I've kind of enjoyed the lack of negative bullshit for the past couple of weeks.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
POTFB
Just read they eat a lot of guinea pig in Peru.
What are the odds we get a picture of Sammy riding a Llama, wearing a brightly colored burlap poncho and a sombrero, and eating a guinea pig kabob on his way to the arena on the Peru trip?
And still a ghost town
It means we are spending more time with our families which is the right thing to do but we are not as happy.
While I regarded God as a tyrant I thought my sin a trifle; But when I knew Him to be my Father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against Him. When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.” C. H. Spurgeon
By valid request of @hoosiers94...here are a few things to discuss:
#1 - I hate the lack of a high-quality true home game in non-conference play (which seems incredibly likely) but it does appear to be a growing trend. Look at UK's home games for the non-conference:
Manhattan, Gardner-Webb, Bryant, James Madison, Grambling State, Sacred Heart, Northern Arizona
True home and homes are dying a very quick death.
#2 - high school recruiting is churning along as coaches continue to evaluate and try to pinpoint who they can get on campus for official visits. IU will probably end up with a high school class of 3-4 players. It's kind of a tough spot as they hope to have a really good team this season with basically everyone returning. That would mean very few spots available and very little playing time available. Chase Branham is one, they hope to land a HS big guy and then they are looking for either an athletic wing or a point guard that could help Branham play as more of a shooter and off-ball guard. Names to keep an eye on: MJ Curry (exceptional athlete), J'Lyon Lyons (undersized but tough guard), Jeremy Jenkins (6'9" forward that is more of a banger and physical presence as a 4 than he is an athlete...good rebounder, good finisher, developing as a shooter, Rod Clark has been recruiting him and he's a top 40 prospect on a loaded Nightrydas AAU team), Darius Wabbington (center, I'd be surprised if he goes anywhere but Arizona but IU is trying), 2027 guard Isaiah Mack-Russell of Winton Woods in Ohio (6'4" combo guard that is a fringe top 80 prospect and probably will get bumped to 4-star after playing well at the Pangos All-American Camp).
#3 - from the IU team camp and general note from the summer: 2028 forward Landon Lampley of Pike is, I think, the best prospect in the state of Indiana. I say that regardless of class. He's a really good athlete and a physical specimen that has overwhelmed opponents this summer. He was reportedly the best player at the team camp a couple of weekends ago.
Obviously, as soon as we have any access to the program ahead of the trip to Peru, we will have coverage on the site and on the forum. We'll also have coverage of each game that Indiana/Team USA plays there and do a podcast or two based on what is seen.
Obviously, as soon as we have any access to the program ahead of the trip to Peru, we will have coverage on the site and on the forum. We'll also have coverage of each game that Indiana/Team USA plays there and do a podcast or two based on what is seen.
Any chance those Peru games will be televised/streamed? Maybe send Cav with his iPhone again?
By valid request of @hoosiers94...here are a few things to discuss:
#1 - I hate the lack of a high-quality true home game in non-conference play (which seems incredibly likely) but it does appear to be a growing trend. Look at UK's home games for the non-conference:
Manhattan, Gardner-Webb, Bryant, James Madison, Grambling State, Sacred Heart, Northern Arizona
True home and homes are dying a very quick death.
#2 - high school recruiting is churning along as coaches continue to evaluate and try to pinpoint who they can get on campus for official visits. IU will probably end up with a high school class of 3-4 players. It's kind of a tough spot as they hope to have a really good team this season with basically everyone returning. That would mean very few spots available and very little playing time available. Chase Branham is one, they hope to land a HS big guy and then they are looking for either an athletic wing or a point guard that could help Branham play as more of a shooter and off-ball guard. Names to keep an eye on: MJ Curry (exceptional athlete), J'Lyon Lyons (undersized but tough guard), Jeremy Jenkins (6'9" forward that is more of a banger and physical presence as a 4 than he is an athlete...good rebounder, good finisher, developing as a shooter, Rod Clark has been recruiting him and he's a top 40 prospect on a loaded Nightrydas AAU team), Darius Wabbington (center, I'd be surprised if he goes anywhere but Arizona but IU is trying), 2027 guard Isaiah Mack-Russell of Winton Woods in Ohio (6'4" combo guard that is a fringe top 80 prospect and probably will get bumped to 4-star after playing well at the Pangos All-American Camp).
#3 - from the IU team camp and general note from the summer: 2028 forward Landon Lampley of Pike is, I think, the best prospect in the state of Indiana. I say that regardless of class. He's a really good athlete and a physical specimen that has overwhelmed opponents this summer. He was reportedly the best player at the team camp a couple of weekends ago.
Obviously, as soon as we have any access to the program ahead of the trip to Peru, we will have coverage on the site and on the forum. We'll also have coverage of each game that Indiana/Team USA plays there and do a podcast or two based on what is seen.
any comments or attention paid to Caleb Coolman or Will Tonagel at this point ?
@hoosiers94 Tonegal, unless he really grows a fair bit and gets a lot stronger, I would bet a lot of money he ends up playing at IWU for his dad. And he'll be an absolute stud there if he does.
Coolman... I can't unsee what our high school did to him this past season... we were really good, but I can't think a high major caliber guy would allow himself to be taken completely out of a basketball game how we took him out.
It will be very interesting to see what college recruiting ends up looking like for both of them by the time they're done. Both VERY good basketball players, but not sure either will have the size or athleticism to be high major??... or to be effective at the high major level, I should say. I believe Coolman already has some high major offers.
@hoosiers94 Ertel is an obvious comp for Tonegal. But he's not yet the same type of player Ertel is. He's 3 years younger, to be fair. So obviously he'll get stronger, maybe bigger. Tonegal is undoubtedly a better shooter than Ertel was at the same age, though. I would be pretty surprised if he went anywhere other than IWU. But if he gets to B10 level, obviously that changes the calculus quite a bit. But he'd get more than a little bit of NIL from IWU... and I actually wouldn't be shocked if they were D2 or D1, or going through that process, by the time he graduates.
Coolman... Ohio State, you say Oklahoma State... I don't know, just having a hard time seeing his game translating up that high. But if those coaches think enough of him to offer him, they must disagree!
yeah his stature is the main issue to me. Not sure how much more he will grow but we will see
@unclemark The games in Peru, if the past is any indication, will be streamed on YouTube. We are certainly planning on that being the case and we will cover them as extensively as possible.