Who's Gonna Fill Yogi's Shoes???

[Naismith 136]

He might not be the tallest guy on the team, but he definitely has the biggest shoes to fill.  Yogi's spoiled us...

[Bryan Medema 1,488]

I would like to quote myself from last year: "At ~3ft tall, Yogi stands taller than anyone on the court."

That said, I don't think we can replace him but the team will have some mature leadership next year (potentially Troy, ROJO, Hartman, JBJ, Newkirk). Someone will fill the leadership gap and we have several who can at least fill some of the production gap.

[NoahW35 459]

I think James will fill in pretty much offensively. I don't think they fit well playing together but I think James as the main scorer on the team will be very good. Obviously he is a major step down from Yogi defensively and we haven't seen him be a vocal leader but offensively I don't think there is much drop off

[HoosierAloha 30,067]

Leadership:

 

I feel RoJo will be looked at to be more of a leader next season.  Hartman will also have a bigger role as a senior leader.  If Bryant returns he has the potential to grow into a vocal leader.

 

Production:

 

I'm not sure any single player will step into what Yogi has been able to do over the B1G season by making plays as the shot clock is running down.  JBJ has the potential, if fully healthy, to be the primary perimeter go to guy.  As others have stated, JBJ on next season's team will allow better chemistry and balance than it would this season.  RoJo or Newkirk will probably get the nod as the primary ball handler.

[X-Hoosier 529]

Well we don't have a PG coming in as half as talented as he was as a freshman. We have a bunch of SG's that will try to run the point. Personally I think that is going to be a disaster. But we'll see what happens.

[Kepner 1,261]

It will be a platoon of players running the point. Crean's whole offense is to have multiple players initiating offense. I think the combo of Rob, JBJ, Troy, Cujo, and Devonte Green will work out well for us. I think JBJ will bring pick up the scoring we'll miss from Yogi and Rob will be our primary ball handler. I'm quite nervous about it but I think it will work out for us. We should a have a solid front court to rely on as well.

[HoosierSadaseci 2,258]

Well, at PG it'll probably mostly be Newkirk and RoJo, not sure either can replace, or fill Yogi's shoes, but I'm not sure they'll need to fully do that as we return a cast of players who have really grown and improved as this season has gone, and can all provide leadership. Also, add in another good group of Freshman coming in.

What we will miss is Yogi's heart the most. Kid wants to win, and will do what it takes to do so.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,522]

PG by committee with RoJo as our lead PG until we advance closer to B1G and then who knows.  Too many new faces.  I'm not overly concerned at losing Yogi simply because I think we've got some really talented freshman (and Newkirk) who will be able to give us 75-80% of Yogi.  Morgan and OG will help us pick-up some of Yogi's point production that next year's PG might not contribute on an ongoing basis.  One thing I think (and hope) we'll see less of is our PG running 25 seconds off the shot clock and then the frantic effort to get a shot up before the shot clock expires.  Yogi's a great PG for us, but that is one criticism I have about his overall style of play.  I hope next year we see a lot more ball movement from the moment our PG crosses mid-court.

[Bowhunter 2,693]

You can't replace Yogi. He was a burger boy for a reason. If Blackmon was a point guard he would be the closest thing. Hopefully Tom can keep us winning and we can get another Yogi like point guard in the near future. Guys like Zeisloft, Hartman, ROJO are all very important wing role players, and we wouldn't be here without them, but Yogi and TB as gifted point guard and big man are the keys that drive the car!

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

Newkirk was brought on to the team for the sole purpose of playing PG and facilitating the offense.I don't think it'll end up being as much of a PG by committee as some are predicting.

[drock161 586]

I don't think it's necessarily asking who specifically is going to fill Yogi's shoes but rather how Crean & Co. can adapt to the Yogi sized hole. Like it's been stated before, next year is the real test to see how much Crean has grown as a coach.

Yogi was a special player, he had the ability to score from anywhere as well as distribute the ball as a PG. It would be very difficult to find a player to come in with the same style and skill as Yogi. What they need isn't to try and imitate him but rather mold the style of offense a bit to fit a different type. I've heard people say that Newkirk could be more of a distributer and less of a scorer. The combo of that plus JBJ/Rojo putting up high point volumes could fill that hole.

The worst thing I could see happening is Rojo or JBJ stepping onto the court thinking "Ok, I'M the Yogi now!" and forcing themselves to try and copy him, which will result in an uncomfortable offense, bad shots, and many more turnovers.

[Bryan Medema 1,488]

Well we don't have a PG coming in as half as talented as he was as a freshman. We have a bunch of SG's that will try to run the point. Personally I think that is going to be a disaster. But we'll see what happens.

You mad bro? Cause I'm sad, bro.

[chitown hoosier 743]

This team next year will look a lot like Purdue this year if TB stays, which IMO he should. However the difference I that Indianas combination of guards and shooting ability will be better. I will miss Yogi but Indiana will have a slew of ball handlers next year to keep the offense moving.

[biteoftheapple 4,115]

Although Yogis scoring will be absent, I feel the leadership he developed his senior season will be the biggest hole to fill.

[Alford Bailey 12,373]

Newkirk was brought in to play point. Hope he is better than what we saw at Pitt. The biggest issue will be we wont have a guy who bails us out at the end of the shot clock like Yogi has so many times over the last 2-3 years.

[Adillac 953]

As long as Crean doesn't try giving the job to JBJ, think we'll manage. Hope Crean let's the offense flow through our strengths and doesn't try and give Yogi's responsibilities to anyone. No one next year will be able to do that effectively. We won't have a penetrator like Yogi next year.

 

Depending on who stays, next year's team could be really good imo if the ball moves as much as Crean emphasizes. We will have a lot of interchangeable parts which is what he has always wanted. 

 

As for leadership, impossible to say but I would think Rojo and Bryant (if he stays) could be leaders. Leadership and heart are what we'll miss the most from Yogi I think. Kid is a giant competitor.

[Feathery 4,005]

I think it's Newkirk to start at PG. He doesn't need to be able to fill Yogos shoes. The team is going to be a different construction. We won't need a scoring PG. we need a true point bc we have the scoring weapons.

[Stuhoo 80,438]

I think it's Newkirk to start at PG. He doesn't need to be able to fill Yogos shoes. The team is going to be a different construction. We won't need a scoring PG. we need a true point bc we have the scoring weapons.

 

This.

 

We need a PG who has enough of a jumper to keep defenses honest, and keep the ball moving. Newkirk hasn't exhibited that yet, but he has shown signs of being able to do so.

 

Also, we will have excellent leadership: RoJo, Colinn, and Josh Newkirk are built for that collective role.

[Hoosier DaDa 2,383]

Well we don't have a PG coming in as half as talented as he was as a freshman. We have a bunch of SG's that will try to run the point. Personally I think that is going to be a disaster. But we'll see what happens.

Before I even discuss this question, I just want to address this comment. Your little quote on your sidebar says it all trolling. You are a troll absolutely never anything positive to say and I think you like it that way. You just caught a fish here. I would say something more than TROLL but might get banned.

However I digress. You can't replace Yogi. He has thrown the team on his back multiple times. I think next year's team has a lot of nice pieces to put together a very competitive team. We have a lot of guys next year who can fill buckets and play defense. I think the better question is TB staying, if he does. I really don't see much fall off from our success this season at this point.

[X-Hoosier 529]

Before I even discuss this question, I just want to address this comment. Your little quote on your sidebar says it all trolling. You are a troll absolutely never anything positive to say and I think you like it that way. You just caught a fish here. I would say something more than TROLL but might get banned.

However I digress. You can't replace Yogi. He has thrown the team on his back multiple times. I think next year's team has a lot of nice pieces to put together a very competitive team. We have a lot of guys next year who can fill buckets and play defense. I think the better question is TB staying, if he does. I really don't see much fall off from our success this season at this point.

You only consider me to be "trolling" because you disagree with me. When nothing I said is trolling, out of line, off topic, attacking anyone or out of possibility towards the question. Just because someone isn't joyful and being "homer" doesn't make them a troll. But you can consider me one if you'd like. It does not bother me.