BGleas

Thanks, @tdhoosier! Best of luck to you as well. Glad to hear you were able to secure the PPP loan. We're are waiting with our fingers extremely crossed on our application. It would be a game changer for us if we get the loan, but we're trying to operate as if we're not. The good news for us is that we are ecommerce, so we're working as fast as we can to pivot some strategies and get our digital advertising cranking, though hard to do without much budget, but if we can get revenue back up then we can get our pay back up. My wife is a paraeducator in our kids schools, so come end of June - August we lose that income as well as she doesn't get paid in the summer. Hoping my business can get cranking so we're squared up again before that happens. We'll see. Definitely scary times.

First, I hope everyone that has been personally affected by all of this is doing well, whether it be health, mentally, financially, etc. @IU Scott, I hope you are well my friend! I posted this in another thread last week, but figured I'd expand on it over here. Me and my family got hit pretty hard last week when my company's board decided to cut salaries by 50%. Not a call I was hoping to get. I'll just give the full story, I run marketing for a small startup supplement company where we offer clinically effective supplements, plant-based protein shakes, etc, and we also give back where for every order on our website, we donate a bottle of our children's multivitamin to a malnourished child around the world. To-date, we've donated over 600,000 vitamins to malnourished children. Sorry, did not intend for that to be a sales pitch, just wanted to fill everyone in on what we do (though I guess that is a sales pitch). While we've been growing steadily every year, we're a lean and mean team, mostly utilizing freelancers and consultants. Full time we're a two person company, so legitimately a startup, though we are 7 years old. Seems odd to have a BOD for a two person company, but that's a whole other story. Anyways, we're eCommerce which is actually good during this time, but being small and in a saturated industry we don't have the ad budgets of our competitors, so we've built the business largely through partnerships with doctors, personal trainers and boutique gyms, athletes and influencers, which has been great. The problem came in when during this time doctors are not seeing patients and gyms/personal trainers are not seeing clients. We've seen revenue fall by over 30%. Not looking for sympathy, as I know a lot of people have it much worse during this time, and I'm grateful the 50% slash wasn't a 100% slash. Time to roll up the sleeves even more and get the revenue rolling again. I'm confident we can do it, but definitely a scary time. Maybe we can create a little mini HSN job board during these times? If anyone has a business that's in need of marketing strategy/support, I'm open to consult/free lance as I look to supplement (pun intended) my income.

Everyone is pretty excited about Duncomb. Not sure what you’re reading? We we’re having a completely different discussion about our bigs, including Duncomb, developing outside shots.

You did not read your first sentence anywhere in this thread.

Nobody has said the bolded either. Again, literally nobody wants Race or TJD to turn into Devonte Green, but the idea that they can hit the open perimeter shot when their popping off the pick and pop and the defense is scrambling would only help take IU's offense to the next level.

Regardless of the lineup, every player being able to shoot is beneficial. But, say TJD just doesn't or can't develop a shot, then I'm fine playing him predominantly in the post, he's effective there, but then we need a guy like Race to develop a shot. We are not going to have an effective offense with 3 guys on the court, and no bigs, that can shoot.

Why are those things exclusive? It's not like we have to choose between guards and wings that can shoot OR a big that can shoot. It's possible to have both. How many times last season did Race, Brunk or TJD get the ball at the top of the key with the defense just remaining in the paint, basically shutting off all driving lanes. That action isn't changing in the offense, so a big that can knock that show down would pay huge dividends.

I hear you, but nobody has said to have our bigs just start firing 3's at a low percentage. We're saying to spend the summer developing that shot so that they can knock them down at an acceptable percentage. The bigs that have been mentioned (Garza, Vonleh, Thomas Bryant, Jalen Smith, Frank Kaminsky, Spellman, Paschal, etc.) all shot really good, to at least acceptable percentages from the perimeter.

It's like you're having a discussion without reading what the people you're having a discussion with are saying. I've consistently said for going on 3 months now that I would like to see Race develop a consistent 3 point shot and TJD develop a consistent 10-15 ft jump shot.

Why is developing a perimeter game to the detriment of their college team? Villanova won a title with Omari Spellman and the guy on the Warriors now (can't remember his name) spotting up at the 3-point line while guys like Brunson and DiVencenzo penetrated and kicked. Wisconsin went to a National Title game with Frank Kaminsky playing inside as well as outside. You can argue that the UK 2012 team really took off (I realize they were great most of the yea) when Anthony Davis started knocking down mid range shot the latter part of the year. It made them almost unguardable. Maryland took off this year with Jalen Smith developing a 3-point shot.

Honestly, it doesn't really matter what you or I like, the fact is the game has changed. For the most part, there are obviously always exceptions, the game has changed to where it's a benefit to have all 5 guys on the court be multi-skilled players that can play inside and out. Big men need to be able to defend the perimeter and shoot the ball off the pick and pop and spot ups. We all know you don't like that, but again it doesn't really matter, because it's the way the game has changed and will continue to change. We can whine and moan about it (not saying that's what you're doing, just mean as a collective) or IU can recruit and develop players that fit into the way the game is played today. I can't imagine watching the last 3 years of IU basketball and not wanting skilled bigs that can operate inside and out.

I agree that it is sort of archaic at this point, though I will grant some of the more old school fans that the shift has been a lot slower to take hold in the college game compared to how the NBA and the rest of the world plays in 2020. With that said, bigs that can operate inside as well as outside completely change the game offensively. I've said it numerous time, but if Race, TJD and Justin Smith could shoot, IU's offense would have been completely different this year, and with Smith going back to the Langford season as well.

Exactly! Nobody is saying we want our center bringing the ball up the court and crossing people over to take step-back 3's, or even shooting 3's at volume. This is about spreading the floor, forcing the defense to be honest and defend everyone, and creating lanes for our guards/wings. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm tired of the defense literally not even pretending like they're guarding our bigs when they're outside the paint. I'm tired of watching our bigs get the ball at the top of the key and the defense standing in the paint, so then when the ball is reversed our guards/wings have nowhere to go. I'm surprised at the pushback on this. Bigs extending their range seemed to work out well for Jalen Smith and Maryland, Kaleb Wesson and OSU, Luka Garza and Iowa, and there are plenty more. I completely get, and really agree with Mile that maybe we should be talking about this more for guys like Race Thompson, TJD and Brunk (not sure he's really capable of it), and let Duncomb develop this after he's joined IU, but the point still stands that it's immensely beneficial on numerous fronts for IU's bigs to develop the ability to consistently knock down spot up jumpers.

Agree on Noah, and let’s not forget how much of an asset Thomas Bryant’s three-point shot was as well. And as much as I love Cody Zeller, his lack of a shot killed IU in that Sweet Sixteen loss to Syracuse. They left him wide open at the foul line all night, and instead of knocking that shot down he would barrel into the zone and either get called for a charge or get his shot blocked.

Have you not watched the last three years as our bigs clog the paint because none of them can shoot outside the paint, while our guards struggle to get to the rim and finish because there’s no space? IU’s offense this year would have been infinitely better and more efficient if Race could hit an open 3 off the pick and pop, and if TJD was a threat from 15ft. Nobody is saying we want Duncomb to be Devonte Green, but it helps the offense so much if the bigs are a threat from the perimeter.

Great point, it is possible to dominate in the paint and be a weapon from 3. Would be great if Duncomb developed like that.

Uh, Garza hit 39 three’s this season shooting 36% from beyond the arc

I only want to see Brunk take 3's if he spends the entire offseason working on it and proves he can make them. It's like I'm calling for these guys to all of the sudden just start launching 3's out of the blue. I'm not sure if Brunk actually has the mechanics to do it, but I'd love to see him and Race (agree with you one Race being much more likely) develop a consistent open 3 off the pick and pop. As for TJD, I agree here to an extent. I think he'd need a 3rd year to work his way out to the 3-point line, but as @KoB2011 replied, it would help a great deal if TJD could consistently and confidently knock down open 10-15 ft jump shots. Just Race and TJD accomplishing those things would have a huge impact on the offense.

I'll say this to your point, I would rather TJD, Brunk and Thompson develop those shots for next season and beyond, while Duncomb focus on the things you mentioned for now. Duncomb can worry about adding the perimeter shot once he gets on campus. For bigs at least, that seems like something better added after a year or two in the system and getting acclimated to the college game.

I don't think it's a cringe, I think it's a good thing depending on the players skill set. Look at what Jalen Smith hitting 3's did for Maryland or Kaleb Weeson developing a 3 did for OSU. Imagine if Brunk, Race and/or TJD could knock down open 3's. It completely changes the offense. I'm not sure De'Ron was ever really a candidate for that, but potentially Duncomb is.

Absolutely! I also like that Duncomb is saying that Archie already wants him developing his 3pt shot. A 6'11" center with length and a motor that can also knock down open 3's off the pick and pop? Sign me up!!

I've long said this too. I'd love to see the bulk of the roster ranked between say 35-80 and then you sprinkle in 2-3 guys on both ends of that range. A couple in the 15-35 range and a couple in the 80-130 range. The 35-80 guys are typically close in skill/talent to the 15-35 guys, but maybe missing one intangible which forces them to stay in college 3-4 years. If you build the foundation of your program on guys like that, and then supplement with a few 1/2 and done guys and a few guaranteed 4-year guys on the other end of the spectrum, then you'll have sustained, high level winning.

You know the point I'm making...

Not to bash Nick, the guy who made the Kaufman tweet, he seems like a good guy. I'm not sure if I follow him on Twitter, but I do see a lot of his tweets due to following so many IU accounts and his content is generally really good. With that said, he did tweet yesterday that he lost his job. This isn't meant to be personal, again he seems like a good guy and it's awful that he lost his job during all of this uncertainty. I feel really bad for him. But, the timing does raise the eyebrow. An interesting time to come out with a tweet that you know will generate a TON of interest.

Right, but he's not a guy you expect to be 1 or 2 and done. He's not a Lander, Langford, Zeller, Yogi. He's ranked around 80ish, so a guy you'd expect to probably be around 3 or so years, but he doesn't have the intangible potential with his length and athleticism to over deliver on his ranking like a VO or OG.