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Braden Smith Commits to Purdue


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2 hours ago, IU Scott said:

When I think of developmental player I think if some of guys Crean brought in (Jurkin)

That’s a project. Developmental to me is a guy that will take a couple years to start...75-150 range. Outside that I think is a project. Maybe we are just using different terminology but saying the same thing.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Personally, I'd rather have this kid than a higher ranked prospect who thinks college is just an audition for the NBA.  I don't mind a kid with goals, but some of these interviews are just a real turn-off for a college fan like me and my good buddy @IU Scott.

(Yes, I'm mostly serious...give me a kid focused on winning rather than one focused on "pro day".)

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I haven’t seen him play live so it’s tough for me to judge him.  But if Archie likes him, which he apparently does, I’m all for it.  One of my themes for a roster is that when you have 13 scholarships, that leaves you plenty of space for maneuverability.  

Maybe you have ten spots taken by the core recruit type of kid.  Maybe you leave a spot open for a wildcard like a transfer or European who falls out of the sky.  That still leaves 1-2 spots for a kid who may not be a 4 star but he brings some attribute you want on your team, maybe like a riskier big man project and/or maybe a kid like Smith who brings toughness, competitiveness, work ethic, IQ, ball handling, whatever traits you want on your team.  There is more than one way to be worthy of a scholarship IMO.

That Indiana boy, tough kid thing, is something I can never get enough of.  Let’s put it this way, one of my all time favorite players is Tom Coverdale which may not be logical but I love that type of player.  That kind of edge and attitude is what brings out my love for Indiana basketball.   Tom famously said in a recent interview that we don’t have that bleep you attitude.  He certainly had that.   I feel like we lack that attitude and type of player right now.  

That’s how I’d see the 13 spots if I were a coach.  

Edited by BobSaccamanno
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If you ask me, he most resembles TG on our current roster. Both parents played college ball and coach now. Makes up for (perceived) lack of athleticism with toughness and basketball IQ. Winning player. TG is seeing the court sooner than his rank suggested he should. I could see the same happening for BS if we were to offer and land him.

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1 hour ago, IndySportsPartizan said:

He is not 5'10 anymore, he is 6'1. He has also put on muscle and can dunk pretty easily now. Kid is flying under the radar nationally. 

This kid sounds a lot like Jordan Hulls, but with better athleticism, if he can dunk.  That said...I'd take him for his shooting, ball handling in a heartbeat.  Oh yeah... and his toughness plus his bb IQ.

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2 hours ago, IndySportsPartizan said:

He is not 5'10 anymore, he is 6'1. He has also put on muscle and can dunk pretty easily now. Kid is flying under the radar nationally. 

I rarely advocate for particular recruits.  I famously advocated for Luke Brown and acknowledge that it won't happen but I still have this gnawing suspicion that Luke could have contributed at IU.

This kid, I feel that much more strongly about.  He's a pit bull and Archie of all people ought to be able to see that.  Let the Kentucky types go spend a season or three auditioning for the NBA at Kentucky. 

Sign this kid.

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We need ballers, kids who just do all the little things well. Give me a guy who doesn't have the look of a lottery pick, someone who stays 3-4 years, someone who can flat out play. Trey G seems like this to me. More of these players is what I always thought the state of Indiana was about. 

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I want a kid who hasn't bought into the AAU "my game" and "my brand" hype.  Who dreams of playing pro, but knows he still needs to work in a team environment and values/understands the education as his safety net.  But I'm old and maybe that's crazy old man thinking.  😊

Edited by jv1972iu
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Imo, this board gets fixated on certain guys for whatever reason, maybe nostalgia?  This thread has mentioned he looks like Hulls, plays like Hulls, shoots like hulls.  

I've mentioned before, my buddy is an assistant of a team that plays them.  He wasn't that impressed and didn't think he would be an IU recruit.  Didn't even think he was the best player on their team.  

I think it's time to pump the breaks.  If CAM isn't offering a 6'2” (all time prolific state scoring contender) better shooting and passing version of this kid, then he's not offering the 5'11” or 6'1" version.  

Best offers are Toledo and Montana.  When Montana State gets involved then we will see the bigger offers come rolling in.  Not hating on the kid.  Sounds like a great MAC candidate that will be a real nice transfer option as a jr or sr and there is nothing wrong with that.  

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Can we get an accurate measurement. I know it’s tough because of Covid but there is a big difference from 5”10 5”11 to 6’1. Problem that we have with Rob is his inability/confidence to finish driving to the rim. We need guys that can get into the teeth of a defense and score and distribute. Hulls could not play for Archie in his defense. I remember him getting abused by Kentucky and other teams. We have a system here and that won’t fit it. So I’d like to know how big he is. I’m like Archie...I don’t want no shrimps. People always bring up Yogi but he was pretty special athlete/ball player. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he is a 5* player despite him being really good.

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On 1/4/2021 at 5:32 PM, bluegrassIU said:

I love this picture of him. Looks like "whatever, I am not impressed".  😂

 

Screenshot_20210104-163122_Chrome.jpg

Hey guys! As I've said before I do a lot of sports psych and what makes a player a player more from a mental side of things. I can say from this picture Smith reminds me a lot of what I saw in Galloway in high school. I've seen Smith a few times his fresh/soph year up in Westfield and you can tell right away from a "look". Maybe even more so than Galloway in certain instances. I saw some of Smith as a freshman and his psychology jumps right out at you. The way he moves, facial expressions, team/coach interactions. 

It's hard to speculate what his complete upside is, but I'm confident (again, this is from an outside perspective as I haven't worked with Smith personally) that any issues Smith will have with basketball will not be mental. I'd be willing to bet quite a lot that his basketball IQ is off the charts and his mental toughness is even higher. I doubt there is a tougher kid in his class. That isn't to say there aren't kids as tough, but just that you wouldn't find any tougher.

I'm trying to think of a past player that has this look. Maybe Michael Lewis off the top of my head from a "toughness" perspective. Sorry I couldn't give any evidence of his height though :)

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On 1/8/2021 at 9:05 PM, dgambill said:

Can we get an accurate measurement. I know it’s tough because of Covid but there is a big difference from 5”10 5”11 to 6’1. Problem that we have with Rob is his inability/confidence to finish driving to the rim. We need guys that can get into the teeth of a defense and score and distribute. Hulls could not play for Archie in his defense. I remember him getting abused by Kentucky and other teams. We have a system here and that won’t fit it. So I’d like to know how big he is. I’m like Archie...I don’t want no shrimps. People always bring up Yogi but he was pretty special athlete/ball player. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he is a 5* player despite him being really good.

I’d say about 6’0 but he could play defense better than other guys his size. He has extremely long arms which is more important than height itself in many cases. 

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Coach SS is out with the latest edition of his outstanding email newsletter.  I’m not going to re-hash all the details out of respect for his work,  but let’s just say he and I are on the same page regarding Smith. He likes him, thinks IU should recruit and offer him, and believes he can defend at the B1G level.  Sam is a member here.  Great stuff, Sam.  

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On 1/8/2021 at 12:37 PM, NotIThatLives said:

Imo, this board gets fixated on certain guys for whatever reason, maybe nostalgia?  This thread has mentioned he looks like Hulls, plays like Hulls, shoots like hulls.  

I've mentioned before, my buddy is an assistant of a team that plays them.  He wasn't that impressed and didn't think he would be an IU recruit.  Didn't even think he was the best player on their team.  

I think it's time to pump the breaks.  If CAM isn't offering a 6'2” (all time prolific state scoring contender) better shooting and passing version of this kid, then he's not offering the 5'11” or 6'1" version.  

Best offers are Toledo and Montana.  When Montana State gets involved then we will see the bigger offers come rolling in.  Not hating on the kid.  Sounds like a great MAC candidate that will be a real nice transfer option as a jr or sr and there is nothing wrong with that.  

If his best offer is Toledo he isn’t B1G caliber...sorry just a fact. Archie starts reaching for kids that aren’t getting power 6 offers then that is a sign he is desperate. Archie rarely is one of the first to offer a kid...especially state kid. Something may change but I doubt it. We already see where mid 150s and 250 ranked backcourt is getting us...we need elite talent if we want to win at a higher clip.

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