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Payton Sparks Commits to Indiana


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1 hour ago, Indykev said:

I am going to be rooting hard for this kid. Not saying other aren't but I have seen Sparks going into Cook hall 5 or 6 times now by himself. No one else around. Big kid, he is going to help. Keep working young man.

Me too. I think he will be a big, large, even giant part of our success this year. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/11/2023 at 8:33 AM, Parakeet Jones said:

I’ve been watching him a lot here at the Mike Woodson  camp yesterday and today. I have a feeling he will be a fan favorite by year’s end. Great personality and energy. Plus he looks ready for the rugged, physical B1G style of play. 

awesome insight, thanks for sharing.

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On 7/11/2023 at 6:33 AM, Parakeet Jones said:

I’ve been watching him a lot here at the Mike Woodson  camp yesterday and today. I have a feeling he will be a fan favorite by year’s end. Great personality and energy. Plus he looks ready for the rugged, physical B1G style of play. 

Big question in my mind is, does he have enough ability on both ends to secure meaningful playing time? Especially if Mgbako ends up playing the 4 and Banks is as improved as anticipated. I can’t remember a time when we had this many capable big men on the roster

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4 hours ago, Hoosier82 said:

Big question in my mind is, does he have enough ability on both ends to secure meaningful playing time? Especially if Mgbako ends up playing the 4 and Banks is as improved as anticipated. I can’t remember a time when we had this many capable big men on the roster

Mgbako and Ware are both 210. We’ll need Sparks against a lot of the B1G front courts 

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  • 1 month later...
7 minutes ago, DWB said:

Just listened to an interview with Payton and HH guys.

What a wonderful personality this guy has! IU is his dream school, and now he wants to prove himself. He particularly likes to rebound, set screens, and block shots. Guess we'll see if he can do that in the B1G vs the MAC.

No idea if he'll get a ton of minutes, but if Coach Cliff has worked his magic on Payton, his newly reported weight of 255 (up from 235 LY) would make him a monster. If anybody has a recent pic of him it would be nice to see if the added weight is muscle or just bulk.

One of the best takeaways from the interview IMO, was when he said he turned down an NIL deal at BSU, because he's not playing ball to get paid, he wants to win. He also said that personal accolades and awards don't mean much unless you win. You win as a team, the accolades will come on their own.

Junkyard Dog comes to mind, when I think about him. If he can stay out of foul trouble and rebounding, setting screens and blocking shots are his "Jam", then I can't wait to see that all wrapped up. I anticipate seeing him with high energy and a lot of emotion on the floor too!

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3 hours ago, 13th&Jackson said:

He reportedly is up to 230 now. At the time the transfer was announced, he was listed everywhere at 210

https://247sports.com/Player/Kel-el-Ware-46100150/

I wonder what was wrong with Oregon's strength and fitness program that a second year guy gains 20 pounds in like 2 months?  Too much bean sprouts and tofu?

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9 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

I wonder what was wrong with Oregon's strength and fitness program that a second year guy gains 20 pounds in like 2 months?  Too much bean sprouts and tofu?

Maybe Ware is just eating at McDonalds every day:

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock took a journey to the dark side of “Super size.” 

To challenge McDonald’s claim that its food is nutritious, Spurlock ate all of his meals at the fast-food giant for a month. He ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonalds and documented his experience in a film called “Supersize me.”

The result? He gained 9 pounds in five days, and gained 25 pounds by the end of the month. His cholesterol rose by 60 points.
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9 hours ago, Artesian_86 said:

Junkyard Dog comes to mind, when I think about him. If he can stay out of foul trouble and rebounding, setting screens and blocking shots are his "Jam", then I can't wait to see that all wrapped up. I anticipate seeing him with high energy and a lot of emotion on the floor too!

Basically a bigger JG but with hands and an actual basketball IQ

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  • 1 month later...
26 minutes ago, RoadToZion said:

He proved me wrong. Puts in the most work on the team. Isn’t the most talented, but works his ass off. Will be interesting to see how Woody uses him.

Combining elite talent with one and done ability and aspirations, with players like Sparks that dream about playing for IU, is ideal. Gotta have both to win big in my opinion.  Hope he continues to work and makes an impact for us. Kid is living his dream.

Edited by Hoosierinbham
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On 9/5/2023 at 7:47 AM, DWB said:

Just listened to an interview with Payton and HH guys.

What a wonderful personality this guy has! IU is his dream school, and now he wants to prove himself. He particularly likes to rebound, set screens, and block shots. Guess we'll see if he can do that in the B1G vs the MAC.

No idea if he'll get a ton of minutes, but if Coach Cliff has worked his magic on Payton, his newly reported weight of 255 (up from 235 LY) would make him a monster. If anybody has a recent pic of him it would be nice to see if the added weight is muscle or just bulk.

One of the best takeaways from the interview IMO, was when he said he turned down an NIL deal at BSU, because he's not playing ball to get paid, he wants to win. He also said that personal accolades and awards don't mean much unless you win. You win as a team, the accolades will come on their own.

Sounds like hes at least good for 5 fouls... not The 5 Fouls... well then again...IMG_7322.jpeg.76cd04c91436e199cefea7a97543d542.jpeg

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