IU Basketball News and Notes

[str8baller]

2 hours ago, AZ Hoosier said:

I'm just really confused. The guy "has been with a couple of NBA orgs" and now wants to come back to play in college and the NCAA et al is fine with that?

I fully understand that the NCAA is, at best, a paper tiger, but, dang, son... Now guys are suing the NCAA and schools for more eligibility, when we're already seeing 6 and 7 year "seniors", COVID year notwithstanding.

In litigation the defendant matters. A lot of the big cases you hear about at the Supreme Court Ct have curated defendants.  
 

I bring that up just to say the NCAA is about the worst defendant you could have for this. Their credibility is shot and has been for a long time. Continually running to, or getting taken to, court and losing is only making things worse. They simply can’t be the organization to sort this out moving forward even if they were competent enough, which I highly doubt they are anyways.  At the very least they should get a rebrand and a fresh coat of paint.
 

Someone from the B1G and/or SEC needs to take charge if someone hasn’t already.  There won’t be much urgency so long as football is going smoothly. But basketball is getting so messy I’m not sure it doesn’t force their hand. I think most agree that paying the players in some form is acceptable, but they can’t risk their collegiate niche and brand and become just another minor league for the NBA/NFL.  The more absurd things become the closer they get to not being able to put the pieces back together. 

[AZ Hoosier]

32 minutes ago, str8baller said:

In litigation the defendant matters. A lot of the big cases you hear about at the Supreme Court Ct have curated defendants.  
 

I bring that up just to say the NCAA is about the worst defendant you could have for this. Their credibility is shot and has been for a long time. Continually running to, or getting taken to, court and losing is only making things worse. They simply can’t be the organization to sort this out moving forward even if they were competent enough, which I highly doubt they are anyways.  At the very least they should get a rebrand and a fresh coat of paint.
 

Someone from the B1G and/or SEC needs to take charge if someone hasn’t already.  There won’t be much urgency so long as football is going smoothly. But basketball is getting so messy I’m not sure it doesn’t force their hand. I think most agree that paying the players in some form is acceptable, but they can’t risk their collegiate niche and brand and become just another minor league for the NBA/NFL.  The more absurd things become the closer they get to not being able to put the pieces back together. 

The whole NIL thing is, at best, a scam. These kids are not getting paid for their name, image or likeness. They're being paid to play and the NCAA is trying to sell is as name, image and likeness. It's all a ruse... if you want to pay the players, fine... but call it that... don't p!$$ on my leg and tell me it's raining.

The whole revenue sharing is/was supposed to fix that, but not even close.

The worst part is that some of those who cannot make it in the professional ranks are finding ways to stay and play for 6 or 7 years or more and getting paid. Because in the NBA and the NFL there are 30 and 32 teams, respectively vying for the best players to hire and pay, but in college there are over 300 "employers" seeking out players to pay. It's a simple matter of the math. 

[Demo]

To the extent that I’d be sympathetic to a G-League kid going the college route, a situation like Pate is probably as close as it would get. He signed with G-League Ignite after classing up knowing he would be playing a minimum of 2 years with them before he would be draft eligible. It folded after his 1st year and he was denied a draft eligibility waiver because he was still 18. He played a year abroad which I guess was kind of a mess and then went undrafted and is now back in the G-League. He’s really young and it wouldn’t bother me if the kid played in college given that he would have under today’s circumstances.

[str8baller]

3 hours ago, AZ Hoosier said:

if you want to pay the players, fine... but call it that... don't p!$$ on my leg and tell me it's raining.

Seems like a manufactured distinction. It’s been happening for a couple years and people have mostly rolled with it. Most here cheered when Woody loaded up his last season and we all knew what they were paid for. 
 

Your last paragraph is what is going to blur the lines beyond all recognition and upset people, including prominent coaches and/or ADs. Can you imagine the press conference someone like Hurley will have if his #1 seeded Huskies get bounced by a team that picks up in February a dominant center who has played in the NBA before? 

[AZ Hoosier]

16 hours ago, str8baller said:

Seems like a manufactured distinction. It’s been happening for a couple years and people have mostly rolled with it. Most here cheered when Woody loaded up his last season and we all knew what they were paid for. 
 

Your last paragraph is what is going to blur the lines beyond all recognition and upset people, including prominent coaches and/or ADs. Can you imagine the press conference someone like Hurley will have if his #1 seeded Huskies get bounced by a team that picks up in February a dominant center who has played in the NBA before? 

With Woodson, it didn't matter how much he spent or who he got... he still had the impossible task of "coaching" them.

But, yeah, the NBAer who couldn't cut it coming back to college will cause heartburn for some/many.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Jeff Goodman - Washington’s Wesley Yates is out indefinitely after wrist surgery.

We play Washington on Jan. 4.

 

[WayneFleekHoosier]

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

Jeff Goodman - Washington’s Wesley Yates is out indefinitely after wrist surgery.

We play Washington on Jan. 4.

 

Bryson Tucker reunion night. 
 
Stopping/slowing Hannes Steinbach (sp) is mission critical #1.   
 

Guess we didn’t land that mid season Center afterall, lol. 

[LIHoosier]

On 12/28/2025 at 9:48 AM, tyappleg said:

FWIW

Joe Tipton, meet bus.