Who fills the last scholarship?

[Stuhoo]

Just now, Chris007 said:

From another board, someone saw Woody at the golf course Saturday and told him we still need one more, and Woody replied already working on it. So guessing we're going to take someone, just hoping it is someone who helps and doesn't just fill the spot. 

We will know who's dropping from draft consideration likely this week, pretty certainly by the end of next week.

[Demo]

5 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

From another board, someone saw Woody at the golf course Saturday and told him we still need one more, and Woody replied already working on it. So guessing we're going to take someone, just hoping it is someone who helps and doesn't just fill the spot. 

Are we sure he didn’t just need a 4th?

[str8baller]

17 minutes ago, Feathery said:

Really it’s not the backup plan. The backup plan is Cupps. Galloway is the tertiary plan. You’d need to have 2 things go wrong to get to the scenario of Galloway running the PG duties 30 minutes a game.

At that point I’d argue it is what it is. There isn’t enough roster space to account for all possible worst case scenarios. Conversely say Ware gets injured and one of the other bugs isn’t ready to go. Well now was are screwed in the  post bc we went from 4-5 deep to 2-3 deep.

You’d have to go back up the thread to see where I said a lot of the need depends on how you view Cupps ability to play real min effectively at PG. I’m generally less bullish on frosh PG in general , but I don’t follow and have no opinion on Cupps. 
 

I disagree on the last paragraph, but I’m not Woody. An absence of Ware or Reneau could easily see the team play smaller and/or 4out-1in with Banks and MM soaking up mins at a stretch 4 spot. It’s becoming clearer though that Woody doesn’t want to play that way and wants two bigs on the floor at most times. Thus the signing of guys like Walker.  
 

It’s about utilizing limited resources but you also have to play the style you want to play. You can’t be somebody you’re not. As it stands now we have a fantastic front line and are a little thin on shooting and ball handling.

[RaceToTheTop]

50 minutes ago, Feathery said:

Really it’s not the backup plan. The backup plan is Cupps. Galloway is the tertiary plan. You’d need to have 2 things go wrong to get to the scenario of Galloway running the PG duties 30 minutes a game.

At that point I’d argue it is what it is. There isn’t enough roster space to account for all possible worst case scenarios. Conversely say Ware gets injured and one of the other bugs isn’t ready to go. Well now was are screwed in the  post bc we went from 4-5 deep to 2-3 deep.
 

We also have Newton who is a combo guard who can play some spot minutes if needed at PG. If we add a player I’d get a wing over someone to be 3rd string PG. still the thinnest area imo. 

IMO, at the wing position we have MM and Banks + Galloway can slide over there.  IMO the biggest need is still at the 2 spot, whether it starter or backup.

[RaceToTheTop]

Zid Powell (Buffalo) off the board as he commits to UTEP.   Was never an IU fit anyway -- combo guard without a good perimeter game.

[Home Jersey]

With our last spot, I'd definitely like to find a combo guard that can take on back up ball handler duties, shoot well from 3, and solid perimeter defense. Easier said than done obviously lol... but tough to not feel really good about next year's roster.

I said we'd learn a lot about the staff and program based on how they filled out the roster this offseason... consider me fully impressed!

[BGleas]

1 minute ago, MikeRoberts said:

What is the perceived style of play for next year? I think we all imagined 1 under the basket big and 4 guys that were interchangeable to varying degrees but it seems like we will be back to having 2 under the basket bigs.

It would be nice to get a kid that can break down his defender and get to the hoop but it doesn’t seem like that is the direction with 2 bigs under there

I wouldn't categorize Ware as an "under the basket big". He's not a post player. He's a long, athletic PnR big that can pick/pop as well as rim run. 

This isn't a dump into the post 7-footer. He'll be out on the perimeter setting ball screens, flaring and rolling to the basket for lobs and put backs. 

[Honkyman]

Ray Dennis the MAC player of the year who some have projected to land with Illinois just took a visit to Michigan. So Illinois isn't a lock. after all.  Maybe IU can find a way to bring Dennis to Bloomington?

[Home Jersey]

6 minutes ago, MikeRoberts said:

What is the perceived style of play for next year? I think we all imagined 1 under the basket big and 4 guys that were interchangeable to varying degrees but it seems like we will be back to having 2 under the basket bigs.

It would be nice to get a kid that can break down his defender and get to the hoop but it doesn’t seem like that is the direction with 2 bigs under there

Curious to hear what others think, but I can see us being a lot more versatile in terms of the sets we run next year. 

I can see us definitely running some of the same action we did this year with TJD and JHS, with X and Malik. 

I could also see us going 4 out a bit, with Ware getting some outside shots and Mack/Reneau crashing the boards. 

What I'm most excited about is having a roster where we can play a lot of situational basketball and exploit mismatches. Think its really going to be a fun year to watch. 

Saw you can get some semi decent tix for IU vs Kansas for around $700 right now - what a steal lol. 

[ebridges24]

I love Trayce and everything he did for IU, but it will be nice to have bigs that can take and hit shots outside 5 feet.

[hoosierbgh]

3 hours ago, MikeRoberts said:

What is the perceived style of play for next year? I think we all imagined 1 under the basket big and 4 guys that were interchangeable to varying degrees but it seems like we will be back to having 2 under the basket bigs.

It would be nice to get a kid that can break down his defender and get to the hoop but it doesn’t seem like that is the direction with 2 bigs under there

We have two back to the baskets bigs on the entire roster and Reneau is versatile enough to spend some time out of the post. It is a stretch to think that both of those players will spend much time at all on the floor together but if they do, Reneau won't likely be playing in the post. Beyond the post and backup post, we have 3 tall guys that can play out on the perimeter to varying degrees. 

[Stuhoo]

3 hours ago, MikeRoberts said:

What is the perceived style of play for next year? I think we all imagined 1 under the basket big and 4 guys that were interchangeable to varying degrees but it seems like we will be back to having 2 under the basket bigs.

It would be nice to get a kid that can break down his defender and get to the hoop but it doesn’t seem like that is the direction with 2 bigs under there

I would think Ware will allow us to run a ton of horns.

https://www.coachesclipboard.net/HornsOffense.html

Woody liked Zoom offense with JHS as the feature. Look for Zoom offense with Mack on the curl next season:

https://www.hooperuniversity.com/breakdowns/northern-iowa-5-out-offense

[Adillac]

I don't think it's that crazy to consider that either Cupps or Newton could start next to X. Not saying I think they will, but its possible. 

[Bowhunter]

Unless some stud falls out of the sky, I wouldn’t add an another player that has more than one or two years of eligibility. Too many good gets in 24 and 25.  

[Home Jersey]

1 hour ago, Adillac said:

I don't think it's that crazy to consider that either Cupps or Newton could start next to X. Not saying I think they will, but its possible. 

I don't think it's crazy, and I do think we'll see an X, Cupps/Newton, MM, MR, KW rotation on the court some next year. But, I think TG has earned the spot and has the trust of Woody, so expect to see him there unless we find a clear upgrade at that spot

46 minutes ago, Bowhunter said:

Unless some stud falls out of the sky, I wouldn’t add an another player that has more than one or two years of eligibility. Too many good gets in 24 and 25.  

Depending on how good they are, I agree 1 year would be ideal (maybe 2 if they're that good, but more would be ehh).

Just think we really need to grab (at minimum) a ball handler with decent shooting to be a back up for XJ (probably can expect the same kind of minutes as Walker). God forbid we get hobbled in the backcourt next year. Wouldn't want to put 30 mins per game as a freshman on Cupps shoulders, unless I'm seriously underestimating him...

Also, Gallo proved he can handle bringing the ball up on spot duty this year, but that does seriously impact how good we can be IMO. I want him to be free to play his game. 

Yes, having bigs who can shoot/space the floor changes things for us. But, the injury bug is undefeated and you can never have too much talent on the roster

[J34]

For people worried about Cupps, Smith(who was ranked lower than Gabe) started every game for a team that was ranked in the top ten most of the year. And a #1 seed. Not saying he should start, but this kid will be just fine.

[str8baller]

18 minutes ago, J34 said:

For people worried about Cupps, Smith(who was ranked lower than Gabe) started every game for a team that was ranked in the top ten most of the year. And a #1 seed. Not saying he should start, but this kid will be just fine.

And it was a bit of a surprise and general outlier. Search threads back a year on this site and you’ll see many knowledgeable posters laughing at how bad Purdue’s backcourt was going to be this past year. And for good reason as we could probably find a bunch of recruits ranked similarly to Smith who barely saw the floor last year. Banks and Gunn were ranked higher and didn’t play consistently for us. 
 

If I were just going by rankings, I wouldn’t count on Cupps for more than pretty limited backup mins next year.  But people on here who pay attention to recruiting seem pretty high on him being able to contribute from day 1. So there’s some hope for optimism there. 

[go iu bb]

1 hour ago, J34 said:

For people worried about Cupps, Smith(who was ranked lower than Gabe) started every game for a team that was ranked in the top ten most of the year. And a #1 seed. Not saying he should start, but this kid will be just fine.

Purdue had something that IU won't have this year which made a huge difference with how effective their freshman guards could be: Edey.

Cupps is already one of my favorite players on the team next year but I don't expect him to have a huge impact as a freshman. He might get 10 mpg. Maybe.

[J34]

5 minutes ago, go iu bb said:

Purdue had something that IU won't have this year which made a huge difference with how effective their freshman guards could be: Edey.

Cupps is already one of my favorite players on the team next year but I don't expect him to have a huge impact as a freshman. He might get 10 mpg. Maybe.

We'll have something they won't have next year. Long,athletic defenders to be able to help and recover when needed. Gabe Cupps will thrive playing with this kind of talent. It might not be this year, but he'll have the keys to the car, one day.

[Home Jersey]

RE: Cupps, I'm not really worried about him per se.

By the time he is done here, I won't be surprised if we talk about him in the same breath as Yogi, and he's widely considered one of the best IU PGs ever/since Isiah, at least. 

I just don't really expect much from him his freshman year. I won't be surprised if he gets the kind of minutes Banks had/Gunn saw earlier on in the year and makes the most of it. But that might translate to 15 mpg kind of role best case scenario which Malik had this year. Which was definitely a solid contributor role in the rotation, but I also don't want to rely on him as the backup and potentially get injured then have TG end up with primary ball handler responsibilities, which would not go well. 

Ideal scenario he plays 8-12mpg freshman year IMO toward the end of the season maybe thats up to 18-20ish, who knows. ... but I don't really expect him to do much more than any other similarly ranked PG (albeit yes I like his tape/he has plenty of accolades, etc.)