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Romeo Langford


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10 hours ago, Fiveoutofsix said:

Same thinh happened with Gordon and Sampson was able to bring the group together.  Dont know if this is happening.  I think it is depth, injuries and counting on some guys that just cant play.  

 

Well...Sampson's team had a bunch of talented basketball players. I am a big Romeo fan, but Eric Gordon was twice the player that Romeo is. This team has about 3 or 4 talented players. And another one and his dad, who thinks he's a lot better than he really is because he jumps high.

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Since the suggestions of internal friction are only rumor & allegation, I'm going to post in more of a general or hypothetical fashion.

First off, I find it highly credible that there are some kind of clashes going on between players.  There is a lot of circumstantial evidence, from posters observations at HH to things said by certain people on twitter, to multiple reports/rumors from established posters.

From my experience in the business world, dissatisfied employees who constantly gripe foment bad attitudes among their co-workers.  I remember working with a guy who was good at his job, and overall a really nice guy.  But he had some personal issues going on in his marriage, and became more and more whiny about his job and the company in general.  It got to the point where you just tried to avoid the guy.  Fortunately I didn't work directly with him, so I was able to avoid the constant negativity.  People in his department couldn't and subsequently he was fired for the good of everyone else.  I have to believe there is a direct parallel to the basketball team.  If there are players who are resentful or hostile toward their team mates, they are a detriment to the team and the individual players regardless of who they are or how talented they are.  If such issues exist, they must be eliminated.  We expect Archie to recruit good players, coach them up, teach them how to play and behave, and ensure they stay on track to graduate.  He cannot spend a lot of his time and effort being a psychologist and having to play peacemaker or appeaser to the players.

I would guess it's hard to predict personality clashes in advance, but if they develop they can't be allowed to fester.  As a final note, I don't get the impression that any of our players are actually bad kids with pasts that would predict trouble - but then again, kids are a lot different once they're away from home and no longer under constant adult supervision.

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1 hour ago, Hoosier987 said:

The problem is Smith is awful. As much as his pops thinks he's the next Kobe Bryant...he's not. 

Smith may not be playing well but a lot of his teammates like him, the same cannot be said for other players on our roster. 

I am not trying to bash Romeo and I do not want it to come off that way but jealousy is an issue with this team. Romeo came in and was treated like royalty from day one by the entire fan base. How many people went to his announcement? He was stated to be our best player before he ever put on the candy stripe pants let alone played a game. It is what it is. 

Do I think smith has not met or exceeded expectations that we as fans had for him yes. Do I think romeo has not met or exceeded expectations that we as fans had for him yes. Do I think our team has not met or exceeded expectations that we as fans had for them yes. The big thing I am seeing though is that smith and the team are getting blasted and romeo is not (at least not as much). I do not know romeo, I have not met him and I probably never will (Like just about everyone else on here). I cannot tell you how he is as a person or how he acts towards his teammates. But I can tell you that while he may not be the entire problem that this team has, he is deffinetly a part of the problem like every other player and coach that is a part of the team this year.

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15 hours ago, IUwins0708 said:

I’ll say this and it’s going to sound ridiculous.  Don’t expect Archie to recruit many more 1 and dones.  That’s not a slight on romeo but it just isn’t Archie’s style.

I am OK with that but people need to remember that does not mean he won't recruit low 5 star players who will be here longer.  Also I did notice one time during the Rutgers game that Al and Justin got into it a little bit.

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1 hour ago, cohete15 said:

Well...Sampson's team had a bunch of talented basketball players. I am a big Romeo fan, but Eric Gordon was twice the player that Romeo is. This team has about 3 or 4 talented players. And another one and his dad, who thinks he's a lot better than he really is because he jumps high.

CAVEAT:  He jumps really high with a running start.  I think De'Ron has a higher standing jump.

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48 minutes ago, Riverrat said:

Smith may not be playing well but a lot of his teammates like him, the same cannot be said for other players on our roster. 

I am not trying to bash Romeo and I do not want it to come off that way but jealousy is an issue with this team. Romeo came in and was treated like royalty from day one by the entire fan base. How many people went to his announcement? He was stated to be our best player before he ever put on the candy stripe pants let alone played a game. It is what it is. 

Do I think smith has not met or exceeded expectations that we as fans had for him yes. Do I think romeo has not met or exceeded expectations that we as fans had for him yes. Do I think our team has not met or exceeded expectations that we as fans had for them yes. The big thing I am seeing though is that smith and the team are getting blasted and romeo is not (at least not as much). I do not know romeo, I have not met him and I probably never will (Like just about everyone else on here). I cannot tell you how he is as a person or how he acts towards his teammates. But I can tell you that while he may not be the entire problem that this team has, he is deffinetly a part of the problem like every other player and coach that is a part of the team this year.

Jealousy by others does not automatically make you part of the problem.

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5 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

I loved that Romeo cam to IU but in the long run if this season keeps going the way it is would it be worth it.  Not saying this player is better right now but would it have been better for the long run if we got a guy like Aaron Henry who will be in college for 4 years.

Absolutely.  Perhaps simplistic, but one and dones offer short term talent and it's 3-4 year players that establish culture.  Romeo was probably a great symbolic "get", but perhaps not the guy to build around.

Honestly, I have to wonder if it is better to recruit players that are sold and enthusiastic about joining, contributing, and building the program rather than those who can't make up their minds, drawing out the recruiting process for their own benefit (not a criticism of those recruits, it's their life/career, but program building is about building a team - not NBA resumes.)

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Damon Bailey was 5 times the God that Romeo was when he joined IU and he integrated into that team just fine.  If there are players that can't deal with that or the coaches can't manage that, then that is not Romeo's fault.  Yes, he came in as a celebrity, but point me to something concrete that makes him anything but a humble young man that wants to win.

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7 minutes ago, BGleas said:

This biggest problem in terms of on-court performance are the numbers below...

3pt %:

Langford: 23.1%

Smith: 25.0%

Fitzner: 30.3%

McRoberts: 20.0%

 

Yep.  And if we had anyone else that could shoot the 3, I think Romeo's attempts from distance would be cut in half or more.  He's actually hurting his draft stock by continuing to shoot the number of threes he is.  But, he's trying to do whatever it takes to win, and since no one else can make them, there is always hope he can get hot.

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Funny, and I thought that the agenda of a team was to get better and win more games, not worry about who gets the props for the team doing so.

I guess, when dealing with 18-22 year olds, reputation and status are more important. I guess that the concept of winning more causing everyone to get more exposure and kudos is something these kids don't comprehend.

Too bad that dads, advisors or whomever can't help these kids get over the jealousy issue. You would hope that the adults in the equation would be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Guess that's just me....trying to incorporate common sense into a discussion where there doesn't seem to be a lot of it right now.

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6 minutes ago, INDenizen said:

The one thing Damon's situation had going for it was that he came into a team of studs.

I agree.  The maturity and self-confidence of Damon's teammates helped the situation enormously. 

But, the fact remains that if Romeo's teammates are unable to get beyond petty jealousy, then that's in no way Romeo's fault.

Now, if Romeo came in all cocky and tried to take over the team, that's different.  But, does anyone really believe that happened.  I sure don't

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12 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

Yep.  And if we had anyone else that could shoot the 3, I think Romeo's attempts from distance would be cut in half or more.  He's actually hurting his draft stock by continuing to shoot the number of threes he is.  But, he's trying to do whatever it takes to win, and since no one else can make them, there is always hope he can get hot.

We certainly don't have a JBJ, Hulls, or Zeisloft type on this team, that's for sure, but these guys are shooting it well enough.

3pt %

Durham: 38.6%

Phinisee: 38.5%

Morgan: 36.5%

The answer for Langford isn't less three's. Maybe it's better attempts, he has forced some heat-check 3's. The answer is shooting a better percentage. If the guys I mentioned in the my first post were just shooting 35% then entire offense would most likely look different. 

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Just now, BGleas said:

We certainly don't have a JBJ, Hulls, or Zeisloft type on this team, that's for sure, but these guys are shooting it well enough.

3pt %

Durham: 38.6%

Phinisee: 38.5%

Morgan: 36.5%

The answer for Langford isn't less three's. Maybe it's better attempts, he has forced some heat-check 3's. The answer is shooting a better percentage. If the guys I mentioned in the my first post were just shooting 35% then entire offense would most likely look different. 

I counted 3 or 4 times during the Rutgers game where Romeo drew the defenders and passed out to Juwan for an open 3.  That's trying to win.  Didn't see that type of unselfishness from many others.

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36 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

Jealousy by others does not automatically make you part of the problem.

Every single person/player involved with this team is a part of the problem. 

In regards to Romeo it may or may not have anything to do with his actions. If the jealousy is because of him, that does make him a part of the problem. It's like a 3 car pile up. Just because the front car was stopped and did nothing wrong they are still a part of the accident.

While some people will be a bigger part of the problem, every member of the team is a part of it.

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Just now, 5fouls said:

I counted 3 or 4 times during the Rutgers game where Romeo drew the defenders and passed out to Juwan for an open 3.  That's trying to win.  Didn't see that type of unselfishness from many others.

I wasn't calling him selfish whatsoever. I've never said that. A player of Langford's talent is afforded some heat-check moments. 

But Langford, Smith and Fitzner especially need to start shooting a higher percentage from 3. Their poor shooting from deep is really hurting the offense. 

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1 minute ago, Riverrat said:

Every single person/player involved with this team is a part of the problem. 

In regards to Romeo it may or may not have anything to do with his actions. If the jealousy is because of him, that does make him a part of the problem. It's like a 3 car pile up. Just because the front car was stopped and did nothing wrong they are still a part of the accident.

While some people will be a bigger part of the problem, every member of the team is a part of it.

I don't buy that line of thinking.

 Does a child share guilt when they are randomly abducted?  

Would I be at fault if I was gunned down while making a deposit at a bank that ended up getting robbed?  Maybe I could have transacted online, but come on.

That's blame-shifting and doesn't fly with me.

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31 minutes ago, BGleas said:

This biggest problem in terms of on-court performance are the numbers below...

3pt %:

Langford: 23.1%

Smith: 25.0%

Fitzner: 30.3%

McRoberts: 20.0%

 

This really can't be overstated. Penn St is a team that has struggled with perimeter shooting in the BIG. But last night they shot 12-29 from 3 which was enough to take Purdue to OT, even though Purdue was 16-29. Had they been at their average on makes and %, they would have been blown out.

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More random speculation...I remember seeing Rob and Romeo muttering to themselves on the bench while we were getting torched at Duke. I also remember Juwan was right next to them trying to enter the conversation and it looked like they did not make eye contact/brushed him off. I know, super trivial, but it definitely makes me go...huh now. Feel free to delete if not appropriate, very speculative but just something I still remember in a negative way.

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9 minutes ago, BGleas said:

I wasn't calling him selfish whatsoever. I've never said that. A player of Langford's talent is afforded some heat-check moments. 

But Langford, Smith and Fitzner especially need to start shooting a higher percentage from 3. Their poor shooting from deep is really hurting the offense. 

Agreed.  Romeo's three point shooting struggles are part of the problem.  But, some of the conversation here is implying his very presence on the team is causing an issue.

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16 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

I agree.  The maturity and self-confidence of Damon's teammates helped the situation enormously. 

 

I will say that Damon came in and knew that there were a lot of good pieces already in place.

That ain't the same with Romeo.

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