Hoosier fans have been battling through quite a tough time recently, and really aver the past few years. The end of the Davis regime followed by the Sampson debacle leading to the barren cupboard to begin the promising Crean Era has been an almost oppressive burden for IU fans to bear. With IU playing poorly for the most part this season due simply to a drastic talent deficit, Hoosier fans are trying to stay positive and keep hope alive for the future. With that being said, and while still rooting like heck for the current crop of Hoosiers, let's turn our attention quickly to next year's team, and take a look at what their Big Ten competition will look like in 2009-2010.
The 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers
Seniors - Devan Dumes, Tijan Jobe, Steven Gambles
Juniors - Jeremiah Rivers, Brett Finklemeier
Sophomores - Matt Roth, Daniel Moore, Verdell Jones, Nick Williams, Malik Story, Tom Pritchard, Kory Barnett , Broderick Lewis
Freshmen - Bobby Capobianco, Maurice Creek, Derek Elston, Jordan Hulls, Bawa Muniru, Christian Watford
Obviously, some of these kids will continue to play but not be on scholarship, and some who are scholarship players will likely transfer after this season. I know it is not popular to talk about the potential kids who are leaving, but many have asked my opinion on who, if anyone, could be leaving. If I was forced to pick one current IU player to transfer, I would say the primary suspect would be Matt Roth. Talking with coaches here and in Illinois makes me believe his game will be better suited for a school closer to his home, perhaps a place like Bradley or Illinois State. I also expect Gambles, Finklemeier, Moore, Barnett, and Lewis to continue as walk-ons with Kipp Schutz returning to the baseball squad. Here is how I see the playing rotation to work:
Starters
PG - Jeremiah Rivers (6'4" junior)
SG - Devan Dumes (6'4" senior)
SF - Christian Watford (6'8" freshman)
PF - Derek Elston (6'8" freshman)
C - Tom Pritchard (6'9" sophomore)
Bench - in sub pattern order
PG - Verdell Jones (6'4" sophomore) ; Jordan Hulls (6'0" freshman) ; Daniel Moore (5'10" sophomore)
SG - Maurice Creek (6'5" freshman) ; Malik Story (6'5" sophomore) ; Matt Roth (6'3" sophomore, if still here)
SF - Nick Williams (6'4" sophomore)
PF - Bobby Capobianco (6'8" freshman)
C - Bawa Muniru (7'0" freshman) ; Tijan Jobe (7'0" senior)
Some of these guys will play multiple positions, like Jones, Elston, story, and Williams, but this is, in general, how I see the rotation shaking out. That, to me, is at minimum a solid roster that can be competitive in Big Ten play. They will be very young, but no more so than this season, and they will clearly have far more talent and size to work with. This season, IU has exactly two players over 6'8" (Pritchard and Jobe), and only one who contributes. Next year, the Hoosiers will have six guys at least 6'8", a huge difference. And IU may not be done adding to next year's roster, with names like Darius Smith (6'3" guard) still floating around. Beas Hamga, a 7-foot UNLV transfer, had been mentioned recently as well, but it appears that IU will not have their scholarship situation figured out in time to have him enroll this coming semester. There may be other names that have not surfaced yet that will crop up on the Hoosier radar in coming weeks that could be added to the 2009 class.
Check back tomorrow to see what kind of competition the Hoosiers will face in the Big Ten in 2009-2010, including just how good Purdue could be next season.
Monday, January 5, 2009
IU: The 2009-2010 Version
Posted by p-hoops at 8:25 PM
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8 comments:
it will be interesting. i like your lineup/subs, but i see hulls ahead of jones and maybe pushing to start. i see creek in the lineup for elston or dumes, but maybe not. can't wait!
i think that one is a toss up. i really love hulls, and i think he could be first off the bench, but i'm going on the assumption that verdell gets stronger and improves his shot. plus he has the advantage of being in crean's system for a year whereas hulls will be a newcomer.
Story and Williams will be gone. Matt Roth is staying even if he loses his scholarship. Some of the other scholarship players will be transferring. They did not pan out this year.
what makes you be so sure on those two in particular? just wondering. do you have some inside info? and why are you so sure roth will stay? again, i am not second-guessing you, just curious. thanks!
I hear lots of talk about Rivers, have not seen him play, saw what he did (or didn't do) at Georgetown. I have seen Hulls play hundreds of times. This will be his team. I believe Crean already knows it. He will likely be more like 6'2, but it won't matter. The team will circle around him, and they will learn what it takes to win. Some say he's inexperienced... they don't know how many major competition games he has played (likely more than any freshman in the nation, his aau team was almost always in the final game - except when they were without him in Vegas). Some say he doesn't know crean's system... wrong, he's practically a part of the team now. Sitting behind the bench he has learned... he IS crean's system. That is why TC won't be able to keep him on the bench. He brings an intangible that at this point, no one else possesses. .. and good news, it's contagious. By b10 season next year, he will have the others believing as well. Watch out b10, we have a leader.
i love hulls, and i know for a fact he will get major minutes. but rivers is also very good. he's widely known as a lockdown defender and a good leader on the floor. his big knock was shooting, but seeing him practice lets me know he's improved. hulls is still the better shooter, no doubt, though. i could forsee a lineup with both of them in there together for stretches.
wow anonymous just wow. i love your mancrush on hulls. hundreds of times? are you his neighbor?
his team will rally around what?
and to say that he has as much experience as any freshman in the nation is among the dummest thing i've ever read on a blog....and i read lots of dum ISH.
phoops....set his azz straight
Well now me know that Story wikk be transfering...Williams will for sure stay because he is a Crean recruit. With Story gone Roth will be key off the bench.
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