wow...didn't come on here until this morning but i'm shocked, SHOCKED, to see the resident doomers out in full force scolding anyone that's happy about an objectively good portal haul so far.
we get it...you're skeptical! to be honest, i am too until it's proven on the court, but we're 7 months away from actual games. it's fun to see how these pieces might fit in the devries system.
but more important than just the guys they added, to me, is the sign that scott dolson, the donors, along with devries and his staff had a plan from the jump to build what looks like a team that works on paper rather than just a collection of talent like we saw under the previous regime.
it's never as good as it seems but also never as bad. i just don't see the point of slapping the hand of anyone trying to have real, substantive conversation on here because it doesn't comport to your worldview on indiana basketball.
and, hey, we could be in kentucky's spot with meme's going around about mark pope, reporters ripping you because you didn't hire a gm (like iu did) and have zero portal commits and negative motion.
@iureactionary As we sit, April 16, it appears we're headed in a good direction. Much higher end talent on the next roster. Not a single one of them is a senior. Much more balance on the various things you need to be competitive in the B10. Its obvious the support, and infrastructure in the program is very, very strong. To me, that's enough, right now, to be very excited again. CDD, and the program, are doing what they needed to do with the roster. All we can ask of them, right now. The part that actually matters will unfold starting in November. But I don't see a lot of point assuming anything right now. No one knows how this group will end up performing. But we'll have a bunch of guys that have already proven they can contribute and play well at the high major level. Its very different than last year.
wow...didn't come on here until this morning but i'm shocked, SHOCKED, to see the resident doomers out in full force scolding anyone that's happy about an objectively good portal haul so far.
we get it...you're skeptical! to be honest, i am too until it's proven on the court, but we're 7 months away from actual games. it's fun to see how these pieces might fit in the devries system.
but more important than just the guys they added, to me, is the sign that scott dolson, the donors, along with devries and his staff had a plan from the jump to build what looks like a team that works on paper rather than just a collection of talent like we saw under the previous regime.
it's never as good as it seems but also never as bad. i just don't see the point of slapping the hand of anyone trying to have real, substantive conversation on here because it doesn't comport to your worldview on indiana basketball.
and, hey, we could be in kentucky's spot with meme's going around about mark pope, reporters ripping you because you didn't hire a gm (like iu did) and have zero portal commits and negative motion.
@iureactionary As we sit, April 16, it appears we're headed in a good direction. Much higher end talent on the next roster. Not a single one of them is a senior. Much more balance on the various things you need to be competitive in the B10. Its obvious the support, and infrastructure in the program is very, very strong. To me, that's enough, right now, to be very excited again. CDD, and the program, are doing what they needed to do with the roster. All we can ask of them, right now. The part that actually matters will unfold starting in November. But I don't see a lot of point assuming anything right now. No one knows how this group will end up performing. But we'll have a bunch of guys that have already proven they can contribute and play well at the high major level. Its very different than last year.
A big cry from many heading into the off-season was that we'll learn a lot about direction and corrections of this staff pretty early. By pretty much any objective measure things have been improved and many needs or questions addressed, so far.
We had the staff together and they've been aggressive and surgical from the beginning landing players early this time around. They also got the resources needed to do so. We've filled the roster with P5 players who all have eligibility remaining and have done it quickly. We've pissed off multiple other fanbases who were targeting some of these guys. MSU, UK, UNC are all struggling in the portal as we speak.
None of this means we'll be super successful on the court next year, but there's other reasonable way to grade this off-season other than a huge success and step in the right direction.
Have a strong and successful season next year and retain some of these guys heading into next season (along with all the fresh coming in) and donor support should remain strong if not even better. Could really see some good momentum heading into a monster year 3.
I'll not attempt to outguess what the IU portal recruitment team will do because -- (1) They are far smarter than me. (2) I am sure to be surprised.Does anyone know if Lindsey could serve as the back up PG? You have to assume Burton will play 30+ minutes, so we would just need a few minutes here and there. If he can’t, you’re gonna have to add another point guard. If he can, I would just look for a pure three-point shooter. Then, I think you have to add a back-up center given Samet’s foul-prone tendencies. I would prefer both of these kids to be incoming seniors and both would need to know they are likely role players (both due to limited available minutes and I assume limited funds at this point). All 10 of our current players have at least two years remaining (sure, at least one or two will bolt). So we will need one year guys to help free up the ‘27 incoming class.
Having said so, I am strongly in agreement with the need for Indiana to get another back-up center. At the minimum I'd settle for a "tweener" kind of a player such as a Sam Alexis type. I like what has been done with the roster building effort but currently it has only 2 big men. I'm concerned about Yigi's foul tendencies plus the lack of back-up if the injury bug comes. I would think a third big man could find the court for 15+ minutes a game,
On Lindsay I found it interesting that 247Sports classified him as PG after he signed on with Villanova (probably an error on their part). In several statements, Kevin Willard described Lindsay as a combo-guard. Willard must have considered the possibilities of using Lindsay as a point guard if the need arose. In 2025-26 I don't know if Lindsay played any point for Villanova.
If I were required to prioritize the final 3 roster spots I'd go in the following order:
(1) Big Man: Get a big for the reasons I have mentioned.
(2) PG: If a point guard is not added to the roster, fill the 8-10 minutes with a combination of Lindsay and Alexander-Moody. Last year, IU ran the offense without a true point a number of times. Enright was sitting on the bench with fouls and Conerway was out with injuries. I do realize DeVries operated absent a true point through lack of options. Harris primarily played the 2 guard position last season while Mustaf was a 3 for Georgia Tech.
(3) Get the best available low cost player available. This player will see little floor time.
Does anyone know if Lindsey could serve as the back up PG?
No. He's mostly a shooter. 60% of his attempts are from 3. Has enough handle to hold that spot down, but not a true facilitator. Mustaf would be the better option, maybe. Higher assist ratio, more dynamic as a scorer.
Basically IU needs a backup PG.
@surjay I think a pretty realistic path, could be, low to mid 20s wins in regular season, top 5-6 in B10, top 5-6 NCAA seed, playing decent in March, and overall have a solid B10 and NCAA tournament showing. Then, return 2/3 of the roster, bring Chase Branham in (he'll be an immediate contributor), a handful of other impactful frosh/portal/foreign guys... and take the step forward to contending for B10 and FF the following year. And then at that point, I don't view CDD as the type of coach, nor Dolson and the IU infrastructure, being such that they'll drop way back to sub NCAA tourney levels. Obviously competing for FF's every single year isn't realistic. Basically no program does that. But if this program gets there, relatively speaking, I suspect they'll "stay there" fairly well.
If the football experience is showing anything, its that Dolson, and the support infrastructure, are keenly aware of what it takes to stay good, and are more than willing to do whatever it takes to do it.
Its now all on CDD to pull this group together, play solid basketball, and get IU basketball headed where it needs to be. Unlike anything I've seen, or felt, since early in Sampson's tenure... it looks and feels like something sustainably good is happening.
It's reasonable to be a skeptic. You can throw out all the excuses you wish, but fact is DD hasn't proven much in two seasons coaching P5. He appears to have a strong roster now, so we'll see what he's made of. It would be nearly impossible for any coach to miss the NCAAT with the money IU is spending, so that shouldn't be the bar. (It's not for me, anyway.)
I have no idea exactly how much NIL IU has in relation to the rest of the country, but I'd guess it's Top 10 given the players coming in. So, Step 1 (recruiting) has already been a success ... which is fan-f***ng-tastic. As for Step 2, if IU isn't consistently in the Top 15 (not just Top 25), competitive in the B1G, and a high seed legitimately capable of making a run in the NCAAT, I, for one, will view the season a bust.
Some may consider those expectations to be unreasonable, which I don't get. If DD is indeed a high-level coach, then he should be able to do great things with this high-level roster. If IU finishes with double-digit losses, DD should absolutely be on the hot seat entering Year 3.
For the Jake Hall fans, he has decided to return to New Mexico for the 2026-27 season.
I’m anxious to see how this momentum translates to our recruiting for the high school ranks now too. Once we get the portal finished , I imagine that starts heating up.
So if it's a bust, will you go away since we won't be worth supporting any longer? Please??It's reasonable to be a skeptic. You can throw out all the excuses you wish, but fact is DD hasn't proven much in two seasons coaching P5. He appears to have a strong roster now, so we'll see what he's made of. It would be nearly impossible for any coach to miss the NCAAT with the money IU is spending, so that shouldn't be the bar. (It's not for me, anyway.)
I have no idea exactly how much NIL IU has in relation to the rest of the country, but I'd guess it's Top 10 given the players coming in. So, Step 1 (recruiting) has already been a success ... which is fan-f***ng-tastic. As for Step 2, if IU isn't consistently in the Top 15 (not just Top 25), competitive in the B1G, and a high seed legitimately capable of making a run in the NCAAT, I, for one, will view the season a bust.
Some may consider those expectations to be unreasonable, which I don't get. If DD is indeed a high-level coach, then he should be able to do great things with this high-level roster. If IU finishes with double-digit losses, DD should absolutely be on the hot seat entering Year 3.
At the risk of being called a doomer, I wonder where Nick Dorn would have fit in with this group. Is he better or worse that the wings CDD is bringing in? Guess I'm still a little bummed he left and wouldn't be surprised to see him have a big year wherever he eventually lands. 6-7 225 that "can" shoot 3s is pretty attractive. Still don't understand why he slumped so spectacularly mid-season.
Even though I'd miss your brilliant, clever posts, I agree to those terms.So if it's a bust, will you go away since we won't be worth supporting any longer? Please??
News first: Jake Hall has withdrawn from the portal and is going to stay at New Mexico. The Lobos added his younger brother as an incoming freshman and he wants to play with him. Indiana was no longer pursuing him after they landed Lindsay but I wanted to close that loop.
Speculation on the final three spots: does the staff feel good about their options for point guard when Markus Burton is not on the floor? Options include Bryce Lindsay (who did operate as a primary ball handler for Villanova on about 20% of his minutes. Lindsay is 86th percentile nationally on catch and shoot three-point attempts and playing in that role coming off screens or waiting for kick outs will be his best role but he CAN operate as a point guard in short spurts. Jaeden Mustaf could operate as a bigger primary ball handler for short periods. I'm higher on Prince Alexander-Moody than most and while he's a combo guard, I think he could spell Burton for 4-5 minutes at a time. Does the staff want a true backup point guard?
If not, do they grab another guard that COULD play point in a pinch but who's primarily role is as a shooter and shot creator? I think this is the most likely scenario. A player like Gavin Sykes could make sense here. He could be used in two or three guard lineups and is a shot maker with three years left. That would leave two spots remaining.
I imagine they will grab a backup big. Ideally, this would be a player that would primarily be able to play the 5 and spell Samet Yigitoglu as a rebounder, shot blocker and catch lobs for dunks. Based on the market, I'd imagine this would be an international guy. That would leave one spot left.
In my opinion, the one type of player that IU does not currently have would be a big wing that is a plus-level athlete. I think you'd feel really great about the first four spots in the starting lineup (Burton/Lindsay/Sherrell/Yigitoglu) and then the fifth spot would be a battle between Darren Harris and Jaeden Mustaf and whatever guard/shot maker is added. Who starts isn't all that important (especially right now) but having a good rotation of about eight players is. There's room for a versatile defender and high-level athlete that could play the 3 if IU went big or the 4 to spell Sherrell. Trent Sisley making a big jump would be great but adding a big wing that can be a menace on defense would be a big boost. Amari Evans of Tennessee would be outstanding but I certainly imagine he's looking for a bigger role. Josiah Parker (freshman from FAU)? Saliou Niang has been my dream but I have no idea if he's even interested in coming to the states for college.
@zeke4ahs Yep, goes back to what I said about the value of early portal commits setting the tone for what we are building. High School recruits now have evidence that we are serious about getting back to being a top-tier program.