IUBB Players in the Portal/Draft Exploratory Status

[Hoosierfanyuh]

36% from 3 really isnt that bad lol

[GloryDays]

5 hours ago, Loaded Chicken Sandwich said:

His handles aren't really any worse than Kopps. He's definitely more athletic than Kopp side to side. He doesn't need to be Kyrie Irving with the ball. He just needs to be able to catch the ball. If he can be respected from 3, a good shot fake and just a couple dribbles should be enough for him. 

I wasn't defending Kopp,just pointing out what Geronimo should work on.Kopp should be a situational player at best.Bring him in to shoot, take him out when he throws up a couple bricks.

[cleeter]

Jim Boyle from ISB radio is claiming race and trayce will be back 100% according to his sources. Take of that what you will, but he said two weeks ago on the radio before the Hoosiers for Good announcement (which he said a big announcement was forthcoming) he said both were saying and he’s not backing off that at all. He’s going all in.


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[WayneFleekHoosier]

Jim Boyle from ISB radio is claiming race and trayce will be back 100% according to his sources. Take of that what you will, but he said two weeks ago on the radio before the Hoosiers for Good announcement (which he said a big announcement was forthcoming) he said both were saying and he’s not backing off that at all. He’s going all in.


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I think with the way our 2022 recruiting went this is best case scenario. And maybe no matter what. I’d really love to still add Reneau to get strong bench depth and then have him ready to take over the following year.

I would have liked to get Thiero too, but beggars can’t be choosers. We still seem to be recruiting 2 spots with 1 opening so there’s that, too.


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[NVFalcons1990]

1 hour ago, Hoosierfanyuh said:

36% from 3 really isnt that bad lol

It is if you're only attempting 1-2 per game.  Which Kopp and Stewart did a lot of.

[DWB]

2 hours ago, Chris007 said:

I've never quite understood the obsession fans have with who starts a game. Me included in that. But if I'm a player I'm worried about who is on the floor for the last 10 minutes of a close game. 

Chris, I agree who finishes is important. But I also feel who starts is important to get off to the best start possible, so the games CAN BE close, or us pulling away.

Starting 5 guys, and have them consistently put you in a hole is a receipe for finishing 9th in the B1G IMO. I like Woody, but I disagreed with him starting Kopp & Stewart, especially Stewart. Leal can play better defense, and probably shoot as well as Stewart did for the last several games. (only using Leal as an example. not sure he should start either) Phinese was a better choice at the 2 than PS.

JG earned a starting spot IMO the last 1/3 of the season.

 

[MikeRoberts]

There isn’t a 3 in the NCAA that can keep JG off the glass. He will outrebound his position every game

that alone is significant. JG has a diverse set of skills that are only improving 

[Golfman25]

2 hours ago, HoosierHoopster said:

I don't know if Woodson will continue to start Kopp because of his experience and the 'threat' of his shooting (which, realistically, is about all it was this season), but if he does, in my book it's a  real mistake. We're clearly better on both sides of the ball with Geronimo playing significant minutes.

First, it's hard, if not boneheaded, to ignore Geronimo's clearly far better offensive contributions 

- per 40 min: 13.8 ppg (Kopp: 9.5), FG% 52% (Kopp: 36%). The 3PT% is for Kopp at 36%, but Geronimo's total is 31% and better over the last few games when Kopp barely put the ball in the basket while Geronimo was key down the stretch.

- per 100 possession: Geronimo's ORtg 102.8 (Kopp 97.8). I mean, that's not close.

Defensively, how do you not include rebounding - Geronimo's 11.3 per 40 is best on the team (excluding Childress, Duncomb who barely played). That's an outstanding number.

Hell, his DRtg per 100 possessions (points allowed) is miles better than Kopp, 94.6 (behind TJD and Race, not counting Childress, Duncomb) to Kopp's 102.7. Or Geronimo's blocks? 2.2 per 40, second best on team, to Kopp's .4.

Kopp's D? Geronimo is way better defensively. Kopp absolutely got beat on possession , Geronimo rarely got beat individually, agree early on he would get lost but he clearly improved during the course of the year and made the team much better, defensively, when he was on the floor, including vis a vis Kopp. 

As I've said before this is not to dis Kopp, his experience, hard work on the floor, and at least the promise of his shooting has real value, but Geronimo absolutely should be playing more, whether or not he starts, and in my book his starting over Kopp should be an easy call. Kid can shoot too. Has to better his handle for more wing play, but I'd bet on that happening over the summer, his handle improved during the season.

They both have roles on this team.  I'd like to see lineups change based on matchups a little bit.  

[HoosierHoopster]

10 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

They both have roles on this team.  I'd like to see lineups change based on matchups a little bit.  

Agreed, and I'd like to see Kopp utilized better. If he's on the floor to shoot 3's, he should be shooting. The number of shots he generally took in games begged the question why he was out there.

[Loaded Chicken Sandwich]

22 minutes ago, MikeRoberts said:

There isn’t a 3 in the NCAA that can keep JG off the glass. He will outrebound his position every game

that alone is significant. JG has a diverse set of skills that are only improving 

And he will find you. And he will dunk on you. 

[MikeRoberts]

10 minutes ago, Loaded Chicken Sandwich said:

And he will find you. And he will dunk on you. 

 

[RaceToTheTop]

1 hour ago, DWB said:

Chris, I agree who finishes is important. But I also feel who starts is important to get off to the best start possible, so the games CAN BE close, or us pulling away.

Starting 5 guys, and have them consistently put you in a hole is a receipe for finishing 9th in the B1G IMO. I like Woody, but I disagreed with him starting Kopp & Stewart, especially Stewart. Leal can play better defense, and probably shoot as well as Stewart did for the last several games. (only using Leal as an example. not sure he should start either) Phinese was a better choice at the 2 than PS.

JG earned a starting spot IMO the last 1/3 of the season.

 

FWIW, the numbers with those five on the court were:

In 35 games, during the season, the combination of Johnson-Stewart-Kopp-Thompson-TJD appeared together on the court in 32 of them (Johnson and Stewart didn't play in the Northwestern game and Stewart didn't start in three other games, two of which the five listed above didn't appear on the court together).  In the 32 games they appeared together, they appeared together on the court for 404 minutes -- or about 13 minutes per game.  While they were on the court together, IU outscored their opponents by 10.3 points per 100 possessions.  In only other combinations -- so if one or more of those five were replaced -- IU outscored their opponents by about 6 points per possession.  So I wouldn't say that the starting five 'consistently put IU into a hole'......what I would say is that it did not maximize what the starting group could have done.  As fans we tend to focus on the bad starts and forget the good ones.  

That said.....there was one adjustment to that five that absolutely did show (in limited time) that it was appreciably better.  Lineups where you keep Johnson, Thompson, TJD, and replace EITHER Kopp or Stewart with Galloway were played for about 70 minutes.....and saw IU outscore their opponents by a whopping +18 points per 100 possessions.  Now, Galloway can't shoot.....but the fact is that teams didn't respect Stewart or Kopp's shooting either.  They got open shots.  By Galloway's defense and ability to get into the lane more than made up for his lack of shooting.

[HinnyHoosier]

And he will find you. And he will dunk on you. 

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[JSHoosier]

2 hours ago, Hoosierfanyuh said:

36% from 3 really isnt that bad lol

Not bad but not that good either.  If that's you're best shooter it doesn't say much for the other players.

[ziggyiu]

I'm trying to keep an open mind, but I have a difficult time thinking this team will be improved enough offensively if we play TJD and Race together a lot like we did this past season. Race had a very hard time playing the stretch 4 spot. He can't create his own shot off the dribble and he isn't good jump shooter. (He is a really bad FT shooter.) In many cases, I thought JG out performed Race late in the season. JG may be a better stretch 4. 

Also, CMW said very plainly that shooting was our greatest need for next season, but so far we haven't done much to improve in that area. Perhaps Gallo and Bates really improve, or maybe Banks is a great surprise, but I'm skeptical that without a new stretch 4 and new talent on the wings that next season will be much better offensively.  

Players can improve, so I'm hopeful but not optimistic. Part of me thinks how can I expect different results with the same players in the same system. 

[Golfman25]

1 hour ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Agreed, and I'd like to see Kopp utilized better. If he's on the floor to shoot 3's, he should be shooting. The number of shots he generally took in games begged the question why he was out there.

Right.  Some games he took as many as I did.  :) 

[Golfman25]

1 hour ago, ziggyiu said:

I'm trying to keep an open mind, but I have a difficult time thinking this team will be improved enough offensively if we play TJD and Race together a lot like we did this past season. Race had a very hard time playing the stretch 4 spot. He can't create his own shot off the dribble and he isn't good jump shooter. (He is a really bad FT shooter.) In many cases, I thought JG out performed Race late in the season. JG may be a better stretch 4. 

Also, CMW said very plainly that shooting was our greatest need for next season, but so far we haven't done much to improve in that area. Perhaps Gallo and Bates really improve, or maybe Banks is a great surprise, but I'm skeptical that without a new stretch 4 and new talent on the wings that next season will be much better offensively.  

Players can improve, so I'm hopeful but not optimistic. Part of me thinks how can I expect different results with the same players in the same system. 

Agreed.   l love Race and everything he's meant to IU.  He's on the poster of what it means to be a Hoosier.  But we need to make room for the new blood.  If he's back, he should play to his strenghts and not over others who may be more complete players.  

[Honkyman]

17 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

others who may be more complete players.  

What 6'8" player currently on IU is a more complete player today than Race Thompson? Nobody in the front court was a more complete player this past season (except Trayce Jackson Davis who is 6'9"). If Race returns for another season, whoever believes he is a "more complete" player next season than Race will have an opportunity to beat him out at whatever position he plays. If TJD doesn't return and Race does, Race will play the 5. Is Duncomb a more complete player than Race? No way. If both TJD and Race return, Race will play the 4 and back up TJD at the 5. "If he's back he should play to his strengths.." What does even mean? Race is playing the way Coach Woodson asks him. If he wasn't the coach wouldn't play him (he logged 2nd most minutes on the team).  Nobody plays harder and as the 3rd highest scorer on the team behind TJD and Xavier and shooting at 54% from the field--2nd best on the team behind TJD--he seems to playing quite well to his strengths.

[Golfman25]

32 minutes ago, Honkyman said:

What 6'8" player currently on IU is a more complete player today than Race Thompson? Nobody in the front court was a more complete player this past season (except Trayce Jackson Davis who is 6'9"). If Race returns for another season, whoever believes he is a "more complete" player next season than Race will have an opportunity to beat him out at whatever position he plays. If TJD doesn't return and Race does, Race will play the 5. Is Duncomb a more complete player than Race? No way. If both TJD and Race return, Race will play the 4 and back up TJD at the 5. "If he's back he should play to his strengths.." What does even mean? Race is playing the way Coach Woodson asks him. If he wasn't the coach wouldn't play him (he logged 2nd most minutes on the team).  Nobody plays harder and as the 3rd highest scorer on the team behind TJD and Xavier and shooting at 54% from the field--2nd best on the team behind TJD--he seems to playing quite well to his strengths.

Geranimo has the potential to be a more complete player than Race.  And that's not a knock on Race -- as I said, I think he's awesome.  

[LIHoosier]

3 minutes ago, LamarCheeks said:

I'll admit it -- I'm a bit of a uniform geek. And if someone posted it and I missed, apologies for the repetition. 

But did Bates change numbers -- from 53 to 21? This seems like a relatively new picture. 
 

 

Not that much of a geek to know that we put the stripes back on the arms/neck last year. That's a 2020-21 jersey so I assume the 21 is just being a 2021 recruit.