Tom Crean piss and moan thread with a little sunshine (lol)

[Hoosier_Cat_42 35]

   I've been thinking a lot about next season and what type of a team we'll have.  I know the overall morale of our fan base right now is negative, and everyone sees next year as being a down year for the 2nd year in a row, but I'm not so sure just yet.  Now, to make it clear, I definitely do not see us being great or anything, but I think we'll be better than we were this past year.  I also think our team will be heavily overlooked, which I think works to our advantage... I see our team flourishing in those underdog environments (kind of like 2011-2012, but not quite that good).  By the end of the season, I think we'll have played well enough to make the NCAA tourney; probably as a 8 or 9 seed.

 

   Crean wants to play a fast paced game, scoring in transition and playing a lot of guards and versatile forwards. Next year, we'll have a sick back court with Yogi and Blackmon, plus Rob Johnson as a solid back up who can play the 1 or 2.  We'll also have a few talented wing players that I expect to be much improved after a summer in the gym in Troy and Stan.  I expect big seasons from both of them.  And lets not forget Hoetzel; I think he could be a 6-8 Matt Roth type player.  We will not be lacking in the outside shooting department anymore with these incoming freshmen.  Then you have Hanner and Devin who can bang down low (plus the possibility of Cunningham too, who I think is way underrated).  I imagine that both of these guys- HP and DD- will improve over the summer, especially Davis.

 

   So, a starting line up that looks something like: (I think we can have a 3 man rotation w our guards)

    

     - Yogi (back up- RJ)

     - JBJ (back up- RJ)

     - SR (back up- MH)

     - TW (back up DD) possibly Cunningham too.

     - HP (back up TBT)

 

   I just see this working out pretty well given Yogi and JBJ's capabilities.  We all complain about how we never utilize our big men in the past... well what makes us think that the lack of a big man is going to have such a tremendous impact on our season next year.  We just need a couple bodies who can bang, scrap, rebound and defend other bigs, which I think (with a little more work over the summer) Hanner and Devin can do.  We don't need our bigs to be great offensive threats or anything.

   Look at UConn vs UK in the Nat'l Championship game.  That's proof that great guard play can beat a team that's huge and has great low post play.  I'm optimistic of next year's potential.  It will be a totalIy different style.

   I just feel like we need to try and be a little more supportive and optimistic of our team next year as a fan base.  I feel bad for the kids who are a part of this team right now.  It's depressing to get on these message boards lately and pray to god our players / recruits aren't getting on these boards.  I'm making the choice to think that we will be the surprise team next year, and we're going to be solid and competitive all season, including beating UofL and Purwho!  GO HOOSIERS!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

[Ranger78 1,293]

Nice post.

I'm going positive.

What we can be vs all this negative BS.

How many threads can we have on the programs short comings?




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[OliviaPope40 6,340]

I'm choosing to see the glass half full and not half empty.

[JSHoosier 19,701]

When this team struggled all we heard was "they're freshman, what do you expect", now so many are expecting 2 of our 3 incoming freshman to be not freshman and actually be ready to contribute.  Funny, that.

[Ranger78 1,293]

It's about results. We did not see much last year, but continually to harp on the same shit over and over gets old.

Coach Crean needs to produce at this point, but I'm not sure what good it does to continually point out the failures.






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[Hoosier_Cat_42 35]

Well as for expecting freshmen to contribute immediately... JBJ is the only freshman who I said I see starting and needing to be a huge contributor from day 1, and he's a McDonalds All American. Last I checked, all of our McD All Americans in the past few years were able to contribute immediately as freshmen. I think JBJ and Yogi could avg 12-16 pts per game each next year; I don't think that's unrealistic expectations. Rob Johnson will prolly have freshmen moments, but he seems to have a super high bball IQ. I see him being smart from day one, and a reliable back up combo guard. We'll see I guess.

[Plasticjimmyhat 71]

HURRY'IN on the front of the jersey and HOOSIERS on the back!!! That way they can see who smoked them to the basket!! I.U. will be fine... "BIG MAN BE DAMNED"!!!

[Hoosier_Cat_42 35]

I agree, Ranger. I understand that pressure is on for Crean. I agree he has to produce and it needs to happen, like yesterday! But you said it - what good does it do for us fans to continuously point out all the negatives every minute of every day. Well said. Hopefully my predictions for next year are accurate and hopefully Crean can land a few big time recruits for 2015. I am just as fed up w Crean's coaching as of late as anyone, but my supportive spirit and the purpose of this post is for the players sake. I'm supporting the kids who want to turn this around again!

[Plasticjimmyhat 71]

HURRY'IN on the front of the jersey and HOOSIERS on the back!!! That way they can see who smoked them to the basket!! I.U. will be fine... "BIG MAN BE DAMNED"!!!

BTW... Read my Hurry'in Hoosiers post

[Hoosier_Cat_42 35]

Just did, lol. Great post. Not sure how I missed it the first time.

[JaybobHoosier 11,834]

When this team struggled all we heard was "they're freshman, what do you expect", now so many are expecting 2 of our 3 incoming freshman to be not freshman and actually be ready to contribute.  Funny, that.

 

I'm pretty frustrated with what's going on, but let's actually have a positive thread!

[JSHoosier 19,701]

Well as for expecting freshmen to contribute immediately... JBJ is the only freshman who I said I see starting and needing to be a huge contributor from day 1, and he's a McDonalds All American. Last I checked, all of our McD All Americans in the past few years were able to contribute immediately as freshmen. I think JBJ and Yogi could avg 12-16 pts per game each next year; I don't think that's unrealistic expectations. Rob Johnson will prolly have freshmen moments, but he seems to have a super high bball IQ. I see him being smart from day one, and a reliable back up combo guard. We'll see I guess.

Blackmon is the only freshman we have coming in that should be expected to be ready.  Johnson will have to adjust, as most freshman do, and that could very well take most of the season.  He'll probably be relied on to bring good minutes off the bench, because there are no other options, but that doesn't mean he's ready to contribute and we're back to people relying on a freshman after trying to excuse this season's debacle with just that.

 

 

I'm pretty frustrated with what's going on, but let's actually have a positive thread!

I just find it funny that people want to excuse this season with youth and relying on freshman, then turn around and expect next season to be different with youth and relying on freshman.  That's all.

[JaybobHoosier 11,834]

[quote name="JSHoosier" post="59247" timestamp="1397271928"]Blackmon is the only freshman we have coming in that should be expected to be ready. Johnson will have to adjust, as most freshman do, and that could very well take most of the season. He'll probably be relied on to bring good minutes off the bench, because there are no other options, but that doesn't mean he's ready to contribute and we're back to people relying on a freshman after trying to excuse this season's debacle with just that.


I just find it funny that people want to excuse this season with youth and relying on freshman, then turn around and expect next season to be different with youth and relying on freshman. That's all.[/quote]

I'm not disagreeing with you, I just think there's room to let positive threads be. Trust me, I'm very frustrated, but this place needs some positive threads/posts. We just need to let this thread be one of the very few positive threads. That's all.

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[NotTheReal HoosierHoopster 67]

I sure hope so. We'll see.

[bronkonagurski 894]

I'm not disagreeing with you, I just think there's room to let positive threads be. Trust me, I'm very frustrated, but this place needs some positive threads/posts. We just need to let this thread be one of the very few positive threads. That's all.

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Nah.  We need the same people taking a dump on any attempt at optimism just to "keep it real" apparently. 

[Judy N 1]

We'll.....where do you think Hartman might have fit into this team this year?

[hoosierfan6157 328]

I agree with the op. The team needs our support more than ever now with all the uncertainty swirling around them!


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[Lt. John McClaine 541]

Great Post, I really think we'll be as good as we've been in the backcourt during the Crean Era.  I mean you have arguably the best point guard in the Conference coming back, and a pure shooter that just happens to be a McD's All American coming in, the Virginia HS player of the year coming in who is also a shooter and ballhandler, and a Soph in Stan Robinson who has a different skill set and is a lefty slasher.  At a different times this season, many of us sang his praises. 

 

At Forward, i really like Troy's game, assuming he develops more. And one would think that Hanner will be able to help us more than he has his first two years.  Now after that it gets a lil hazy for me, but I know that this is what the staff is working on.  I just want to see us play a style that utilizes sharing the ball, stretching the floor and being able to penetrate and kick out to our shooters.  Defensively, we defenitely need to have some bigger bodies, if not for the fact that one of our forwards get hurt, but i'm confident it gets taken care of.  Go IU

[LockdownD 2,212]

Great Post, I really think we'll be as good as we've been in the backcourt during the Crean Era.  I mean you have arguably the best point guard in the Conference coming back, and a pure shooter that just happens to be a McD's All American coming in, the Virginia HS player of the year coming in who is also a shooter and ballhandler, and a Soph in Stan Robinson who has a different skill set and is a lefty slasher.  At a different times this season, many of us sang his praises. 
 
At Forward, i really like Troy's game, assuming he develops more. And one would think that Hanner will be able to help us more than he has his first two years.  Now after that it gets a lil hazy for me, but I know that this is what the staff is working on.  I just want to see us play a style that utilizes sharing the ball, stretching the floor and being able to penetrate and kick out to our shooters.  Defensively, we defenitely need to have some bigger bodies, if not for the fact that one of our forwards get hurt, but i'm confident it gets taken care of.  Go IU

Nice post and I'm in agreement with your breakdown. I will add that I think Devin Davis could be a significant player on next year's team as he showed some impressive skill at the 4 at the end of the season. I think he could rotate on the court as a 4 and some 5. He just needs to play his game. He's athletic and he's a warrior.

[BlueDevil 8,655]

[quote name="Judy N" post="59261" timestamp="1397304826"]We'll.....where do you think Hartman might have fit into this team this year?[/quote]

Hartman will more than likely miss half the season recovering from his injury.