Blue 2 Green

What am I missing about Blake Harper? His numbers are pretty comparable to Elyjah Freeman's at a little higher usage and against division I athletes. Still, he doesn't seem to be getting a lot of interest from high majors. Being from D.C. I would've thought he would have been one of Kenny Johnson's first calls and even more so after Freeman chose Auburn. Harper may not have Freeman's athleticism but he has grown five inches in less than two years and might need more time to get used to his frame in order to reach his ceiling. He might even still be growing. DeVries' old boss got him to visit Omaha so playing close to home might not be the deal breaker it was once thought to be. Anyone?

The family probably wants him to go wherever Mamadou N’Diaye is. Maybe the situation is fluid. Steven Reynolds was headed to Western Michigan until he wasn't. Poach the coach - would the player follow? Connect the dots and it's a little surprising that auburn wasn't the move here.

I'm not familiar with them but someone is convincing kids to give Dawkins a shot. Orlando is nice but that program is pumping blood. It might just be NIL - supposedly Jaylin Sellers got $500k two years ago. That was before inflation hit.

Enlighten me. I'm only somewhat familiar with Mamadou N’Diaye, who was on that staff 24 hours ago.

He's also taller and is more advanced offensively and playing up a year. Hitting more than half of his free throws and weighing more than 200lbs is also a bonus. This young man has tremendous upside! It seems as though DeVries is still sorting out what will be one of the largest coaching staffs in college basketball - maybe he could find a spot for Mamadou N’Diaye to come and take over Kenya Hunter's responsibilities working with the bigs. Between him and Drew Adams IU could probably have first shot at any A-HOPE type prospects. I agree with you about Maker, but Thiam is the unicorn.

If he can fit into what DeVries wants to do and would be a good teammate, he might be the player you break the bank for. He probably needs at least two more years in college for development so he could stick around for more than a season.

Moustapha Thiam?

This was just a matter of time. Is there any room left on our staff for Mamadou N’Diaye?

Speaking of his time at Washington State, maybe if Rice stays he and Joseph Yesufu can reach out to Oscar Cluff and put in a good word for IU and Coach DeVries respectively. If Myles could get Oscar to Bloomington he might justify whatever he got paid last year.

Please try to show Scott Drew a little grace. It must have been a little chilly there in the shadow of such a paragon of Christian virtue as Dave Bliss. For all we know he may have been led to believe that as long as he didn't hand out extra benefits or sign any murderers he would be given a free hand in recruiting. Of course murder, even more so than extra benefits, is kind of a big deal in Texas. I think you also need to remember that in Texas getting someone deported isn't considered as "unsporting" as it might be in the Hoosier state. Now that NIL compensation and the NCAA's new revenue-sharing plan have provided so much financial latitude in recruiting, the Baylor job has probably become a lot less inhibiting for Drew. IU fans are naturally biased, but with all of its rules and restrictions and considerable distance from the border I don't see how the Indiana job would be all that attractive to him. Unless Dolson is willing to allow some wiggle room when it comes to signing murderers I just don't think he would see it as a step up.

The IU search committee nearly pulled it off in 2001.

There are three people under 50 who have coached men's Final Four teams. There are quite a few people who have coached Final Four teams (when they were) under the age of 50. Translation: It is difficult to coach a team to a Final Four and often takes years to accomplish (and at higher profile schools than Butler, VCU, or FAU).

Correct. Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart, and Dusty May. It's an arbitrary piece of trivia but perhaps not insignificant.

Chris Beard and Tom Crean do not fit the criteria.

Here's a question: How many people are there below the age of 50 who served as head coach of an NCAA men's basketball team that appeared in a Final Four? Never mind, the answer is three. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Can you name them? Bonus question: And this is just a question. Not directed at anyone, but an honest question. How much of a role do you suppose financial or material inducements (NIL, cars, houses, a tractor) played in building those final four rosters?