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Little detective work. Woody worked with World Wide Wes and Kenny Payne in New York. Kenny Payne was an assistant at Oregon. Yasir Rosemond overlapped with Payne at Oregon. Payne and Wes are tight. Connecting the dots. Sounds like Woody talked with Wes and Payne as far as getting a guy in here who is good at relationships. Rosemond obviously came out of that.

Fellas Woody is tight with WWW, Payne, and Brown. Just as Archie and the UK staff were/are extremely tight. Dolson didn't hire these guys to pussy foot around. It's a serious coaching staff, with a multitude of connections. Some/most of which live in the grey area or a step further. Woody is an NBA/business man, he's going to run this thing as close to going over the edge and push every boundary to win

We just have some really naive fans. Pretty funny

It's pretty funny seeing the people freak out over this guy. Both Crean and Archie dabbled in the "gray areas" often. They were no saints. It's just how recruiting works these days.

This is probably my favorite thing about CMW so far. He doesn't seem to have this crazy large ego where he feels like he needs to know everything or do it all himself. He's got plenty of resources to utilize and bounce ideas off of.... Matta, Brown and I'm sure countless others. (not to mention Hunter and Fife and Asst #3) It's like I tell my kids -- you don't need to have all the answers, you just need to know where to find them. Seems that's his strategy and I like it.

Same here. Let's face it - some schools have advantages others don't have. Duke with tons of free publicity from ESPN is a blatant recruiting advantage. Some schools have great geographical attraction. Some have great facilities because of wealthy alumni. Certainly I don't condone payoffs or other extreme rules violations, but you have to take advantage of loopholes in the rules if you want to be among the top dogs. The concept of having an agreement with an assistant, but not hiring him so that he can continue to have contact with potential recruits is a "loophole" and an advantage. Does anybody suggest we NOT exploit that situation? I hope not!

I know some of it is his own making, but for a guy who is pretty much responsible for that 5th banner hanging in Assembly Hall, Steve gets crapped on a bit too much by the press and the fanbase...

Well no. We do much better debating hypothetical. Its how we roll. 😂

I’m being a little pragmatic here, but I’d have to think after Dolson being the AD having been a manager on the ‘87 team, Woodson being an IU legend, Fife having played on the last IU team to appear in the NC game, I’d have to think that more care would be placed than making a reckless hire. Woodson wasn’t my first choice, but I do not think any of us think he doesn’t know what he is the steward of now- the IU program and it’s overall legacy. If you heard Fife on DD’s show, and realize that he left MSU to come here, and the level of passion and care for this program. We may not know the X’s and O’s, and what product will be put on the floor, but after what IU has been thru the last 20 years, I just cannot believe that this administration would risk any trouble.

Sounds like Dolson decided to go full basketball factory. Considering all that goes on at Kansas, Duke, UNC, UK, Arizona, etc I'm fine with it. The NCAA has made it very clear that they do not care.

Good hire.

So what? If we're recruiting at a high level and winning, and he's kept in line, who cares about suspicion?

Reading through the comments, it’s pretty clear that a number of people have a misconception about what the term “grey area” means. This topic is getting long in the tooth so let’s let it be. Let people think what they want to think.

IU actually has smart basketball people in charge now. Don't cheat but find ways to play within the rules that give you an advantage. I love it.

It sounds like he's been Woody's guy since before Fife was even hired but Woody and company wasn't in a rush to make it official.

I forget the exact quote, but Yasir said he'd facilitate a deal without ever facilitating it. The deal? Steering kids to an agency. And the practice of this NCAA illegality will be extinct in a year or two because it is assumed that under the NIL kids will be able to have their own agents while in school. Agents won't need coaches as their middlemen. He can't bribe kids because kids can make their money legitimately through endorsements. The demand that this coach could supposedly supply (the crimes some are scared will be committed) will disappear. I know I keep bringing this up, but what exactly are you worried Yasir will do? We can argue intent until we are blue in the face, but he never did anything. And the thing you're worried he would have done will no longer be a thing.

He didn't like the Woodson hire at first. He's starting to like it more with his coaching staff decisions and Rosemond is the best hire in mind. IU needs a stretch 4 or a 4 that can put pressure on defenses. Hunter isn't that, Race is a small 5, and JG is an unknown. IU could use a scoring wing too. He also said that an alum who was helping with the hiring process was telling college coaches not to go after the job to make it easier to get Woody hired. Guard and Center spots are the teams positions of strength. There was more but it was long winded.

Yep. It was a very smart move in my opinion...he is technically not an official hire until paperwork is complete so he could recruit for IU all last week. Smart move and a perfect example of operating in the "gray area" without breaking any rules. Kudos to Woody, Matta, and Dolson for that decision.

You KNOW for a fact they are clean because you are on staff or maybe they are better at hiding it. There are many many criminals walking the streets that have never even been accused of a crime does not make them any less a criminal. If Scott thinks it's clean it's clean and if he thinks it's dirty it's dirty and that's fine for you to feel that way. It's your opinion and you are entitled to it. Does not make it right or wrong. You would be surprised what happens behind closed doors with many of the teams you think are clean

Clearly, there is a difference between paying off a player and holding, or traveling. This has gotten way jabberwockey This wasn’t about big v little. I thought this was about playing in the grey area? If CMW hires this guy, of course, blatant cheating cannot be condoned. However, holding on a play, scuffling the ball, hitting the shooter on the elbow, those kinds of things are what everyone else is, and has been doing for quite some time. I hope this regime takes advantage of every bit of grey area, without crossing the line.

I'm fine with IU doing whatever the majority of their peers that consistently compete for conference titles, high rankings and deep tournament runs do.

I will tell you that I was friends with Calbert during his Junior year. The guy didn't have a car at all, he rode to class with me. He had a milk crate for a TV stand. Is there a reason the College Player of the Year to be was left out of all of the illicit benefits? Was there anyone on the team more deserving than him? I heard a lot of stories similar to the one you told, but they were never first hand, and my own first hand experiences were quite different. But then again, I'm told I'm naive (I guess I can add dumb as crap to the list as well), so there is that.

All the big time schools do worse things than that.

Signing bonus? Sounds good to me.

Without any details or context that is a big allegation to make. But this post made me think: were the coaches being told not to go after the job specifically IU alumni? Smart, Fife, Alford, etc. Thus, being more of a strategy to get the alumni base behind one candidate rather than divide interests? Hypothetically if somebody like Zeke told Beard not to go after the IU job, wouldn't Beard just tell him to F off?

No clue if we’ve contacted him. I haven’t been able to find anything about anyone recruiting him. I love his game. He’s my #1 want in the portal. We land him.. we could be VERY good next year. I believe Nebraska may have recruited him out of high school when Kenya Hunter was on staff there. Hoping that’s true and there’s a connection there. 🤞

Not yet but he's been hired since Friday. It just can't be announced and made official until all the HR stuff is done.

I'm genuinely excited to see what Coach Woodson and Co. uncover with the team. Meaning, what aspects of the players' games were being uncultivated and neglected?? I think we can all agree that the previous head coach didn't maximize or develop the talent on his roster in an adequate way. Of course its naive to think every single player will completely blossom into the absolute best version of themselves in CMW's first season, but I am very intrigued by what "unknown/unloved" skills our players have that will be given the light and soil to grow.

Wiltfong gave us a crystal ball pick with a confidence level of 7 today. Currently 78th overall in the 2023 class.

I can confirm this on Calbert. He lived in the back of the Villas would have been his senior year. He and Graham didn't buy cars until the barnstorming tour/draft positions were announced. Calbert bought a white Ford Explorer IIRC and Graham bought a gray SUV as well. Shoot Sherron hung out with us our senior year. He pulled up to campus in a Ford Tempo. I'm just adding this in because I don't think for a second Knight had anything illegal going at all. Now Mallory on the other hand? Vaughn Dunbar was my neighbor in the villas....sweet ride is all I'll say. I should say in accordance with the thread....different times and the game and the way it's played has changed. I have no problem in the world changing with it.

I also see this as a sign of self-confidence. Usually people who are insecure try to portray themselves bigger than they really are. Definitely a huge benefit of having a coach of Mike Woodson's caliber who pretty much accomplished everything as a basketball person. A self-confident but humble person feels comfortable in his/her own skin. This is something we haven't seen for a long time.

All those fancy smancy computer chips they were starting to put into cars....probably didn't have anyone that could understand the read out lol. I'm past this tiring arguement over Yasir. Everyone has said their piece. On both sides. We all got to have our opinion....and absolutely ZERO people changed their mind....per usual. That is fine but we are beating a dead horse here guys. Not saying it is or isn't a big deal what he did but it seems like a done deal. We just move on....and pray to God it all works out....because I'm not sitting through another probation and firing and complete rebuild. Keep our nose clean and stay out of the NCAA crosshairs and lets go win games. If people want to fight this out....put up a poll or something. Not sure we need to rehash it every 10 mins on here. In fact I hope we close this thread once it becomes official lol.

Good auto mechanics were in short supply during the 90's.

I can only imagine the things that went on even when Knight was coach that the "right way" crowd would be floored by. I worked detailing cars for a short time at a dealership in Bloomington (mid-late 90s when Knight was still coach). It didn't happen when I was there (summer), but was told by more than one person who worked there a long time that the "car is in the shop for repairs" game was played there. For those that don't know what that is, basically a player takes his car (any car) to the dealer for "repairs" and is given a loaner to drive while the (non-existent) work is being done. The "repairs" take all semester to get done for some reason...

So far we have established that the segment of our fan base that wants to do things above board and with integrity is "Perfect", "Holier than thou" and "Naive". So what words are we allowed to use for the segment of our fanbase who want to outright cheat to win? Can I start the list, or will that rile up the moderators?

Ostrom was willing. Not that different than Rosemond.

Understand. I'm talking official hire date. We interview people all the time in early November with hiring date set for early January for a variety of reasons. Mostly money but sometimes it's to wait out noncompete clauses or other specific reasons. I'm just saying waiting to make it official does have some benefits in this specific case.

This is why guys like ol Roy are hanging it up. The rapidly changing landscape of college basketball where kids have as much power as these legendary coaches is going to turn the game upside down. I think we will see some other older HOF coaches probably hang it up in the near future too. What's going to be the point of molding and cultivating young talent when you will never get the benefit of seeing them reach their potential. You bring them along slowly (like Roy liked to do with freshman) and you start to fill in the gaps of their game and by the time they are ready to really contribute they transfer out to be the star somewhere else. These kids will demand immediate minutes early and be the focal point of the offense and it won't matter if it hurts your team you will do it or lose them. There is going to be some that will play the transfer portal thing and see if they can be successful but if you see teams like Duke struggle again next year and the next....K will be the next to go. Unless you have immediate impact talent like Suggs or Cunningham it just won't be worth it to bring in top 10 guys and try to develop them. Maybe this will help Indiana...hard to say...just depends on how we manage it. Going to be some interesting days ahead for sure...and probably a changing of the guard at the top.

I never ever said it was the same. I was responding to Scott saying that cheating is like being pregnant you are or you aren't. My holding analogy proved that wrong. The rules state that holding is not allowed because it gives you an unfair competitive advantage over your opponent. That in my opinion is the very definition of cheating if you do it knowingly. If you get caught you get penalized just like cheating in recruiting you get, on second thought you just get great players. My point was not to compare just that it is not as black and white as some want to believe. As far as hiring Yasir, he is qualified he was cheap for his skill set and if Woodson and Dolson feel he deserves a second chance then who am I to question it.

I am not a new fan. I am a fan that realizes that things change. Like letting NBA players in the Olympics. That changed because the U.S. got tired of college kids playing pros. NIL is about to change things some more. Like it or not, the cheaters won. They won so much that the rules are changing. More than anything the past 20 years, I believe that Indiana's reluctance to play the games that Kansas, Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc. played is what led to us being mediocre. We can say we did things the right way but without a Hall of Fame coach to hold it together, you lose...a lot. When this gray area becomes a-okay, you want a guy who knows how to navigate that world. I totally get the "winning the right way" mantra but I really do not believe that many programs (including Indiana) have not been in that territory. Those who were more willing to lean in have been more successful and those like Indiana who have been reluctant have not. A rule unenforced is not really a rule anymore. The NCAA does not do jack about it if you don't self punish...so if they don't care, why should I?

Fun conversation gang! As always respect to all people....even if I don't agree. If Yasir can get us kids that can help Coach Woodson and IU compete in the Big 10 and nationally.....I'm down.

Did someone mention morels?

Duke just landed another 5 star last week to their stellar class. I'm sure the nation, majority are not saying ....is that like Corey M recruitment...is thatvlike Zion's recruitment? Just saying. And, no, I don't advocate for cheating in any way. We don't know the whole story, we don't. Sometimes there is more to it or not.

What? I'm trying to figure out the board's new obsession with UC, the job, and now recruits in the portal that averaged 3 points a game and is likely heading to BYU.

It’s called deflection Scott. They will say anything to justify their opinion. They will bring up comparisons that have nothing to do with what is really happening. Same thing that happens in America today...ends justify the means. You lie, cheat, destroy people’s character with assassination attempts...so on and on. In the end if your side wins that is all that matters. People will say everyone does it. They will say the other side is doing it with no proof but well they win so they have to break the rules. It’s easy to make accusations but in this matter we have proof. Everyone knows what the guy is. Now we have a few ways to look at it. One is once a cheat always a cheat. Two he learned his lesson and is reformed. Three he is susceptible to cheat but our staff will keep him in line. Finally he will cheat again but it’s for us and that is all the matters. Where everyone falls is their own choice but nobody needs to try to make anyone else feel bad for how they see it. To each their own. I fall in the 3rd camp...and that doesn’t make me a bad person or a morally superior person. It’s just how I feel. Don’t trust him but trust we will keep him in line. If he goes over it then I won’t have any pity for what happens to this staff. They are playing with fire. Maybe it will work out great. I hope it does. But I’m not going to sit through another probation and rebuild because we want to take short cuts.

So cheating on your wife is less or worse than getting a few bucks to a kid? Slippery slope there.

Choose someone else besides Bo Ryan. Anyone with a bit of knowledge know his moral compass was a little less than JR Ewing when it comes to the women folk in Wisconsin. Back to the thread though. If Yasir can help us win. Hire him. There are protocols in place to make sure nothing else is going on.

I'm ok with this, assuming we're finally operating like a major college basketball program. All this FBI stuff and nothing really happened. A few assistants got fired. Bruce Pearl is still at Auburn, Will Wade is still at LSU, Bill Self just got a lifetime contract, Sean Miller only got fired because of losing, UNC completely got away with 20 years of fake classes, nobody ever even looked at Coach K, Cal or Oregon. Time to recruit talent, develop players and win games with the top programs in college basketball.