AH1971

You just can’t help yourself. No, that isn’t the optics here. Having a full staff in place when the portal opened (along with an increased NIL budget) has certainly helped. No clue how much of a role the new GM has played, but several of our incoming players have ties to the staff.

Dorn as the shooter off the bench yes, the two Euros no. Would mean next years roster lacked an experienced and experienced ball handler off the bench.

Ball handler and shooter. He’s more versatile than Harris or Mustaf offensively. Could very well be a 6th man. Agree it would be a tough sell, he’s got decent suitors.

They’d have to be impact guys who could contribute right away. We still need to add 2 reliable players to the rotation. You can probably stash/redshirt Karvala and Manhertz next year, but I don’t want to see a Ristic and/or an Acimovic added to that bunch.

If the staff could somehow pull Gavin Sykes that would be insane. Price tag would have to be huge as he’d be passing up a star role at other places.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/zion-sensley-1.html You’ve described Zion Sensley to a T. Not much chatter about him anywhere which surprises me. Really good athlete that shoots it well. Insane rebounding numbers for his position.

Call me crazy but I think these next 2-3 spots are going to be the hardest to fill and honestly these next 2-3 spots probably define IU’s ceiling next year. 1. starting lineup/6th man is pretty much set to the point of formality. There’s not major minutes or definitive roles left to sell. 2. Lack of current culture/identity. This isn’t Duke or UConn where you can sell your program as a perennial winner with the chance to be a part of a title contending team. How well can this staff sell the 7th or 8th man roles for a virtually unknown team? 3. $$$. I think most of us are realizing that IU’s budget was a lot larger than it was expected to be. But it’s still finite to a degree. Is there enough left in the tank to convince the right guys for points 1-2? Time will tell, eager to see what the staff has in store.

Lindsay going to be hard to keep out of the starting lineup. He’s a secondary ball-handler and a much more proven shooter than either Harris or Mustaf.

I think Lindsay is a serviceable back up PG. I don’t see Burton coming off the floor much. Sykes is another combo guard as well. We definitely need an athletic forward with some size and a shooter.

I think you’re going to start seeing a trend of teams going with double big lineups. He would have been fine guarding Morez, TKR, Mirkovic, Kohler, etc last year…basically every good team in conference last year had a big 4 man. He might struggle against 4 guard line up, but remember, they have to guard him too.

Christian Reeves College of Charleston. Was CAA 1st team all-conference and all-defense, actually started ahead of Chol Machot who is going to get some pretty big offers this season. He's big, 7'1 255. Averaged 11 and 8 in 20 minutes this year, previously played at Duke and Clemson where he couldn't get off the bench. No clue what he's going to command but he's a backup at the P5 level.

Samet and Sherrell are going to play together. Still need a backup big, Samet fouls a ton. There will be rotations where Sherrell is the 5.

Double big lineup was never the issue under Woodson. Lack of guard play however, woof.

Yes. Both Samet and Sherrell played in demonstrably faster paced offenses last year than we did. They can play in tempo if DeVries decides he wants to push the pace.

Assuming Sherrell is the next add, the moves by DeVries and staff to upgrade the roster positionally in terms of talent and size deserves an A+. Not only impressed but thoroughly shocked. Do think we need to pivot to some shooters. I’m not sold on Mustaf and Harris ability to shoot consistently from the perimeter, and if the plan is to play Sherrell and Samet together, we’re going to need some snipers. Jake Hall would immediately become my #1 priority.

I know they are but if they didn’t want to pay for Sherrell not sure they’re getting Thiam either. Read they were trying to get a visit from this kid and the kid from Charlotte.

Michigan State was pivoting to this kid. Do they get Sherrell now? What in the world is going on lol.

I think it's exactly that, he's waiting for another program to make an offer. Hopefully our offer is to good for another team to even entertain. Sherrell not even visiting MSU tells me we offered a ton.

Yeah don't like that

Really need a commitment today out of Sherrell

Has it? Committed to Pitino at Iona (was Walter Clayton’s backup his freshman season), followed Pitino to St. John’s where he got hurt and subsequently burried on the depth chart, and then moved cross town to Hofstra where he lit up CAA the last 2 years. I like his teammate Preston Edmead more, but I don’t see anything terribly wrong with his trajectory. Only thing odd is a Dallas kid playing for 3 different Long Island schools.

Yes. Need multiple big bodies, and ones that can play along side each other. Florida two years ago and Michigan this past season shows where this sport is heading. Sherrell would be a tremendous piece but only a start. Sherrell with 4 guards or an unathletic, undersized forward like Tucker would really lower the ceiling for next years team. Need to start stacking bigs.

That's just modern analytical offense; 3's and/or quick dunks/layups. No mid-range. Mara and Morez Johnson both took 75% of their shots at the rim last year but their 2 big system worked because Johnson could guard out to the perimeter defensively. Sherrell is a pick and pop/dive to the rim in the half court and a trail shooter on the break. Sherrell could absolutely be a 4 offensively if the other big is athletic enough to switch out on the perimeter defensively. Probably a tall ask for somebody like Reibe, bit would definitely work if paired with someone like Fru or Machot.

Offensively he can play with another big. He's a pick and pop guy in the half court and a trail shooter on the break.

I think there is some truth to Izzo. Look at MSU's portal hauls the last few years. They aren't out signing bag chasing players. Izzo still heavily recruits and develops through the high school ranks. To my knowledge they've never really signed any elite or top heavy players out of the portal going on the last few years, they supplement and add complimentary pieces.. Doesn't mean he won't sign Sherrell, but if Sherrell takes his IU offer to MSU, then MSU's offer back to IU to counter to start a bidding war, I could easily see Izzo saying "screw this". He's still one of the few coaches very receptive to NIL.