Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Men's non-conference and crossover:

DATE	OPPONENT	HOME / AWAY
11/14	CONCORD	HOME
11/15	LINCOLN (PA)	HOME
11/22	ASHLAND	NEUTRAL / UPJ
11/23	D'YOUVILLE	HOME
11/26	LINCOLN (PA)	AWAY
11/30	ST. THOMAS AQUINAS	HOME
12/6	KUTZTOWN (crossover)	AWAY
12/16	MANSFIELD (crossover)	HOME
12/20	BLOOMSBURG (crossover)	AWAY
12/21	EAST STROUDSBURG (crossover)	AWAY
1/2	WEST CHESTER (crossover)	HOME
1/3	MILLERSVILLE (crossover)	HOME
2/4	PSU-Du Bois	HOME

Notes / Comments:

* A home-and-home in the same non-conference slate is a tad odd
* Rough stretch for Santa ... the likely Big 3 of the East (including a back-to-back days set with West Chester and Millersville). Not easy.
* Playing at ESU is never easy. Going on Dec. 21 does help.
* St. Thomas Aquinas is traditionally a very strong program
* Concord and Ashland are typically tough games

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The schedule is out. Not an easy one.

Non-conference highlights include Ashland and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Crossover isn't friendly this year.

Joe supposedly has a pretty big team. He's gonna need it.

[Fightingscot82]

Former IUP assistant Daniel Smay has left his HC job at PSU Dubois and taken the reigns at Pitt Bradford.

His next stop will be in the PSAC. Excellent coach.

He had a couple serious players last year (who should not be at PSU Dubois).

Good for him. His job wasn't going to exist in a year or so and nobody is telling Pitt to close its outlet stores.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Former IUP assistant Daniel Smay has left his HC job at PSU Dubois and taken the reigns at Pitt Bradford.

His next stop will be in the PSAC. Excellent coach.

He had a couple serious players last year (who should not be at PSU Dubois).

[Bart]

Looks like Kaaba Murray transferred to Bloom. He didn't play at IUP and I wouldn't expect much, but it's news.

[Ship69]

I remember 25 years ago I could have told you who all the major stars were in D1 basketball and where they played.

Now, other than the big white dude from Duke, I don't think I could name another D1 basketball player. Granted, I could count on one hand how many D1 games I watched this past season.

I read a couple of the NBA mock drafts after the lottery the other night. I'd never heard of the majority of Round 1.

Football is becoming the same way. Cheer for the helmet. The players are nameless and faceless. Here today. Gone tomorrow.

I'm the same way with respect to sports now. Part of the reason with pro sports are that there are so many more teams. Old geezers such as me can remember when the NHL was the original six. As a Bears fan, I could name you more players off the '63 championship team than I could off the current edition. About the only sport where I really know a lot of players these days is baseball because I play in fantasy league every year and have to have some idea about the players I select. Even in that sport there are players I've barely heard about. And as you said, the players might not be along now. The Cubs picked up Kyle Tucker this season, and ever since he arrived there have been countless articles with reasons why they won't be able to keep him. It detracts from the enjoyment of what has been a decent season for the Cubbies so far.

It all makes me just not care as much about sports. I've gone from a rabid fan to someone who probably hasn't watched more than 3-4 NFL games all the way through in the past couple of years. I don't watch evening college games because the number of commercials in those marathons of four-plus hours drive me nuts.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Schedule update (MEN'S):


Friday, Nov. 14 / Concord at IUP

Saturday, Nov. 15 / Lincoln at IUP

Saturday, Nov. 22 / Ashland at IUP

Sunday, Nov. 23 / D'Youville at IUP

[tonyc]

IUP recruits: https://open.substack.com/pub/tonyco...eOnShare=false

[IUPalum]

I'm definitely not implying full blown line changes. But he could give that trio some minutes here and there.

I fully expect Merraro, Moore and Dillard to all average 33-34 mpg.

I can tell you that Dallis won't be at 34 min regularly. His aggressive D will lead him to sit some.

Moore and Merraro were gassed the games they played 33-34 min.

I think the bench guards are going to have to scoop up approx 35 guard minutes and hopefully that isn't Sarp or Pickens.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I'm not a fan of the Pickens move. He can nab a few minutes but no way is he a 15-18 min WL type line change player.

Grove to me is solid for about 25 minutes but he gets gassed out there. He needs breaks.

I'm definitely not implying full blown line changes. But he could give that trio some minutes here and there.

I fully expect Merraro, Moore and Dillard to all average 33-34 mpg.

[IUPalum]

I'll wait until he makes his first layup at IUP before getting his bags packed for Villanova.

Joking aside, it was obvious he'd have to redshirt. The first (5) guards are locked. The next two are Pickens and Sarp. Joe loves him some Sarp. So, at best Blundo would have probably been the 8th guard on the active roster.

As we know, being the 8th guard on Joe's active roster might as well put you on Apollo 13.

The bigger question will be if he redshirts the incoming big boy. If he doesn't, that would give him (5) active post players.

Joe 'could' go pretty deep this year. We know he won't. But, he has the bodies.

He could easily start Merarro, Moore and Dillard, and line change them out for Pickens, Herring and Sfanos.

Talking out loud, of course, but he's never (?) had that kind of guard depth.

Underneath isn't as complicated. Grove and Rodriguez will rarely come off the floor. I'd suspect Damir and Triggs get 10-12 mpg each. Both are very capable, experienced backups.

I'm not a fan of the Pickens move. He can nab a few minutes but no way is he a 15-18 min WL type line change player.

Grove to me is solid for about 25 minutes but he gets gassed out there. He needs breaks.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It was intimated that a four-year career at D2 IUP is not the goal and that Joe is OK with this. (Do you think Joe's heart swells up three times its original size when a freshman *requests* a redshirt?)

I'll wait until he makes his first layup at IUP before getting his bags packed for Villanova.

Joking aside, it was obvious he'd have to redshirt. The first (5) guards are locked. The next two are Pickens and Sarp. Joe loves him some Sarp. So, at best Blundo would have probably been the 8th guard on the active roster.

As we know, being the 8th guard on Joe's active roster might as well put you on Apollo 13.

The bigger question will be if he redshirts the incoming big boy. If he doesn't, that would give him (5) active post players.

Joe 'could' go pretty deep this year. We know he won't. But, he has the bodies.

He could easily start Merarro, Moore and Dillard, and line change them out for Pickens, Herring and Sfanos.

Talking out loud, of course, but he's never (?) had that kind of guard depth.

Underneath isn't as complicated. Grove and Rodriguez will rarely come off the floor. I'd suspect Damir and Triggs get 10-12 mpg each. Both are very capable, experienced backups.

[hawks16]

Mixed feelings. Being that he'd probably play 5 mpg, the redshirt is the right thing to do.

However, in this day and age, ... smoke 'em if you got 'em. You may never see Year 2 (at least in the same uniform).

It was intimated that a four-year career at D2 IUP is not the goal and that Joe is OK with this. (Do you think Joe's heart swells up three times its original size when a freshman *requests* a redshirt?)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Imagine that. Joe redshirting his best high school recruit. LOL

Mixed feelings. Being that he'd probably play 5 mpg, the redshirt is the right thing to do.

However, in this day and age, ... smoke 'em if you got 'em. You may never see Year 2 (at least in the same uniform).

[Fightingscot82]

Incoming true freshman Ralphie Blundo said he intends to redshirt this year.

Imagine that. Joe redshirting his best high school recruit. LOL