T. Crean's '15-'16 Talent Pool One Of IU's Best, Ever.

[recker222000 1,010]

Guys don't even get your hopes up. If zeller, oladipo, hulls, and watford, and yogi--- a well rounded team could not easily make the final 4, then this team won't.

Uuuggghhhh. You are wrong.

If this team strives for everything in the off season, there's no reason why we can't make a final four appearance.

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[JSHoosier 20,213]

My thoughts:

 

Do some posters understand how much of an astronomical leap this team needs to make on the defensive end?  We need to make a big leap just to suck on that end.  We were indescribably bad, and beyond putrid at basic defensive fundamentals that showed absolutely no sign of improvement.  This coach has been coaching the better part of 20 years and has had a top 25 defense exactly once and precious few in the top 50; as a matter of fact his average defense is ranked around 96th.  Does that sound like a guy that can lead a team to make the kind gargantuan leap necessary?  If people are being honest with themselves the answer is most likely no.  Oh, and Vic isn't walking through that door.

 

Don't forget about the late season swoon; it will almost certainly happen.  We've only seen one season where it didn't, in 7 years.  This team will most likely be regressing when it would need to be playing it's best.

 

Oh, and the Tom Crean factor.  The guy isn't a good coach, actually he's pretty mediocre.  The same coach that said "we don't need to make adjustments" at halftime of a game he was losing.  He's never won consistently and has finished outside the top 5 of his conference as he's finished in the top 5.  He has exactly 2 conference titles in the better part of 20 years and has a so-so winning percentage; sure he averages around 20 wins a year but that's not the bar it used to be and he's never won 30.  He's paid to be a top 10 coach, but I'd say he's closer to Mike Davis and their resumes are eerily similar.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

I had just finished a post to "I'm Worried About..."  and made a passing reference to the need to improve defense and then saw JSHoosier's post above.  Right on point.  On paper, we have the basketball talent but don't seem to find the right glue to hold it all together and form a championship caliber team.  2 years ago a biddy league team took better control of the ball than we did and probably had a considerably higher shooting percentage.  Last year we significantly reduced the turnover problem and had a vastly improved shooting team but defensively we couldn't have stopped my 91-year old mother's assisted living B-team.  If there's only marginal improvement in the defense then don't expect next season to be that much of an improvement.  Shooting alone will not carry a team to the Final 4.  And, as JSH pointed out, don't overlook what has become a trademark of the CTC era, i.e, the late season swoon.  This year's team has great potential but will it be able to reach its potential?  I know everyone certainly hopes so but let's remember that this is not a team that exactly finished on a roll last season.  I like our incoming freshmen but they alone aren't the difference makers.  They will all make valuable contributions especially TB, but without TEAM improvement..............!

[Stuhoo 80,782]

And THAT'S why the coming year is so darn interesting.

 

For the last two years, we had such large roster gaps and deficiencies, that if everything went well, we had the potential to get about as far as we got last year. In my opinion, seventh in the B1G and a second round out in the NCAAs was about our ceiling. Two of our top three guards were freshmen who hit the wall, our "best" big stunk, and our second best big was a freshman who didn't join the team until late August. 

 

This year, there are absolutely question marks, but the: 

 

Potential.

 

Is.

 

Unlimited.

[HoosierHoops1 5,024]

However, we should have beat Wichita State and get to the 3rd round.

[OliviaPope40 6,517]

As they say the sky is the limit.

[BubbleKnuts 569]

However, we should have beat Wichita State and get to the 3rd round.

Size, experience, and a little bad reffing lost that for us.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Purely in the category of for what it's worth, the following provides a summary of several of our past IU centers and their stats for their first year of NCAA competition.  And just for comparison I randomly pulled some non-IU players as well.  If TB can give us 10 & 6 for the season, that will be more than respectable.  

 

 

            FIRST SEASON OF NCAA DIVISION I COMPETITION                      

                                                GAMES            PPG       RBG     APG

Cody Zeller                              36                    15.6     6.6       1.3

D J White                                 29                    13.3     4.9       .9

Kirk Haston                              34                    9.9       6.5       .9

Kent Benson                            27                    9.3       7.9       .9

Alan Henderson                      33                    11.6     7.2       .5

Ray Tolbert                              29                    10.1     6.9       .7

Landon Turner                         33                      5.5     3.4       .3

Uwe Blab                                 24                      7.5     3.7       .5

Dean Garrett  (JUCO)             34                    11.4     8.5       .6

Eric Anderson                          34                    11.9     6.1       .3

Todd Lindeman                        20                    2.0       2.0       0

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jared Sullinger                        37                    17.2     10.2     1.2

Greg Oden                              32                    15.7     9.6       .7

A J Hammons                          34                    10.6     6.0       .6

Patrick Ewing                          37                    12.7     7.5       .6

Alonzo Mourning                     34                    13.1     7.3       .7

Hakeem Olajuwon                  29                    8.3      6.2       n.a.

Robert Parish                           27                    23.0     18.7     .9       NOT TYPOS!  Robert was a beast at Centenary.

[OliviaPope40 6,517]

Purely in the category of for what it's worth, the following provides a summary of several of our past IU centers and their stats for their first year of NCAA competition.  And just for comparison I randomly pulled some non-IU players as well.  If TB can give us 10 & 6 for the season, that will be more than respectable.  

 

 

            FIRST SEASON OF NCAA DIVISION I COMPETITION                      

                                                GAMES            PPG       RBG     APG

Cody Zeller                              36                    15.6     6.6       1.3

D J White                                 29                    13.3     4.9       .9

Kirk Haston                              34                    9.9       6.5       .9

Kent Benson                            27                    9.3       7.9       .9

Alan Henderson                      33                    11.6     7.2       .5

Ray Tolbert                              29                    10.1     6.9       .7

Landon Turner                         33                      5.5     3.4       .3

Uwe Blab                                 24                      7.5     3.7       .5

Dean Garrett  (JUCO)             34                    11.4     8.5       .6

Eric Anderson                          34                    11.9     6.1       .3

Todd Lindeman                        20                    2.0       2.0       0

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jared Sullinger                        37                    17.2     10.2     1.2

Greg Oden                              32                    15.7     9.6       .7

A J Hammons                          34                    10.6     6.0       .6

Patrick Ewing                          37                    12.7     7.5       .6

Alonzo Mourning                     34                    13.1     7.3       .7

Hakeem Olajuwon                  29                    8.3      6.2       n.a.

Robert Parish                           27                    23.0     18.7     .9       NOT TYPOS!  Robert was a beast at Centenary.

Some players are sitting in good company. 

[GloryDays 5,920]

Size, experience, and a little bad reffing lost that for us.

  I think lack of defense is what beat us.

 Allowing Van Vleet,a good but not great guard to perform what was basically a layup drill is totally unacceptable.

If our guards don't stay in front of their man this season it could be more of the same.Bryant wont stop everything at the rim and could foul out trying if we allow that type penetration..

We need to guard people.

[JSHoosier 20,213]

  I think lack of defense is what beat us.

 Allowing Van Vleet,a good but not great guard to perform what was basically a layup drill is totally unacceptable.

If our guards don't stay in front of their man this season it could be more of the same.Bryant wont stop everything at the rim and could foul out trying if we allow that type penetration..

We need to guard people.

This.  Our perimeter players refused to play defense, and if they don't get it through their heads that they have to stay in front of their man then Bryant won't be much help on the bench with foul trouble.

 

The problems went beyond just being young, we were absolutely horrid at defensive fundamentals all season and never improved.  There's no excuse for a collegiate athlete to be that putrid at the basics.

[JSHoosier 20,213]

it was embarrassing last year that so many teams could drive at will against us. Every time!!!! It made me sick to my stomach. And it was pisspoor coaching!

I didn't want to say it but yeah coaching was part of the problem, and unfortunately that part isn't going to change.

[recker222000 1,010]

Crean cant play defense for them! This year will be much much different.

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[biteoftheapple 4,115]

Crean cant play defense for them! This year will be much much different.

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No he does not play it, but he must stress its importance. He must install the principals, he must insist on the discipline and the desire to play defense. If he does not do these things his team fails miserably, as last years team did in the last third of the season