Kentuckysucks

Of the realistic hires...Beard, McCollum, and Schertz. Those were the 3 names most people would've been okay with and I scour all the message boards and Twitter. Obviously Stevens, Otz, Lloyd, etc would've all been grand slams but obviously were never happening. That's been the problem for 26 years. The administration refuses to give the fans what they want. And we are what matters.

I do think DeVries needs to make a splash somehow someway. Land a player that is pure boxoffice like a Zeller, Gordon, Romeo, TJD, etc. The fans didn't like this hire and year 1 was pretty bad. Will be hard to get fan buy in without a guy like that. He could just win but that may be difficult with fan apathy and a half empty AH.

Big get for them.

We want an athletic department that is willing and capable of identifying and hiring good basketball coaches. That's it along with good resources which we have.

Gemini says anything short of a 2 seed next year will be an epic fail with around $13M With **$13M in NIL**, Indiana would be wielding one of the largest war chests in the history of college basketball. To put that in perspective, top-tier "Buy-a-Final-Four" rosters in 2024–2025 were estimated to cost between **$4M and $8M**. With $13M, you aren't just building a tournament team; you are essentially building an **NBA G-League All-Star roster** capable of being a preseason #1. Here is the caliber of team IU could assemble with that budget, keeping **Trent Sisley** and **Nick Dorn** as your "retention" foundation alongside three incoming freshmen. ## 1. The Roster Construction (The "$13M Blueprint") Since you are only keeping two guys and bringing in three freshmen, you have **8 scholarship spots** to fill via the Transfer Portal. With $13M, you can afford the "best in class" at every single position. ### The Starting Five (Portal Heavy) ***PG: Elite Tier-1 Transfer ($2M - $2.5M):** You go after a multi-year starter from a Power 4 school or a mid-major superstar (think the next Mark Sears or Tyler Kolek). This is a "First Team All-American" caliber floor general. ***SG: Nick Dorn (Retained):** Dorn provides elite spacing. In this $13M lineup, he’s your "specialist" starter or high-minute 6th man. ***SF: Blue-Chip Wing Transfer ($2M):** A 6'7" NBA prospect who can create his own shot. ***PF: Trent Sisley (Retained):** After a developmental freshman year, Sisley slots in as a versatile, high-IQ "stretch 4." ***C: Elite Rim Protector ($2.5M - $3M):** You outbid everyone for the best center in the portal—someone who changes the geometry of the defense and averages a double-double. ### The Bench (The "Luxury" Depth) **The 3 Freshmen:** You likely have high-four-star or five-star talent here. They provide the energy and future-proofing, but they don't *have* to carry the load immediately. **3 Premium Portal Vets ($3M total):** You spend $1M each on a backup point guard, a defensive stopper, and a backup "big." Most teams' *starters* cost $1M; yours are coming off the bench. ## 2. What This Caliber Team Achieves With this level of spending, anything less than a **Top 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament** would be considered a massive failure of ROI. **Preseason Ranking:** Consensus Top 5. **Big Ten Outlook:** Clear favorites to win the regular-season title. **NBA Talent:** You would likely have 3–4 players on this roster who will be drafted within two years. **The "Fear Factor":** At $13M, you are effectively "out-portal-ing" Kentucky, Kansas, and Arkansas. You are buying the most efficient players in the country based on advanced analytics (KenPom/EvanMiya). ## 3. The "Sisley & Dorn" Factor Keeping these two is smart for **program culture**. In the age of $13M NIL, rosters often feel like "mercenary groups." Having Sisley (the local Indiana kid with high upside) and Dorn (the proven shooter) provides the continuity fans need to stay connected to the team while the "hired guns" handle the heavy lifting. **The Reality Check:** While $13M is a staggering number, the biggest challenge isn't the money—it's the **chemistry**. Managing the egos of five different transfers who are all being paid like CEOs requires an elite bench coach.

That George lettice guy says DeVries is working Bigunda heavily but will likely be too expensive.

So an Andrew Luck basically.

Valuations have gone up a lot. And I asked ChatGPT last year what $10M would likely buy us. It said a Sweet 16 team lol.

Gonna take $4M imo.

UK and KU could likely both have openings next year. Not impossible that we will too but I think DeVries will do just enough to get a third year.

Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe he retires in September citing unexpected health reasons and slides in his hand picked successor.