Questions For Hutch

[Stuhoo 81,320]

Alright...we got us this fancy pants IU insider with us; it's time to try to extract some value far beyond the price of a free board! 

 

No Jaybob, I am not talking to you, and no, I do not have questions about your all-time St. Louis Cardinal fanboy faves.

 

It's IU basketball I wanna know about!

In the style of The Donald that is Trump, I am about to ask a few questions for Hutch that are what I REALLY want to know (for real, not for you fun-zee-doo, askeerd to ask out loud crowd!)

 

Here Goes:

 

1)  Which current IU recruits, in your opinion, are more than 50% likely to eventually sign with IU? (none of this 'recruiting is fluid' bull cookies - we know there are no guarantees and we know there will be new faces that arise). Which ones do you currently believe are more likely than not...name 'em.

 

2)  Who is the most likely fifth starter on this year's team?

 

3)  What percentage of players who played for Coach Crean would have made the same commitment in retrospect? Percentage of players who graduated?

 

4)  What percentage do you put the chance that UK, either directly or indirectly, at times funnels money to incoming recruits or their families?

 

5)  Was Brad Stevens offered the IU job since the end of last season?

 

6)  The chances that the following players will ever play more than 15 mpg at IU: Morgan, OG, Priller.

[IU Hoosier41 14,465]

Hutch must be writing 1,000 words per questions...

*crickets*

[JaybobHoosier 11,852]

Well Stu since you asked........

[Yogi'sBicep 1,048]

Come on Hutch. I only have until Oct 12 to see these answers!!

[DawgBawls 712]

Does MSB really have a lifetime pass to Area 51?

That's messed up... IUHoosier41 is sitting right there.:)

[Stuhoo 81,320]

Crickets still?

 

C'mon Hutch...whaddya think?

[IndyHutch 1,718]

I don't want you guys to think that I'm ignoring you ... but I am.

 

I have been out of the basketball recruiting realm the last two years at Scout because that was the main job of my colleague Justin Albers. So I've got to do my homework a little more before I answer.

 

This doesn't mean I'm dodging your questions or anything like that, it just means that when I give you an answer I want it to be accurate. I don't want to just shoot from the hip like a lot of people I know. I could baffle you with b.s. but that's not the course I like to take.

 

Give me a couple of days (it's freaking August by the way). I'm kind of locked in to getting football going with my stuff and with our contributors and at the same time I'm trying to get my latest book that will be out this fall to the printer. I'll try to have your answers by the end of the week.

 

Hope that works for you.

 

Hutch

[Stuhoo 81,320]

I don't want you guys to think that I'm ignoring you ... but I am.

 

I have been out of the basketball recruiting realm the last two years at Scout because that was the main job of my colleague Justin Albers. So I've got to do my homework a little more before I answer.

 

This doesn't mean I'm dodging your questions or anything like that, it just means that when I give you an answer I want it to be accurate. I don't want to just shoot from the hip like a lot of people I know. I could baffle you with b.s. but that's not the course I like to take.

 

Give me a couple of days (it's freaking August by the way). I'm kind of locked in to getting football going with my stuff and with our contributors and at the same time I'm trying to get my latest book that will be out this fall to the printer. I'll try to have your answers by the end of the week.

 

Hope that works for you.

 

Hutch

 

 

There's certainly a couple of "dodgeable" questions in that mix (#s 3, 4, and 5 are pretty dicey IMO).

 

Educated answers to all six questions?  Can't wait!

 

Thanks

[OliviaPope40 6,543]

Any good pranks pulled by players?

[hermanbgoode 27]

I don't want you guys to think that I'm ignoring you ... but I am.

 

I have been out of the basketball recruiting realm the last two years at Scout because that was the main job of my colleague Justin Albers. So I've got to do my homework a little more before I answer.

 

This doesn't mean I'm dodging your questions or anything like that, it just means that when I give you an answer I want it to be accurate. I don't want to just shoot from the hip like a lot of people I know. I could baffle you with b.s. but that's not the course I like to take.

 

Give me a couple of days (it's freaking August by the way). I'm kind of locked in to getting football going with my stuff and with our contributors and at the same time I'm trying to get my latest book that will be out this fall to the printer. I'll try to have your answers by the end of the week.

 

Hope that works for you.

 

Hutch

I guess I must not understand how sportswriting works. I would have thought that between supervising Justin Albers (you did, didn't you?), reading and hopefully editing his work, covering all of IU's basketball games and press conferences year after year, being involved in podcasts and online Q&As, various discussions with your IU basketball sources, etc. you'd be pretty up to date and in the loop on all IU basketball news. I don't mean this as a criticism. I'm just a little surprised that you'd say you were out of the basketball recruiting realm when it's such a major part of college basketball coverage these days and you were the editor of an IU sports website, which presumably would emphasize basketball coverage.  

[Stuhoo 81,320]

I guess I must not understand how sportswriting works. I would have thought that between supervising Justin Albers (you did, didn't you?), reading and hopefully editing his work, covering all of IU's basketball games and press conferences year after year, being involved in podcasts and online Q&As, various discussions with your IU basketball sources, etc. you'd be pretty up to date and in the loop on all IU basketball news. I don't mean this as a criticism. I'm just a little surprised that you'd say you were out of the basketball recruiting realm when it's such a major part of college basketball coverage these days and you were the editor of an IU sports website, which presumably would emphasize basketball coverage.  

 

 

Stop.

 

Hutch clearly stated that he wanted to answer some tough questions accurately.

 

Just stop.

[IndyHutch 1,718]

I guess I must not understand how sportswriting works. I would have thought that between supervising Justin Albers (you did, didn't you?), reading and hopefully editing his work, covering all of IU's basketball games and press conferences year after year, being involved in podcasts and online Q&As, various discussions with your IU basketball sources, etc. you'd be pretty up to date and in the loop on all IU basketball news. I don't mean this as a criticism. I'm just a little surprised that you'd say you were out of the basketball recruiting realm when it's such a major part of college basketball coverage these days and you were the editor of an IU sports website, which presumably would emphasize basketball coverage.  

 

I feel as if I have a pretty good idea of how to do my job seeing that I've worked as a sportswriter for nearly 40 years. 

 

First off, Albers and I were more of a team more than me supervising his work. Yes I was the site publisher, but his interest had always been primarily basketball recruiting and so that was his primary area of focus. And yes, I was up on IU basketball recruiting but it was he was doing all the heavy lifting. When you're a team it doesn't make sense if one person is concentrating all of his efforts in one area for the other person to be spending a great deal of time in that area, too. I had enough other things on my plate. My contract called for me to write 80 stories a month at Scout and there were months where I wrote as many as 140 stories.

 

From the time Scout and myself agreed to part ways in May of this year until now I haven't really followed IU basketball recruiting as closely as I had in the past. To be honest, until btownbanners approached me I thought there was a good chance I was done writing about the Hoosiers. And so frankly I'm a little bit behind in terms of basketball recruiting. That doesn't mean I won't catch up. It does, however, mean that I'm not going to pretend like I know something that I don't just to try to sound smart. I'm comfortable with my overall knowledge of IU athletics but I'll also never try to be something that I'm not. I just don't do it that way.

[mdn82 25,510]

I guess I must not understand how sportswriting works. I would have thought that between supervising Justin Albers (you did, didn't you?), reading and hopefully editing his work, covering all of IU's basketball games and press conferences year after year, being involved in podcasts and online Q&As, various discussions with your IU basketball sources, etc. you'd be pretty up to date and in the loop on all IU basketball news. I don't mean this as a criticism. I'm just a little surprised that you'd say you were out of the basketball recruiting realm when it's such a major part of college basketball coverage these days and you were the editor of an IU sports website, which presumably would emphasize basketball coverage.

Basketball recruiting is a niche of college basketball gaining steam due to ESPN and Kentucky's reliance on one and done. Hutch covers neither. His articles are focused on IU in the moment, not the future. It's always been that way. As much uncertainty as there is in recruiting there is no way to intelligently cover it with integrity unless you were a full time analyst which Albers was. Sources for something like this is the AAU scene which is typically a revolving door of followers Hutch did not involve in his articles. This isn't meant to be rude so please don't take it that way, but there is a huge difference between your perception and the reality of what he does.

[hermanbgoode 27]

Geez, 140 stories in a month! That is hitting the ball way out of the park. No wonder you decided to part ways with Scout if you were writing almost five stories a day. That is truly unbelievable.

 

Anyway, this is awesome. I appreciate great research and look forward to see your responses. Thank you, Stuhoo, for getting this ball rolling.

[Brass Cannon 24,869]

Wow this topic got rude very fast. I came in here to ask Hutch a question but frankly I think it needs to be closed

[IndyHutch 1,718]

l don't find it to be rude. I was OK with the question and tried to answer it honestly.

 

And if people want to ask additional questions of me on this thread, I'll do my best.

 

I just wanted to post something so that people didn't think I was dodging the topic or something.

[Brass Cannon 24,869]

l don't find it to be rude. I was OK with the question and tried to answer it honestly.

And if people want to ask additional questions of me on this thread, I'll do my best.

I just wanted to post something so that people didn't think I was dodging the topic or something.

Ok good to hear. Question is somewhat related to IU so I thought you might know. In another topic Brad Stevens was brought up. I had heard he was not a fan of recruiting. Do you know anything about that?

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,478]

Ok good to hear. Question is somewhat related to IU so I thought you might know. In another topic Brad Stevens was brought up. I had heard he was not a fan of recruiting. Do you know anything about that?

Hutch- Any info you might have on Brad Stevens in general as it relates to IU would be appreciated. Rumors swirled mightily that IU had talked money with Brad Stevens last year. Significant amounts of it. Thanks in advance.

[IUHoosier5 1,640]

What's your favorite meal?

[HereWeGoAgain 27]

Basketball recruiting is a niche of college basketball gaining steam due to ESPN and Kentucky's reliance on one and done. Hutch covers neither. His articles are focused on IU in the moment, not the future. It's always been that way. As much uncertainty as there is in recruiting there is no way to intelligently cover it with integrity unless you were a full time analyst which Albers was. Sources for something like this is the AAU scene which is typically a revolving door of followers Hutch did not involve in his articles. This isn't meant to be rude so please don't take it that way, but there is a huge difference between your perception and the reality of what he does.

The only thing I'd say is that seems to be a pretty outdated model. As far as I can tell beat reporters either cover or are pretty well versed in recruiting. Peegs might cover recruiting, but Rabjohns knows what is going on (he's going to the events, too, I think). Mike Miller, Dustin Diporak, DePrimeo, Osterman, they all cover it extensively or at least to an extent. Hopefully Hutch can follow their lead and at least dabble in it. Or, he can at least serve up a nice pile of b-s for us to read and make us think he's covering it :). Maybe others disagree, but I think the bread and butter of boards like ours are recruiting. You gotta embrace that.