College Bball Thread

[Demo]

Maryland G Rakease Passmore, former KU player and IU offerree, out for the year with an Achilles. It’s a straight up epidemic. Never used to happen and when it did it was always older players. 

[HoosierHoopster]

51 minutes ago, Demo said:

Maryland G Rakease Passmore, former KU player and IU offerree, out for the year with an Achilles. It’s a straight up epidemic. Never used to happen and when it did it was always older players. 

It does seem like that. Personally, w/no studies or proof to back it up, I tend to think it's a result of the significantly increased strength training including weight room legwork. 

[Stuhoo]

31 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

It does seem like that. Personally, w/no studies or proof to back it up, I tend to think it's a result of the significantly increased strength training including weight room legwork. 

Because a kid can build up all of the leg muscles, but cannot change the ligaments they were born with. And then that leg stress has to go somewhere when the muscles protect certain areas.

[sirhoosierlot]

53 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

It does seem like that. Personally, w/no studies or proof to back it up, I tend to think it's a result of the significantly increased strength training including weight room legwork. 

going to disagree with you there. strength training doesn't just increase muscle, but also tendon strength and bone density. The more likely factor is these kids have the same amount of milage on their bodies as nba vets from 20 years ago and the fact that kids are specializing in sports as early as 10 years old and not developing any sort of movement patterns outside of their sport, strengthening tendons in other directions. 

[Hovadipo]

2 minutes ago, sirhoosierlot said:

and the fact that kids are specializing in sports as early as 10 years old and not developing any sort of movement patterns outside of their sport, strengthening tendons in other directions. 

This is such a massive issue right now even outside health/safety concerns. I have yet to see who specialization benefits other than parents' egos and the pockets of people running youth sports programs and facilities. Even college coaches don't want to see it.

[sirhoosierlot]

3 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

This is such a massive issue right now even outside health/safety concerns. I have yet to see who specialization benefits other than parents' egos and the pockets of people running youth sports programs and facilities. Even college coaches don't want to see it.

youth sports are a grift 

[Stuhoo]

19 minutes ago, sirhoosierlot said:

youth sports are a grift 

 

College sports can also be a grift!

Here's a true story for y'all: Smaller D2 or lower level private colleges that have extremely high price tags for tuition offer partial tuition "scholarships" to most non-athlete students. They also offer partial athletic scholarships instead of full ones. They also have a very tough time keeping afloat with enough paid students.

So here's the grift:

• Offer a marginal player a partial athletic scholarship, similar to the non-athletic one they'd offer any decent student.
• Way, way, way overstock the roster - bring in 15 freshmen a year for the baseball or soccer squad.
• Let them all practice, but only the top 20 on varsity get to travel.
• After a year or two, once the kids have acclimated to and made friends at the school and on the team, inform about 20 kids a year that their scholarship will not be renewed, but that they are welcome to stay at the school at a reduced tuition rate.
• Generate about 100 paid tuition - regular student customers a year from various sports.

 

[Hovadipo]

24 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

 

College sports can also be a grift!

Here's a true story for y'all: Smaller D2 or lower level private colleges that have extremely high price tags for tuition offer partial tuition "scholarships" to most non-athlete students. They also offer partial athletic scholarships instead of full ones. They also have a very tough time keeping afloat with enough paid students.

So here's the grift:

• Offer a marginal player a partial athletic scholarship, similar to the non-athletic one they'd offer any decent student.
• Way, way, way overstock the roster - bring in 15 freshmen a year for the baseball or soccer squad.
• Let them all practice, but only the top 20 on varsity get to travel.
• After a year or two, once the kids have acclimated to and made friends at the school and on the team, inform about 20 kids a year that their scholarship will not be renewed, but that they are welcome to stay at the school at a reduced tuition rate.
• Generate about 100 paid tuition - regular student customers a year from various sports.

 

Hey at least you're getting an education out of it. In the youth sports grift, you get to see Billy's mommy or daddy cuffed and stuffed because blue's strike zone wasn't to their liking.

Which...I suppose is its own form of education.

[LIHoosier]

2 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

Hey at least you're getting an education out of it. In the youth sports grift, you get to see Billy's mommy or daddy cuffed and stuffed because blue's strike zone wasn't to their liking.

Which...I suppose is its own form of education.

So that's the 'School of Hard Knocks' I always hear about.

[TheWatShot]

1 hour ago, sirhoosierlot said:

going to disagree with you there. strength training doesn't just increase muscle, but also tendon strength and bone density. The more likely factor is these kids have the same amount of milage on their bodies as nba vets from 20 years ago and the fact that kids are specializing in sports as early as 10 years old and not developing any sort of movement patterns outside of their sport, strengthening tendons in other directions. 

Another problem is that even multi-sport athletes are now playing all their sports year-round. I'm seeing 3 sport athletes in high school with basketball workouts before school in the morning, football practice after school, and travel baseball on the weekends. It's nuts. 

[HoosierHoopster]

1 hour ago, sirhoosierlot said:

going to disagree with you there. strength training doesn't just increase muscle, but also tendon strength and bone density. The more likely factor is these kids have the same amount of milage on their bodies as nba vets from 20 years ago and the fact that kids are specializing in sports as early as 10 years old and not developing any sort of movement patterns outside of their sport, strengthening tendons in other directions. 

No real way of knowing, it's all conjecture w/o studies, but I'll agree to disagree. Weight training generally doesn't grow bone density or strengthen ACL's or Achilles. Side note from personal experience, former hockey player. I grew huge thighs through weight training and extensive ice time/practices and playing year long including in Canada, I was the fastest skater on my teams. I ended up having my thigh muscle in one leg literally pull my hip apart because the bone density/hip was not developed as a late teenager to handle the strength.

[Aguas]

Does anyone connected know if IU is actively working on a larger contract extension for Cignetti?   I would think that with all the prime open coaching spots this would be a priority but have not seen anything to date.  Thanks for any info from those in the know and connected.  

[Pagoda]

16 minutes ago, Aguas said:

Does anyone connected know if IU is actively working on a larger contract extension for Cignetti?   I would think that with all the prime open coaching spots this would be a priority but have not seen anything to date.  Thanks for any info from those in the know and connected.  

He and the staff got big new contracts last year (November 2024).

Cig up to $9M/yr base plus bonuses.  Almost top-10 $.  IU has allocated top-10 money for the staff.  Beyond the first round of raises in November, Haines got two more (PSU and others poking around) and Owings got one more (USC poking around).

IU really ponied up to keep everyone, which is amazing.  Hard to pay them much more than what they’re making now.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

 
College sports can also be a grift!
Here's a true story for y'all: Smaller D2 or lower level private colleges that have extremely high price tags for tuition offer partial tuition "scholarships" to most non-athlete students. They also offer partial athletic scholarships instead of full ones. They also have a very tough time keeping afloat with enough paid students.
So here's the grift:

• Offer a marginal player a partial athletic scholarship, similar to the non-athletic one they'd offer any decent student.
• Way, way, way overstock the roster - bring in 15 freshmen a year for the baseball or soccer squad.
• Let them all practice, but only the top 20 on varsity get to travel.
• After a year or two, once the kids have acclimated to and made friends at the school and on the team, inform about 20 kids a year that their scholarship will not be renewed, but that they are welcome to stay at the school at a reduced tuition rate.
• Generate about 100 paid tuition - regular student customers a year from various sports.

 

Well stated. My oldest son is playing college baseball in a similar scenario. He gets 20k academic scholarship, and 6k baseball so that 35k tuition becomes reasonable. He loves it and it’s a great school so we are happy as parents but your description of the scenario isn’t lost on me either. This school doesn’t do a lot of the cutting but playing time is hard to come by and the effort required are a lot, so some phase themselves out.


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[Demo]

Sounds like Billy Gillespie may be out at Tarleton St. One of the all time career flameouts.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

ESPN story on Billy Gillespie

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/46476462/sources-tarleton-state-billy-gillispie-leave-amid-inquiry

[HoosierDevils]

Jon Scheyer announced Jayson Tatum will be spending a lot of time with the Duke team this year as he’s rehabbing. Smart move. They had Cam Williams and Jordan Smith at Countdown to Craziness: https://x.com/bluedevilnation/status/1974280249425678588?s=46&t=Fcw6K8fSPVNFaq5-eOwH9w

Meanwhile in Arizona…Gronk crashes the scrimmage: 

https://x.com/thefieldof68/status/1974338634829410604?s=46&t=Fcw6K8fSPVNFaq5-eOwH9w

[HoosierHoopster]

On 10/3/2025 at 10:33 AM, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

ESPN story on Billy Gillespie

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/46476462/sources-tarleton-state-billy-gillispie-leave-amid-inquiry

What a guy….

[LamarCheeks]

106 years. What an amazing life. 

RIP, Sister Jean ... 

[IUCrazy2]

Sounds like Leary got himself in trouble again....

https://bustednewspaper.com/indiana/leary-todd-christopher/20251009-085900/