IUBB - 2020 Off-Season News

[jk34 1,105]

12 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Feel good story on Adrian Chapman who as an IU senior won a spot as a basketball walk-on and describes himself as “I’m the first ever senior one- and-done.”

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/05/iu-basketball-adrian-chapmans-journey

Love this! Thank you.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Doesn't have anything to do with the current team but the link is to the first of a 2 part Q and A with Collin Hartman.  Some pretty candid comments regarding Luke Fischer's departure and team chemistry problems his freshman year.

https://www.insidethehall.com/2020/05/04/q-a-former-indiana-forward-collin-hartman-part-one/

[LamarCheeks 18,911]

7 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Doesn't have anything to do with the current team but the link is to the first of a 2 part Q and A with Collin Hartman.  Some pretty candid comments regarding Luke Fischer's departure and team chemistry problems his freshman year.

https://www.insidethehall.com/2020/05/04/q-a-former-indiana-forward-collin-hartman-part-one/

Interesting. He essentially calls out the seniors when he was a freshman, but the only significant senior that year was Sheehey. I'm wondering if Will felt sorta abandoned because Watford, Hulls and Elston all graduated and Vic and Cody went pro. He kinda got left behind by all his buddies. It probably was a tough pill to swallow. He went from being the sixth man on a team that was No. 1 most of the season to being the top dog on a team that likely wasn't gonna be very good. He may have basically thought: "I just want to play this final season and get it over with." 

[HoosierAloha 30,068]

Interesting. He essentially calls out the seniors when he was a freshman, but the only significant senior that year was Sheehey. I'm wondering if Will felt sorta abandoned because Watford, Hulls and Elston all graduated and Vic and Cody went pro. He kinda got left behind by all his buddies. It probably was a tough pill to swallow. He went from being the sixth man on a team that was No. 1 most of the season to being the top dog on a team that very likely wasn't gonna be very good. He may have basically thought: "I just want to play this final season and get it over with." 

That seemed to be my take on it during the 2013-2014 season. Sheehey played is villain role perfectly to take the heat off Zeller, Oladipo, Watford, and others.


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[NOLA Hoosier 1,267]

5 hours ago, HoosierAloha said:

That seemed to be my take on it during the 2013-2014 season. Sheehey played is villain role perfectly to take the heat off Zeller, Oladipo, Watford, and others.


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Man I really loved when he’d troll Purdue and flex and just be a scrappy player the other teams probably hated to deal with, a real Nover-type bad guy. We need one of those next season. 

[MikeRoberts 7,004]

Man I really loved when he’d troll Purdue and flex and just be a scrappy player the other teams probably hated to deal with, a real Nover-type bad guy. We need one of those next season. 

He was a great Robin but when it was his turn to be Batman it didn’t work so well


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[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Part 2 of the Q and A with Collin Hartman.

https://www.insidethehall.com/2020/05/05/q-a-former-indiana-forward-collin-hartman-part-two/

[ray 1,570]

21 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Part 2 of the Q and A with Collin Hartman.

https://www.insidethehall.com/2020/05/05/q-a-former-indiana-forward-collin-hartman-part-two/

This was one of my favorite interviews by a former player.  His responses were very mature and honest.  I appreciate his attitude, and without it, he probably never would have followed through with the way his career played out...which I'm sure was nothing like he had hoped for or anticipated.

[Stuhoo 80,774]

26 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Part 2 of the Q and A with Collin Hartman.

https://www.insidethehall.com/2020/05/05/q-a-former-indiana-forward-collin-hartman-part-two/

In my opinion, this article is an absolute MUST read,

especially regarding his thoughts on those critical “fans” who have no idea what they are talking about yet use public forums like Twitter and ... ahem ... message boards to trash 18-21 year old kids.

 

[ebridges24 2,429]

18 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

In my opinion, this article is an absolute MUST read,

especially regarding his thoughts on those critical “fans” who have no idea what they are talking about yet use public forums like Twitter and ... ahem ... message boards to trash 18-21 year old kids.

 

I haven't done it a lot, but I have, Devonte comes to mind right off the bat. It's inane and I don't like that I've done it.

[mdn82 25,510]

Yep. That drove the way we moderated for years. We knew who came on and we wanted to be respectful of that. Unfortunately people feel comfortable saying things about a kid because they aren’t real to them if that makes sense. They are an object on a tv. You best believe, most every player at IU has been on this board or Rivals/Scout/247 at some point over the last 10 years. There is literally no positive they are going to take away from this, only the negative. The athletic office follows these regularly. The family of players follow these. But that is where player bashing rules originated from.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Absolutely nothing but class from Devonte.

 

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,370]

#greenlight


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[yogisballin 2,333]

In my opinion, this article is an absolute MUST read,
especially regarding his thoughts on those critical “fans” who have no idea what they are talking about yet use public forums like Twitter and ... ahem ... message boards to trash 18-21 year old kids.
 

I really enjoyed this article. Thanks to ITH and Hartman


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[Napleshoosier 10,237]

In my opinion, this article is an absolute MUST read,
especially regarding his thoughts on those critical “fans” who have no idea what they are talking about yet use public forums like Twitter and ... ahem ... message boards to trash 18-21 year old kids.
 

Yeah, for sure! Hey guys, no more trashing kids on here. Colin just confirmed that they do in fact read our comments. Just remember that before you say they suck, can’t play or that a kid is all about himself etc. we don’t need to be doing that. How about some positive reinforcement next season.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Alec Lasley's review of our '20 commitments.

https://indiana.rivals.com/news/deep-dive-into-indiana-s-2020-recruiting-class?fbclid=IwAR3MPeIoUGbwo_LYMnPFtZNZiwJ_WdFas5DWwB_YsorfqwFsucW5bVb5SXk

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Arch Miller @Archie_Miller

Today is the last day of spring semester here @IUBloomington!  Congrats to the 2020 class of graduates! Big Shout to @ChefBoyArGreen and @DDavis2016 on Finishing the deal!  Wishing everyone good luck and good health in these unprecedented times with Covid-19 impact!

Cant Thank our Administration and Academic Support Staff enough. The job that was done these last 8 weeks with our players, while separated was incredible. Working remotely and virtually each day wasn’t easy, but everyone got the job done!  @PricelessJoi  is the VERY BEST!

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

From Damezi's hometown newspaper South Bend Tribune:

Driving down the baseline that December day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, former Riley High School standout Damezi Anderson was determined to do something.

Maybe he’d continue on to the basket, get a dunk, get fouled and get a free throw. Maybe he’d eye an open teammate slicing through the lane, buggy-whip him the ball and help get him a bucket. Either way, Anderson was just settling in for Indiana in his first and only game against Notre Dame, his hometown team. Maybe he’d even get a few additional minutes to prove to Hoosiers coach Archie Miller that he deserved more run.

As Anderson closed in on the hoop, decision time arrived — shoot it, pass it, just do something with it. Still unsure, Anderson got caught in the air with nowhere to go. There was no shot attempt. There was no toss to a teammate. Instead, there was a turnover as the Irish headed the other direction.

Miller whirled and turned to his staff with his arms spread and palms up as if to ask, what the $%#@ was that? Miller then called for Jerome Hunter to check in for Anderson.

Next whistle, Anderson meandered off, gathered a few more words from Miller and sat down. He had played a scoreless 4:19 with one missed shot and the turnover. He wouldn’t play the rest of the way in a 62-60 Indiana victory.

Anderson played 21 minutes next time out against Arkansas and 16 the game after that against nationally-ranked Maryland. He’d play at least 10 minutes only once the rest of the season. The snapshot of the scenario that afternoon in Indianapolis underscored his two years in Bloomington.

At a juncture where it was time to sink or swim in big-time college basketball, Anderson simply would tread water. Never good enough to find a real role. Never inconsistent enough to stay buried on the bench. Just kind of … there.

“I felt like the opportunity never was really there for me,” Anderson said Thursday afternoon on why he decided two years at Indiana was enough before transferring to Loyola of Chicago. “I’m not sure why. I felt like the style of play wasn’t for me.”

Even guys like Anderson — a second team All-State selection and ranked the second-best college prospect in the state his senior season at Riley — often have a small window to make a difference at the major college level. It opens slowly and closes quickly. Scramble through it and thrive or get left behind.

Anderson was about to be left behind.

Freshman year was a learning experience. Anderson had to adjust to better athletes, a quicker pace, more intensity, the whole ball game of big-time hoops. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.6 minutes over 21 games. Sophomore year should’ve been different. It was more of the same — a step forward one game, a step back the next.

Anderson averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 18 games. Nine Hoosiers averaged more minutes than Anderson (12.3). With another talented recruiting class headed for Bloomington in the fall, Miller and his staff couldn’t afford to be patient any more with Anderson.

The cameo that day against Notre Dame was a perfect example. Do something and do it soon, or go sit down.

“It was hard,” Anderson said. “I was always able to play through mistakes no matter what. Now, every time you make a mistake you go to the bench. You can’t catch a rhythm.

“That was messing me up.”

Time to reboot

Anderson vowed to not let it mess with his mind. Even after he logged DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) in Indiana’s last seven games, he stayed positive. He’d work harder. He’d play with more confidence. He’d show the stuff that he showed his senior year at Riley when he averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals to first earn a scholarship to play at Indiana.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and hoops went on hold.

Anderson had nothing but time to think about his first two years. About the next two. About how his collegiate career was halfway over and he had little to show for it. About if he wanted to take a risk and possibly waste his final two years being a bit player in a big-time program.

It was time for Anderson to find hoops happiness elsewhere. In late April, he entered the transfer portal, which became a whirlwind world all itself.

Mere minutes after his name hit the portal that Thursday afternoon, college coaches started calling and calling. They seemingly never stopped. Contact came from every hoops angle. Division I schools called. Division II schools made contact. NAIA schools showed interest.

First-year Grand Canyon University coach and former Valparaiso High School standout Bryce Drew was the first to reach out. Dozens of other coaches followed. His phone kept buzzing with texts and phone messages that Anderson eventually went radio silent on everyone — coaches, family members, friends.

Anderson enjoyed the recruiting process when he was in high school Second time? Not so much.

“It got overwhelming to where I didn’t want to deal with it,” he said. “I’m an adult, so when I made the decision to transfer, it was like, ‘OK, I know what I’m looking for. I know what I want. Just go do it. Get it done.’”

A week after announcing transfer plans, Anderson landed at Loyola, a school that went to the 2018 Final Four and has been a haven for transfers seeking fresh starts. Anderson never visited the campus in Rogers Park, nine miles north of downtown Chicago. Everything he saw in virtual tours — Lake Michigan is practically out a campus side door — he liked.

“You know, it’s Chicago,” Anderson said. “It was amazing.”

Anderson will sit out in 2020-21 and have two years of eligibility remaining. At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds with Big Ten experience and a scorer’s mentality, he could be the perfect big guard/small forward matchup problem who thrives in the Missouri Valley.

Moving down a level from the Big Ten could help Anderson bring his game up. Way up.

“He is a long, athletic guard who has a big-time ability to make shots,” Ramblers coach Porter Moser said in a university release.

Anderson’s ready to start anew, but not ready to forget his first two years of college. He’ll keep some of his Indiana practice gear and game gear as a reminder of his first college hoops chapter. Still, it’s time to go to work on the next. That work’s already started.

It was work for Anderson to even make it out of South Bend — “a lot of people don‘t make it where I’m from and I’m going to make sure that happens” — and it will be work for him to better show the skills that allowed him to become the all-time leading scorer (2,210) in St. Joseph County and South Bend history. He’ll spend the coming weeks bettering his game once pickup runs resume at Bethel College. He may go play at LaLumiere in LaPorte. He’ll work on his handles and his shot and his confidence at a park near his house.

Anderson’s chapter at Indiana is closed, but his next hoops story is just beginning. How will it read? Wait and see. But it’s time to get going.

“I’ve got no time to be playing around, no time to be joking,” he said. “It’s all business from here.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

A very special achievement and couldn't be happier for De'Ron.

 

De'Ron Davis @DDavis2016

Why did I just find out I’m the first man in my family to graduate from college.

[LamarCheeks 18,911]

3 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

From Damezi's hometown newspaper South Bend Tribune:

Driving down the baseline that December day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, former Riley High School standout Damezi Anderson was determined to do something.

Maybe he’d continue on to the basket, get a dunk, get fouled and get a free throw. Maybe he’d eye an open teammate slicing through the lane, buggy-whip him the ball and help get him a bucket. Either way, Anderson was just settling in for Indiana in his first and only game against Notre Dame, his hometown team. Maybe he’d even get a few additional minutes to prove to Hoosiers coach Archie Miller that he deserved more run.

As Anderson closed in on the hoop, decision time arrived — shoot it, pass it, just do something with it. Still unsure, Anderson got caught in the air with nowhere to go. There was no shot attempt. There was no toss to a teammate. Instead, there was a turnover as the Irish headed the other direction.

Miller whirled and turned to his staff with his arms spread and palms up as if to ask, what the $%#@ was that? Miller then called for Jerome Hunter to check in for Anderson.

Next whistle, Anderson meandered off, gathered a few more words from Miller and sat down. He had played a scoreless 4:19 with one missed shot and the turnover. He wouldn’t play the rest of the way in a 62-60 Indiana victory.

Anderson played 21 minutes next time out against Arkansas and 16 the game after that against nationally-ranked Maryland. He’d play at least 10 minutes only once the rest of the season. The snapshot of the scenario that afternoon in Indianapolis underscored his two years in Bloomington.

At a juncture where it was time to sink or swim in big-time college basketball, Anderson simply would tread water. Never good enough to find a real role. Never inconsistent enough to stay buried on the bench. Just kind of … there.

“I felt like the opportunity never was really there for me,” Anderson said Thursday afternoon on why he decided two years at Indiana was enough before transferring to Loyola of Chicago. “I’m not sure why. I felt like the style of play wasn’t for me.”

Even guys like Anderson — a second team All-State selection and ranked the second-best college prospect in the state his senior season at Riley — often have a small window to make a difference at the major college level. It opens slowly and closes quickly. Scramble through it and thrive or get left behind.

Anderson was about to be left behind.

Freshman year was a learning experience. Anderson had to adjust to better athletes, a quicker pace, more intensity, the whole ball game of big-time hoops. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.6 minutes over 21 games. Sophomore year should’ve been different. It was more of the same — a step forward one game, a step back the next.

Anderson averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 18 games. Nine Hoosiers averaged more minutes than Anderson (12.3). With another talented recruiting class headed for Bloomington in the fall, Miller and his staff couldn’t afford to be patient any more with Anderson.

The cameo that day against Notre Dame was a perfect example. Do something and do it soon, or go sit down.

“It was hard,” Anderson said. “I was always able to play through mistakes no matter what. Now, every time you make a mistake you go to the bench. You can’t catch a rhythm.

“That was messing me up.”

Time to reboot

Anderson vowed to not let it mess with his mind. Even after he logged DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) in Indiana’s last seven games, he stayed positive. He’d work harder. He’d play with more confidence. He’d show the stuff that he showed his senior year at Riley when he averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals to first earn a scholarship to play at Indiana.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and hoops went on hold.

Anderson had nothing but time to think about his first two years. About the next two. About how his collegiate career was halfway over and he had little to show for it. About if he wanted to take a risk and possibly waste his final two years being a bit player in a big-time program.

It was time for Anderson to find hoops happiness elsewhere. In late April, he entered the transfer portal, which became a whirlwind world all itself.

Mere minutes after his name hit the portal that Thursday afternoon, college coaches started calling and calling. They seemingly never stopped. Contact came from every hoops angle. Division I schools called. Division II schools made contact. NAIA schools showed interest.

First-year Grand Canyon University coach and former Valparaiso High School standout Bryce Drew was the first to reach out. Dozens of other coaches followed. His phone kept buzzing with texts and phone messages that Anderson eventually went radio silent on everyone — coaches, family members, friends.

Anderson enjoyed the recruiting process when he was in high school Second time? Not so much.

“It got overwhelming to where I didn’t want to deal with it,” he said. “I’m an adult, so when I made the decision to transfer, it was like, ‘OK, I know what I’m looking for. I know what I want. Just go do it. Get it done.’”

A week after announcing transfer plans, Anderson landed at Loyola, a school that went to the 2018 Final Four and has been a haven for transfers seeking fresh starts. Anderson never visited the campus in Rogers Park, nine miles north of downtown Chicago. Everything he saw in virtual tours — Lake Michigan is practically out a campus side door — he liked.

“You know, it’s Chicago,” Anderson said. “It was amazing.”

Anderson will sit out in 2020-21 and have two years of eligibility remaining. At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds with Big Ten experience and a scorer’s mentality, he could be the perfect big guard/small forward matchup problem who thrives in the Missouri Valley.

Moving down a level from the Big Ten could help Anderson bring his game up. Way up.

“He is a long, athletic guard who has a big-time ability to make shots,” Ramblers coach Porter Moser said in a university release.

Anderson’s ready to start anew, but not ready to forget his first two years of college. He’ll keep some of his Indiana practice gear and game gear as a reminder of his first college hoops chapter. Still, it’s time to go to work on the next. That work’s already started.

It was work for Anderson to even make it out of South Bend — “a lot of people don‘t make it where I’m from and I’m going to make sure that happens” — and it will be work for him to better show the skills that allowed him to become the all-time leading scorer (2,210) in St. Joseph County and South Bend history. He’ll spend the coming weeks bettering his game once pickup runs resume at Bethel College. He may go play at LaLumiere in LaPorte. He’ll work on his handles and his shot and his confidence at a park near his house.

Anderson’s chapter at Indiana is closed, but his next hoops story is just beginning. How will it read? Wait and see. But it’s time to get going.

“I’ve got no time to be playing around, no time to be joking,” he said. “It’s all business from here.”

Thanks for sharing. 

Nice story -- doesn't blame Damezi and doesn't blame IU. Just says that things didn't work out. And it even acknowledges that when he got PT, for whatever reason, Damezi simply didn't perform.

I remember late in the season, seeing him brick wide-open 3s and thinking that he had lost any confidence he might have had and the harsh reality was, we couldn't afford that in a B1G game. At that point, I started thinking that he just wasn't gonna get any better -- at IU -- and probably could use a change of scenery, especially with all the wings coming in. 

When Gelon left, I recall seeing a story that kinda railed on Archie -- and I didn't necessarily think that was fair. No offense to Gelon (like many others, I don't like trashing players), but he just wasn't a Power 5-caliber player, and should have never been recruited to IU in the first place. That was Crean's mistake.

Hope Damezi does well at Loyola. Would love to see him get more playing time and maybe even score 10-12 points a game. He seems like a good kid.