In the unlikely event that you’ve yet to hear, Indiana Media Relations announced on Friday that Bobby Capobianco is leaving the program and will transfer.

After digesting this development over the weekend, here are a few thoughts:

– Crean’s first 2009 recruit: While much of the focus in the comments in recent weeks has been on finding room for the 2012 recruiting class, it’s important to remember that Capobianco committed to the program when things were at an all-time low. The Ohio native was Tom Crean’s first verbal in the 2009 recruiting class, which was ranked in the top ten nationally, and was a solid student and citizen during his time in Bloomington.

– Decline in minutes: Capobianco’s minutes fell from 11.9 per game as a freshman to 6.3 per game as a sophomore. He logged more fouls (44) than total points (26) last season. His minutes, had he remained a Hoosier, were likely to fall even further with the arrival of Cody Zeller. While playing time was not cited as a reason for his decision by Capobianco in the school’s release, it was mentioned by Tom Crean. Even with a big offseason of improvement, Capobianco was likely the odd post player out in the rotation.

– Fourth transfer: This is the fourth transfer in three seasons of the Tom Crean era. There were two after year one: Malik Story and Nick Williams and one last summer: Bawa Muniru. The level of attrition thus far seems normal given the rebuilding state of the program and the continued improvement in recruiting.

– Scholarship situation: Capobianco’s announcement means that Indiana can now sign all five players that are currently committed in the 2012 class in November. (Updated scholarship numbers here.) The NCAA has a limit of 13 scholarships, but the Big Ten allows conference members to oversign by one. The Hoosiers continue to recruit Gary Harris and Mitch McGary for the 2012 class, but as the roster currently stands, only five players can sign early in November.

Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to make some sense of the 2010-11 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on. Today: Bobby Capobianco.

Final Stats (26 games): 1.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 47.4% FG, 50.0% FT in 6.3 minutes per game

On a team desperately seeking interior help, Bobby Capobianco’s 2010-2011 performance did little to inspire that he’ll ever become more than a depth player at the high-major level.

Tom Crean’s first recruit of the 2009 class saw his minutes drop from 11.9 per game as a freshman to just 6.3 during his sophomore campaign and he failed to get off the bench in six of IU’s contests.

And when he did enter the fray, it seemed a whistle followed almost immediately. Consider this statistic: Capobianco logged more fouls (44) than total points (26). Capobianco’s fouls adjusted for 40 minutes per game? 10.7, the worst average on an IU roster that fouled more than any BCS school.

The regression was disappointing because at times during his first season in Bloomington, Capobianco looked like a player that possessed the potential to develop into a solid backup. There was a sense that he’d made some strides from the beginning to the end of his first season and was perhaps ready to take that next step into a 15-to-20 minute player.

And when Guy-Marc Michel’s ruling from the NCAA came down, it was assumed that Capobianco would be one of the players who would stand to benefit on the depth chart.

Continue reading this post »

It’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2010-2011 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Bobby Capobianco.

What did we learn about Bobby Capobianco in his freshman season of 2009-2010?

Like all youngsters, there’s room for improvement.

Capobianco provided some nice energy in a reserve frontcourt role, but his turnover percentage (22.1 percent), free-throw shooting (11-of-24, 45.8 percent) and two-point shooting (22-of-52, 42.3 percent) could all stand an upswing.

Capobianco averaged a shade under 12 minutes a game last year, and whether he sees more playing time this season could be largely dependent on just how much progress he shows heading into his sophomore year.

The good news? Capobianco, like seemingly all his second-year Hoosier counterparts, has added some bulk to his frame this summer. It could very well help him bang in the paint better on both sides of the ball.

The bad news? Capobianco will likely have some competition. If Guy-Marc Michel proves to be the defensive presence we continue to hear he can be, he’ll get more minutes than Tijan Jobe or Bawa Muniru did last season, which could squeeze Capobianco out of seeing an uptick in minutes. And with Christian Watford and Derek Elston, both players who are shaping up to be a big part of this season’s rotation, having the ability to play in the frountcourt as well, Capo will need to prove he deserves to be a part of the rotation.

Continue reading this post »

BLOOMINGTON — For those who are unaware, I rode in the Little 500 for four years in college. We took it pretty seriously — year-round training, races in the summer, suicides up all 11 floors at Ballantine, a curtailing of night-time activities during spring semester. The works, in other words.

And I cannot begin to quantify the amount of incredulity that would flow our way, particularly for that last sacrifice. (Living in a fraternity house and not drinking? To quote Denzel Washington, boy, you must be outside your mind.) But we did it, and we probably were crazy, but not because of that.

As I’ve moved further in my still-short career, though, I’ve often hoped that my Little 500 experience did give me a little bit of an understanding when talking about college athletes’ conditioning. Which is why I jumped at this opportunity. (Well, jumped at scrambling to rearrange my schedule at the last minute. Journalists really only at our best on deadline.)

If you don’t want to click the link, here’s a brief summary: Media got to take part in a 2 1/2-hour-long workout today that simulated some of what the IU basketball team does on a regular basis in conditioning. We were put through some early paces, stretched out, took down some measurables (6-foot-1 wingspan and a 9-foot-4 vertical — I’ll reject your stuff) and then got down to business.

Continue reading this post »