The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can.

@HopslamHoosier writes: how much should we take vonleh’s four year player comments with a grain of salt? Or should we?

I’m not surprised by his comments. (You can read them here.) Crean has said several times that while he’s not opposed to recruiting one-and-done players, he’s also not looking for players who won’t unpack their bags in Bloomington. It seems like Noah is coming into the situation with the attitude that he’ll be in college until he’s fully prepared to take the next step in his career. In other words, he’s not viewing IU as a quick pit stop to the NBA. That’s the attitude Crean covets when recruiting the top players.

Cody Zeller came to Bloomington with a similar attitude of staying for four years, but ended up leaving early because he was prepared to do so. I see the Vonleh situation in a comparable light. He’s coming to college to be a student athlete, to win games and get better. If he has the opportunity to leave early and he feels he’s ready, I think that’s what he’ll do. And who could blame him if that’s what happens? But to answer your question, I believe he’s genuine in his comments. – Alex Bozich

@mattyork1941 writes: how is austin etherington’s rehab progressing? Will he be ready and have a significant role next year?

It sounds like Etherington is on track to be healthy for next season. Here’s the latest from Tom Crean from a little more than a week ago: “Austin Etherington continues to make strides with his knee rehab, strength and jump shot,” Crean tweeted. “His shooting was very impressive last Friday.”

As for the role Etherington will play, I’m not sure I foresee him taking on a significant role. That’s not to say he can’t find his niche as a perimeter shooter, but he’ll have stiff competition for perimeter minutes with guys like Will Sheehey, Jeremy Hollowell, Stanford Robinson, Troy Williams and Collin Hartman all vying for time. — Alex Bozich

@RealAdamJ writes: What impact do you expect from Perea and Jurkin next year? How big is another summer of conditioning for these guys?

Hanner Mosquera-Perea has been impressive in workouts this spring and the biggest thing for him this offseason is getting in the gym and taking on that 365 day a year mentality that Crean frequently references. If that happens, there’s no reason to believe that Mosquera-Perea won’t be a rotation guy next season. He has the talent and athleticism to do so. The suspension last season was a significant setback for him because he lost valuable time against several of IU’s early non-conference opponents.

As for Jurkin, his foot injury hampered him throughout Big Ten season and if he is to contribute next season, getting healthy is the first thing on the checklist. — Alex Bozich

@MShlyank writes: how realistic is it to repeat as Big 10 champs?

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The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can.

@bball_for_life3 writes: Was this season over-hyped, or even a failure?

Failure? No chance. Winning a Big Ten championship outright is extremely difficult to do, as evidenced by the fact that it hadn’t been done in Bloomington in 20 years. Expectations were certainly high for this team and for the most part, they were met. The exception, of course, was the NCAA Tournament, where the Hoosiers reached the Sweet 16, but couldn’t get past Syracuse.

As I wrote in five takeaways following the loss to the Orange, Indiana didn’t meet its goal of winning a national championship. But should that alone define the season? I would argue no. The reality of the tournament is this: If you’re not playing your best at the right time, you’re going home. Only one team wins it all and everyone else goes home with at least some level of disappointment.

Every year there are early upsets and once a team reaches the second weekend, the opponents become even more difficult. Unfortunately for Indiana, Syracuse was a difficult matchup because of the zone and its length and athleticism. Indiana didn’t play well and it got beat. Disappointing? Yes. A failure? No. — Alex Bozich

@prnumber04 writes: What role is Remy [Abell] going to play next year?

That’s a good question. Abell’s 2012-2013 campaign was up and down. He started off very well, disappeared for a while and then seemed to regain some confidence offensively down the stretch. If Indiana loses four starters like many expect that it will, there’s an opportunity for Abell to increase his minutes in a reserve role. He’ll still be one of the better on-ball defenders on the roster, but with Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey returning and Stanford Robinson and Troy Williams arriving, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Abell in the starting lineup. Still, as a battle-tested veteran who has played major minutes in key Big Ten and NCAA Tournament games, he’ll have a role on next season’s team. — Alex Bozich

@PaulAynilian writes: Are you concerned with lack of size next year if Zeller goes? True bigs would be Fischer, Perea, Jurkin + Jeff Howard…

There would obviously be a lack of experience at the five spot if Cody Zeller departs, but I think Luke Fischer is being underestimated by many. He beat out some good players in Wisconsin for Mr. Basketball and is coming off two undefeated, state championship seasons. He’s not Zeller, but he’s a well-rounded player who will be capable of coming in and playing right away. And with Noah Vonleh, one of the best prep rebounders in the country, Indiana should be very strong at the four position.

The key is getting more out of Hanner Mosquera-Perea, who still has a long way to go to become a regular contributor. By the end of the season, he was able to give IU a couple of minutes here and there, but if he can have a big offseason where significant strides are made, frontcourt depth is much less of a concern. — Alex Bozich

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The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can.

@JSutel writes: Yogi has improved all season, what’s the next part of his game to come, consistent finishing at the rim or that jump shot?

As you said, I think we’ve seen Yogi Ferrell improve in just about every area of his game as the season has progressed. But after a glance at the numbers, I think he’s been adequate in finishing at the rim and with his jumper this season. In terms of finishing at the rim, he’s taking 25 percent of his field goal attempts at the rim and is making 64 percent. For a small guard, that’s a good enough percentage.

As far as the jump shot goes, his overall percentages are not great, but he’s shooting close to 36 percent on threes in conference play, which is an improvement over the 20 percent mark posted in non-conference play. That tells me he’s becoming more comfortable and confident.

I think the next part of his game to come to elevate him into the elite level of point guards in college basketball is to cut down on his turnovers. His turnover percentage (23.8) is the highest among IU starters. Some of that has to do with the pace and style of play the Hoosiers play, but there are also instances where he goes airborne with nowhere to go or tries to make a pass that isn’t there. Some of that is just how he plays, but I also feel like some of it is still a matter of making an adjustment to the college game.

Nathan Curtis-Wagoner writes: What are the chances IU will end up in the Midwest region of the NCAA bracket?

Very good right now, but there’s still a lot to play out. Michigan losing last night at Penn State certainly helped the Hoosiers because the Wolverines are likely eliminated from contention for a No. 1 seed. The Wolverines probably had an outside shot of making a play for the Midwest No.1 before last night, but losing to the Big Ten’s worst team ended that.  A team to keep an eye on is Louisville, which is strong in the computers and has won 7 of 8.

Ultimately, Indiana just needs to win games to play through Indianapolis. I believe an outright Big Ten regular season championship makes the Hoosiers a lock for the Midwest No. 1 and if they share the title, they’ll probably have some work to do in Chicago to button things up. I’d characterize the chances as very good at this point, but nothing is guaranteed yet.

@funkmastacrab writes: What’s with Remy? He started the season off strong, but he hasn’t been the same since…is confidence a factor?

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The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. 

@wmontgom447 writes: what’s up with peter jurkin? There have been ample opportunities for him to come off the bench for late game minutes.

The latest on Peter Jurkin is that he’s got some type of left foot injury, but details on the injury are not clear. Tom Crean mentioned that Jurkin had some “setbacks” a couple of weeks ago on his weekly radio show, but no further details have been provided beyond that.

Jurkin battled a shin injury for over a year during his prep career that forced him to miss a good portion of his junior season and the entire AAU season prior to his senior year. Now that we’re in the home stretch of the season and Jurkin has played in three games for a total of seven minutes, it’s unlikely we’ll see him at all the rest of the way. — Alex Bozich

Shane Camp writes: Chances Vic and Cody come back next year? I’m dreaming of a starting five of Yogi, Sheehey, Oladipo, Vonleh, and Zeller.

Keep dreaming, Shane. I think this is the question we’re getting most often recently given the fact that both guys are currently looking like lottery picks in June’s NBA Draft. Obviously neither guy is focusing on the draft at this point because their current goals include winning the Big Ten and a national championship, but I don’t see both players returning to school.

Oladipo will have his degree in May and is in the midst of a historic rise up the draft boards. His stock isn’t going to get any higher. Zeller is well on his way to a business degree, could complete any remaining course work after he goes pro and is basically a lock to be a top ten pick. Of the two, he seems more likely to return, but I wouldn’t count on it. It’s also possible that one of them just loves the experience in Bloomington so much that it could sway them to return, but beyond that, why, exactly, would either guy come back? — Alex Bozich

@hoopstrainer writes: Does IU’s performance in the Big Ten tourney secure a #1 seed more, or the regular season?

The performance in the regular season will mean more to the selection committee if the Hoosiers win the championship outright. If there’s a shared regular season title, it’s possible the tournament could be the deciding factor on who gets the top spot in the midwest, but if Indiana wins the regular season title (a share or outright), it will be a No. 1 seed. — Alex Bozich

@mattyork1941 writes: more deserving of poy zeller or oladipo?

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The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. 

@bpollard writes: What are your thoughts on the development of Hanner Perea to date? Do you see him earning more minutes in January?

It’s really hard to get an accurate gauge of just how far Mosquera-Perea has come from the beginning of the season because we’ve seen very little of him on the floor. He did play double-digit minutes in blowout wins over Mount St. Mary’s, Florida Atlantic and Jacksonville, but played just a total of seven minutes against Butler and Iowa.

There’s no denying the physical talent he possesses, but he’s got six turnovers in a total of 43 minutes and besides the Florida Atlantic game (10 rebounds), he’s combined for a total of three in his other four games. That said, it’s only been five games, so this question is perhaps better addressed at the end of January. How his role progresses will be determined by his ability to finish plays around the basket, rebound more consistently and limit mistakes. — Alex Bozich

@RickFrazier writes: Do you ever see Elston having a more pivotal role than the one he is in now (5 or so minutes per game)?

Of course. He’s only played in four games and is coming off of knee surgery. He’s going to need time to get his conditioning back and become more comfortable on the floor. I’m not sure he’s going to have many games where he’s playing more than 12-15 minutes, but he’s certainly a valuable piece of the bench because of his experience and his ability to knock down open shots. — Alex Bozich

@stevemarko23 writes: I know its early, but should there be concern ‘the movement’ was a tad overhyped? Yogi seems to be the only real impact guy

It’s not just early, it’s super early. Jeremy Hollowell just sat out three games and Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Peter Jurkin sat out nine games each to start the season. I’m not sure how anyone can make a reasonable judgement on any of those three players as we sit here on Jan. 2.

Hollowell did some positive things in the win at Iowa, including a late block that kept the lead at three when it could have been one. Anyone who was operating under the illusion that “the movement” was going to come in and take major minutes in a program that returned mostly everybody from a Sweet Sixteen team was misguided. Ferrell was the most college ready of the four players and as the season moves along, I would expect Hollowell and Mosquera-Perea to have their moments. Patience, people. Patience. — Alex Bozich

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The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. 

@Tbrown1820 writes: from last week. Jordy Hulls got a shot at NBA if he continues playing at this level?

I would like to think he has a shot. Hulls is a leader and, in my opinion, the best shooter in college basketball this season. And as we’ve seen with certain players in the past, if you can shoot it, there’s always a spot for you. Now, Hulls has his drawbacks which everyone is aware of. He’s not great defensively, he’s not as quick as NBA guards, and he’s only 6-foot. I don’t see him getting drafted, but I think he’s a guy that will get picked up on someone’s Summer League team and have a chance to make an NBA roster.

I think he’s a better player than Travis Diener, who Tom Crean got to the NBA during his time at Marquette. He’s also a better player than Ben Hansbrough, who is currently on the Pacers roster. Just imagine him as a member of the Miami Heat. He would get open shots all the time without having to do much to get open. I’d like to see him get a chance. – Justin Albers

@NMalone23 writes: Will Derek Elston serve much of a purpose when he returns? Team could be in a groove by then.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that Elston is going to have a role on this team. It may not mean playing as many minutes or scoring as much as in the past, but as a senior, he’s emerged as one of the leaders on this team. Crean has talked about Elston being vocal in practice and Elston’s personality is such that he is well liked and respected by his teammates.

I think his role may transition a bit from potential scorer off the bench to being expected to do more rebounding and defensive work down on the block. While he’s certainly capable of coming in and knocking down shots from the perimeter, Indiana’s personnel has evolved to a point where Elston is probably a third or fourth option at best, even if he’s in the game with other bench players. — Alex Bozich

@Perpetualcoffee writes: should hulls shoot more?

If you asked me this question before the season, I’d say “yes” without question. Hulls was always kind of hesitant to shoot at times last season when maybe he should have let it go. But early on this season, Hulls has been shooting more than he has in the past, and that’s good to see. When he sees any sort of an opening, he has been letting it go. Plus, on this team, with plenty of people able and willing to take the shots, I don’t think there are many more shots available for him. As long as he’s taking 6-8 shots a game, the Hoosiers should be in good shape. — Justin Albers

@ryanmkost writes: do you agree in the process of oversigning IU has done and in general for all programs across the country?

I don’t have an issue with it and as much as some don’t like this explanation, the numbers have always worked out. My opinion is that it’s better to be well prepared for potential departures (like the NBA or transfers) and be able to fill the roster to the scholarship limit of 13 each year.

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