mchenry34

It will be interesting to see how we handle people sagging off of our point guards (and probably Bates and Galloway) going forward. I think there are some hints of what was done in game, will be exciting to see what happens with planing: - Those guys are capable shooters (not great, but if WIDE open? probably at least 35%), will need shoot with confidence - I think that the half time talk may have included an emphasis on transition (which was a bit shaky with X forcing a couple of times, wish our guys would trust that if they draw help they have done their job, and they can just pivot out of trouble and find the shooters filling in behind) - They started using Trayce with a pin screen in the middle of the lane to make it harder to double - The last few games we have done more with a small wrinkle in secondary break, using a drag ball screen to try to free up the the ballahndler...more of that with a down screen on the weak side would be great and give us the chance to find TJD early in the possession...we need to do more to occupy the weak side defenders so that they cannot focus on their help responsibilities as much A couple of wrinkles I'd like to see them put in: - Use X and Phin as screeners on the perimeter...ball hand offs to shooters...if the guy guarding our PGs is sagging the shooter should be able to come off screens from the PGs more open - Flatten out our offense along the baseline and use TJD to screen and re-screen the ballhandler to get deep into the lane and force help...or go small and use Geronimo that way and have him pick and pop once help has been forced.... - If they are going to over help on TJD, I'd love to see us use him as a back screener (or any off the ball screen)

nobody was booing until Joey started thumping his chest and demonstrating emotion that seemed specifically for IU...

I think that in terms of knowing HOW to play (instinct and Basketball IQ), you could argue that Galloway and Leal are our two best examples, Race is maybe next on the list...I actually think that Rob deserves more credit than he gets in that category... Our two best players at entering the ball into the post are Leal and Galloway... Our two best players of seeing the game two passes ahead and moving it so that it doesn't get "stuck" are Leal and Galloway... Leal and Galloway do the best job of delivering the ball to the right player at the right place at the right time (watch how our point guards are two steps late in getting the ball to shooters or cutters...our actions work but we don't have the instinct or confidence to deliver the ball where it needs to go when it needs to get there... Our two best cutters, not always to score, but to create movement and to force the defense to make decisions, are Leal and Galloway...Both players attack a zone intelligently and selflessly...(OSU played one possession of zone and Galloway made a great pass, on time and on target, to Race for a bucket) Galloway is our best transition player in terms of pushing the ball, making the right decision, and the guy has the best layup package on the team...Leal actually runs the floor really well too... I am with people saying that Parker and Kopp should be in opposite rotations of each other, give each player 20 minutes, but not at the same time...(maybe reduce each to 17 and give Leal three minutes each half as well)...I am amazed that we can hold up defensively with both of them on the floor, because neither of them can stay in front of anyone... The other guard spot I would split between Galloway and Bates, maybe something like 25 and 15...(playing both X and Rob together is useful though and complicates this rotation)

Trey Galloway is Luke Recker with less need to be at the center of things...

This team is four positive plays from being 14-0...the team we are looking for is there, it's just buried under some uncertainty and inconsistency...confidence can help with both of those...

Maybe something like AJ Hammons in High School? (especially before his transfer)

Notre Dame is playing really well right now against Western Michigan. I get that the level of competition is a step down, but Notre Dame is running great offense and is incredibly solid defensively right now. They are really fundamental and solid in their decision making tonight. Makes me think that our win against them might be worth something down the line. Also makes me think that we are able to disrupt others in their style of play a bit more than is obvious at first glance...

It will be easier for us to stay in front of them, which helps our defense immensely...That said, we will get torched by Blake Wesley if he is playing against our second group. Sooner or later we need to abandon the "second team" rotation and have three of our best players on the court all the time..We can't have both Race and Trayce off the court, we can't have both Parker and Kopp off the court (though I would argue that we shouldn't have them both on the court) We can't have both Xavier and Tamar off the court.... We need to maintain a balance that always has a post threat, at least one shooter, and a dribble drive threat all the time...We sometimes have a lineup on the floor that has none of those things on the court...

We have two basic issues that can take us from good to really good... 1) We need to be able to control the ball on defense...we cannot stay in front of quick guards, especially with our starting lineup... 2) we need to make the extra pass on offense...we have open shooters and people in the short corner on every drive and post touch, but we don't get them the ball enough... If I were to add to the list it would be crisper ball movement...the rest of what we have going is good enough for top six conference and a tournament birth

Just like we would love to see some nuance from you...infomercials are less predictable than you...

I can see why people might feel that the Hoosier Hysterics have a bit of an annoying schtick, but honestly they've done more than almost anyone to try to build back the culture...Their conversations with the former players tend to follow the same formula each time, but they are great at getting insight into what was going on behind the scenes...They are responsible for Coach Knight associating with Indiana in Public twice now, and they are now responsible for there being some (however small of an amount) more money in the pockets of the players... People on these message boards and on Twitter and Facebook do nothing but crap on the program they claim to love and then wonder why there is no momentum... imagine selling something to someone, say a boat that you own, and your sales pitch was "it used to be good, but now it mostly makes me angry, and I spend more time complaining about it than enjoying it, I'd love for it to be comparable to new boats, but I spend more time thinking about what the boat used to be like and criticizing it for not being that way, than I do investing in making it new again...I say terrible things about the boat and about people who are trying to renew it because I think know so much more about boats than they do...anyway, do you want to buy it?" That is essentially what some of you hope recruits will sign on for with the way you talk about the program...

you lack ideas...

I can agree if you are taking all aspects of the program into account, but maybe Sampson is a better coach on the court?

One thing that I think works about the hiring of Coach Woodson is that it covers the last bit of time that it will take for the next generation of coaching possibilities to prove themselves before being a candidate for the IU job. I think that Lewis and Fife could both be great candidates in the next round, maybe 6 or 8 years down the line. Maybe in 6 to 8 years with Cheaney's children grown a bit more he will feel better about committing the time necessary to coach at the college level. Even guys like Josh Pasternak (I know his name came up in the FBI probe) will have had a chance to move up a level and prove themselves. Heck, maybe Kory Barnett will be a head coach by then... I think that Lewis and Fife would be amazing additions to our staff, but if they want to take over at a place where they are the head coach to prepare for the IU opportunity down the road I could understand . I think the timing of getting some momentum back and then having obvious candidates to take over works quite well.

anyone remember when Steve Prohm was the hot mid-major name that all the major programs should consider hiring when they had an opening?

It is a strange season for sure, and everyone is dealing with the stress in their own way, but I do have to agree with at least some of the sentiment of this tweet. The case rates have absolutely plummeted the last six weeks. It's hard to connect opting out now with the virus at all. This is the safest these guys have been since the season started. The numbers have not been this low since October and there is no indication that they will start going back up in the next few weeks...

you would have to think so...

This is one of my criticisms of Archie's actions...it is usually 15-20 seconds of movement all designed to get a post touch...but because we walk it up, that means TJD has about 8-9 seconds to make something happen when he gets it, so doubles can be aggressive with no time for us to make them pay... BTW, crean was the king of this...all of his sets were designed with false movement where we wouldn't even look at the players moving because the whole thing was just to get a particular player the ball in a particular spot with either a ball screen or a clear out...super annoying

Illinois is an arrogant group of people. It will cost them in the tournament.

Thanks for the response!

I live in Ohio and am not privileged to alumni relationships...could you give some examples of what you mean when you say that he is a jerk or has poor relationships?

I remember it too...Though the program had a bit more equity then, and armchair experts had far fewer outlets for their expertise

Someone tell me what this board would be like if we were a ranked team and lost to Wisconsin by 40...

After having made a great deal of noise over the lack of reunions and former player involvement in the program...I'm guessing it didn't fit his narrative well enough to acknowledge them.

Hi, I am interested in whether you think think that this team not being tough, not well coached and not prepared is because of a lack of coaching ability or have they made strategic errors in trying to build the culture at IU? such as the suggestions that they handled Langford with kid gloves and have played the wrong people in an effort to win now rather than insisting on players living up to program standards of effort and fundamentals? I do think that Archie has a singular way he wants to coach and that even Dayton fans said that he would stay with his system to a fault rather than adapt to what he has on the roster....