Euroclydon

Looking for rotations, switching defense and pressure on the ball, passing the ball, halfcourt pressure, how often they look inside on offense vs settle for threes, how often they look to the bench before starting offense. Who initiates the offense other than point guards, and so much more.

It depends on what you are trying to get from these events. If the idea is to get NIL money for the players or program, you need the older crowd. That's where he money is. If you just want to pack the house you need the kids that go to school at IU. But typically those kids don't have a lot of extra income to toss around. What I observed on Saturday was a lot of older fans and large number families with small kids. There were some college aged kids there but not a lot and I'm not counting the players and cheerleaders. Also, I don't think they were trying to pack the place to begin with. When I checked for tickets they had already cut off the lower priced seats but when the program started there were plenty of seats that could have been available if they wanted to sell them. So, if you change the event to bring in a younger crowd you may come closer to filling up the place, but you likely lose some of the older crowd with the money. You may also lose some of the families with small kids that are not interested in the same things as a bunch of 20 somethings. Then it becomes opportunity cost for those of you in the business world.

Me and my wife attended. We were court side and five seats from where they had Coach Knight sitting. We enjoyed it. The players seemed to have a fun time and the young kids (there were a lot) were highlighted in all of the events that involved the fans. Those of us with a birthday were brought onto the court and the players sang happy birthday to us. They did not do the scrimmage and that was the only disappointing part of the event. Yes, the hosts were corny. Not seeing Coach Woodson or the assistant coaches was odd. But for me, just being there by Coach Knight was worth it all. He didn't speak to the crowd. He went on the court briefly when he first came out as you may have seen in the videos and then took a seat in the corner next to us and watched. Some of the player came over and talked to him after their introductions and it was for the most part brief. When Galloway went over he put his arm around him and talked to him for at least a minute. I can only imagine he was talking to him about defense. Unfortunately, some fans thought it was an opportunity to get pics and autographs. They were disappointed (some angry) when the staff said no and ushered them away. Getting to see Jay Edwards, Las, Hillman and Dr. Hornsby was cool. When we were leaving we got to talk briefly to Collin Hartman. Because we were under the basket we got high fives from Tamar Bates and Race Thompson. Funny, when the players were tossing out t-shirts and those tiny bags of fruit snakes Race starting firing them off into the seats and when he almost hit someone he looked like he had seen a ghost. As for the player events they were what you would expect - just for fun. The shooting was interesting. Parker at the top of the three point arch was virtually automatic. Kopp at the same spot was amazing. The only difference between the two is Kopp has a little faster shooting motion. Durr can knock down threes! Obviously none of this means anything until they face an opponent, but if either of these three get their feet set they are going to make shots. Tamar can shoot it too but he chose to shoot from the right corner baseline. Nobody else tried that and when he got going it is a nice looking shot. We spent a good amount of time walking around looking at the statues and admiring Assembly Hall. It never gets old. I would do it again.

I hope nothing but the best for Noah and his family. Disappointed, yes. But it's his life. And you never know - he could still end up at IU some day with the way the portal works now. The silver lining is IU will be forced to find someone else and that player will likely be older, more experienced, possibly stronger and better able to help immediately. IU still has three quality players already lined up for that class before they even get to the portal for next season. Looking forward - what can IU do to land more quality players? Win big this season. That's the focus now. What can put IU over the top on a close call for a recruit? Set up the best NIL program in the country because other programs are not going to hold back. How can IU fans help? Pack the building and prove we are the best fans in the country.

Still only one crystal ball prediction. If the experts are hearing things they're not confident enough in their sources to make a call.

Still just the one crystal ball prediction. Where are all the other recruiting gurus? The so-called "experts"? Maybe the rest should just sit this one out.

Monday could be a fantastic day. Noah seems like a great kid and great talent. I'm just as impressed with the family. That's the kind of family you want on your side as a program. I can see them in the stands at the Final Four leading the charge in their IU gear. For those paying attention, Noah is yet another recruit that meets the description of players Coach Woodson said he wants to add. It would cap off a great recruiting class (easily Top 10) that becomes the foundation of everything they are trying to build. And Noah become the centerpiece for all of it.

Any update on the second scrimmage? I believe I read it was scheduled with Belmont but did not see a date. If that one is cancelled it's a red flag.

Adding Clowney would cap off a remarkable recruiting class and take IU's momentum to another level.

Vastly improved depth and shooting

I'm ready to see an IU team that has depth and actually uses their scholarships, which means I'm ready to see a team that can sub at all positions when the play is not up to the standard I'm ready for guards who know what they are doing and don't have to stop and look at the bench on virtually every possession I'm ready for a defense that is in your face and an offense that moves at something other than a snail's pace I'm ready for Assembly Hall to become a nightmare for every opponent I'm ready for a team that has more than one player who can shoot and they shoot it consistently I'm ready for a team that doesn't wilt like a flower for most road games I'm ready for a team that has an edge - better yet, a team that plays with a bit of a nasty streak I'm ready for a team that is not physically overpowered and annually one of smallest team's in the B1G I'm ready for IU to return as an annual NCAA tournament team and national title contender I'm ready for IU basketball to start

Waiting for all the "recruiting experts" to make their predictions on this one. You sense none are eager to step out on a limb yet and I'll take that to mean they have no clue. My belief is the experts rarely have a clue and that's why it is unbelievable anyone would pay for their insights. History suggests once one or two experts make their prediction you will quickly see others climb on board with the same prediction. Still, others will wait until the moment just before announcement to make their prediction. My favorite are the ones who do make an early prediction and just minutes before the announcement they realize, likely because of other predictions, that they they are on the wrong side. It's then time to make a quick unexplained switch to save face. Whatever professional insights and sources they had leading up to the announcement are tossed out the window as if they never were. Classic "recruiting expert" move.

My guess is rotations and playing time will be the ongoing question even after the season starts. The first three games you hope they win easily at home but it should allow lots of guys to play. Then the season really starts. The first true test is St. John's in game number four at Bloomington. A couple weeks ago Athlon predicted the Red Storm will get a 12 seed in the tournament. At that point I'll be interested in who starts and how the rotations work. Does CMW shrink the bench? Does he sub in waves and play a lot of guys? No idea but it should become clear how things are going to work against better competition. Then you get some cupcakes before heading to Syracuse at the end of November. This may be the game that tells us how realistic expectations are for the season. If Syracuse is playing a high level zone defense (predicated 9 seed in same Athlon prediction) and IU has success beating the zone, then you have to feel they are set for conference play. If they struggle finding open shots or making open shots, that's going to be a red flag. All that said, TJD will be a staple getting big minutes and leading the way in the stat book; X is my guess as team's vocal and emotional leader (one they haven't had since Yogi); and whether he starts or not it's going to be hard to keep Tamar Bates off the floor.

Johnny Cal hates true road games like J Biden hates smart decisions. If he doesn't have his fans outnumbering the other team's, he'd prefer not to play it. I'd watch the @ Notre Dame game and especially the @ Kansas game. There may be a sudden "covid-19 spike" for the cats that takes one off the books.

Not sure how the numbers work out but I have to believe CMW knows who's likely to move on after the season. Trying to look at it logically and make an educated guess, this is what I come up with so far... Lock to go NBA: TJD - whether he develops a perimeter shot or not. Likely to go pro (overseas), transfer or just be done with basketball: Race - been here forever it seems (22 years old already), almost left once, and i'm guessing he has his degree already. I'd say he is headed overseas to make some money or looking to move closer to home to finish up his last eligible season. The NBA does not appear to be an option. Rob - assuming his role this season is mainly defensive stopper and backup PG, he will take his degree and his four years at IU and move on. Even overseas seems like a reach for him at this point. And I'm not even sure he would use his extra year of eligibility to play basketball. 50/50 to go pro (NBA or overseas) or transfer: Parker - He's 23 years old now. He already has two degrees if I remember correctly. Depending on how well he does this season it could go either way. He hung around for a reason but his family situation may force him to decide sooner than later. Kopp - I can see him declaring if he has a big season. Get the impression he's going to be a focus of the offense or at least get a healthy chance to prove he can be the guy opposite TJD. Xavier - The opportunity is there for X to showcase his skills. If IU makes a run and he leads the way I can see him taking his shot at the NBA. Staying Put: Durr - He's counting on the season after TJD leaves to have his chance. Until then he's coming off the bench. Seems unlikely to transfer again. The rest of the team is likely to return unless they become angry about playing time or just see the writing on the wall with Hood-Schifino, Banks, and Gunn already committed and at least one more likely to be added. Even guys like Leal and Trey who are IU guys from birth may end up realizing they want to play more. The point to all of this is, keep adding quality players. They're going to need them.

Win early and win often. Have a breakthrough season and make a run in the tournament, the rest takes care of itself. My hope is IU develops an edge. It needs to be known that playing IU is going to be the hardest game you play all season. In your face defense. Relentless. Not sure who leads the way on this, but X seems to be a likely candidate.

Congrats to Jalen and his family. Another great addition by CMW and his staff. Another recruit who clearly fits the description of the player CMW said he will bring into the program. He defends multiple positions, can shoot, scores in multiple ways. My concern was if they did not have early recruiting success this idea would fall off and it would lead to reaching for projects. Clearly that is not a problem to this point. At 6'5 and 210 lbs, which means he'll be closer to 220 or more before he steps on the court, he's another big guard to move around. IU is finally adding the kind of size you see in championship teams. Now add a quality big and this is a special class.

Impact player that once again meets the description of the type of player CMW said he wants to bring to IU. Adding Jalen does a few things - it adds another guard with size; provides another multiple position defender, and a scorer. On top of that, if he commits it sets the table to add a big. You get a class like Jalen, Banks, and Gunn then add one of the big men they are after and it's a great recruiting class.

I'll stick with shoe since that's a more common expression. In fact, pretty sure a boot is just a type of shoe.

It never seems to end with IU basketball. There's always something that sets them back. Under Crean you'd get to game day and the reports would come out of someone spotted in a walking boot. They planned an overseas trip and oops, someone didn't get the paper work required to allow them to travel. Maybe it's nothing - just precautionary. But you do get tired of the feeling like the program is snake bit and you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I'm interested in seeing how this trip pans out whether they play or not. I recall a trip when Crean was coach and at least one player wasn't able to participate last minute because the program didn't get the necessary paperwork done on time. It was a bad sign and made them look ridiculous. I'd like to think the program is on top of things now and whether they play or not it does not turn into a joke.

I'm all for someone taking care of their mental health but she really shouldn't be competing for anything. If you could not finish competing as part of the team you shouldn't be able to compete as an individual. More important than Biles not competing is she took a spot on the team from someone else. There's another young lady out there somewhere who's dream was to compete in the olympics and they may never have another opportunity. Someone else wanted to compete for a gold and represent their country. If Biles had any idea she was struggling prior to the olympics she should have stepped away at that point. As it turns out, she stole someone else's dream.

Random Rant A top recruit announced his Top 8 (some are not even colleges) last Friday and there are sites that want you to subscribe and pay for the information even today. It doesn't make sense. You can do a quick search and find the same information in seconds. Still, some of these scouting gurus have the audacity to charge you for the privilege of reading what they typed... or in some cases what they copied and pasted. I'm not opposed to people wasting their money. That's their right. But haven't we learned by now that there is no information made available by any of the so called experts, with their keen insights and connections, that cannot be found for free. Even when a kid announces his actual selection you can get that information at the same time or within seconds of the announcement for free.

Banks fits the program CMW and his staff have said they want to build. He's a shooter, can get up and down the court, guard multiple positions, handle the ball, and I've seen multiple references to his toughness. He's going to be able to do a lot of things well once he learns the system. The fact he's already 215 lbs means he will likely be 225+ by the time he steps on the court. Some will get caught up in the rankings. I would only be concerned if they bring in guys that do not fit what they have already defined as the type of player they are looking to add. Weclome to Kaleb and his family. Great job CMW and your coaching staff.

He may have referred to getting them ready to play for 48 minutes, but I get it. He's not yet into college game mode. They all want to play in the nba anyway. Might as well get used to it.