Okay, so what should we make of Indiana reportedly taking a look at one-and-done guard Roburt Sallie?
Let’s emphasize that the reporting –- courtesy of a “tweet” by FoxSports.com’s Jeff Goodman -– is not etched in stone.
It might even be wrong.
But then, they also say that about Bigfoot.
So let’s assume it’s true. Here’s the first thought –- not ANOTHER guard. The Hoosiers already have set an NCAA record for most guards on a roster. Two incoming freshmen are guards. The two guys back from injury (Maurice Creek and Matt Roth) are guards. The senior (Jeremiah Rivers) is a guard. You could argue that forwards Christian Watford and Derek Elston are just blown up guards. And then there’s Verdell Jones and Jordan Hulls and …
Sorry. The second thought is who is Roburt Sallie? Well, he’s a well-traveled California native who spent the last two years at Memphis. He’s a three-point sharpshooter (47.1 percent, 41.3 percent the last two seasons) who averaged 10.5 points last season. He’s listed at 6-5 and 200 pounds, so technically you could call him a forward, but that would fool no one.
Anyway, Sallie already has graduated from college, but has one year of eligibility left. The NCAA has changed its rule so that transfers who already have graduated don’t have to redshirt a season. They can play right away.
Sallie is reportedly set to visit Louisville and then Indiana. He brings a veteran backcourt presence and a knack for rebounding. He averaged 4.0 boards last season. Rebounding was among the many issues IU has struggled with the last couple of season.
Sallie was California junior college player of the year while leading City College of San Francisco to a 29-4 record a couple of seasons ago.
The key point is Sallie would only be around for one season. In essence, he would be a mercenary reminiscent of forward Marco Killingsworth at the end of the Mike Davis era. It didn’t quite work out then -– Killingsworth put up big numbers (17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds), but IU went just 9-7 in the Big Ten and Davis was pushed out the door.
Of course, a 9-7 Big Ten record for next year would be kissing-Megan-Fox good (not that we KNOW what kissing her is like) given IU has won just five conference games in the last two seasons.
Getting Sallie became a possibility after forward Bawa Muniru recently decided to transfer, thus freeing up a scholarship. Because it’s only for a year, it would have zero affect on IU’s Class of 2011 recruiting
Nothing is certain. Sallie might not pick the Hoosiers. Coach Tom Crean and his staff might decide it’s not a good fit team-wise, chemistry-wise, skill-wise.
And, of course, it might not even be true.
Still, if it is true, it’s a chance to get a good-shooting experienced player used to winning. IU can’t make this a habit (the risk of chemistry conflict is high), but extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.
Two years of playing the Big Ten patsy makes this a very extraordinary time. Is it enough to warrant getting Sallie?
Only Bigfoot knows for sure.
This post assumes too much (e.g., "the risk of chemistry conflict is high"). How can you claim to know anything about chemistry when the player hasn't even been to IU yet? He might get along great with the team. Also, just because IU has a lot of guards doesn't mean that they are good. If the player is better than a lot of the players currently on the roster than IU should take him. As noted in the article it's not as if he impacts the 2011 recruiting class. If the player can also bring experience and leadership that is all the better for the younger players like Hulls, C-Wat, Creek, etc. because IU has so little experience and the youngsters certainly aren't getting great lessons in respect, sportsmanship, team play, etc. from Rivers.
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that the Killingsworth experiment did work out well for coach Mike Davis when taken in the context of his final three seasons at IU. The two previous seasons IU didn't even participate in the NCAA tournament, but the season Killingsworth played for IU the Hoosiers advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
ReplyDeleteMegan Fox is, in actuality, a robot created by Michael Bay, so kissing her would be awkward and unfulfilling.
ReplyDeleteElston is a blown up guard? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteWe could sure use an experienced rebounding guard. Coach is craving competition for playing time. Brett Finkelmeier is off to Dental School. Watford and Elston are not guards. I say bring him in.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter saw Sallie at Churchill Downs in Louisville Ky. on Friday and he said he was committing to Pitino. His friend also showed her a text from Crean after he heard the news.
ReplyDelete