DISQUS

MPmike · 1 year ago

Sounds like things are heading the right way already. For all the mess that Kelvin Sampson left behind, to his credit, he did recruit some players such as Matt Roth and Tom Pritchard that will fit the IU mold as players that IU and Tom Crean are looking for. Players that want to play for IU because of the phrase Crean used "It's Indiana." Enough said.

MPmike · 1 year ago

I forgot to mention Derek Elston too and not forget Eric Gordon..Sampson had the right intentions and understood the state of Indiana basketball. He just did it the wrong way. That was his mistake which Tom Crean will take and embrace while putting IU back on top again.

bahickma · 1 year ago

I like the kind of guys we are recruiting, but I am a little concerned with our athleticism in the coming years. Finklemeier and Taber aren't exactly freak athletes. The same thing can be said about Matt Roth, Tom Pritchard, Derek Elston, and Stephen Van Treese. The last two are decent athletes, but college basketball is full of guys who are decent and superior athletes.

tberry · 1 year ago

I think Coach Crean has to work with what he has or will have. The players athleticism may not be what Crean will recruit down the road. If he really likes to push it up the floor he will have go with the long athletes that can get down quickly and finish fast. The players we have recruited are good players but may not be exactly what Crean would have gone after. Then again, Crean talks a lot about personal development and some of our recruits many be more athletic than we expect.

Matt_J · 1 year ago

Plus, if he works on the development, they may grow into more athletic players as they mature and grow within the program. Sure, it's nice to have guys like Ty Lawson who can get down the court in 4.5 seconds or whatever, but it's also nice to have good , smart players who will grow and mature while they stick around for three or four years depending. The athleticism will come, but let's get a good, solid base in here first.

MillaRed · 1 year ago

I agree on the lack of athleticism but honestly, being up here in Madison I can tell you it's not necessary to be sucessful. When I see the likes of Pritchard, Elston and Roth I can easily compare them to U Wisconsin players Brian Butch, Joe Krabbenhoft and Jason Bohannon. These are role players surrounded by the 2-3 athletic types (Jordan Crawford, maybe Bassett/Ellis).

Anyway I'm hearing you. They are not going to win any slam dunk contests but it's Crean's scheme that will have the right guy in the right place and for goodness sake playing Indiana "team" basketball.

Aren't we tired of that high screen and roll every other time we are in the half court offense? I really can't see how things could have shaped up better for this team than it has over the last two weeks. I suppose landing one of these top recruits would be nice. The Josh Harrellson kid would fill a HUGE void.

Matt_J · 1 year ago

"The Josh Harrellson kid would fill a HUGE void."

No pun intended...

BGleas · 1 year ago

I also like that even though he's JUCO Harrellson has three years of eligibility left.

Kelin Blab · 1 year ago

So much for Ray Mac Sr......hired as Detroit Mercy's head coach......Little Ray...please don't forget us.....please.....

Kelin Blab · 1 year ago

Just from reading some of these comments by Jones.....this dark cloud of possible post season ban could hurt us with him and others............I wish they could decide sooner.....depressing

JHoosiers77 · 1 year ago

How many players has Wisconsin had the past five years who went early to the NBA? They seem to have done pretty well winning the Big 10 while our athletes were busy worrying about the NBA. I look forward to having these kids around for 3 or 4 years - playing as a team and developing. I know you can't win a NCAA title with only those type of players but my guess is Coach C establishes a base with this type of kid and next year starts getting the one or two "athletes" you need to compete in the top 10 nationally.