With the way that the game of basketball has evolved over time, the way the game is played looks a lot different than it did years ago. With those changes in the game, coaches and front office members have had no choice but to adapt their strategies when it comes to player personnel. These are no longer the days of traditional bigs and midrange maestros.
When you think about the modern age of basketball, what are some common characteristics that coaches look for in their players?
If the first skill that comes to mind in response to that question is not shooting, you may want to conduct some film study on how the times have changed. Stephen Curry more or less made the ability to hit outside shots a mandate to playing time in the NBA, and that notion has progressively trickled down to the collegiate level.
Beyond shooting, you need guys that can control the boards, guys that can make plays, guys that can defend their tails off, and if you are lucky you may even land a few guys that can do all of these things effectively. The key is not their skillset, however, as the more important item that a player can bring to the table is their willingness to buy into their role and maximize their skills within that role for the greater good of the team.
Egos aside, a team is a team and a program is a program, and one bad apple is all that it takes to ruin an entire batch. When you think back throughout the storied history of Indiana University men’s basketball, there have not been many bad apples that have come and gone.
There have been some truly spectacular players who we would have absolutely loved to see play together. Perhaps some of their styles of play could overlap, but we firmly believe that it would not be difficult to piece together a modern juggernaut from the ancestors of Assembly Hall.
With those things in mind, here are the 13 guys we would extend a scholarship to if given the keys to the DeLorean and tasked with constructing the best modern team possible via the treasure chest of Indiana Hoosier legends.