Stromboli

That's so awesome. I'm just lightyears from being able to do something like that.

I agree that he can't be labeled as a must-have. My only must-haves right now would be some pipeline for a couple 6'10"+ guys. I've said before, I think it's roster mismanagement if you don't have two legit PF/C every year. De'Ron is a senior, Joey a Junior. I'd rather pair Trayce with a big so he doesn't get saddled with lane-duty. If I had my druthers, Dawson Garcia will be the next commit. I think there's a 3% chance of that one.

Have you guys watched him at all? He's really not a 4, although he would likely play some 4. He's much more comfortable as a ball-handler than any 4 would be. He's pretty rangy out there, and honestly doesn't fit well into a traditional role. A coach would be an idiot to park him under the basket or anywhere, really. Watch this, and tell me he doesn't play like a big guard: I know the fear here is that he'd be out there guarding an opposing team's 4, at 6'9" or something. Maybe, but that means we'd have our own help there from our 5. Matt is really more of an offensive threat, meaning the other coach is going to have to put a good, rangy, fast defender on him, which likely means some 6'5" wing. Matt's not a guy you use as a placeholder because you don't have someone better. He's a guy that you fit onto the floor because he makes you better. He's a body out there, too. He plays physical and is happy to mix it up in the lane. And if he gets a rebound he's likely to be flying down the court with it looking to make a play. As far as I can tell, Archie really wants to attack the basket. Matt is that kind of player. Matt averaged 23 pts and 9.5 rebounds at EYBL this year. THAT IS ELITE. He hustles. Says he's into "old school" basketball. Let's not talk ourselves out of this one. He's not hard to define because he doesn't excel at one position. He's hard to define because he excels at many. View him as a big guard if that helps.

I'd be interested to know what he saw that makes him say that.

Worth a repost even if already posted.

This is a little silly... I'm glad we're all proud of our Indiana degrees. But IU isn't in the same stratosphere as Stanford. It beats the Ivy League, while avoiding much of the east coast snobbery that goes with it. Starting salary out of college is one thing. What about acceptance into a grad program? What about the simple value of the education itself, beyond earning capacity? Frankly I think it's disingenuous for anyone to try to equate an Indiana degree to a Stanford degree. Makes it seem like you need to get out more. Yes, if the Stanford grad wants to stay in California, then the cost of living in a 600 sq ft efficiency apartment would get you a 5 bedroom house on two acres in Indiana. You know why? Because more people want to live there than here for... reasons. So while the cost per square foot may be higher, that's not to say that the quality of life costs more. You're basically paying to be a part of that world. Very subjective, of course. Also, when speaking of Stanford, it's hard to really just group it in with "California." You are in the Bay Area, which is its own world and own climate and own thing separate from the SoCal thing. And just the same you have access to all the parks, ocean, fishing, sailing, Pacific Coast Highway, wineries, mountains, cheap flights up to Seattle/Portland. NOW, I'm not going to take anything from Bloomington. My 20 year plan has me moving there. It is probably my favorite place to be, and I'm decently well-traveled. The town is excellent. The Lake. Lots of parks and green space and trails. Gems like Nashville, Paoli, French Lick, even Madison are close. The Big Ten sports in town. Shows coming in to IU Auditorium. And just the general life that comes with a big college town. All while being 100% Indiana, which of course I love. Maaaan, what a tangent. I hope the best for young Anthony. He's earned himself some amazing opportunities.

It's a good list, but a lot of that pre-dates the current OAD era. Also, hard to fault Roy for who he plays. He's clearly figured out how to put a good team on the floor. Last note: Coby White was a relative unknown when Roy offered him. Coby was already committed to UNC way before he started getting some attention. I went to watch EYBL before his senior year. I noticed the sleepy looking kid was by far the best on the floor, look him up and he was already committed to UNC. At the time he was ranked somewhere in the 50s, but I see he was as low as 90s. He finished ranked 25th in his class, but even still he was relatively unheralded. I doubt you can find any mock drafts that had him going in 2019 before his freshman year at UNC. As to the issue and Indiana... We are all saying the same thing. We want better players. You need to walk the line of having players that excel in the college game, but not so good that they're scooped up by the NBA. It's a tall order. Those players in the 25-75 range have a better chance of meeting that standard.

Insane how little TJD gets mentioned. The whole fanbase is gunshy after the Romeo expectations. Our roster isn't that impressive. If he's our best player, no one should be surprised. It's nice that we're not counting on him. Nice that he won't have to play the 5. He's going to have games where he turns it over, fouls too much, and scores 4 total points. He'll look like a freshman. But there will be a lot of times when he displays truly dominant play. He covers ground to the basket faster than anyone we've had in recent memory. Smoother, faster moves. Big kid already. And he's been playing high level ball for awhile, and I suspect he can use some of that experience playing in college. Our front court is looking very good. Size, numbers, experience. No one guy will have to hold down the 5 or play out of position. Guards? Eh. We might be excited about our guys, but that's because we're assuming they'll play better. And maybe they will. I'd like to see Rob be more assertive. Let Devonte play off the ball. Al can back them up. Maybe Armaan is an X-factor? There's a very real chance that he's the the most talented guard on the roster. He doesn't have the experience yet, of course. But strictly ranking-wise, Rob and Armaan > Devonte and Al. And that wing/SF spot. I'm with you guys. Jerome can walk in and make this team his, and I'd love it. Damezi is a very likable kid, so I'd really like him to see some success. The narrative that he's lost really isn't fair to his overall skill. He didn't get 2000 pts in high school on accident. He can be very sneaky out there, and really fill it up. Okay. Final answer. I've got to go with respecting the 4 year guys and stick with Devonte. Upperclassmen guards seem to dominate the NCAA. He just watched his brother win the NBA Championship. He's not in anyone's shadow. He'll be a true starter, and hopefully take on a new mindset. He and De'Ron become effective leaders and enjoy a great senior season.

Agree with dgambill. Race really wasnt up to speed yet. He did guard effectively 1-on-1. But we need to be a better team, with each of the 5 guys on the floor contributing. Ideally we'll have some big leads and Race can get plenty of playing time. I dont love that Justin Smith is vying for PT with another in-state 5*. He doesnt seem to play nice with others. I hope the other guys wont let him get away with causing trouble. Galloway? Bring him on! I'm going to try to catch as many of his games as possible this year.

He'd be a very good addition. He's tough because he doesn't fit exactly into the antiquated traditional positions, but he's a good ball player that would help us win. Smart, heads up, very active. Busy on both ends of the floor. When I saw him he was even-keeled, also. Good demeanor out there.

No thanks. This is an IU board, and I'm an IU fan. Archie isn't the only coach that isn't interested in this kid. He doesn't even have a 247 profile. And he's been playing AAU for years. Quit acting like it's some personal slight that Archie is prioritizing other kids first. You guys act like Archie is insulting Indiana Basketball itself by not offering this kid. It's ridiculous. Hoosiers, bless us, get way too caught up looking for an underdog to cheer for. Hoping he goes to Purdue and then lights us up? Get real. You can put me in the group that thinks IU/Butler/Notre Dame is creepy.

Weird thread to be revived. Garland definitely got drafted higher because he sat out. Lucky him, I guess. Reminds me of a favorite graphic. That said,the kid is very, very good. Faster than anyone. Already had a small mans game, with pull up jumpers and floaters. I saw him at eybl, he blew me away. Nice demeanor out there too.

I watched him play at EYBL. I can pretty much echo what everyone else is saying. It's not that he isn't good, it's just that he comes off as a finished product. He is tall, but not so tall that he'll give your team an advantage. He is already mature and fairly well trained and filled out. It is part impressive, but also gives the impression that the unknown potential isn't really there. And so the question is, if what you see is what you'll get, is that enough? As others have noted, he surprised some naysayers this year by producing at EYBL playing up a year. He can play now, and we've got 2 years to see what he can add into his game before college.

One line of thinking is that you dont want your targets to improve up the rankings, or necessarily make a splashy AAU game. Seems counterintuitive but I get it. The goofy thing here is that Galloway did have a splashy weekend or two, and he still dropped. Not only did he have the kind of hustle game that works in college, his stat line was extraordinary. I like the rankings, but when you watch these guys in person it is immediately clear who can contribute.

Yeah I hate this title. I like the kid, but this title and the one overly enthusiastic fan of this kid makes me want to ignore it. He's not even a top 7 recruit in his class in Indiana, let alone the most heralded recruit in IU basketball and IHSAA history. "Damon Bailey" means so much more than a high school scoring record. 35 points a game is no joke. From all accounts he's a great kid. But this is dumb.