ephul

Would love to know how the Dexter Dennis visit is going.

Would love to round out the class with him. High energy guy.

Yeah I just don't want to see Duncomb get the boot.

He's such an intriguing guy. Freakishly long. Could be a menace defensively by his junior and senior year.

Having 13 scholarships, we aren't going to recruit 4 and 5 star guys that are willing to wait around for 2 to 3 years before they get PT.

Having a guy like Duncomb that is (presumably) fine with his role right now could pay big dividends in the coming years. 

9 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said:

this is super exciting!  i think it has to mean TJD or JG are not coming back.  my thought is TJD bc it's hard to see Reneau not starting.  either way, such an exciting talent boost!  

I'm back and forth on this. Reneau seems like a really grounded kid. All the articles I've seen have him mentioning the packed frontcourt and embracing the competition. So I'm not sure if one of them is on the way out. We are obviously still recruiting a guard, so one of them could very well be gone, but I wouldn't be shocked if both stayed.

Seems like a kid that knows if he's not playing, he simply wasn't the better player for the time being. Doesn't seem to be expecting immediate playing time at all without earning it.

17 minutes ago, Indykev said:

This moves the needle even if TJD comes back. TJD wont have to play 38 mins a game.

This. Trayce filled a huge void by simply not sitting much. We need a 3rd legitimate big guy more than people think. To start the year, Trayce's defense was outstanding. He was all over the place. That went away later in the year, and you can't blame him. He had to be completely gassed.

And you know he was trying to avoid fouls.... Because there was a reason he was playing nearly the whole game.

36 minutes ago, ThePaulieWalnuts said:

With Malik coming onboard, does IU take someone like Dexter and call it a day or are there any other targets?

I would think you'd take Dexter and call it a day. It'd be a seriously upgraded roster from the outside looking in. Experienced and big.

Only question mark would be shooting.

Just now, dwtaylor1055 said:

top 25 team if TJD doesn't return, should he return?  top 15 team imo

I think we still gotta prove we can shoot the ball. But if Trayce returns, we've got a monstrous upgrade in talent.

What a huge get. If we get a good shooting wing/guard, this could be a very, very good team.

18 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

I hope you're right. But let's not kid ourselves, top 30 guys typically don't walk into a scenario where they are the 4th guy in a 4 guy rotation for 2 spots. It's possible, but that just doesn't happen these days unless you are Duke or Kentucky. I really hope I'm wrong, but the chances of Race, TJD, JG and Reneau all on the roster next year are extremely low, IMO. 

 

Agreed. He's got a lot of places he can go where he'll know he's going to step in and play right away.

But even being that 3rd guy, he'd get his fair share of minutes assuming he's ready for them. How many minutes did Trayce play out of necessity? Durr just wasn't good unless we played Purdue, or another rare team with a plodding big man. And injuries happen too.

But you're right, Trayce may have very well told the staff that the chances of him returning are slim. But even with Trayce and Race back, Reneau is more of a fit at the 4 and 5 than Geronimo, so if he's decent, he's going to log meaningful minutes.

15 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

But we don't need an upgrade in that position if TJD stays. It's arguably our deepest position next year. Does a 5 star recruit realistically show this much interest in IU if TJD is believed to be coming back? The freshman year minutes wouldn't be there for a recruit of his caliber. 

Now, if a lower rated guy, willing to develop on the bench for his first season was coming in then I'd say you have a point. If we were actively recruiting 2 wings, then I'd also say you have a point. But it's Reneau. 

That's a matter of opinion. I absolutely think we could use an upgrade at the 4/5. Having three guys (assuming Reneau would be able to step in as a freshman) would be HUGE. Durr proved to be pretty limited this past season. Having three guys, and even four if you count Geronimo playing the four, would allow Trayce and Race to play much more aggressive on the defensive end. And give Trayce a bit of a breather throughout games.

It also would allow us to keep a nice offensive flow throughout the game. How many times did Trayce and Race come out of the game, and we were left beating our heads against a wall?

You are assuming that Reneau is an all world player. How do you know Reneau is expecting to come in and start? How do you know he's ready for that? Reneau could look at being able to be eased into college and practicing with some veteran big guys as a positive.

Is the 4/5 as critical position as a guard that can shoot? No. But if we can't find a significant upgrade at that position, you take the significant upgrade at the 4/5. There's no reason to gamble or take a lesser transfer at the guard position just for the optics or "hoping" it's an upgrade.

6 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

I truly don't believe we are looking at an 'either/or' situation. I said this earlier, but I believe more and more everyday that TJD is not coming back. This writing is on the wall: we are actively recruiting 2 players for 2 different positions. Two campus visits in two days. Only one open scholarship if TJD stays.

#math

But we also have competition for both. You don't recruit one and not the other when you could really use both.

They are probably the two best players that fit us. We need a talent upgrade everywhere. Recruit the best players, regardless of position when you have an open scholarship.

I've never seen him play. But I'm curious if the staff is pushing playing him at the 3.

Either way, if you've got Trayce, Thompson, Reneau, and Geronimo, you've got 4 guys that can play pretty aggressively at the 4 and 5. 

2 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

I think Miller Kopp’s issue was that he had played along side another Miller Kopp. Both him and Stewart were very similar players with very similar skill sets. Catch and shoot guys with limited ability to put it on the floor. Subpar rebounders. Fine defensive players within the system, but not defensive stoppers. Neither of them were hard to guard. It gave opponents the freedom to put in 2 players that normally may been considered to be defense liabilities without fear of consequences.

Although I have criticized Woody for line-ups, he did seem pretty hand cuffed by the timing of injuries and having to play them both MK and PS at the same time. Ideally I think he wanted to play Gallo (I guy who moves well without the ball) along side MK in the starting lineup. 

Put an athletic guard/wing next to Kopp and I think we see another player next year because it’s a better opportunity for the offense to create mismatches off screens and movement. The guy can shoot, but unfortunately so many times we couldn’t pass the ball into his shooting pocket, taking him out of rhythm. Perhaps (hoping) with JHS and XJ on the floor we’ll have 2 guys that can create and pass accurately. 

I think the staff sees Dexter Dennis as a guy who can defend, but more importantly as a guy who can move without the ball, make those baseline cuts, and can keep the defense honest with the ability to knock down a 3. Some keep comparing him to P-Stew, but to me he seems more like a Galloway who can hit the 3 and defend without fouling. 

That's a really good assessment.

The ball doesn't seem to stick in Dennis' hands. It's always moving. Only going to help Kopp.

I have zero issue with this. Coach is paid to win. If he feels he's better off doing this, more power to him. 

Just now, 5 championships said:

He should of got minutes at the 3 for Kopp… not like Kopp was driving around anybody. He just stood in corner and Kopp wasn’t guarding anyone either… all he did was take up space. Geronimo would of made us way more athletic. And got a ton of boards and put backs over a smaller 3 

I think this is one of those situations where you simply have to play matchups. Kopp was at least a threat to shoot it from outside. If the other team doesn't have a world beater at the three, Kopp's threat to shoot is worth the lesser defense he provides.

This team isn't good enough to simply play the "five best guys". Outside of Trayce, Race, and Xavier Johnson, you have to put the guys on the floor that match up the best. Against some teams, Geronimo SHOULD eat up a lot of Kopp's minutes. Others games, Kopp can hold his own "good enough" to justify leaving him in for his offense.

18 minutes ago, btownqb said:

I don't think KL is good enough to play in the Big East. 

100%. With the transfer portal allowing freedom to hop teams, Lander would be better off going to a team like Evansville (or a similar conference) and if he has success, just transfer after that.

He needs playing time, and he's not going to get a ton of it in a major conference.

2 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Thought this was an interesting comment...sure that probably won't ever come out of coaches mouths when recruiting vs Illinois. 

“My coach (Brad Underwood) is not coaching me in college basketball to send me to the next level, he is coaching me to win basketball games here,” Cockburn said. “In the future I will have the opportunity to show people what I am capable of doing– that I am capable of playing at the next level.”

No offense to Kofi, but what exactly does he think he's going to do/should be doing in college? Popping 3's all game?

He's a brute, that's his game. That's how he's used. Not sure what he's complaining about.

To me, getting an upgrade from a kid like Davis over Kopp would be key. We need shooters, no doubt. But Kopp is just too slow defensively.

The offense can afford one defensive liability if they can bring consistent shooting. Kopp's streaky shooting and consistent poor defense is key if we want to take the next step 

3 minutes ago, Hippopotamo said:

Apparently he’s a front runner for the Ball State job 

Yes. Will be interesting to see if he's interested, or if he's going to ride UCLA's success to a bigger job.

Will be curious if Michael Lewis wants a head coaching gig at a smaller school... or how much he truly likes California life.

2 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

Just got done listening to Rabjohn's on JMV and there was never a plan to have Fife as the coach in waiting. Rabjohn's said one thing the athletic department was upset with Fife was his tweets about NIL.  He told players it is not about NIL and it should be about playing for IU.  Rabjohn's even told Fife that was not a smart thing to say since IU is trying to establish itself with the NIL. Fife told Rabjohn that he got reprimanded for those comments.

This makes sense

No clue what happened here, but I think you have two people that think very highly of themselves and how to do things... And only one is the head coach.

5 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Its more than just next year though right? I would assume the idea for Sparks would be, yes a good player next year... but not a 1 year rental, either. 

And we could potentially need to replace an entire front court. If Trayce, Race, Durr and Duncomb are all gone, adding a young guy like Sparks isn't going to hurt.

Plenty more PT to be had and to pitch to current recruits/transfers.

9 minutes ago, Billingsley99 said:

Just for fun because I do like to stir a little and some people on our board are so against certain coaches or etc... and when they do something like Creaning its bad but if a couple players get taken behind the "Woodshed" I suspect those same people would be ok with it

I know that COVID changes some things but by my count we are oversigned by 3, is that correct?

I was fine with it when Crean did it and I'll be fine with it when Woodson does it. These college athletes can't have their cake and eat it too.

I think you'll find most people disagree with it regarding the stability of the team and building the team.... Not so much of it being "unfair" to the player.

This team needs an immediately upgrade in talent and to do so, some players are going to go. Nature of the business.

20 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

I always enjoy looking at this sites preseason assessment of teams. The one I'm linking is for the WCC and has some good info on St Mary's...

Especially thought this was interesting...

"Bennett’s squads are consistently good at 1) defensive rebounding, 2) disallowing 3-point attempts, and 3) making teams beat them with the dribble instead of the pass."

The bolded plays right into our hands! 😉 

Also...

"Bennett’s defensive style is susceptible to rim attack" 

Geronimo may be due for another big game.