Hoosierinbham

3 hours ago, IUALUM03 said:

The Adidas ball in the pic is interesting.

Good catch!  If he's an Adidas guy, and those are his final 8 schools, I like our chances. *Pure speculation and guessing on my part.

2 hours ago, Proud2BAHoosier said:

OK, for all of us old-timers.... How many think he looks like one of the Sweathogs from Welcome Back Kotter??

Juan Epstein or Arnold Horshack?

1 hour ago, Steubenhoosier said:

 

I have posted this on here previously...

One of the few recruits where I knew a little something. Furst was Bloomington bound....until CAM made the assumption he was wrapped up and stopped paying attention to him. Left the door open, and ol' Pork Chop came in and swept him to W. Lafayette.

That sucks. My family and I were touring Assembly Hall when Furst was on a visit with his family. Really wanted to land him.

8 minutes ago, rico said:

I watched Purdue play quite a bit last year.  Furst was non-existent in every Boiler contest I saw.  I wouldn't even call him an option when he is out on the floor.  I know it sounds like I am being hard on him but geez the guy is invisible out there.  Gillis, TKR, and Newman were far more into it.  Perhaps Caleb's fortunes would have been different if he had went to Michigan St., I dunno.  But what I do know is the kid has been a MAJOR disappointment in West Lafayette.  

That's a good point about MSU. That kid just seems to have an Izzo type game. Start off learning, then mostly in the post, progressing to strong rebounding, defense, and range out to 3 by junior and senior seasons. 

I really like the looks of 2024 for us. 2025 will be much tougher. 

36 minutes ago, dgambill said:

What I heard was with the expanded playoffs that they would expand the bowl games to teams that are below 500. Seems making a bowl game will basically be if the program wants to play or not.

Interesting.  That definitely impacts teams like IU with the most challenging schedules.  Our program would benefit from the additional practice,  and it's always a great  reward for our loyal fans. Appreciate the info.

1 hour ago, BobSaccamanno said:

We still can put up good film against anybody in the B1G...doesn't have to be OSU, and UM.  This is much better for us from a competitive balance standpoint.  The old system was asinine.  

Exactly.  I absolutely see the point of having the big boys for game tape, but starting the year 0-3 leaves a very small window for making a bowl game when the B1G plays 9 conference games. Sitting at home during bowl season doesn't help recruiting or team development. 

Give me any 2 of OSU, Michigan,  PSU, USC, UCLA, and Wisky(with Luke Fickell). Add in the other teams, and we have a very reputable, yet manageable, schedule. It's not just playing the Big 3 every season, it's the toll it takes on the team for the rest of the season. You can't just get up for one marquee game per year like the West.

1 hour ago, OGIUAndy said:

Good question. Would be odd for a Carmel player to be flying under the radar though, right? 

That's what I thought too. How does a kid fly under the radar at Carmel?!  I'd be interested to hear more about him and his story.  Maybe he's had to wait his turn and lacks the exposure? 

6' 180lbs cb with reported 4.37 speed. Those are some solid numbers. Is he flying under the radar?

49 minutes ago, dgambill said:

 

Here are some highlights from HS this year. Stuff on the front page is a little old. Just figured I’d share.

 

He has more bounce than I thought.  Takes it to the rim with confidence too. Good size and great shot.  If our coaches think he can guard to their requirements,  he has some nice tools. 

9 minutes ago, rico said:

If I was on the mound, I would throw it at their ears.  

Exactly.  That's why they have the helmets that cover the entire side of their faces.

17 minutes ago, rico said:

I surmise that UK is being coached to get hit.  I would start throwing at their heads.

Announcers talked about how they're coached to get hit. Said they were top 5 in the country in that stat. Kudos to them for pushing the limit, but when they're over the plate, and then lean further over the plate to get hit, that's questionable. I can see why pitchers would get frustrated. 

5 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

8 game conference schedule for SEC. On one hand I think it's kind of weak. On the other hand they are essentially trying to to give every one of their teams an extra win so even the bottom of the barrel SEC teams can be bowl eligible.

 

It is weak. Especially when you consider the timing, often late in the season,  for a gimme non-conference game. It's basically a bye/rest week. That gives their playoff teams a competitive advantage. Since IU doesn't have to worry about the playoffs,  the extra non-conference win would be great for our bowl chances.

59 minutes ago, dgambill said:

I’d rather take a flyer on him than most…but that is probably every good play he made last year and you could easily put a tape as cool looking or better of Galloway etc. He has a lot of work to do to add to his frame and improve his shooting but he does seem to have a nice feel for the game.

"take a flyer"

I see what you did there.😅

16 minutes ago, iuswingman said:

Looks good.  

Only worry is if he can stay in front of guards that he will often get matched up with at the 3 (since many teams still use a 3 guard lineup). 

Legit concern, but he appears to move similar to JHS,  and we'll also have Ware to protect the rim. MM's length should also allow him to recover if he gets beat by shorter wings. He'll also punish shorter wings on the offensive end.

1 minute ago, ledies22 said:

man, where would I be if I was held accountable for the stuff my siblings have done?

My exact thoughts.  And I'm glad my siblings weren't held accountable for what I did and said. Junior's actions weren't my style, but he backed it up on the court in crunch time. And he knows how to hit shots in Assembly. Might be able to transfer some of that Assembly swagger to little bro!

3 hours ago, btownqb said:

I don't think the SECE is ever weak, maybe not as strong as the west... 

B1GW is never as good as the SECE, imo, for example. 

Florida is the issue. Tennessee looks to be "back". 

Until Florida gets it figured out, Tennessee should be just below Georgia, and push them for the SECE title annually. B1GW isn't even in the same discussion as the SECE. They're more on par with the Big12 north or ACC schools north of Clemson. B1GW really needs Fickell to get it going again at Wisky for relevance. 

28 minutes ago, dgambill said:

I’m happy in the B1G East. It isn’t like we are ever going to play for national championships. At least we will play against teams that matter…we will have high visibility games in the national spotlight. I’d much rather play teams with a number by their name than not. Recruits also want to play against top competition because it puts game tape out there for the pros. You don’t think it’s a huge selling point that you go to IU you will get to play in the Shoe or the Big House or Happy Valley? That you will face multiple top 10 teams to prove yourself against? If we win our other games who cares if we lose 2-3 games a year. We aren’t close to being that type of team consistently but I’d worry about it if we were missing out on championship appearances because of our gauntlet…in our case it benefits us with national exposure, resume building and ranking opportunities if we win, and honestly we play a relevant schedule against kids that will be playing on Sunday.
 

I mean if we don’t want to be in the East then we might as well drop down and play in the MAC. I just never understand this argument every time I hear it. Playing against the best gives us the best opportunity to build the best program possible. It makes us stronger. It makes Ole Miss stronger playing Alabama, LSU, Auburn etc…they get tons of good recruits because they are in a premier conference playing best competition imaginable. Let’s worry about winning our non-conference and beating Rutgers/Marylands consistently before crying we have to play the three headed monster of PSU, UM, OSU.

I see where you're coming from, and agree on the part about playing the best.  Games against the big 3 are great for fans, players,  and recruits.

Your SEC example excludes the fact they only play 8 conference games. Our main goal should be to make a bowl game for prestige, but equally important,  to get extra practice time. If we had 3 gimme non-conference games, plus 1 power 5 team, our bowl chances improve greatly. If we start off with 3-4 wins in the non-conference,  we would only have to win 2-3 games out of Maryland,  Rutgers, MSU, Purdue,  and our other West opponents. Just my thoughts, but I like those odds better. 

If the B1G stays with 9 conference games, but does away with divisions, only playing 2 of the big 3 makes our chances of winning go up. That was my main point. Guess we'll see what the future of the B1G holds for us. I don't expect any favors.

3 hours ago, BobSaccamanno said:

I think we are better at a lot of positions.  I think we will be more physical up front on both sides of the line of scrimmage.  Our skill positions on offense should be better.  

I think it comes down to our two redshirt freshmen QBs and whether they can produce plus our general depth.   I suspect both will get a lot of snaps.  

Penn State is going to be top 5.  Michigan and OSU are coming off the playoffs.  UM has McCarthy and Korum back.  Our schedule will always be an issue.  
 

Good analysis. Wonder if we'll add a transfer qb with experience?  And the sledding will always be brutal in the B1G East. Hopefully they do away with divisions and we get a better chance for success.

20 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Do we know the site for this game? 

Not sure on the venue, but I'm definitely going to that one.

He seems like the exact type of kid that feeds off motivation.  This should provide plenty of fuel for him to prove himself.

1 hour ago, btownqb said:

 

 

I watch a ton of UK games because of the wife. Loved Levis's game the first time I saw him. Could you imagine him standing all day with protection and throwing to wide open receivers like Young and Stroud did? Levis takes some overly aggressive risks at times, but he'll also sacrifice his body like Josh Allen to make a crucial play. Just a gamer. 

On 4/17/2023 at 7:02 AM, IUFLA said:

Makes you wonder what George McGinnis would have done as a freshman had he been eligible...

I personally think he'd have been #1 on that list...

Imagine a 4 out offense with Big George in the middle...

4 minutes ago, BADGERVOL said:

Based on video here’s a pondering…

He looks the part more of a true SF. Could signing him mean Knecht would be more drawn to a situation he will be featured more as a true SG which is probably his more favorable match ups and sets him up for better success?

Sounds about right to me. Ledlum needs to get leaner and more explosive for a B1G wing, which I'm sure is appealing with our strength and nutrition programs.

He could almost play small ball 4 running the baseline. We have the potential for some very interchangeable parts based on matchups and situations. 

30 minutes ago, SawatchHoosier said:

Did you see him make enough layups in that video to determine if he's a finisher?

He's strong and uses his body well to finish at the rim. Finished with both hands, has a floater, and threw in a euro step. Seems pretty crafty around the basket, although not super athletic. His outside shoot is so smooth.