What a whirlwind of a trip, but we're back, and brimming with thoughts about the Hoosier effort in Durham last night.
Speaking of a whirlwind, how about that blog last night? A big thanks to all the commenters that tossed their opinions into the ring throughout the game - you guys made the event a total success and one we'll continue to do whenever possible, which should be often.
Two quick notes: -- How much would Lance Stemler have helped the cause last night? IU was begging for someone who could stretch that Duke defensive shell, and Stems would have been the guy. Here's hoping he's feeling better soon.
-- We're pretty encouraged by coach Kelvin Sampson's rotation style. Instead of playing people who should be playing well, he's playing people who are playing well. The easy example is Earl Calloway vs. Errek Suhr. Suhr played better, so he got the crunch time PT. It's sometimes a tough direction for a coach to take, thanks to the risk/reward factor, but Sampson is nothing if not confident in his own style.
With that out of the way, we wanted to opine a bit about how each individual player is progressing under Sampson thus far. With three pushovers and a couple of big games under their belts, now seems to be as good a time as any to take a broad look at IU's players. As always, feel free to contend any of our assessments in the comments.
Armon Bassett - Well, this is easy. The freshman led IU in points at Duke with 16, has drawn praise from his coach throughout the early season and has backed it up with consistent, steady play on the floor. We've yet to talk to him, because Sampson doesn't allow his freshmen to talk to the media until their second semester. (Ohio State coach Thad Matta does the same thing.) We'll be interested to see what he's like in person, but hey, he doesn't really look like a freshman, does he?
Errek Suhr - Here's another easy one. With Suhr, you usually know what you're getting: hustle, maybe a three, a charge, and a spark off the bench. IU got a whole lot more than that last night. Now that Sampson has Suhr gravitating toward the point guard position, there's a chance he could see more playing time - and if he steps his game up like he did last night, there's no reason he shouldn't. (We have a gripe about Suhr, but we'll save it for now. He deserves that much after his game last night.)
D.J. White - Struggling. Even in the games when he's played well - Butler comes to mind - White hasn't looked comfortable. He looked distinctly unsettled last night, catching the ball plenty of times in the post but only converting three field goals. Duke's post defense is tough, to be sure - but it'd be nice to see White play stronger with the ball and to be more opportunistic in his finishing.
Ben Allen - It certainly isn't all D.J.'s fault D.J.'s been struggling. Ben Allen, who started last night for the first time since IU's first exhibition game, seems absolutely lost right now. His defense - where IU especially needs him to relieve D.J.'s workload - has been his greatest weakness thus far. An example: in the first half last night, Allen was guarding Josh McRoberts. McRoberts was bumping into him with the ball, and he tried angling to the hoop twice. Allen kept in front of him repeatedly, a tremendous little piece of physical post defense. And then, quickly, McRoberts wheeled around a third time, and Allen was forced to foul him. Just frustrating. Obviously, things have to improve on both ends for Allen if IU wants to use White as effectively as possible.
Mike White - Same boat as Allen, sort of. White sometimes wanders in games before making jaw-dropping plays, like his block in the second half last night. He has unbelievable athletic ability. He just needs to get used to playing against guys considerably taller than himself, a major adjustment for an undersized JUCO forward. Again, the Hoosiers need that second post player to step up. Who will it be?
Earl Calloway - When he's on the floor, he seems to be the vocal leader. He also seemed to contain his all-out urges last night - whether he can do that often will determine whether he can keep Suhr and Bassett from stealing any more of his minutes. But they sure stole a lot of them on Coach K court.
Rod Wilmont - Before last night, I would have called him IU's best player so far this season. But against Duke, Wilmont was barely visible. Surely, Sampson expects more out of a guy who's supposed to be his instant bench spark. We'll see if he can get it in the next couple of weeks.
A.J. Ratliff - Ratliff has shown his offensive talent intermittently this season, but as Sampson has alluded to a lot, he lacks toughness. He could be more than just a viable replacement for Robert Vaden (remember him?) if he puts it all together. That's a big if.
Lance Stemler - Sampson said that a collision with Xavier Keeling in practice was the reason Stemler suffered a concussion this week and was unable to play. Hey, nine straight days of practice can do that to a team. Anyway, Stemler is the deep threat the Hoosiers need, and he's also shown that he can guard a smaller post/wing player if necessary. He's also looked most comfortable in Sampson's offense. In other words, IU can't get him back soon enough.
Joey Shaw - Last night in the commenting thread, Jordan said "Joey Shaw is gonna be a star in 2 years." Kellyn responded "In two years??? What about right now?" Well, I don't know if Shaw is a star right now, but he's certainly progressing nicely in his first playing time after his redshirt year. Despite a somewhat awkward shot form, Shaw is shooting well this year, and he didn't seem one bit fazed last night. He's coming on well.
The remainders: Adam Ahlfeld, Kyle Taber, Xavier Keeling. Not much to say here, except that I can't believe Ahlfeld's head didn't explode last night. After brief minutes against Chicago State, Keeling got no whiff of the floor last night. Same with Taber. Ahlfeld, well - you know the deal.
So, what do you think? Are we on target here? How about starters? How should this still-developing group be rotated? Let us know in the comments. And thanks for helping make our Duke experience memorable.
