Transfer Portal w IU Interest

[CSP]

20 minutes ago, IUGRAD06 said:

Neoklis will most likely end up at a smaller high major like VT.   He is requesting a ton of usage and is gearing up for next years draft is what a European analyst is saying.  

I don't find it realistic what the poster is asking anyway. 

[mike vannice]

1 hour ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

I don't find it realistic what the poster is asking anyway. 

Yeah you're right I got carried away on the Neoklis Avdalas train. Va Tech got a visit before the Combine and their beat writer said Avdalas was asking for 30 minutes per game and featured usage. We can't and shouldn't offer that. Who knows what is going on with Sebastian Wilkins and if he even could reclass. Maybe just maybe Hawthorne is open to the idea of competeing for minutes with Harris and Alexis.

The pre-existing relationship with Coach Devries can't hurt.

[BA47591]

23 hours ago, Demo said:

Baba Miller to Cincinnati 

Thiam at the 5, Baba at the 4 will be interesting.  Which one would score more on Bailey? 

[CSP]

26 minutes ago, mike vannice said:

Yeah you're right I got carried away on the Neoklis Avdalas train. Va Tech got a visit before the Combine and their beat writer said Avdalas was asking for 30 minutes per game and featured usage. We can't and shouldn't offer that. Who knows what is going on with Sebastian Wilkins and if he even could reclass. Maybe just maybe Hawthorne is open to the idea of competeing for minutes with Harris and Alexis.

The pre-existing relationship with Coach Devries can't hurt.

Hawthorne will not be a contributor to a good team next season. Compete with Alexis? Alexis would stuff him in a trash can lol 

Hawthorne needs 20lbs+ of muscle, at least, before he does anything worthwhile on a basketball court. 

 

JMO

 

But would love for him to come here and develop. If we add Wilkins and Hawthorne as the last two spots, I don't know how anyone could categorize our offseason as anything but an A. 

[CSP]

27 minutes ago, BA47591 said:

Thiam at the 5, Baba at the 4 will be interesting.  Which one would score more on Bailey? 

We would beat them by probably 100. and dear god, one of them would have to guard Bailey and one of them would have to guard TDV on our offensive end? lol

3 > 2...

You've watched the last 8 years of Indiana basketball, right? 

[IUGRAD06]

13 minutes ago, BA47591 said:

Thiam at the 5, Baba at the 4 will be interesting.  Which one would score more on Bailey? 

Thiam is all potential and Baba is a backup.  He is worse than Alexis in rebounding and blocks.  His shooting percentages are worse than Bailey at the mid major level.  Cincy definitely overpaid for that one which happens this late in the portal.  

[AH1971]

8 minutes ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

Hawthorne will not be a contributor to a good team next season. Compete with Alexis? Alexis would stuff him in a trash can lol 

Hawthorne needs 20lbs+ of muscle, at least, before he does anything worthwhile on a basketball court. 

 

JMO

 

But would love for him to come here and develop. If we add Wilkins and Hawthorne as the last two spots, I don't know how anyone could categorize our offseason as anything but an A. 

Hawthorne was one of the fastest rising players in the country this winter. He was a 300 level rated player as late as November of 2024. 247 just released their final 2025 rankings and he ended up at 33. Could be nothing, could be something but there's a reason why programs like Tennessee and Kentucky are on him. He should have every opportunity to play with a brand new roster. 

I don't think he would be competing for minutes with Alexis who is strictly a 5 at this level. He would be competing with guys like Harris and Bailey's minutes at the 4.

[CSP]

12 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

Hawthorne was one of the fastest rising players in the country this winter. He was a 300 level rated player as late as November of 2024. 247 just released their final 2025 rankings and he ended up at 33. Could be nothing, could be something but there's a reason why programs like Tennessee and Kentucky are on him. He should have every opportunity to play with a brand new roster. 

I don't think he would be competing for minutes with Alexis who is strictly a 5 at this level. He would be competing with guys like Harris and Bailey's minutes at the 4.

I know. I'm talking realistically, not the generic, "everyone gets an opp" BS.... 

He wouldn't get on the court at either of those places THIS SEASON, same at Indiana. Bailey isn't playing the 4, but neither would Hawthorne, this season. And, for the 3rd time, I want Hawthorne. 

[ebridges24]

36 minutes ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

We would beat them by probably 100. and dear god, one of them would have to guard Bailey and one of them would have to guard TDV on our offensive end? lol

3 > 2...

You've watched the last 8 years of Indiana basketball, right? 

Nice retort

[AH1971]

1 hour ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

I know. I'm talking realistically, not the generic, "everyone gets an opp" BS.... 

He wouldn't get on the court at either of those places THIS SEASON, same at Indiana. Bailey isn't playing the 4, but neither would Hawthorne, this season. And, for the 3rd time, I want Hawthorne. 

I think DeVries, Bailey, Alexis 3-5 becomes more realistic by the day.

[IUGRAD06]

8 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

I think DeVries, Bailey, Alexis 3-5 becomes more realistic by the day.

Thinking this the other day.  Harris or Sisley off the bench for Bailey or Alexis and then Dorn or Miles for DeVries or Wilkerson.  

[CSP]

13 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

I think DeVries, Bailey, Alexis 3-5 becomes more realistic by the day.

I'm not sure why you'd think that. And Hawthorne doesn't see minutes on a good team. 

[AH1971]

1 minute ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

I'm not sure why you'd think that. I don't really care,though. Hawthorne doesn't see minutes on a good team. 

Because a DeVries/Bailey combination is probably the worst defensive/rebounding tandem in the B10, and arguably in all of P5.

Bailey has a versatile skill set that allows him to play on the perimeter on offense and he moves well enough laterally to guard out on the perimeter. 

[CSP]

9 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

Because a DeVries/Bailey combination is probably the worst defensive/rebounding tandem in the B10, and arguably in all of P5.

Bailey has a versatile skill set that allows him to play on the perimeter on offense and he moves well enough laterally to guard out on the perimeter. 

 Couldn't be a worse defensive combo than Malik+Ballo, I don't think DDV alters his style of play, especially based on who we've signed. 

[AH1971]

4 minutes ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

 Couldn't be a worse defensive combo than Malik+Ballo, I don't think DDV alters his style of play, especially based on who we've signed. 

Sure it could. Ballo could at least rebound and protect the rim. 

[CSP]

Just now, AH1971 said:

Sure it could. Ballo could at least rebound and protect the rim. 

No lol 

Malik and Ballo are awful defensively. "protect the rim" was actually.. "standing there and being tall" and doing absolutely NOTHING else defensively and as we know, Malik is not only a poor defender, he's an incredibly unaware one. 

So you can take the height, it clearly didn't help.... I'll take the athletes, foot speed, scheme, and awareness. 

[AH1971]

1 minute ago, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

No lol 

Malik and Ballo are awful defensively. "protect the rim" was actually.. "standing there and being tall" and doing absolutely NOTHING else defensively and as we know, Malik is not only a poor defender, he's an incredibly unaware one. 

So you can take the height, it clearly didn't help.... I'll take the athletes, foot speed, scheme, and awareness. 

What are you talking about? Ballo (23.8 DR%) and Reneau (18.4 DR%) is demonstrably better than DeVries (14.3 DR%) and Bailey (16.2 DR%). Ballo's block rate was more than double that of Bailey. It's not even a comparison really.

Indiana ran into defensive issues and breakdowns when they had a combination of Reneau, Ballo, AND Mgbako on the floor together. Was an awful two-way pairing on both ends. 

[CSP]

1 minute ago, AH1971 said:

What are you talking about? Ballo (23.8 DR%) and Reneau (18.4 DR%) is demonstrably better than DeVries (14.3 DR%) and Bailey (16.2 DR%). Ballo's block rate was more than double that of Bailey. It's not even a comparison really.

Indiana ran into defensive issues and breakdowns when they had a combination of Reneau, Ballo, AND Mgbako on the floor together. Was an awful two-way pairing on both ends. 

I pretty clearly explained what I was talking about. Ballo and Malik are pathetic defensively, and yeah, of course adding a joke of a defender in MM wasn't going to help anything. None of this is news. 

"block rate" zzzzzz 

[Stuhoo]

1 minute ago, AH1971 said:

What are you talking about? Ballo (23.8 DR%) and Reneau (18.4 DR%) is demonstrably better than DeVries (14.3 DR%) and Bailey (16.2 DR%). Ballo's block rate was more than double that of Bailey. It's not even a comparison really.

Indiana ran into defensive issues and breakdowns when they had a combination of Reneau, Ballo, AND Mgbako on the floor together. Was an awful two-way pairing on both ends. 

There's so much involved beyond raw numbers (though those matter too). 

Scheme, quality of teammates, offensive pace, and more. For instance, When guards can't stop the ball, block rates for bigs go way up. Doesn't make them better (or worse) defenders. 

I haven't seen enough of Bailey to know how he'll defend in Devries' system - I've seen Tucker D and I'm pretty sure that Tucker D is not a plus defender. Also very sure that Mgbako has been a flat out horrible defender, and that's compared to similar position defenders last year like Goode. Malik? Meh - he improved but he was pretty mediocre at IU in a system where bigs put up some good defensive rating numbers.

[AH1971]

Just now, Certified Sunshine Pumper said:

I pretty clearly explained what I was talking about. Ballo and Malik are pathetic defensively, and yeah, of course adding a joke of a defender in MM wasn't going to help anything. None of this is news. 

"block rate" zzzzzz 

You didn't clearly explain anything because literally none of what you said made sense. DeVries is an average defender at best and there isn't a single metric or piece of film that states Bailey is anything but a bad defender. You can argue the merit of Reneau's basketball IQ all you want, but his advance metrics and stats don't lie. He was an average defender...defending out of position...who was a plus rebounder.