The Inside the Hall Mailbag: November 8
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. Now, onward …
@MitchellBMitch writes: what are your expectations 4 Elston this season & do you think he could be an x factor in helping #iubb make a tourney in 11?
Alex Bozich: If he stays healthy, Elston should have a role as an energy player than can rebound, finish some plays around the basket and also knock down some perimeter jump shots. As we found out late this past summer, injuries a season ago really hampered his ability to defend or make explosive plays.
At times he’s too quick to settle for the jumper, but it’s always been a part of his game since I first saw him play in high school. I’m not sure I’d call him a X-factor as I’d lean more towards Will Sheehey or Victor Oladipo in that role, but he’s certainly got the ability to make an impact.
Mark Shlyankevich via Facebook writes: Do you see Will Sheehey as a full time starter this year?
Ryan Corazza: At this juncture, Sheehey appears to be penciled into Tom Crean’s starting lineup. And as long as he keeps doing what he’s been doing, he’s likely to remain for the foreseeable future. The Florida native’s improved jumper gives the Hoosiers another perimeter shooting threat alongside Jordan Hulls. Crean also noted at Big Ten Media Day that Sheehey is getting closer to having the consistency he likes on defense, which is another notch in his cap.
If he can bring some strong offensive rebounding to the table as well — he was third in offensive rebounding percentage out of regular returners heading into this season — it should bode well for him remaining in the starting five.
@_Nickoli_ writes: any chance you’ll get an interview with Dakich? I’d like to know how he came up with 23-25 wins this year
Alex Bozich: An interview is not on the horizon, but the 23 to 25 win prediction is not realistic. Indiana has won a total of eight Big Ten games over the past three seasons. Even if they doubled their conference win total from two seasons ago, that would put them at 8-10 in league play. And if you put them at say, 11-2, in non-conference play (also very optimistic), that would be a 19-12 record heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Going back to the 23 to 25 win prediction, how many teams in the conference will win that many games? Not many. A realistic prediction would be 18-13.
@lcmayer32 writes: With Zeller’s running/floor coverage ability and need to get Will/Vic in, is #IUBB better off going small majority of time
Ryan Corazza: Taking all the preseason chatter into consideration, Indiana is shaping up to be a team looking to get out on the break. But Zeller’s presence gives them a nice advantage: The Hoosiers get a 6-foot-11 rim protector and a player that’s looking to score in transition — evidence of which we saw with Zeller’s first bucket of his career on Saturday night.
In the end, it may not be about playing small or big for Crean; it’ll be about who’s giving him what he wants efficiently, and there seem to be enough players able to convert in transition that they may not have to necessarily “go small” to get those kind of buckets.
Graysville Scout Pack via Facebook writes: Views on where Gary Harris is going?
Alex Bozich: Let me preface this with saying I really don’t have a great feel for where this is headed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up at any of the four schools. The family has done a great job of managing the process and keeping the decision making part of things inside the family. But since I’ve been asked about this quite a bit, my gut feeling is either Michigan State or Purdue.
@funkmastacrab writes: will we see vj3 at the point this year?
Alex Bozich: Jones will probably log minutes at the point guard, but don’t expect to see him filling that role on a full-time basis. Jones is capable of handling the ball, but his turnovers (83 a season ago) probably make him better suited to play off the ball. He’s dangerous as a scoring threat off the wing because he can get into the lane and hit the pull-up jump shot.
Jordan Hulls seems the better candidate of the two to play the majority of the point guard minutes because he’s less turnover prone, gets the offense running more efficiently and has taken on a leadership role as a junior.
@jayrigdon5 writes: Did Daniel Moore get the vacant 13th scholarship for his senior year?
Alex Bozich: Yes, he did. That was reported on Saturday I believe and an IU spokesperson confirmed it to us today.
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