ephul

Is he in front of or behind Cliff Moore?

this. Justin just never seemed to have a good attitude during his time at IU. I'm not calling him a quitter, and I don't think he should be classified as a quitter. But he shouldn't receive the recognition and glory that so many former players have, ones that bought into IU and loved everything it provided. Recognition goes to those that bled for IU and ONLY IU.

I'm not arguing or complaining that he is leaving. In fact, I agree with you. If he thinks he can better himself by moving on, then do it. But I think most of us fans that have watched him the last 3 years understand his game pretty good. He's not a 3. At all. Again, I agree with you in that, if he feels his best chance of making the league is to shoot the three and show an ability to take his defender to the basket, it wasn't happening here. But then again, some of us fans wish we could show Justin that the chances of that happening are slim at this point. And that his best chance of showcasing his talents is to play the 4, be a great defender, be a leader, and show his athleticism under the basket. Best of luck to him, truly. But no coach in a high level conference is going to win with Justin Smith shooting threes and dribbling.

I understand your analogy. I think the baffling thing for everyone is Justin thinking he's actually bettering himself by moving on. He led the teams in minutes played. Assuming his beef is with not playing the 3, everyone on the planet knows he isn't the 3 unless he miraculously improves his shot and dribbling this off-season. And he certainly hasn't in his first 3 years. I agree, if he thinks he can better himself, go for it. More power to him. But with your analogy, how many people move on to a different job, only to look back and realize maybe they were wrong and actually had it pretty good at their first job?

Not sure, but every team is different. And every coach is different. Archie seems to favor experience a bit, so I see Durham and Phinisee starting, no doubt.... and Durham isn't playing the 3. Lander is going to get a good amount of minutes, starting or not. I just don't think he's the prodigy some have made him out to be. The BIG is a tough league. Im not sure if he can physically handle it unless he puts SERIOUS work in this summer.

Good luck convincing him to play the 4

I don't see him starting. I think he logs plenty of minutes, but doesn't start. I don't think he'll be ready physically to handle the BIG by the start of the season. I'm very anxious to see if he puts in the work to bulk up a bit throughout the off-season. Its tough to put on weight while you're enduring a physically demanding schedule. It takes a ton of dedication.

I could see a starting lineup (starting the season) of: Phinisee Durham Hunter/Franklin TJD Brunk

Agreed 100%

Best for both parties. We'll miss him defensively, but with a younger group of guys coming in, his up and down attitude could've been detrimental to a young group. I hope he finds what he's looking for.

If Archie gets him on campus, he better keep him away from Tom Allen. The kid looks like a freaking linebacker. His neck is bigger than most people's thighs.

I think the majority of people would side with Beilein and understand that it was just poor wording/misspeak. He's widely respected and loved by his former college players. I think Beilein wouldn't skip a beat in the recruiting scene.

If I'm an AD, I hire Beilein and make the job as attractive as possible when he calls it quits. Then you potentially hire from within or start looking again, but with a bit more attractiveness. I just don't see a great young coach leaving the comfort of their current programs to take the Wake Forest job.

Not sure why an incoming coach would want to change the culture after Beilein. He's proven to build a culture of smart, 4 year players with a one and done here and there. Sure, an incoming coach may want to change the system a bit, but Beilein is going to leave the program with great players that a new coach could win now with, while gradually recruiting to their personal style. We are assuming that the choice is Beilein vs. young coach that will have great success. IU has had a hard enough time finding a young winner. I doubt Wake Forest is going to find that right off the bat. Beilein is a surefire winner that will bring relevance to any program. I'll take a few years of winning versus a major gamble that'll most likely lead to years of coaching searches. Wake Forest will be a more attractive job to a young candidate AFTER Beilein than it is now

Beilein walked into a bad situation in the NBA. Which was his mistake and choosing.... but when you have guys like Charles Barkley defending you over the players in Cleveland, that tells me Beilein never stood a chance. I'll take a few years of winning, over decades of coaching changes. Gimme Beilein for 5 years over a crapshoot of young coaches