JF87

I'm enjoying this game and this team. At the same time, I realize the size and physicality of the Big Ten is going to be a huge challenge.

I'm happy with Coach Devries and our team, but should I be concerned about a lack of enthusiasm from other IU fans for this coach and team? I say this because there did not seem to be anyone there compared to the Bahamas trip a few years ago. I've never been to either location, so maybe the Bahamas is less expensive or possibly the university did not put any packages together for alumni to go to these games. We always had the reputation of "traveling well". Should I be worried about the sparse crowds?

I'm becoming more excited about watching this team play this season. Sure, the roster isn't perfect, but I'm hoping we have a group of players that are more concerned about winning than showcasing their game for the NBA. This squad seems to be deep with shooters which should cover up some of our deficiencies. I want to see a culture and style of play established in year one. Without seeing the team, it is hard to set a win/loss expectation. I'm looking forward to the new roster, but I'm definitely going to miss Reneau and it will be difficult to watch him play elsewhere this year.

In my opinion we need to sign a minority player soon. Just putting myself in a minority players shoes, I would be more comfortable knowing there are other minorities on the roster. That first player is going to have to take a leap of faith.

I'm not worrying about assembling a roster. We'll end up getting 14-15 players. I hope the guys we get fit DeVries style of play. I also hope the players want to be at IU. I'm not interested in a guy just looking for the biggest payday. We just had a roster of those players. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against paying a player market value. I do worry that overpaying a good, but not great, player could negatively affect the locker room.

Can Gignetti's approach work for IU basketball? Would you rather have a non P5 player that started and produced or a former highly ranked kid that got limited minutes at a P5 school?

He didn't play, so he could potentially request a redshirt year.

Chaos is a ladder.

Can someone please repost the link to Tony Adragna's IU portal tracker if you have it handy?

Any word if DeVries freshmen commits from West Virginia are planning on following him to IU?

I haven't seen him play. What position does Tucker Devries play? Is he a stretch 4, a natural 3, or a shooting guard?

Like a raw prospect. He still has a lot of development to do.

That was one thing I noticed about IU's roster this past year. There were no explosive athletes on the roster. We had good players with some good skill sets, but we had no one that could jump out of the gym. Before his injury, Jakai may have been that. Hopefully, CDD will add some explosive athletes. One thing I liked about Crean was that he tried to make a point of adding athletes in his recruiting classes.

I would argue that when you bring in a highly rated 5 star that you have a role and playing time in mind and don't recruit over that player. IU brought in several portal players after Tucker committed. Woodson had no idea of roster construction. He just brought in talent without any clue how the pieces would fit.

I was hoping for Stevens or Dusty May. I'm optimistic about DeVries. He is a huge improvement over Woodson. I think DeVries is a culture builder which IU desperately needs. Unfortunately, there's always going to be a part of me upset that IU didn't cut Woodson loose last year and hire Dusty when the window was open.

There were plenty of players with more talent than Steve Alford who did not make the 1984 Olympic team. Sometimes it is important to have a player that knows the coach, what the coach expects, how he runs practices, and the culture of the program. We have several scholarships to fill. I don't mind overpaying for a player that can bring these intangibles. IU needs to build a culture and a program. I'm fine if Enright is a Leal type player. We don't need a team of all-stars. It's okay to have role players too.

If that happens, we might as well shutter college basketball. Smith needs to graduate as a Boiler.

I wonder is Brian Walsh will end up on the Ohio State staff?

Did I miss Dallas James entering the portal?

LOL! Poor Rabjohns.

Does Goode fit what Devries is looking for? I would think so, but who knows?

I'm happy with DeVries, but watching Dusty coach elsewhere is a punch to the gut. Michigan had a great turnaround this year, won the Big Ten Tournament, makes the Sweet Sixteen and plays a fun style of basketball. The failure by our administration to make the move last year when they needed to may end up being unforgivable. Hoping DeVries has lots of success because we are going to regret holding onto mediocre Mike Woodson if Michigan is the better team over the next 8 years.

He seemed uncomfortable in his opening remarks. I thought he was quite comfortable answering the questions about basketball. Devries was back in his element just talking ball.

I really like Pam Whitten. Great for IU!

I know we were frustrated with our season. However, if Devries thinks he can develop some of our current players, I'm all for keeping them. If they stay, I hope it is to represent IU and play for Devries and not because we offered the most cash.