No Cody Zeller, Yogi Ferrell coming in year 4 to save this ship. Fred Glass cleared the deck long ago.
Crean was 27-9, 11-7 and made sweet sixteen in year 4 if anyone thinks Archie is gonna make it to that level next year ya crazy.
I know I'm going to be torn to shreds for this belief, but I'm sticking with my stance on Archie and the Indiana basketball program as a whole in the current college basketball landscape. I firmly believe there are only two ways to win consistently in the sport:
1. Recruit one-and-done players who will be NBA lottery picks. Duke, Kentucky, etc. are current examples of that model.
2. Avoid one-and-done players, and build a roster filled with players who will likely be with the program for three to four years. This is what I call getting old and staying old.
As Indiana's roster is currently constructed, Archie has the following players who are truly his recruits:
- Rob Phinisee, PG (sophomore)
- Damezi Anderson, SF (sophomore)
- Race Thompson, PF (redshirt sophomore)
- Jerome Hunter, SF (redshirt freshman)
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, PF (freshman)
- Armaan Franklin, SG (freshman)
- Joey Brunk, PF (redshirt junior - transfer)
Concisely, that's a very young group that is still growing and improving. Assuming Jackson-Davis doesn't enter the NBA draft, that entire group of players will return next season, and will add Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal and Jordan Geronimo. I'd expect to see some incremental growth out of the group in 2020-21.
Other proven head coaches have endured this same struggle:
Jay Wright (Villanova)
Year 1: 19-13 ... NIT Quarterfinal
Year 2: 15-16 ... NIT First Round
Year 3: 18-17 ... NIT Quarterfinal
Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
Year 1: 17-13 ... NIT Quarterfinal
Year 2: 10-17 ... no post-season
Year 3: 11-17 ... no post-season
John Beilein (Michigan ... currently Cavs head coach)
Year 1: 10-22 ... no post-season
Year 2: 21-14 ... NCAA Division 1 Round of 32
Year 3: 15-17 ... no post-season
In no way am I excusing losses or making excuses for poor performances. No one hates losing as much as I do, especially as a lifelong Hoosier and proud IU alum. However, the process does take time, and I'm willing to see it through.