Had to watch that a couple times…he’s really added weight it looks like, doesn’t look like the same guy.  His chest, arms, and legs all look thicker.  Great to see, now I don’t have to worry about the scenario where Nix is backing him down…bump, bump, snap goes the femur.  

I’d still like to see him return his vertical leap to what it seemed like when we first watched him. He does look to be improving and getting stronger though. Maybe he’ll be able to spell Cody next year after all.

After the centers we’ve had over the last few years…I think you guys really under-value this kid…He missed a half a year with the injury..He seems to always be around the rim and will change shots no matter if he blocks them or not…What 10 points 4 blocks in that clip…..Thats 5 games for TP….Instant improvement I think at our weakest spot on the bench last year….

Well now..based on that limited video I’d h ave to say that this guy..much to my delight..is not a Tijan or Bawa. He appears to have some athleticism..and while a red-shirt year could benefit him…I don’t think he’d embarass himself spelling Cody for a few minutes. Crean has said they like his upside…I’d have to say I agree.

Nice haircut, this dude is looking more and more like a young Dikembe. I wonder if we have anyone on the coaching staff that specializes in developing big men.    There is not a lot of tape on him, but I’m gonna throw out there that he is already light years beyond Bawa and Tijan, and that by his sophomore year, he will be one of the top 2 centers in the Big Ten.

Holy crap.  And he’s our backup?!?!?!  We’re loaded.

Agreed on the redshirt year. With a year in the weight room, developing skills, learning the game, and practicing day after day against Cody he’d be more than ready to contribute as a redshirt freshman. Not saying he couldn’t contribute now, but if a RS ever looked to benefit a player immensely it’s Peter Jurkin.

I haven’t seen a lot of video on Jurkin, but I was impressed with this one.  Obviously, at his size, he should dominate down low against HS kids, but I was most impressed with his shot blocking ability.  Anthony Davis got the vast majority of his blocks off defender.  PJ was on defender on all of those blocks, and he looks like he has that NASTY drive that the great shot blockers possess.

Even if he never plays a minute on the floor next year (I think he will, but if he doesn’t), he could have a HUGE impact on this team simply by going against Cody in practice.  It isn’t very often that CZ is smaller than his opponent, and I think PJ could really improve CZ’s game this season.

I don’t think you will see a RS for Jurkin.  If CTC thinks he needs him to back up Cody next year than he is playing.  If he needs another year of conditioning, he will go to prep school and solve our scholly problem.  He finally looks healthy and has gotten stronger.  All the tools are there to be a productive center at IU.  He just needs time with Calbert in the gym.  Speaking of that, any news on the new assistant?

Peter doesn’t mess around. I like what I’m seeing here.

Agreed.  This video is not as impressive as some of his others.  He is so quick off his feet, and he is athletic…unlike some of the other bigs we have signed over the past few years.  He is very mobile. 

I don’t care if he scores 2 ppg.  He will average 5 blocks if he gets anywhere near significant minutes.  In his videos, it appears as though he enjoys playing D more than O.  On a team that will have about 10 offensive weapons, I think PJ will find the floor due to his D.

I’m not sure if everyone knows, but he was coached by Mugsy Bogues for the last year and a half or so of high school. I feel that reason is a HUGE factor in the improvement we are seeing from Jurkin, both weight and skill-set. Having an NBA experienced guard to practice with is going to be huge for positioning, being ready for the ball and also learning how to get the guard room to the basket- He’s definitely going to shock a lot of people that don’t know much about him.

It will also help PJ to go against CZ.  Most big guys don’t get to go against one of the most crafty post players in the country.  That was part of Tijan’s problem, he didn’t really have anyone to help him train with.  Plus, he was completely nuts!  I still love him anyway.

Agreed. PJ was scoring in double
Figures in most the games I read about and had scoring games over 30. He’s got some offensive skills.
He looks so much stronger than in the last year. If this kid gets to 245 by his sophomore year he’s gonna be tough to deal with. Could be one
Of the best shot blockers iu has had in quite some time. Big lineup with pj cz and cw would be a solid front court. Doubt he redshirts. Don’t think he needs the prep school year. It looks like he comes in and contributes immediately.

Looks agile for a big man, and seems to play with attitude. Menacing. Downright menacing.

One other thing is there is no way you can put PJ in the same group as Jobe or Bawa. I love the aggressiveness that PJ plays with, he thinks dunk first and that will draw fouls. We have needed a guy like this for a long while. He seems to have decent hands and a nice stroke from the free throw line too. I still think that Trey Lyles is going to be the best recruit to come along in years, when he gets here, but PJ I think is going to be a lot more fun to watch than what people think.

Ok, so a couple things on Peter. I know no one has had this criticism yet but I’ve heard it many times before, that some people doubt him because he’s not on any of the recruiting top 100′s and some times people over rate those ratings. You have to keep in mind that he missed 18 months with a foot fracture and obviously with his height that was a major injury at the time. But he was able to focus on conditioning during that time and it appears to be paying off big time. And with that kind of lay off I feel like scouting services just forgot about him. Because it appears he can become a dominant defensive player and comes to college with a (slightly) better offensive game than Mr. #1 Nerlens Noel.

Also I’ve read more than a handful of articles over the last season or so about Jurkin’s HS team and that they are heavily guard oriented and rarely feed the post. It’s a lot like Perea’s team in that they just seem to refuse to get him involved most of the time. So let those two guys get used to the IU system and they are both going to thrive earlier rather than later I promise.

As far as the RS talk, let’s drop that because we need to get all our guys out there this year and make this run for the title now. The smart money if Cody keeps improving is that he will probably leave after next season, (I’m not sure I really think this yet but one ESPN writer had him as his preseason POY) so we want to have all our horses at our disposal for this season. And also, I’m sure some people will think I’m nuts but I think Jurkin will be a major factor for this team before Perea or Patterson are. No offense to them because all 5 freshmen will end up being vital cogs to the IU machine over the next 4 years but I believe Jurkin will develop quicker because of his size and defensive ability.

Who’s ready for October?!

I gotta agree. He may well be the steal of the entire 2012 class!! He gets a mid range game with that athleticism and we got something. He and Cody will greatly benefit from battling in practice everyday. Id say this will help Peter develop quicker and if your wondering who can help bigs develop look no further than Cody himself. Cody will be able to teach him all kinds of postmoves. Peter and Hanner will jump lightyears ahead from year 1 to year 2. Pro-am will help these guys as well. Hats off to CTC for finding another gem. WE got something speacil in CTC as well. GO IU!!!!!

Like others, I like the slight bulk he’s added.  But most important, he’s an athlete, and he’s aggressive.  I love the aggressiveness.  Too often you see big men opt to lay it in instead of dunking, and not enjoying blocking shots as much as they do.

I’m not sure why this guy isn’t ranked.

Guys this mans on a whole diferent level that Tijan or Bawa. Hes a basketball player! They were just tall. Hes almost as athletic as Anthony Davis.ALMOST I said. Davis is way more devloped at this time but in 4 years Peter will be an absolute terror in the BIG. You can just see the potential in this guy and CTC develops players. In 2013 teams will not dare enter the lane with Peter,Hanner, and possibly cody down there. Wow were gonna be great for a long time boys. IU is back were we belong and ALL the credit goes to CTC!!!!

I really enjoyed watching him play in this game in CLT on Saturday evening. Only wish more IU alumni and fans had come out to support him. 

BBN had a whole group out supporting Noel et al in the all star game.

Without Jurkin, who is our backup to Cody next year?  Elston? All we need is 10 minutes a game (and a few accompanying boards and blocks) from PJ.

Dude runs the floor well, too.  No other team in the B1G will have two seven footers (or two nearly-seven footers) who can run the court like ours.

Did anyone else break out a “Pe-ter Jur-kin, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap” chant while watching this video?

 And nearly every block is to his own team.