2026-27 Roster/Portal/how to fix the roster?

[JF87]

6 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

I think we can find guys who are about winning at the right price. They will buy in to the system as long as they're 1) being paid a fair market rate 2) believe the system will help them get to the next level.

 

I agree there are players out there.  Our big sell is that IU can offer playing time at every position.  Unfortunately, we no longer have tradition to sell or the certainty of playing in the NCAA Tournament.  I believe the key is to overpay a Big Fish early that other players will want to play with. 

[Home Jersey]

7 minutes ago, JF87 said:

I agree there are players out there.  Our big sell is that IU can offer playing time at every position.  Unfortunately, we no longer have tradition to sell or the certainty of playing in the NCAA Tournament.  I believe the key is to overpay a Big Fish early that other players will want to play with. 

Don't know about overpay, but I think you're spot on about it mattering that we lock up some "Dudes" early. Guys wanna know who they are going to play with. Looking at our current returners, nothing for prospective players to get excited about joining. This is why I really want to see us sign 2 studs early, shortly after the portal opens or the player enters. Want to see that the staff has done the necessary legwork to get two impact players on board at the right price. We have ample time, staffing, and money so I'd struggle to see why this can't get done. 

[Shooter]

1 hour ago, JF87 said:

In hindsight, this team would have benefitted from Luke Goode getting another year of eligibility. He would have started in front of Dorn and Goode would have provided some much-needed leadership to this roster.  This team had no one to take charge when needed.  Goode would have also given us a reliable third scorer. 

Goode and Dorn are pretty much the same player. But having one of them to bring off the bench would have improved our depth at least

[JF87]

Just now, Shooter said:

Goode and Dorn are pretty much the same player. But having one of them to bring off the bench would have improved our depth at least

Goode was a guy that would get on players last year about poor/stupid play.  Dorn provided none of that leadership which no one on our roster provided this year.  

[Uspshoosier]

Just now, Shooter said:

Goode and Dorn are pretty much the same player. But having one of them to bring off the bench would have improved our depth at least

Goode played in the B1G on a championship level team and spent his whole career in the B1G.   Goode experience alone would have been massive for this team. 

[Shooter]

4 minutes ago, JF87 said:

Goode was a guy that would get on players last year about poor/stupid play.  Dorn provided none of that leadership which no one on our roster provided this year.  

That's fair, agree Goode had some leadership qualities. Was talking about on-court impact - they are both tall wings who are good spot up shooters and provide very little else.

[AKHoosier]

Can't build a B1G roster with mid-major players and expect better results than what we experienced. 

You can plug holes here and there, but it will only work if you've got major top 150 talent to surround them with. 

I still believe in Devries' ability to coach but it's clear he's not a Cignetti that can win with anyone. And that's ok, Cig is a generational coach. 

[Shooter]

I feel like some of the focus on "mid-major players" is missing the point. Some very good transfers come from the mid major level. Almost half of the guys on the All-Big Ten first and second teams are first year transfers from mid majors (Lendeborg, Wilkerson, Stirtz, Boyd).

We need to do a better job scouting and identifying guys, regardless of where they come from. Ryan Carr should be all over this.

[Goober]

If IU can pay whatever it takes to get the high impact players. Does IU have the staff to get them to play hard and or as a team? Maybe they do but I don’t really see it.

[Uspshoosier]

9 minutes ago, Shooter said:

I feel like some of the focus on "mid-major players" is missing the point. Some very good transfers come from the mid major level

Yes agree but most of those mid players besides Stirtz were picked to fill a hole in the roster.  They had other high major players surrounding them.   IU had a whole team of mid major players.   Big difference in my opinion.   

[HoosierDevils]

4 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Yes agree but most of those mid players besides Stirtz were picked to fill a hole in the roster.  They had other high major players surrounding them.   IU had a whole team of mid major players.   Big difference in my opinion.   

Maybe Yaxel as well? If only because he was talented enough to go to the NBA already before he got to Michigan 

[JF87]

Any chance Mullins is homesick? I know he's projected in the NBA draft, but maybe he'd prefer another year of development in college closer to home.  

[Uspshoosier]

IU rosters  high school composite ranking coming out of high school 

Sisley-65

DeVries-101

Bailey-188

Alexis-unranked 

Wilkerson-unranked 

Conerway-unranked 

Enright - unranked 

Dorn-unranked 

Miles-unranked 

Harris-unranked 

Drake-unranked 

 

[pumpfake]

19 minutes ago, Shooter said:

I feel like some of the focus on "mid-major players" is missing the point. Some very good transfers come from the mid major level. Almost half of the guys on the All-Big Ten first and second teams are first year transfers from mid majors (Lendeborg, Wilkerson, Stirtz, Boyd).

We need to do a better job scouting and identifying guys, regardless of where they come from. Ryan Carr should be all over this.

The above bolded is the key, IMO. It's Cig's secret power.

I understand that CDD was late to shop the portal, but wasn't he and his staff at WV scouring & scouting it throughout last season? Some act as if he was dropped into the position out of thin air.  Also, knowing Woodson was a lame duck, why didn't Dolson have someone on board to bridge the gap like Matta was supposed to have been or Carr is supposed to be?

Feb/Mar last year was a clusterhump in retrospect.

[Five Prime]

3 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

IU rosters  high school composite ranking coming out of high school 

Sisley-65

DeVries-101

Bailey-188

Alexis-unranked 

Wilkerson-unranked 

Conerway-unranked 

Enright - unranked 

Dorn-unranked 

Miles-unranked 

Harris-unranked 

Drake-unranked 

 

Devries finding rocks in the rough

[Five Prime]

I'm no expert, but there seems to be a little too much faith from the fan base that Carr will be the difference.

[str8baller]

6 minutes ago, Five Prime said:

I'm no expert, but there seems to be a little too much faith from the fan base that Carr will be the difference.

You got to, to even be interested the next three years. For my sanity, I’m breaking the odds down thusly: 

1-1.5% chance Devries pulls an Underwood/Hurley/Golden and goes from zero to hero. 
 

75% chance that with Carr and our NIL we’ll field average tourney teams for 3 years before either moving on to the next guy or entering the spiral of hell by offering an extension.  
 

23.5-24% chance we’re entering the Archie Experience 2.0

[Shooter]

36 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Yes agree but most of those mid players besides Stirtz were picked to fill a hole in the roster.  They had other high major players surrounding them.   IU had a whole team of mid major players.   Big difference in my opinion.   

If our team of mid major players was Boyd, Wilkerson, Lendeborg, Devries, Cluff - plus Alexis, Dorn, some other mid major guard off the bench - that would have been an excellent team.

I wouldn't throw out mid major transfers just because some of ours this season stunk, just like I wouldn't throw out high major transfers because of how bad Kanaan Carlyle was.

[Uspshoosier]

12 minutes ago, Shooter said:

our team of mid major players was Boyd, Wilkerson, Lendeborg, Devries, Cluff - plus Alexis, Dorn, some other mid major guard off the bench - that would have been an excellent team.

For sure but not sure they would have had the money to pay all those top  players on the same team.  IU isn’t Kentucky and have 22 mil to spend  

[Home Jersey]

26 minutes ago, str8baller said:

You got to, to even be interested the next three years. For my sanity, I’m breaking the odds down thusly: 

1-1.5% chance Devries pulls an Underwood/Hurley/Golden and goes from zero to hero. 
 

75% chance that with Carr and our NIL we’ll field average tourney teams for 3 years before either moving on to the next guy or entering the spiral of hell by offering an extension.  
 

23.5-24% chance we’re entering the Archie Experience 2.0

Bump the Archie experience odds down to 20% and the Hurley route up to 5% for me and I'll smile like a deluded idiot all offseason just how IU would like fans to lol.

Kidding aside, I do think your odds are pretty spot on here. Maybe a little better odds for an Underwood arc than Hurley / Golden (championship success).

I don't wanna bury the guy yet, but he's gonna have to wow me in the portal for me to pay attention to basketball at all before football season ends (hopefully again in mid/late January!)