Hope so.

It is strange we stocked an all new roster with guys who arent healthy even at the start of a season. Maybe its the Cig effect, find healthy and production over potential.

Josh though was hurt this fall I guess? Will be nice to have him 100%. Best to not rush him.

When healthy, Josh should provide some depth. He played in the first two exhibition games in Puerto Rico averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Tucker DeVries says the following about Harris: "He maybe undersized for his position but he makes it up with how hard he plays and how physical he is." Sam Alexis on Harris: "He's physical. He can score down low. When he goes to his right hand, you can't stop him."

((I do realize teammates are going to talk each other up so I am a little guarded over reading player comments. In the least, Harris can take some minutes.)) 

@bigmike I think CDD made a tactical error in underestimating the importance of size in the post in the B10, but we are where we are. The only way to counter it is with effort and D, and on that end, I like where it appears this team is. Got a great learning lesson on rebounding vs Baylor and still won the game. I think it's going to be an achilles heel all season, but at least we know it and CDD can try and gameplan around it. IL, UM and PU all have big teams so will be interesting to see how we do vs them. Golden St has gotten by with undersized bigs for a long time, but they have some dogs in Green, Looney, etc... Can Alexsis and Harris be those guys for us? I also think DeVries is willing to rebound, defend and do the dirty work so let's hope we can get by with those guys.

Not having a big man is for sure the elephant in the room on this squad.   No one wants to see Ballo with his back to the basket all game, but having a big dude to guard the Ballo’s of the B1G is everyone’s fear.  

MAybe we don’t need one, but our IU brains sure are conditioned to having one. 

@cavanagh yeah, a guy like Trayce I think would be perfect. Someone who will rebound and defend, but can find ways to play in a 5 out style. Obviously a Danny Wolf would be perfect, but those guys are rare. I think that's sort of what he was looking for with Bailey and I think Bailey can do that on the offensive end, but probably not on D and the boards.

@cavanagh We'll see how all this works out but the absence of at least one big guy that can move and defend is concerning. IU is not playing in the Missouri Valley Conference. The games against Marquette, Louisville and Kentucky may indicate the shortcomings with this roster. If the Hoosiers get manhandled in those games the Big 10 season may well be a long one.

@kkott It'll be a problem at times, for sure.  And I agree with everyone that not getting someone to play 10-15 minutes of really solid interior defense and rebounding... was a mistake by CDD.  Didn't have to be 6-10+... 6-7+, but big, strong, athletic, aggressive... he could have found someone like that.  He had someone like that at WVU... why not just bring that guy?  Kinda weird actually.  

But...having said that, its not absolutely necessary to play any sort of traditional big any more, to have success.  Lots of NBA teams nowadays play extended minutes without any sort of true big on the floor.  Warriors started it with their "death" lineup that had Draymond Green as their "Center".  Now, every NBA team has the ability to play some sort of interior bruiser/rebounder if they want.  So, again, I'll refer to my first paragraph... not having one was a mistake by CDD.  But this team can have a lot of successful minutes, stretches, games, playing 5 out offense, his version of the pack line defense, etc...  And Bailey and Alexis are both pretty good tall players.  Call them bigs, don't call them bigs, they'e 6-10 and 6-9 respectively.  They're both bouncy athletes.  They're both pretty long.  They're both skilled.  And we have Josh Harris as depth help when he gets healthy.  And a lineup of Conerway, Wilkerson, Dorn, Sisley, DeVries... would be nearly impossible for a team playing traditional bigs, to guard... if it ever gets to the point where we need to play that lineup.

Long winded way of saying its not a perfect roster...but we're fine.  

Posted by: @iunorth

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@kkott It'll be a problem at times, for sure.  And I agree with everyone that not getting someone to play 10-15 minutes of really solid interior defense and rebounding... was a mistake by CDD.  Didn't have to be 6-10+... 6-7+, but big, strong, athletic, aggressive... he could have found someone like that.  He had someone like that at WVU... why not just bring that guy?  Kinda weird actually.  

But...having said that, its not absolutely necessary to play any sort of traditional big any more, to have success.  Lots of NBA teams nowadays play extended minutes without any sort of true big on the floor.  Warriors started it with their "death" lineup that had Draymond Green as their "Center".  Now, every NBA team has the ability to play some sort of interior bruiser/rebounder if they want.  So, again, I'll refer to my first paragraph... not having one was a mistake by CDD.  But this team can have a lot of successful minutes, stretches, games, playing 5 out offense, his version of the pack line defense, etc...  And Bailey and Alexis are both pretty good tall players.  Call them bigs, don't call them bigs, they'e 6-10 and 6-9 respectively.  They're both bouncy athletes.  They're both pretty long.  They're both skilled.  And we have Josh Harris as depth help when he gets healthy.  And a lineup of Conerway, Wilkerson, Dorn, Sisley, DeVries... would be nearly impossible for a team playing traditional bigs, to guard... if it ever gets to the point where we need to play that lineup.

Long winded way of saying its not a perfect roster...but we're fine.  

Alexis for Dorn please, at least when Harris is ready to play......

@iunorth I thought it was odd that he didn't bring the post kid from WVU last year also. But, maybe there was something there CDD didn't like... or vice versa. Wasn't the word that he didn't meet with the team before leaving? Don't like that either.

Just saying: I'd be cautious on any info coming from WVU.  I've never seen a program and their fans so upset over losing a coach.

@tammany Two things: 1) would suck to have your coach leave after 1 year, 2) especially if he's good. I think they recognized he did a really good job last year.

@kkott The scorn from much of WVU's world was pretty bad.  Some of their main media guys were pretty level headed about it, but you could definitely sense the pain they felt losing CDD.  

Hansberry is the kid I was referring to.  He had 19 and 13 in his first game at Va Tech.  He would have been a natural fit... we had/have a huge need for someone like him.  Strange it was never even really a discussion.  Same for Powell, and even Stone and Harris.  By all accounts since arriving at IU, CDD is very much a "players coach".  Odd that he wouldn't bring anyone with him, outside Tucker...or that none of them would consider following him, however it went down.  All 4 of the guys I mentioned that could have followed him, would have helped this IU team.  Maybe they don't end up getting guys like Conerway, Wilkerson, etc... Powell and Stone did come with??  Maybe DeVries initially thought he'd be able to get a higher caliber player to come to IU??  But man, I'd love to have Hansberry.  Maybe next year.  

But with regards to a team meeting...Outside the guys I mentioned, and Tucker, nearly all the rest of the team were seniors...mercenary 1 year seniors at that.  Kind of a different dynamic than if he had been at WVU for some time, and had lots of potential returning kids, multi year WVU kids, etc...  

@kkott Imagine what much of our football fanbase would say if Cig takes one of these elite openings this offseason?  I'll be making stories up about Cig like crazy if he leaves!!!

I’d Cig left people would call him a liar for going against is video message.  I think that would be it and then deep depression would set in.

WVU fans are alleging Tucker’s injury was fake, CDD had illegal contact with IU that should be investigated by the NCAA, Tucker is a coke head, and I’m probably forgetting some I don’t pay close attention to them.  They lost their minds over this.