter from 3 and the FT line. Looks like he might not be as good of a finisher around the rim as Conerway.

It's been quiet but as far as I know we're still in the running from Elyjah Freeman. If (big IF) we land him, it would be against some big time schools too. He's visited IU and Auburn and will be visiting Tennessee tomorrow.

Rabby says there is a rumor that IU is looking at Sam Houston's Justin Bailey. Andershock mentioned there was another ask in the Wilkerson recruitment. I wonder if this was it. https://gobearkats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/justin-bailey/1337

Hopefully, some of them will have multiple years of eligibility left. I know there is a need to win immediately but we also don't want a total rebuild again next year. I think maybe another 4 players from the transfer portal and a couple more freshmen will be what it ends up being. It's nice seeing some of the names being mentioned now do have multiple years left.

CDD flew out to see him today. CDD sold him on helping bring IU back vs being just another guy at UK. He's a gym rat. First big purchase will be something for his mom. Very likeable dude. Edit: Watched it again and I missed this the first time. He admits he can get better on defense.

We can officially field a team. Big day!

We're getting sucked into space!?

Dude, you're missing the point. No one is saying that players don't benefit from the brand of the school, they obviously do. The point, however, is that without the players they've had in the past and even the current players, the brand of the school isn't as strong. Duke has a strong brand because they've won a lot of games in their history. Why? Because they had a lot of good players so the past players have built it up. What if Duke went 0-31 this year, would has personal brand be as strong? Very unlikely, so even the current players matter. There's a feedback loop. Good players win games -> Brand increases -> Get more good players -> Good players win games Why do the Indiana Mad Ants have a inferior brand? Because the good players are in the NBA.

To add on to this: it's a cycle. Attracting better coaching and talent leads to more success, which results in more fan interest and, therefore, more money coming in. Which means they can get even better talent and on and on. Established examples: Duke, UK, Kansas Newer examples: UConn, Alabama

They still made the FF and had a chance at the NC. The fans/boosters probably look at it as they got robbed. If it truly was championship or bust, Scheyer's seat would be at least warm. It isn't. Those boosters aren't going to withhold funding, either. So I disagree, I think they probably still believe it was a good investment.

Would you say that fan engagement is the same as what it was 30 years ago? 20? 10? I wouldn't. Why is that? It's because the program hasn't had much success in that timeframe, certainly not consistent success. That was due to bad coaching hires which lead to bad teams, often comprised of bad players. Coaching matters. Players matter.

Time for this or still too early?

Much of that $4.8M came from fans, mostly very rich fans. They're not trying to make money on him, they're trying to win games and possibly a championship. Is he worth that much to the fans that are paying? Yes, since that is what he got paid. Was it a good investment? Yes, unless the mindset was championship or bust. The rest that didn't come from fans was from companies. They got good visibility (I know I saw his lame commercials many times during the NCAAT). Probably worth it to them.

No, you need to sign up for 247 then you get Paramount+. It doesn't work the other way. I had to make a new Paramount+ account. Also, you can't be on a promotional deal for 247. The Paramount+ plan you get is the one with Showtime. Normally $12.99/month so it actually saves money since 247 is only $9.95. That's the main reason I have it, being able to see the premium 247 stuff is just a bonus to me.

Rabby just posted that Wilkerson will choose by the end of the week between IU and UK and it's a toss up. Conerway will also choose by the end of the week but it could be today. IU is in a good spot.