Rutgers pre game -Senior Night

[SawatchHoosier]

8 minutes ago, bluegrassIU said:

At least he can go left over and over.

 

[BobSaccamanno]

1 minute ago, AxnJxn said:

That's 6 guys that have to leave to open those spots, right? Who are you taking away from this current group to do that? I'd say Stewart, Kopp, and one or both of TJD/Race are kind of obvious, but that leaves at least 1 and possibly 2 others that would have to go.

I know it's tough but I can come up with 6, with maybe a couple of graduations that we don't necessarily want to see.  I am reluctant to name them, though.  It's human nature to want our favorites to come back, but there may be 1-2 that rattle our cages, based off past experience.

[mchenry34]

3 hours ago, btownqb said:

We shouldn't be asking all of our players back next year, regardless of which ones decide they want to move on. If the players want paid because the lack of NIL was SO unfair, then this whole thing should be treated much more like a business. Coaches should be able to do what they wish with their roster. JMHO 

 

I think maybe I missed something. Has their been a lack of conversation about lack of NIL opportunities for our players? Is that in general, or in comparison to other major basketball programs?

[AxnJxn]

2 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

I know it's tough but I can come up with 6, with maybe a couple of graduations that we don't necessarily want to see.  I am reluctant to name them, though.  It's human nature to want our favorites to come back, but there may be 1-2 that rattle our cages, based off past experience.

I hear ya. For me, it's not as much as favorites that I want to come back, but I'd like to see some cohesion from this year to next, and bringing in 6 new players is turning over almost half the roster. 

[btownqb]

Just now, mchenry34 said:

I think maybe I missed something. Has their been a lack of conversation about lack of NIL opportunities for our players? Is that in general, or in comparison to other major basketball programs?

I'm talking about college sports in general. I believe a coach should be able to pull a scholarship at any point. The kids transfer left and right, and technically they can now be paid. So, imo... coaches should be able to treat the whole situation much more like a business. jmo

[SawatchHoosier]

3 minutes ago, mchenry34 said:

I think maybe I missed something. Has their been a lack of conversation about lack of NIL opportunities for our players? Is that in general, or in comparison to other major basketball programs?

Maybe but I'd imagine if/when Indiana becomes a national powerhouse that money will start rolling in.

Edited March 1, 2022 by SawatchHoosier

[BobSaccamanno]

Just now, AxnJxn said:

I hear ya. For me, it's not as much as favorites that I want to come back, but I'd like to see some cohesion from this year to next, and bringing in 6 new players is turning over almost half the roster. 

Six might be a lot.  Maybe we end up with 4-5.  That would not surprise me.  We do start 4 seniors and TJD plus a couple of seniors off the bench.  There are guys who could move on.  That's seven guys who might at least consider departing.  I do think we still have a couple of needs that I mentioned above.  I think a couple of our losses really magnified the need for everyone to see.

[AxnJxn]

4 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Six might be a lot.  Maybe we end up with 4-5.  That would not surprise me.  We do start 4 seniors and TJD plus a couple of seniors off the bench.  There are guys who could move on.  That's seven guys who might at least consider departing.  I do think we still have a couple of needs that I mentioned above.  I think a couple of our losses really magnified the need for everyone to see.

Yeah, we clearly need an upgrade at the wing position, and it's rarely a good idea to count on freshmen to come in and fill holes like that, so we're likely improving that from the portal. The whole extra year from covid is going to be pretty interesting to see how things pan out. And, as you noted, there's always one or two guys that are kind of out of the blue that move on. Plus, with the ease of transferring with the portal, losing six guys might be normal going forward.

It's Thunderdome out there.

[DWB]

23 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

That's 6 guys that have to leave to open those spots, right? Who are you taking away from this current group to do that? I'd say Stewart, Kopp, and one or both of TJD/Race are kind of obvious, but that leaves at least 1 and possibly 2 others that would have to go.

Just my own 2¢ here, but I think Logan is gone (walk-on (Childress) played in front of him). I think Kristan will move on (mixed emotions about that one). Bates leaving would be disappointing, but I wouldn't be surprised due to lack of playing time in his mind (read starting and major minutes), Durr, maybe TJD, maybe Race, Stewart, Kopp, no comment on the rest.

Edited March 1, 2022 by DWB

[Mike]

Trayce,Race,Lander ,Stewart ,Kopp.Those will be the one's leaving.

[AxnJxn]

4 minutes ago, DWB said:

Just my own 2¢ here, but I think Logan is gone (walk-on (Childress) played in front of him). I think Kristan will move on (mixed emotions about that one). Bates leaving would be disappointing, but I wouldn't be surprised due to lack of playing time in his mind (read starting and major minutes), Durr, maybe TJD, maybe Race, Stewart, Kopp, no comment on the rest.

I mean, if we lose TJD, Race, Durr, and Logan, we're suddenly a very small team - I think our biggest guy would be Banks at 6'8"? You're not competing in a P5 conference without replacing some of that size.

[BobSaccamanno]

7 minutes ago, Mike said:

Trayce,Race,Lander ,Stewart ,Kopp.Those will be the one's leaving.

You forgot X, Geronimo, and Bates.  Lander to Purdue?  Oh, shoot, he isn't good enough for them with Hunter coming back.  You've no doubt got us starting Durr, Leal, and three freshmen.  Meanwhile Edey and the kid from Mishawaka are coming back and Kaufman isn't transferring.

Edited March 1, 2022 by BobSaccamanno

[IUFLA]

13 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

it's rarely a good idea to count on freshmen to come in and fill holes like that,

Amen...just ask Michigan...

[btownqb]

13 minutes ago, DWB said:

Just my own 2¢ here, but I think Logan is gone (walk-on (Childress) played in front of him). I think Kristan will move on (mixed emotions about that one). Bates leaving would be disappointing, but I wouldn't be surprised due to lack of playing time in his mind (read starting and major minutes), Durr, maybe TJD, maybe Race, Stewart, Kopp, no comment on the rest.

Childress did not play in front of LD. LD isn't a wing.  

[jv1972iu]

31 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Six might be a lot.  Maybe we end up with 4-5.  That would not surprise me.  We do start 4 seniors and TJD plus a couple of seniors off the bench.  There are guys who could move on.  That's seven guys who might at least consider departing.  I do think we still have a couple of needs that I mentioned above.  I think a couple of our losses really magnified the need for everyone to see.

Portal Night with speeches??

[DWB]

7 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Childress did not play in front of LD. LD isn't a wing.  

True, LD isn't a wing, but the game I'm thinking of it was "clean up time". 52 seconds left or something like that. Childress played, Logan sat. Happened more than once.

[5fouls]

44 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

I know it's tough but I can come up with 6, with maybe a couple of graduations that we don't necessarily want to see.  I am reluctant to name them, though.  It's human nature to want our favorites to come back, but there may be 1-2 that rattle our cages, based off past experience.

I don't like the idea of needing to rely on 6 newcomers.  Normally, that's not a recipe for big success, as we saw this year.  I want XJ to stay.  I want Rob to stay.  I want Kopp to stay.  I want one of TJD/Race to stay.  Keep some continuity and leadership instead of starting all over with that again.  

Edited March 1, 2022 by 5fouls

[BobSaccamanno]

Just now, DWB said:

True, LD isn't a wing, but the game I'm thinking of it was "clean up time". 52 seconds left or something like that. Childress played, Logan sat. Happened more than once.

My hope on Logan is he stays and develops.  I think he is wired right.  It's a tough adjustment for bigs because in high school games, they have a lot of games against guys 5 inches shorter.  What they are asked to do is a big step.  If you look at some other schools, they invariably have 1-2 bigs marinating and developing, and then when they play, they get ready.  I am hoping we see that with Logan because I think he is tough and tenacious with a good little jumper too.

[jv1972iu]

48 minutes ago, AxnJxn said:

I mean, if we lose TJD, Race, Durr, and Logan, we're suddenly a very small team - I think our biggest guy would be Banks at 6'8"? You're not competing in a P5 conference without replacing some of that size.

I had hoped Logan could contribute, but now I think he's a better fit for...maybe UC or X...or NKU.  He obviously hasn't shown much in practice, I would guess.

Edited March 1, 2022 by jv1972iu

[kyhoosier29]

6 hours ago, IowaHoosierFan said:

Isn't Rob a Sr by years regardless of eligibility ?

No, everybody on our roster has another year of eligibility. 

[IowaHoosierFan]

3 minutes ago, kyhoosier29 said:

No, everybody on our roster has another year of eligibility. 

hasn't he been at IU for 4 years making him a Sr, whether he has 12 year left or not?

[IUwins0708]

1 hour ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Ok  I am hyper because this is my third straight post.  Caffeine, I guess.

I hate to be the eternal optimist, and I am not promising anything, of course.  But it is within range of possibilities that we surge into the end of the season.  

We have had a year of growth as a unit and alot of the mistakes from before might get resolved.  We start four seniors and a heavily experienced junior.  These guys have played a ton of college basketball.  Our bench guys are finding their roles.

Most importantly, the defense is elite (I'd call first in the conference elite) and the offense against Minnesota showed a lot of growth.  It's not that we hit shots.  It's that we spread the floor and spread the shots across the unit.  Kopp had double figures and I would like to see more of that.  It has never been that he can't do it.  It's that he hasn't gotten enough shots.  Stewart can hit too if he can get his shot off.  

I like that we diversified from over-relying on TJD.  We have some guys who can hit some shots and I would like to see us trust that, and continue it.  If these things continue to click, we can be a solid team as we approach post-season play.  Unfortunately, we put ourselves into a position where we have to win some tough matchups against rugged teams to even get in, but as Woody says, we control our own destiny.  

This board could use a jolt of optimism that’s for sure!

[Billingsley99]

1 minute ago, IUwins0708 said:

This board could use a jolt of optimism that’s for sure!

I second that. 

[BobSaccamanno]

1 hour ago, 5fouls said:

I don't like the idea of needing to rely on 6 newcomers.  Normally, that's not a recipe for big success, as we saw this year.  I want XJ to stay.  I want Rob to stay.  I want Kopp to stay.  I want one of TJD/Race to stay.  Keep some continuity and leadership instead of starting all over with that again.  

I definitely hear you.  But from earlier posts I think we aren't on the same page.  I don't think our talent level is there and we need to get a lot better.  Our 9-9 record, with a ton of missed opportunities and the lack of closers late in games--especially wing players--reflects that.  If you scout Indiana, you know exactly where we falter.  It's the easiest scouting proposition you can find.  There is no point in hiding from that. 

I want to see us upgrade our talent level with immediate contributors.  Continuity with .500 guys doesn't do anything for me.  I want better talent and I am not in favor of continuing the status quo of slowly building as we have done for a decade +, which has demonstrated lackluster results.   In this era of college basketball, it's eat or be eaten in the portal.  I feel strongly about this as I am sure you feel strongly about continuity.  That's fine, that's what makes a message board.  

Edited March 1, 2022 by BobSaccamanno

[Hoosierfan1901]

We open up as an 4.5 pt favorite