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Potential Transfer Targets IF Hypothetical Staff is Hired

TJ Inman

Recruit
Staff
Mar 25, 2025
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This post should be taken as speculation and I do not know if any of the players I mention will go to the portal. I do think it is fun to think about who might be interested in entering the portal and follow a current assistant coach that may get hired by Indiana. While IU has not announced the staff, we know that Drew Adams and Nick Norton are both working currently and I am of the belief that Achoki Moikobu from Texas Tech and Preston Murphy will be successfully brought to Bloomington. That would be a terrific staff and we’ll have a comprehensive article on the staff, regardless of who is hired, once things are official. If my belief comes to reality, who are some players that might be good fits for the Hoosiers?

Cincinnati – Jizzle James – 2 years left – son of Edgerrin James, averaged 12.8 points per game and showed good progression from his freshman and sophomore seasons. 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and had a 3.93 BPR (sum of player’s offensive and defensive rating, number of points per 100 possessions better than the opponent that the player’s team is expected to be if the player were on the court with 9 other average players). For context, Trey Galloway was a 3.91 BPR this past season. Tough guard that could certainly have a role with the Hoosiers. There are two top 100 recruits that are incoming freshmen and Drew Adams played a big role in landing them. Shon Abaev is a dynamic scorer and Keyshaun Tillery is a really tough point guard that already plays good defense and his teams had a knack for winning despite often being overmatched.

Texas Tech – Kevin Overton – 2 years left – Overton began his career at Drake and then transferred to play for Moikobu and Grant McCasland. Averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game for a very good team. His BPR was 3.76 and he was +260 while on the floor this season. Darrion Williams is a long-shot to want to transfer but he does have one season remaining and Moikobu identified him and recruited him from Nevada so maybe his relationship with him is really strong. He is a terrific offensive player, very tough and had a 6.93 BPR.

Alabama – the list is extensive because Preston Murphy has recruited a lot of really good players to Tuscaloosa. Aden Holloway has two years left, shot 41.2% from three this season, averaged 11.4 points per game and posted a 5.43 BPR. He’s only 6’1” but is a really good athlete. Labaron Philon is a freshman this season and he’s from Mobile and appears to be the heir-apparent to Mark Sears’ role. Basically, he has no reason to leave. Derrion Reid was a freshman from Grovetown, Georgia. He’s 6’8” and posted a 3.31 BPR. Aiden Sherrell is from Detroit and showed a promising skillset as a 6’10” player. Jarin Stevenson has two years left and is 6’11” with a BPR of 3.61. Holloway and Sherrell are the most appealing of the list. In addition, there are three top 65 recruits in London Jemison, Davion Hannah and Amari Allen in which Murphy served as the lead recruiter.

Again, these are just names to think about IF Moikobu and Murphy end up being the remaining assistant hires. I thought this would be at least fun for the board to think about as we await the news on Josh Dix, the staff becoming official and the weeklong dead period.
 
This post should be taken as speculation and I do not know if any of the players I mention will go to the portal. I do think it is fun to think about who might be interested in entering the portal and follow a current assistant coach that may get hired by Indiana. While IU has not announced the staff, we know that Drew Adams and Nick Norton are both working currently and I am of the belief that Achoki Moikobu from Texas Tech and Preston Murphy will be successfully brought to Bloomington. That would be a terrific staff and we’ll have a comprehensive article on the staff, regardless of who is hired, once things are official. If my belief comes to reality, who are some players that might be good fits for the Hoosiers?

Cincinnati – Jizzle James – 2 years left – son of Edgerrin James, averaged 12.8 points per game and showed good progression from his freshman and sophomore seasons. 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and had a 3.93 BPR (sum of player’s offensive and defensive rating, number of points per 100 possessions better than the opponent that the player’s team is expected to be if the player were on the court with 9 other average players). For context, Trey Galloway was a 3.91 BPR this past season. Tough guard that could certainly have a role with the Hoosiers. There are two top 100 recruits that are incoming freshmen and Drew Adams played a big role in landing them. Shon Abaev is a dynamic scorer and Keyshaun Tillery is a really tough point guard that already plays good defense and his teams had a knack for winning despite often being overmatched.

Texas Tech – Kevin Overton – 2 years left – Overton began his career at Drake and then transferred to play for Moikobu and Grant McCasland. Averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game for a very good team. His BPR was 3.76 and he was +260 while on the floor this season. Darrion Williams is a long-shot to want to transfer but he does have one season remaining and Moikobu identified him and recruited him from Nevada so maybe his relationship with him is really strong. He is a terrific offensive player, very tough and had a 6.93 BPR.

Alabama – the list is extensive because Preston Murphy has recruited a lot of really good players to Tuscaloosa. Aden Holloway has two years left, shot 41.2% from three this season, averaged 11.4 points per game and posted a 5.43 BPR. He’s only 6’1” but is a really good athlete. Labaron Philon is a freshman this season and he’s from Mobile and appears to be the heir-apparent to Mark Sears’ role. Basically, he has no reason to leave. Derrion Reid was a freshman from Grovetown, Georgia. He’s 6’8” and posted a 3.31 BPR. Aiden Sherrell is from Detroit and showed a promising skillset as a 6’10” player. Jarin Stevenson has two years left and is 6’11” with a BPR of 3.61. Holloway and Sherrell are the most appealing of the list. In addition, there are three top 65 recruits in London Jemison, Davion Hannah and Amari Allen in which Murphy served as the lead recruiter.

Again, these are just names to think about IF Moikobu and Murphy end up being the remaining assistant hires. I thought this would be at least fun for the board to think about as we await the news on Josh Dix, the staff becoming official and the weeklong dead period.
Yep there's a long way to go.
 
I doubt that it would happen, but holy crap, if Derrion Williams actually would decide to leave TT to follow an assistant coach here? Man, I would be excited. That kid really impressed me as I watched basically all four of their tournament games. Tough as nails, and versatile.
 
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This post should be taken as speculation and I do not know if any of the players I mention will go to the portal. I do think it is fun to think about who might be interested in entering the portal and follow a current assistant coach that may get hired by Indiana. While IU has not announced the staff, we know that Drew Adams and Nick Norton are both working currently and I am of the belief that Achoki Moikobu from Texas Tech and Preston Murphy will be successfully brought to Bloomington. That would be a terrific staff and we’ll have a comprehensive article on the staff, regardless of who is hired, once things are official. If my belief comes to reality, who are some players that might be good fits for the Hoosiers?

Cincinnati – Jizzle James – 2 years left – son of Edgerrin James, averaged 12.8 points per game and showed good progression from his freshman and sophomore seasons. 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and had a 3.93 BPR (sum of player’s offensive and defensive rating, number of points per 100 possessions better than the opponent that the player’s team is expected to be if the player were on the court with 9 other average players). For context, Trey Galloway was a 3.91 BPR this past season. Tough guard that could certainly have a role with the Hoosiers. There are two top 100 recruits that are incoming freshmen and Drew Adams played a big role in landing them. Shon Abaev is a dynamic scorer and Keyshaun Tillery is a really tough point guard that already plays good defense and his teams had a knack for winning despite often being overmatched.

Texas Tech – Kevin Overton – 2 years left – Overton began his career at Drake and then transferred to play for Moikobu and Grant McCasland. Averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game for a very good team. His BPR was 3.76 and he was +260 while on the floor this season. Darrion Williams is a long-shot to want to transfer but he does have one season remaining and Moikobu identified him and recruited him from Nevada so maybe his relationship with him is really strong. He is a terrific offensive player, very tough and had a 6.93 BPR.

Alabama – the list is extensive because Preston Murphy has recruited a lot of really good players to Tuscaloosa. Aden Holloway has two years left, shot 41.2% from three this season, averaged 11.4 points per game and posted a 5.43 BPR. He’s only 6’1” but is a really good athlete. Labaron Philon is a freshman this season and he’s from Mobile and appears to be the heir-apparent to Mark Sears’ role. Basically, he has no reason to leave. Derrion Reid was a freshman from Grovetown, Georgia. He’s 6’8” and posted a 3.31 BPR. Aiden Sherrell is from Detroit and showed a promising skillset as a 6’10” player. Jarin Stevenson has two years left and is 6’11” with a BPR of 3.61. Holloway and Sherrell are the most appealing of the list. In addition, there are three top 65 recruits in London Jemison, Davion Hannah and Amari Allen in which Murphy served as the lead recruiter.

Again, these are just names to think about IF Moikobu and Murphy end up being the remaining assistant hires. I thought this would be at least fun for the board to think about as we await the news on Josh Dix, the staff becoming official and the weeklong dead period.
Why do you believe the TT and Bama coaches will come to IU?
 
This post should be taken as speculation and I do not know if any of the players I mention will go to the portal. I do think it is fun to think about who might be interested in entering the portal and follow a current assistant coach that may get hired by Indiana. While IU has not announced the staff, we know that Drew Adams and Nick Norton are both working currently and I am of the belief that Achoki Moikobu from Texas Tech and Preston Murphy will be successfully brought to Bloomington. That would be a terrific staff and we’ll have a comprehensive article on the staff, regardless of who is hired, once things are official. If my belief comes to reality, who are some players that might be good fits for the Hoosiers?

Cincinnati – Jizzle James – 2 years left – son of Edgerrin James, averaged 12.8 points per game and showed good progression from his freshman and sophomore seasons. 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and had a 3.93 BPR (sum of player’s offensive and defensive rating, number of points per 100 possessions better than the opponent that the player’s team is expected to be if the player were on the court with 9 other average players). For context, Trey Galloway was a 3.91 BPR this past season. Tough guard that could certainly have a role with the Hoosiers. There are two top 100 recruits that are incoming freshmen and Drew Adams played a big role in landing them. Shon Abaev is a dynamic scorer and Keyshaun Tillery is a really tough point guard that already plays good defense and his teams had a knack for winning despite often being overmatched.

Texas Tech – Kevin Overton – 2 years left – Overton began his career at Drake and then transferred to play for Moikobu and Grant McCasland. Averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game for a very good team. His BPR was 3.76 and he was +260 while on the floor this season. Darrion Williams is a long-shot to want to transfer but he does have one season remaining and Moikobu identified him and recruited him from Nevada so maybe his relationship with him is really strong. He is a terrific offensive player, very tough and had a 6.93 BPR.

Alabama – the list is extensive because Preston Murphy has recruited a lot of really good players to Tuscaloosa. Aden Holloway has two years left, shot 41.2% from three this season, averaged 11.4 points per game and posted a 5.43 BPR. He’s only 6’1” but is a really good athlete. Labaron Philon is a freshman this season and he’s from Mobile and appears to be the heir-apparent to Mark Sears’ role. Basically, he has no reason to leave. Derrion Reid was a freshman from Grovetown, Georgia. He’s 6’8” and posted a 3.31 BPR. Aiden Sherrell is from Detroit and showed a promising skillset as a 6’10” player. Jarin Stevenson has two years left and is 6’11” with a BPR of 3.61. Holloway and Sherrell are the most appealing of the list. In addition, there are three top 65 recruits in London Jemison, Davion Hannah and Amari Allen in which Murphy served as the lead recruiter.

Again, these are just names to think about IF Moikobu and Murphy end up being the remaining assistant hires. I thought this would be at least fun for the board to think about as we await the news on Josh Dix, the staff becoming official and the weeklong dead period.
Did Coach AC recruit TTechs stud freshman guard at all? If McCasland takes the A&M job, maybe some more of the TT boys will be in play?
 
Never say never but can't really imagine a scenario where McCasland would prefer A&M over Tech. Tech has a good thing going in basketball. At best that would be a lateral move for his career and more likely a step backwards.
 
Interesting sourcing if this is how the coaching staff plays out. First hire is a tag-along who played for then coached under. Second is someone DeVries has no working relationship with but he's tried to hire before. Final two would both had just coached in the elite eight; one a former assistant, the other a fellow assistant at Creighton. Pulling coaches from Alabama and Texas Tech, one of whom hasn't coached with DeVries in 7 years, would be impressive.
 
Seems so far it's about money maybe Adam's will help but over a week one committed player and that one player being a role player is pretty scary especially when we have a almost bare roster. Iowa already has 3 committed and DeVries had a week head start.
We have two committed transfer players.

I guess these talented Assistants likely leaving top-10 Alabama and Texas Tech (coming off an E8) don't see IUBB as a sinking ship.
 
This post should be taken as speculation and I do not know if any of the players I mention will go to the portal. I do think it is fun to think about who might be interested in entering the portal and follow a current assistant coach that may get hired by Indiana. While IU has not announced the staff, we know that Drew Adams and Nick Norton are both working currently and I am of the belief that Achoki Moikobu from Texas Tech and Preston Murphy will be successfully brought to Bloomington. That would be a terrific staff and we’ll have a comprehensive article on the staff, regardless of who is hired, once things are official. If my belief comes to reality, who are some players that might be good fits for the Hoosiers?

Cincinnati – Jizzle James – 2 years left – son of Edgerrin James, averaged 12.8 points per game and showed good progression from his freshman and sophomore seasons. 2:1 assist to turnover ratio and had a 3.93 BPR (sum of player’s offensive and defensive rating, number of points per 100 possessions better than the opponent that the player’s team is expected to be if the player were on the court with 9 other average players). For context, Trey Galloway was a 3.91 BPR this past season. Tough guard that could certainly have a role with the Hoosiers. There are two top 100 recruits that are incoming freshmen and Drew Adams played a big role in landing them. Shon Abaev is a dynamic scorer and Keyshaun Tillery is a really tough point guard that already plays good defense and his teams had a knack for winning despite often being overmatched.

Texas Tech – Kevin Overton – 2 years left – Overton began his career at Drake and then transferred to play for Moikobu and Grant McCasland. Averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game for a very good team. His BPR was 3.76 and he was +260 while on the floor this season. Darrion Williams is a long-shot to want to transfer but he does have one season remaining and Moikobu identified him and recruited him from Nevada so maybe his relationship with him is really strong. He is a terrific offensive player, very tough and had a 6.93 BPR.

Alabama – the list is extensive because Preston Murphy has recruited a lot of really good players to Tuscaloosa. Aden Holloway has two years left, shot 41.2% from three this season, averaged 11.4 points per game and posted a 5.43 BPR. He’s only 6’1” but is a really good athlete. Labaron Philon is a freshman this season and he’s from Mobile and appears to be the heir-apparent to Mark Sears’ role. Basically, he has no reason to leave. Derrion Reid was a freshman from Grovetown, Georgia. He’s 6’8” and posted a 3.31 BPR. Aiden Sherrell is from Detroit and showed a promising skillset as a 6’10” player. Jarin Stevenson has two years left and is 6’11” with a BPR of 3.61. Holloway and Sherrell are the most appealing of the list. In addition, there are three top 65 recruits in London Jemison, Davion Hannah and Amari Allen in which Murphy served as the lead recruiter.

Again, these are just names to think about IF Moikobu and Murphy end up being the remaining assistant hires. I thought this would be at least fun for the board to think about as we await the news on Josh Dix, the staff becoming official and the weeklong dead period.


Murphy was the best recruiter of any of the assistants CDD tried to hire. Unfortunate.
 
Did you see something that refutes that Murphy is coming to Indiana?


He got a raise and signed a new contract with Bama.

Had he come here he probably would have brought a player or two with him, like Chester Frazier, late of WV, is likely to do at VT.
 
He got a raise and signed a new contract with Bama.

Had he come here he probably would have brought a player or two with him, like Chester Frazier, late of WV, is likely to do at VT.
The news of that contract signing is over a week old. I have no clue who Murphy even is... to be honest... I was just assuming the OP would have known that when this post was made, yesterday??
 
The news of that contract signing is over a week old. I have no clue who Murphy even is... to be honest... I was just assuming the OP would have known that when this post was made, yesterday??
Looked at a couple of other sites and their people seem to think Murphy is still coming. Sounds like there is a buyout for him, but that has been worked out. His new salary at Bama is $675K, not chump change, but doesn't seem that high for a lead type guy.
 
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Looked at a couple of other sites and their people seem to think Murphy is still coming. Sounds like there is a buyout for him, but that has been worked out. His new salary at Bama is $675K, not chump change, but doesn't seem that high for a lead type guy.
Like most everything else the last month...I'm learning about lots of new people via posts on this board... I had no clue who Preston Murphy was before a couple days ago... now I think he's essential to IU's success... ha ha.

I knew who Conwell was, because I posted a fair bit about wanting to get him last offseason. But I hadn't really thought of him since.

Its fascinating, to me, that there are 8-10, yet to be determined, human beings, some of which I literally don't know exist right now, that will have such a big impact on my mood next winter...and beyond.

Coach AC from Texas Tech sounds like he'd be an incredible pickup for the staff... he'd bring both DeVries familiarity AND a year under a great young coach in McCasland.

And then Coach Murphy...being Bama's "offensive coordinator", and one of their lead recruiters... the two biggest keys to Bama's recent success, in my opinion, their offense and their recruiting... So, while I just learned all of this... I feel like getting AC and Murphy, big scheme, is more important than any of the portal/HS kids we may or may not get.
 
Like most everything else the last month...I'm learning about lots of new people via posts on this board... I had no clue who Preston Murphy was before a couple days ago... now I think he's essential to IU's success... ha ha.

I knew who Conwell was, because I posted a fair bit about wanting to get him last offseason. But I hadn't really thought of him since.

Its fascinating, to me, that there are 8-10, yet to be determined, human beings, some of which I literally don't know exist right now, that will have such a big impact on my mood next winter...and beyond.

Coach AC from Texas Tech sounds like he'd be an incredible pickup for the staff... he'd bring both DeVries familiarity AND a year under a great young coach in McCasland.

And then Coach Murphy...being Bama's "offensive coordinator", and one of their lead recruiters... the two biggest keys to Bama's recent success, in my opinion, their offense and their recruiting... So, while I just learned all of this... I feel like getting AC and Murphy, big scheme, is more important than any of the portal/HS kids we may or may not get.
Totally agree. That's why so many people just need to relax and let Coach do his job. It was one thing to be wound up about Woody, we all saw it for several years and knew he was inept...this is totally different.

I had a job offer one time with a start up. I knew some of the people the owner was looking to hire. I told him the only way I took the job was if he backed off of everyone else he was looking at and let me pick the team. He baulked, I told him I was out...he gave in and I took the gig. Got my people in and we tripled his first years projections and he was able to retire within 3 years. Point is, getting the right people is way more important than just filling out the "roster". Maybe it's a bit of blind faith, but I have faith in this coach until proven otherwise.
 
Big 12 to the SEC? Not lateral IMO.
So by that logic Self should leave Kansas for the A&M job. He's not coaching the conference. Tech is a much better job in basketball than A&M. From the fans to the arena to the local support. The Big 12 has been better for more years in basketball than SEC over the last 10. While Texas is good, the Big 12 got even better adding Houston, Zona, Utah and BYU and losing OU and Texas. Beard wouldn't even leave Ole Miss for A&M to go back to his home state. Same conference. I'd bet if it was Houston or KU, he'd be gone in a heartbeat. Without Buzz, A&M will likely become a league doormat.

 
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I think alot will happen over the dead period. It gives someone in DDs position time to catch up. One would think that IU would be as inviting a place to play as WVU. According to 247 they had the #8 portal class last year. Rankings don't mean alot unless you properly implement the talent, as we know, so it remains to be seen. If this ends up being our staff, we did well and it should payoff with a talented group.

I think once the new staff can pull in 3 or 4 players from their relationships we'll be able to see an idea of the product potential on the floor. Then we can relax a bit.
 
He got a raise and signed a new contract with Bama.

Had he come here he probably would have brought a player or two with him, like Chester Frazier, late of WV, is likely to do at VT.
I am well aware of the new contract. Nothing about the new contract or his raise would completely prevent IU from hiring Preston Murphy. Nothing has been announced so it would be quite impossible for Murphy or Moikobu to bring players with them from their current schools just yet. They may end up bringing a player or two, they may not. They might not even end up being the hires but if I were betting, I think the staff will be Adams/Murphy/Moikobu and then Norton and Garrett Sturtz coming with him from Drake and West Virginia. We should find out soon and I'd expect roster construction to pick up quite a bit once the dead period ends on the 10th.
 
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Looked at a couple of other sites and their people seem to think Murphy is still coming. Sounds like there is a buyout for him, but that has been worked out. His new salary at Bama is $675K, not chump change, but doesn't seem that high for a lead type guy.

Hope so. We could use a lead type guy.
 
I am well aware of the new contract. Nothing about the new contract or his raise would completely prevent IU from hiring Preston Murphy. Nothing has been announced so it would be quite impossible for Murphy or Moikobu to bring players with them from their current schools just yet. They may end up bringing a player or two, they may not. They might not even end up being the hires but if I were betting, I think the staff will be Adams/Murphy/Moikobu and then Norton and Garrett Sturtz coming with him from Drake and West Virginia. We should find out soon and I'd expect roster construction to pick up quite a bit once the dead period ends on the 10th.


Do you know if any of the other guys you mentioned are in the portal?
 
TT guy was on DD staff at Drake I believe and DD tried to bring him to WVU but he went to TT instead.

Preston Murphy… I have no idea

Murphy and DeVries were on the Creighton staff together if I'm not mistaken.

Murphy did get caught up in the FBI probe. He took 6k from a friend that was an agent as payment to steer players his way. There's a little more to it but it got him a 2year show cause tag.
 
Murphy and DeVries were on the Creighton staff together if I'm not mistaken.

Murphy did get caught up in the FBI probe. He took 6k from a friend that was an agent as payment to steer players his way. There's a little more to it but it got him a 2year show cause tag.


I thought Moikobu had already happened. Discouraging.
 
I am well aware of the new contract. Nothing about the new contract or his raise would completely prevent IU from hiring Preston Murphy. Nothing has been announced so it would be quite impossible for Murphy or Moikobu to bring players with them from their current schools just yet. They may end up bringing a player or two, they may not. They might not even end up being the hires but if I were betting, I think the staff will be Adams/Murphy/Moikobu and then Norton and Garrett Sturtz coming with him from Drake and West Virginia. We should find out soon and I'd expect roster construction to pick up quite a bit once the dead period ends on the 10th.

Fwiw I agree that this will be the staff. Murphy and AC have history with DD and Adam's will make the connections instate for DD that are the backbone for his longevity as IU coach. I'm enamored by the offense of Alabama paired with the defenses AC deployed at N. Texas and TT. I wasn't blown away by the DeVries hire but in totality is a serious staff capable of great things. I would think it would be finalized during the dead period and a string of players with relationships with the new staff will start committing. I read an article a couple of days ago that Murphy made 73 recruiting calls in one day.
 
Fwiw I agree that this will be the staff. Murphy and AC have history with DD and Adam's will make the connections instate for DD that are the backbone for his longevity as IU coach. I'm enamored by the offense of Alabama paired with the defenses AC deployed at N. Texas and TT. I wasn't blown away by the DeVries hire but in totality is a serious staff capable of great things. I would think it would be finalized during the dead period and a string of players with relationships with the new staff will start committing. I read an article a couple of days ago that Murphy made 73 recruiting calls in one day.


Not having anything close to an entire staff has been costly; as others pointed out, an additional cost of not landing a big fish, because guys like Frazier and Barnett getting HC jobs elsewhere would not have been as detrimental if we had gotten a higher profile coach.
 
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Totally agree. That's why so many people just need to relax and let Coach do his job. It was one thing to be wound up about Woody, we all saw it for several years and knew he was inept...this is totally different.

I had a job offer one time with a start up. I knew some of the people the owner was looking to hire. I told him the only way I took the job was if he backed off of everyone else he was looking at and let me pick the team. He baulked, I told him I was out...he gave in and I took the gig. Got my people in and we tripled his first years projections and he was able to retire within 3 years. Point is, getting the right people is way more important than just filling out the "roster". Maybe it's a bit of blind faith, but I have faith in this coach until proven otherwise.
Yes it is.
 
Seems so far it's about money maybe Adam's will help but over a week one committed player and that one player being a role player is pretty scary especially when we have an almost bare roster. Iowa already has 3 committed and DeVries had a week head start.
We got most of our players mid April last year.
 
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