Rusty Shackleford

This is hilarious. I cancelled my subscription a few weeks ago but it was easy to tell that people were getting very restless and borderline angry about Rabby’s lack of insight on this search.

I’ll let Stuhoo take it from here.

CurryHicksSage: doesn’t think it going to be Otz or Beard. He’s really stumped. Speaks to how tight IU has been on info this cycle. Although as others have said, he’s not necessarily one who would be first to know for IU info.

CurryHicksSage: expects Chris Collins to move on finally from NW. In the mix at Villanova, UVA, and IU. Not definitive at all. Just conjecture at this stage.

Right. One thing I like about him is how transparent he is about what he knows vs what he’s guessing at vs his own opinions.

He’s very plugged into low and mid-major coaching info. Might have some IU related stuff tonight. Might not.

Yep. I’ll be listening tonight. Will pass along what I hear if nobody else does.

I admire your commitment.

Boy, you guys really hate salespeople, huh? I just passed along what a twitter guy said about a coach needing to be like a salesman and all of a sudden it's "snake oil", "used car", and "schmoozer". The point is to communicate that at an IU level job, there are a lot of varied interest groups that need to be kept happy and a coach who wants to and can do that is more likely to succeed. Adding my 2 cents, I think this is the aspect of the job that Crean wore people out on and where Archie dramatically failed. Not the only aspect...but not a small part of it either.

That kid is a bucket. Period.

I think it's less snake oil used car salesman and more the ability to interact with and keep happy a lot of different groups of people (administration, donors/boosters, AAU & HS coaches, player's handlers, grassroots fans, etc.) That's required at an IU level job much more than at lower levels. The IU job done well can make the coach the face of the state, not just the basketball team. So, I think that's what he was saying by sales/politician.

100% agree. This is get it right time. Or risk losing the levels of fan, booster, and donor support that are keeping this program on life support. But I don't need to tell this group. We all know. Edited to say that the levels of success we all aspire to are what's likely on life support. I don't think IU will ever be less than a mid-pack B1G team. But the window to return to long-term national relevance is closing fast.

These are the things we as fans just can't know. McCollum could certainly grow into the job. It's possible. Or it's Archie, who was physically incapable of handling everything that comes with being IU's coach. It looked like it was hurting him at times.

Me too. It's gone from exciting to fun to tedious over the past month. Hoping for my own sanity that it whips around to being fun again before it's all said and done, like a coaching search second wind.

I think It's mostly due to charging for the same info available everywhere else and linking up so closely with the HH idiots.

It's my pleasure. I thought so too. I really like McCollum as a coach but wonder if his personality fits the job at this stage in his career.

Has anybody else been following CurryHicksSage on twitter? He's been hosting hours long coaching search season spaces every couple of nights. He's definitely plugged in, especially when it comes to low and mid major jobs. Very, very interesting to listen to. I'll try to summarize what he's said that pertains to IU. He's definitely getting info from the agent and search firm side of things. He's very transparent about where his sources come from and how reliable they may or may not be and is open about the fact that some people may be using him to plant smokescreens/disinfo. 1. On Friday and again last night he said the 2 names he's been hearing most related to the IU search are Brownell and McCollum. This could just be agents pushing things or where the search firm is on the vetting list. 2. On Brownell: he says according to a coach who worked with Brownell, he has one of the largest playbooks in D1 and it takes his teams forever to learn his offense. So in his opinion, he doesn't expect IU admin or fans to have the patience for a 3-4 year implementation plus the inevitable portal turnover setting things back. He doesn't see Brownell as a very good fit for IU. 3. On McCollum: He's an enormous fan of the guy and has been advocating for him for a few years now. Says McCollum is a pure ball coach -- "savant" level. But he makes a very compelling argument that the higher you go up the coaching ladder, the less the X's and O's matter. Still matters, but upper level jobs require coaches to be so much more than just ball coaches. And he points out that especially at Indiana, you have to be a politician/salesman as well. So he doesn't think McCollum is a good fit for IU either. Also notes McCollum was very careful about selecting which D1 job to step into and doesn't expect him to jump right to an IU level job. Notes that moving from Drake to IU is a much bigger step than moving from D2 to Drake. 4. His opinion is that IU should go after Wade but he doesn't think he'll be an option because IU wants a "clean" hire. Thinks Wade ends up at NC State. Take it all with a grain of salt but the info lines up with what other sources have said this past week but moreover, the analysis is spot on, IMO. Personally, I'm on the Brad train until it derails but I wanted to share this info since it's out there and like I said, this guy seems very connected.

I totally understand where you're coming from but I think there's something to be said for the whole "winners win" line of thinking. He wins...a lot. Not my first, second, or third choice but would definitely give him a shot to show what he can do at this level. I'm also really impressed with how well he spoken of by other coaches. Big "your favorite coach's favorite coach" vibes.

We're so fortunate to be blessed with your legal opinions. Thanks for your outstanding contributions and not at all obnoxious tone,

It's wild because he burned bridges with a lot of the fanbase, too. At least those paying close enough attention to know who the program beat writers/reporters are. I'll never understand what he was thinking with his behavior and ties to HH. His community has become so insular. It's a shrinking ecosystem dependent on everyone there viewing Rabjohns as some kind of all-knowing source who deigns to provide them with "tidbits" and "chatter" as he sees fit. So, so bizarre. Almost cultish.

Hahahaha

At the very least, it's nice of him to give such a close time so we can all get back to work once it's done. A really considerate troll, if that's the case. Legend.

I want to live in a world where Rabby posts a Brad-less hot board 10 minutes before news breaks we've hired Brad.

This is the insanity I come here for. Outstanding entertainment. I'm pulling for you, Issac.

Likely only after signing NLI and/or enrolled, right? Surely a verbal commitment to a past coach doesn’t entitle a recruit to a scholarship.