kyhoosier29

My Dad grew up in Evansville a huge IU basketball fan, so I was born an IU fan in central Kentucky in 1981. My first and fondest memory was Smart’s shot. Since then the 2002 run (got to watch IU/Kent St at Rupp Arena in the Elite Eight), the Wat Shot and Knight’s return against Purdue a couple years ago (which I was also at). I caught some slack when I first joined the old board for being from KY (possible troll?) but it sounds like I may have been a diehard fan a lot earlier/longer than a lot of people who grew up in Indiana. I assumed everybody born in Indiana was a die hard IU basketball fan. 🤷🏻‍♂️

18th technically would not be a sweet 16 team, so I would be real disappointed with what we have on the roster for next year if we don’t at least make the second weekend of the tourney. That would be the next step for this team IMO if we’re supposed to build on last year.

I respect that. We could probably analyze the positives and negatives forever. Regardless, we might as well get used to it.

That’s wonderful, not disputing that. But it’s your opinion and others that a full ride is not good enough. All I’m saying is that people continue to leave that benefit out of their argument when saying these kids are taken advantage of. That’s fine if you feel that way, but they aren’t getting nothing. Still getting a decent deal anyway you slice it.

Or crazy thought for some. Others just have a difference of opinion on what they want college sports to look like. There are some people that understand kids have a choice (don’t have to go to college) and would prefer the beauties of amateurism remain as they are. I do find it funny that these kids get four to five years of life for free and “some” of you think that’s nothing. I was a college athlete and worked in athletic academic advising for a few years as well, so I’ve seen what these kids get vs the regular student. It’s a head start in life essentially (damn good deal). With that said, I respect the opposite view and understand it’s here anyway, so might as well make the most of it. But you think a different view means we’re okay with others being taken advantage of? I just told you why they aren’t taken advantage of from my opinion. So don’t be ridiculous.

I have no idea if schools wanted this or not, or the percentage that did or didn’t. All I’m saying is that kids know what they’re entering into when they go to college. They are making a choice that they don’t have to make. This isn’t slavery or a contracted job. They sign up for it. There are other options if they don’t like the system. But to me, getting life for free for four-five years is a pretty good deal in return, especially when you CAN leave with a valuable piece of paper, or two for that matter. These kids are able to get summer classes paid for as well if they want to get done quick and start a master’s degree. I think these kids had it made, but I digress because we’ve already moved past that. So my argument is a waste of time.

I understand, then we need to fight to keep public universities from paying out those types of salaries for a game. Not going to happen, but 🤷🏻‍♂️.

Do kids/parents not understand what they are signing up for? I mean, then fight to make sure universities aren’t making money off a kid’s name (not possible unless you want to take athletics off of tv). Can’t advertise kids, can’t put names on jerseys, etc. But isn’t there a trade-off there? Aren’t the kids getting a lot of exposure from the schools making money off of them? I mean doesn’t every kid that plays basketball at IU have a head start on any other job applicant working in the state of Indiana, even if they can’t go to the next level? They are FREE to leave or not go to school. I just don’t like the idea of professionalizing college athletics.

It certainly is a cut. Where do you think the money comes from for their free school? It’s not really the point of the whole discussion, but no, roster spots 40-85 in football do very little outside of being practice dummies. A lot of kids in both football and basketball, the revenue sports, contribute very little. Those kids are typically replaceable. With your reasoning, we’re paying anybody associated with revenue-making sports? That’s a good way to kill other sports or push kids away from playing any other sports. Kids don’t have to go to school. Go make money playing sports out of high school. If you’re that talented there are plenty of avenues to see what your worth is. It’s always been understood that you are a student-athlete if you go to college. I mean you get a free education and are able to put your skills on display to see what you’re capable of doing at the next level. It’s a head start over the majority of other college students simply because you’re athletic. And again many of those athletes have no shot playing beyond college. So they should get paid for just being a part of it? We could go back and forth on this for hours I’m sure. I just don’t agree with it. Go be a professional if you want. Nobody is forcing you to go to college.

I don’t think top 25 should be satisfying if TJD is back. That makes us a 5-7 seed. Better than recent memory, but our ceiling should be higher. 4 seed or better would be my expectations with TJD back and the roster improvements made.

Thanks. Part of my point.

By not giving them a cut? I don’t understand this mindset. Free tuition, free books, free tutoring, free meals, free lodging, and spending money. I can ASSURE you that all scholarship basketball and football players at Power 5 universities got their cut, and the majority of these kids weren’t the reason universities are making tons of money. That would be bc of a select few, and that select few got the platform to show their skills and a free degree to fall back on. These kids are getting a head start on real life. So I can’t agree they weren’t getting a cut. Every kid in these money making sports should have the ability to go straight to the pros if they don’t like the idea of only getting everything free. You want to benefit from free college or do you want to go get paid? Nobody makes any kids go to college right?

Don’t think so. Was never enrolled. Or didn’t start classes.

Eric M?

Man, I feel like we still really need a sharpshooter. Sorry, but MK isn’t the guy for me.

Are we sure about this? Is there no longer a rule that a guy can’t go off a recruited scholarship and still play as a walk-on? You used to not be able to do this. Not sure NIL money changed that. Somebody can correct me if I’m wrong.

I just hope our movement on offense is better from the wings, as in getting open shots, making cuts, and opening the floor better. Not just watching the big guys work down low or just XJ / TJD pick and roll. Not saying there isn’t a place for those things, but it shouldn’t be something we see every single trip down the floor. Would still really like us to find a wing that can score on his own and shoot.

I just don’t want to hear a single thing this off-season about how he’s “developed” this or that. Believe it when I see it in a game consistently.

I don’t even need to read the last five pages to know who is right on the mpg argument! 🤣

Agree with the uncertainty. I’m not confident we have the in-house guys that will just get better enough over the off-season to make a massive team improvement. Hope I’m wrong bc otherwise we’re counting on three freshmen to make the difference. I’m with some others, very few freshmen make huge impacts. Really hoping we snag an athletic wing in the portal that can shoot it and get his own shot. As of now, I just don’t see where the big improvement from a W/L standpoint will come. I mean if we have everybody back of the 9 current players, there has to be some type of improvement, but enough to move the needle significantly? TG’s shot going to improve? Bates going to figure out patience / defense? JG going to take another leap? I mean, TJD, RT, and XJ are who they are going to be. Idk.

Key phrase is “if we get a shooter or two”. Without an added, elite shooter we aren’t much better. And if we add two, somebody else has to go. Only have one free spot.

God bless! It’s easy to forget the struggles some go through when bickering on here about a stupid game.

I’ve done 90 mph on the interstate before, but that’s the only place. To answer your question, I grew up in Central KY unfortunately and didn’t go to IU so I’m not familiar with Walnut.

Who cares?

Somebody please let me know when we’ve moved on to a different off-season topic. 🤣 XJ obviously has judgment issues from time to time. I don’t know the whole story. I’m assuming Woody does and I’ll trust Woody to be a role model / father figure and handle it appropriately. I will say that I hope his punishment is a true wake-up call seeing this isn’t his first transgression. And I’ll trust Woody on that. If he truly endangered lives with this act and doesn’t get booted he needs to consider himself lucky. I don’t know him as a person so I can’t comment on that at all. But I will say that one kind act of visiting a school doesn’t make him a great person, just as one poor decision doesn’t make him a bad person. I’m not sure what his life “scorecard” is, but I hope he starts making better decisions as we need him on this team. And I’m certainly okay giving him another chance because I’m worn out with IU acting holier than thou on everything. Nobody else cares about that, so maybe we need to loosen up a bit. Not win at all cost, but play the game everybody else does.