BGleas

So weird, OG got ejected tonight. He sort of half-heartedly and lightly body slammed Dennis Schroeder. Just a weird thing. OG lifted him up in the air and then sort of just laid him down on the ground. Then Schroeder went after him and OG had this "what did I do?" look on his face.

He seems like the prototypical NBA wing that you'd think would thrive with Woodson. Obviously we don't know firsthand what Woodson's development skills are like yet, but you'd think a guy like Geronimo would be the perfect fit for Woodson.

Awesome news today! I realize every player and every person has the make the best decision for themselves, but talk about awkward for Franklin if leaves, especially for an in conference school, after the rest of the in-state guys (Leal, Galloway, TJD and Lander) have all stayed and announced it in a way where they profess their commitment to wanting to be a part of the solution/team that gets IU back to where it should be. Would be a little weird to be the only in-state guy to bail and then do it by going to a rival.

Honestly, I want other fanbases calling us cheaters. Not saying I want IU cheating, but if IU is doing so well that other fanbases have to resort to crying cheating, I'll take that everyday and twice on Sunday.

Not sure what do you mean? He was the coach not the GM.

Geronimo was our backup 5 at times. He's 6'6"

Agree. Get the top kids and the kids that fit regionally, then go with a wider net.

Really curious to see what Woodson's recruiting strategy is going to be more long term. I mean less style of play/player, but more talent level. Will he be more in the get old,, stay old mold with a more regional approach, or being a guy with over 40 years of NBA experience, is he going to want to swing big and use that NBA pedigree to up IU's recruiting game nationally with top players. I think that is one thing he has not really been asked or addressed yet.

I tried to tell you all recruiting wouldn't be an issue with Woodson! 🤣. Seriously though, I think keeping Stewart is big!

I believe Archie had IU in Swider's final 3-5 schools. So there is some familiarity with IU.

Wow, it was literally just on and my oldest daughter and I were just talking about how much we hate it.

You're looking at this as being known by a fan watching TV. Yes, fans watching on TV at home didn't know who those guys were/are. But, most of those guys spent years on the recruiting trail as assistants before becoming head coaches. So yes, the AAU coaches and the high schools coaches that you need relationships with to get in the door with recruits knew them well. They've been to all of the AAU tournaments all summer, they've recruited other kids that these AAU guys have had, etc., they've spent years as assistants building relationships with the powers that be in grassroots high school basketball.

Appreciate your thoughts. There is a lot there, so I'm just going to respond to a few points quickly. On Archie, yes I do think high school players, high school coaches and AAU coaches knew who he was before he came to IU. Archie had spent over a decade recruiting and coaching in the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, A-10, etc. He was a known commodity on the recruiting trail. I think Woodson will do well on the court as well, he's clearly a strong basketball mind and I really like the NBA experience he brings to the game and the development on players. I think it remains to be seen how well he can recruit, his energy level for recruiting, and his energy for motivating college players (which is different than in the NBA). I love the Matta addition, potentially adding Larry Brown, as well as the staff he has the potential to bring in. I think this has the potential to be a grand slam, but it is riskier than bring in a proven Power 5 coach. Again, the key word is "proven". Not another Archie, but a coach that has a proven, successful track record at a Power 5 school. That would have been safer and potentially better. But, I am excited about the upside and the potential strategic approach of building an NBA-style organization at a college. I think that has the chance to be a genius move.

That's where I think this has the potential to be a really innovative move. I really like that aspect and hope it was a vision from Dolson all along.

Agree. I'd rather Woodson focus on the transfer portal to build a team for next year, while moving attention to the 2022 class for freshmen. He needs to bring in some ready to go men for next season.

Completely agree. That is my hope too. I hope he can sell Lander, Franklin and Stewart on this especially, and then hit the transfer market and sell that to some legit wings that can score.

Outside of Musselman, those guys came up in college basketball. They came up as assistants in the recruiting game, they've been around the college game for years, and they're proven commodities at the Power 5 level. Coaching in the NBA gives you a lot more experience in the NBA, it doesn't give you more experience than a coach that has been in college for over a decade. I think being an NBA guy gives you good chance to have an X's and O's advantage, and potentially an advantage in how players need to be treated, but there is so much more that goes into running a high level, elite program.

I never said he wasn't going to introduce himself. I just said it remains to be seen if he can recruit. We don't know how well he'll do with that yet. I'm optimistic, but we won't know the answer for a little while because he doesn't have a track record to draw on.

I support him too. I've moved past the disappointment to now being excited to see what he can do. I'm really excited for hopefully a more NBA-style offense with better tempo and more 3's, as well as the type of players he can attract with that style and his background. I am worried that if it doesn't work then the perception changes to "an IU guy couldn't even do it. No way I'm going there".

That remains to be seen. It could also go the other way where he's not that well known by these players and outside of Matta doesn't have a ton if built in connections. I'm not predicting that, I'm just saying I could see him hitting a grand slam this summer but could also see him striking out. We'll see, but the potential prospect of Woodson landing some great transfers is exciting.

Been really busy so haven't posted since the weekend. That also gave me a chance to digest this a bit more after the initial disappointment. I still think this is a really risky move, and could potentially do more long term damage to the program if it doesn't work. I'm also still disappointed that after Stevens, IU didn't go big game hunting in the college ranks (Beard, Musselman, Drew, Oats, etc.), as I felt the move here was to get a coach with proven Power 5 experience. Think a Kelvin Sampson move but finally getting it right with a cleaner version. With that said and more time to hear Woodson speak, etc., I am more optimistic than I was before. I still think this is either a massive mistake or a genius move with little in between, but I do have a little more hope that it's genius, and here's why. I'm hoping this wasn't just a "we need an IU guy" move to bring in an old player and Woodson is the best they could find. What I am hoping is that this was actually a strategic decision by Dolson to be at the forefront of a shift in college basketball. I'm hoping this was a strategic decision with the NIL coming to be ahead of the curve and turn IU basketball into almost an NBA training ground. To be a program that is player friendly and that the top players want to be. I don't mean a one and done factory, I just mean to build the program as almost an NBA training ground. When you come to IU you have a head coach that ties the tradition of IU with the forward thinking ways of the NBA in terms of style of play, taking care of players, off the court preparation, etc. As consultants you have one of the best college basketball coaches of the last 15 years in Matta and potentially you have one of the top coaches in all of basketball in the last 30-40 years in Larry Brown. As some have said, almost like the Alabama of college basketball with Saban surrounding the program with former head coaches, etc. Right there you have three guys that are highly successful in the game of basketball at all levels and have been there and done that. Then you add things like the Cuban Center for Sports Media, hopefully a fantastic, forward thinking group of assistants, and this could be a genius move. My hope is that this was strategic beyond just "let's get an IU guy". I don't mean that as a negative necessarily, I'm just hoping there is potentially an even larger strategic plan in play here.

Really curious to see how Dolson spins this. Either Woodson was the guy from the jump, or everyone else said no. Obviously he's not going to say nobody else wanted the job, but how hard he drives down the "this was always my guy" lane will be telling.

I'd be curious to know if the Matta piece was part of Woodson's pitch, or if that was a Dolson thing? I'd assume it was Dolson, but I think knowing it was Woodson's plan would make me feel a tad better. Like Woodson knowing he has to put a grand slam staff together.

I would hope when Dolson told/tells the team about the hire, that he has some presentation prepared with clips and tweets of those NBA guys talking about how much they love Woodson.