olsontex

Nice detailed article with video illustrations on how TJD could find his place with the Warriors. An uphill battle no doubt, but the subtle skills on display in the summer league were the type of "little things" that matter for carving out a career as a non-spacer big. https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2023/7/18/23798598/warriors-summer-league-2023-trayce-jackson-davis-film-breakdown

Yes, now that's what I'm talking about. May not be as splashy a get as Love but fits the need from a lineup construction perspective much better. How much eligibility left?

Since Caleb Love appears to be the only prospect above the surface right now, thought I'd throw my two cents in. I don't have a problem with Love as a basketball player (although there's reason for concern regarding him as a "player" player). I attribute his poor season more towards the dysfunctional NC offense. Nor do I doubt the ability of CMW to get him to buy into an off-ball role and playing within a team concept. If for whatever reason Love can't adapt or becomes a disruptive presence, there are simple remedies: (1) bury him on the bench or (2) dismiss him. I'm not worried about the optics of the worst case scenario because Love's negative reputation is widely known (whether deserved or not). However, I still would prefer IU to pass on Love for two reasons: 1) We have 1 remaining scholarship and our only glaring need is a high percentage / moderate volume outside shooter. I don't think that's Love's forte. 2) It's difficult to balance the minutes of 8-9 worthy players, never mind 13 players. The jury is still out on Gunn and we haven't even seen Cupps and Newton in action yet. I'd prefer to see the minutes Love would consume go to the development of these players (who could be important for maintaining some semblance of continuity next year). Unless we are able to land a 1-year rental who fills the specific need of the current roster, I think we should bank the scholarship and play with 12 guys. For what it's worth I'm higher than most on Galloway as the 5th scoring option, and the more I watch Cupps in-game-action the more I believe he has the physical and mental maturity to hold his own as a freshman.

Who gets up this early, checks a board, and makes a post??? Oh, wait... never mind.

That's what I was thinking, though I might lean towards a "1A and 1B" perspective. He has a year of experience playing on one the better teams from last season. While he isn't the consistent outside threat we desperately need, he would still be a highly valuable offensive asset. At 6'8" he also has the length to be a disruptive element on the def side. (I think) it's unlikely he stays in the draft, and now that he's entered the portal I hope CMW is putting on the full court press.

Julian Phillips? He was a hot target for IU not too long ago.

If you don't have at least 2 ex-wives by your 50s... you haven't been doing it right.

Hopefully a helpful suggestion -> maybe we should start a new thread titled "Transfers With IU Interest". P.S. I apologize if someone already made this suggestion, somewhere over the last 8-10 pages I couldn't F-ing take it anymore so I stopped reading.

Words is hard.... laughing with you, not at you.

One Swedish Penis Pump, one receipt for Swedish Penis Pump signed by Austin Powers... Wait a tic, how did that get in here? It's not mine baby... I swear it!

I know... I honestly start each post thinking, "This time is going to be different for sure! I know I can write a post of reasonable length.". But I fail every time. I want to be like the other kids but I just can't do it.

Happy to see confirmation that I wasn't over-reaching with my statement. It wasn't an accident I listed the impressive performance sans TJD and Bates as my first takeaway. TJD is obviously #1 in the rotation and Bates is likely #5/#6 and no lower than #7. When we slide everyone else down to slot these guys in, some exciting dynamics emerge. The fact that our two 5* freshman appear ready to make immediate contributions is of course another major factor. I don't want to write another long post so I'll cut it off at mentioning six of these dynamics (but there are more and despite my intention this post still won't end up all that short). Two colliding line-up considerations: (1) The chemistry Schifino and Reneau bring in from HS was evident against Marion. (2) Race Thompson was our 3rd most important contributor last year and is poised to be just as valuable in 22-23. By all rights Race should be a starter, but if Schifino ends up starting (which I think he will) then perhaps having Race anchor the 2nd unit along side Bates and Geronimo could be a potent combination (and lead to higher utilization than if Race were the 3rd or 4th option as a starter). Otherwise, pairing up Schifino and Reneau in the 2nd Unit could be interesting. However, it's not my preference - I want to see TJD and Reneau on the floor together, and leads to dynamic #2... TJD is going to attract a lot of defensive attention (double teams). If Reneau's performance is indicative facing the 3 former D1 players mentioned by IUFLA, he's going to be hard to defend 1-on-1 too. Two big men on the floor at the same time who can't be handled without committing multiple defenders, is a mouth-watering implication. It directly leads to dynamic #3... No slight against Miller Kopp, his outside shooting will be critical this year. But he's not one of our 5 best players. However, he's ideally suited to be in the starting five as the primary kick-out option. Whether an opponent has to leave him open to stop penetration from Xavier or Schifino, or to double TJD or Reneau, Kopp is set up to feast on catch-and-shoots. To get it out of the way, my definition of a 2nd Unit isn't a full 5 player package simultaneously checking in. It's a core of 3.5 players who consistently play as a package, supplemented by staggered starters and a few minutes from players in the 10-12 rotation slots. At this stage, I think the Top 8 players in IU's rotation are TJD, Xavier, Race, Schefino, Bates, Reneau, Kopp, and Geronimo. Regardless of who starts, if the team remains relatively healthy 5 players will get minutes in the 25-30 range, 3 players in the 15-21 min range, and a spark player in the 7-10 min range (he's the .5 in the 3.5 core). A total of 9 players will get consistent minutes, which is no different than most teams. A handful of teams have starters who are elite enough to carry the load on their own but this isn't the norm. For a vast majority of teams the difference maker will be the strength of their 2nd Unit, especially when considering the impact of foul trouble or injuries. I won't go so far as to say no team has a 9 player rotation as strong as IU, but I will say no other team is coming to mind. The aforementioned "spark/energy" player is the #9 player in the rotation. The profile of my ideal spark player: suited for position-less basketball, tough/fearless, and possesses a high motor. I think the most likely candidate is Galloway. Here's the thing about energy players -> the role is intended to deliver a short stretch of highly productive minutes. The impact may be measured in tangible stats, it may be simply shifting momentum, or igniting the effort of teammates during a stretch of waning energy level. Either way, it requires the player to go balls-to-the-wall for their entire stretch on the floor, and it's unsustainable past a certain minutes threshold. Across 15 games in 21-22, Galloway was essentially the 6th man and averaged 21.5 MPG. That's a workload more than double what I consider the sweet-spot for a spark player, and would likely be the root cause for anyone questioning his suitability. I've seen stretches from Galloway that leave no doubt in my mind he's the right guy for this type of role. It's not that I question his ability to function in a higher rotation slot, but unfortunately there are 8 guys who are likely in front of him at the moment. Finally, the rest of IU's scholarship players aren't exactly chopped liver. We've endured plenty of seasons were "oh no... coach is sending in John Doe" has popped in our minds. In my initial message I mentioned liking the long-term potential of Duncomb and Gunn, but I see no reason they can't make meaningful contributions this season. I also like aspects of Leal's game and consider him in the Top 12 for 22-23, but at the moment I'm having a hard time pin-pointing his specific role for this season. Banks didn't leave as strong of an initial impression as his class mates in the Marion game but it would be ludicrous at this stage to discount the potential of a rangy 6'8" forward to provide something in 2023. I don't think many teams have the luxury of 4 players of this caliber and diverse skill-sets sitting at the end of their bench. My expectations are justifiably high for the first time in a long time.

Agreed. That's a large part of what I was alluding to about Race Thompson. If he can become a legitimate 3P threat this year, it will really help our floor spacing... and allow our slashers to do what they do best. As for Xavier Johnson, he hit a respectable 37% of his 3's last year but I think he's at his best attacking the basket. Of the guards who will be in the rotation, Xavier is still arguably our best 3P shooter though.

So many college B-Ball dynamics have changed since I graduated in the early 90s, I wonder sometimes if my perspectives are still accurate. While far from comprehensive, some of the big changes include: Roster fluidity stemming from the ease and high frequency of transfers Pessimistic perspective on "NBA prospects" who stay past sophomore season (and upperclassmen in general) Impact of NIL on school commitment decisions (along with AAU and shoe affiliations) Ego-inflating aspect of social media - in the "old days" players dreamed of going pro, now every player is convinced they're NBA bound My enthusiasm and support for IU Basketball hasn't waned over the years but my expectation for IU performance has become fairly pessimistic (I think I'm a realist). Is this the year I'll have a reason to become optimistic again? Before addressing the takeaway that motivated my first post in quite a while, I'd like to mention a few surface-level thoughts from the Marion exhibition. Some D2 teams are relatively competitive and some not-so-much. Marion is a good D2 team, but even if they belonged in the "not-so-much" category, there are elements of the game uncorrelated to the competition (open shooting, communication, cohesiveness, unselfishness, energy/effort, etc.). I'd argue these intangible elements are of equal importance to raw talent and athleticism, and in my opinion IU's performance was entirely positive. My thoughts: Since Jackson-Davis and Bates missed the game, we were given a good look at IU's depth. Let's pretend for a moment these two stars aren't on the team. On every level, the IU team on the floor looked capable of making noise in the NCAA tournament, even without TJD and Bates. Some teams have a bench and some have a SECOND UNIT (the key word is UNIT). While the difference is tied to familiarity, repetition, buy-in, and cohesiveness, there's a prerequisite needed to transition from a bench -> to a unit. That component is depth. I can't remember the last time I've seen an IU team this deep. In an era of dunks and 3's the mid-range jumper is a lost art. It's no less important though. Schifino's mid-range game really caught my attention. At times his handle made me a bit nervous but I'll chalk it up to nerves at this stage. IU has reeled in it's share of highly-touted big men over the years but more than a few have been busts. Before this game, it was hard to get a sense of Reneau, given his late recruitment. We shouldn't over-react to one game vs. a D2, but all I have to say is wow... just wow. I think I've underestimated Race Thompson's full skillset over the past few seasons. IU has the personnel in 22-23 for a potent offense, and the flexibility to focus either inside or outside based on match-ups. This certainly hasn't been the case for a while. IU's strength last year was defense, no logical reason to expect a relapse this year. OK, time to address my post-header. Over the years I've admired the "over-achieving" teams that Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota have fielded on occasion. They proved a collection of less heralded 3-Stars could take down teams loaded with stars when the right elements are in place. I eventually recognized the impact of experienced role players was a large reason for their success - and they weren't "over-achieving". They were benefiting from contributions made by players who didn't come in B10 ready but developed into B10 players by their junior or senior season. Is that still a possibility in the transfer age? I don't know, but if it is I saw one emerge last year (Galloway) and two more hit the radar in the Marion game. Duncomb isn't the most fluid or graceful player but he certainly demonstrated momentum changing effort and energy. He defended well, rebounded well, and showed a competent offensive game. Gunn was also impressive, playing solid defense and knocking down contested 3's. I hope both stick around if they receive low minutes this year because I think they could be valuable in the future.

Quick, shifty, next-level passer... yes please. After Clowney, Fears has got to be our next #1 priority recruit in my opinion. Don't mean to sell Kaleb Glenn short (I hope we get him too), but everything starts at PG and IU's current/committed PG's are all unlikely to stay more than two years (including Lander). I think by the end of the season Lander will have either established himself as the 5 star NBA bound player he was projected to become (or at least headed in that direction) or he will transfer for a change of scenery. My hope is we have him for 2 more seasons and he becomes a 1st Round pick. Obviously time will tell for Bates and Hood-Schifino but I don't think I need to comment on their current trajectories. In case anyone is questioning my classification of Bates or Hood-Schifino as PGs, I should add that I don't consider the guy who brings the ball up the court or guards the other team's "PG" to be the PG. For me it's whoever is directing the offense in a half-court set and I expect it to be these two guys if Lander doesn't establish himself.