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Look guys, it doesn't look good just by looking at the numbers...We don't have ridiculous recruits coming in to the program, nor do we have anything even resembling a returning base of players from which to build from. Our schedule is pretty demanding, and there's no clue what kind of chemistry we'll have time to develop. We don't even know who will be our go-to player.
So yeah, it looks bad. But I REFUSE to believe that it's going to be bad. I'm going to put the blinders on until I see this team in action. I've seen a lot of talented IU teams with GREATNESS in them play horrible on the court and underachieve. In fact, they weren't talented teams, they were talented individuals who didn't know how to play together. I think this team is going to so much different and enjoyable to watch.
So here's to hoping this team OVER-achieves and surprises us all by not only being competitive, but scaring the hell out of opposing teams. I hate to refer to Purdue in a positive way, but Purdue has a long history of doing pretty well with shit for talent. Think post Glen Robinson era when they still won Big Ten titles. Without five star talent they were able to win. They played hard, worked together, and were well coached. I think this IU team can be like those Purdue teams.
Let's focus on the positives.
1.) Tom Crean is a hero. We know he can coach, and we should consider ourselves lucky as IU fans to have him on the bench now. Remember, this is the guy who found Dwayne Wade when virtually no one one was recruiting him. I think we'll be very surprised with what type of team is on the court.
2.) The guys who are coming to play for Indiana, want to be at Indiana, and are going to work their asses off. They saw what Crean just did in cleaning house, and they wouldn't be recruited if Crean thought there was an issue.
3.) We've managed to get some very athletic kids on this roster who should be fun to watch.
4.) It's Indiana...and the Hoosiers freaking play in Assembly Hall. As fans we take some serious pride in cheering our guts out, especially when the team we're watching is giving us 100% (you can't give more than that...).
Will we win the Big Ten? Ok let's not get ahead of ourselves, but we're not going to bottom feed. I just don't see that happening.
Don't sell these kids short when we haven't seen them on the court together yet.
Last year we're talking about how it's going to be hard for Ellis and Thomas and Gordon to mold together with DJ and Armon and Lance....and clearly they never did. We rarely looked very polished on the court and still went, what 14-4 in the conference? We won last year with talent and NO legitimate coaching whatsoever. KS was a disappointment there.
Usually you see a few guys from last year's team trying to work in the new guys. Since this is a clean slate for all...coach and players, I think you're going to see quick chemistry development. Plus in an era where these guys are on campus and playing against each other all summer, and have competed in AAU all these years, it's going to help.
1.) Playing AAU ball makes these kids immediately tougher than we probably expect.
2.) Hanging out all summer and the excitement surrounding the new coaching staff will help.
3.) Tom Crean cares about a TEAM atmosphere and isn't going to tell a guy "keep shooting because you're our star player." He's bringing in guys that fit into his system of play and they're going to produce results.
I really think the big x factor is what the NCAA hands down on us and how that will mentally affect this squad.
I'm way ahead of things here, but I still see us with what 14 or 15 non conference games counting Maui? We'll knock out some cupcakes...and maybe struggle...but we'll grow. The touch non conference schedule...Wake Forest, Kentucky, Maui, etc is going to get us ready for the Big Ten season.
I see 9-6 there if we play that many games or 8-5 if not, and 9-9 Conference. Maybe sneak out a win the Big Ten Tourney...1-1 there. .... 19-16 or 18-15 is my early prediction...NIT.
I think everyone is just getting a little out of hand with everything. It's not like we're getting bottom barrel talent here. Size wise, we're hurting, but these are some damn good players in my opinion.
One additional point in support of tempered enthusiasm...we have like 10(?) players total. How are we even going to develop in practice with 10 guys? I'm sure the walk-ons will give their best effort, but will they be able to give the look and feel of big 10 competition every day? Are these freshman scholarship players even going to be able to do that?
Now here it comes, but, we have to be a little realistic. Much like ALH_00 said, this team has zero players that have ever stepped foot on a Big 10 court together. And the key part is that IU only has two players that have ever stepped foot on a D1 basketball court before.
I understand your correlation to the Purdue teams of the past, and I don't have rosters or stats in front of me, but I would guess those were mostly veteran teams with mainly seniors and juniors that had played countless games together leading the way. We're going to have 5 freshemn, 2 JC tranfers and walk-ons. That's totally different.
On a slow news day, instead of regurgitating an old story, why not write about the Trustees, and how they have made so many bad decisions that have set our beloved University back many years. Or write about Myles Brand and how there should be a conflict of Interest with him handing down sanctions against a university he used as a stepping stone to become president of the NCAA.
All said, you are doing a great job with the site. An you obviously have enormous pull among all IU fans and haters. Just looking at the number of votes you get on your polls.
Until next time.
Star is reporting Coach C is good now for two more years - I really don't have any expectations for this year's team other than playing well as a team and not embarrassing the university. The next time I see a headline with "NCAA" and "IU" together I want it to be because we won a title not because Brand et al are after us.
When a team is doing everything it can (and as long as TC and Co. continue to do it) I'm going to have to be the optimist on this one. And trust me, this isn't usually the case with me.
If the team that he's currently building is supposedly the future nucleus (Pritchard, Williams, Jones, Roth, etc) of our roster that will one day compete for a Big Ten title, then why can't they be good this season?
Again, there's no comparison to the situation IU is in right now, but again looking at the Big Ten, Tubby Smith worked magic with a Minnesota team that was generally considered pretty darn miserable ...what 9-22 last season before Tubby took over? They went 20-14 and were a respectable 8-10 in the conference. Yes, they returned most of their players, but weren't even considered "that good" but Tubby transformed them, so don't tell me they were "better" just because of sheer chemistry. They were better because Tubby walked in and said "I BELIEVE" ....and they did too.