Nets cut and confetti fell. The Duke Blue Devils champions once again. As “One Shining Moment” rang through Lucas Oil Stadium, the sound of a new era in college basketball surfaced.
Yes, pundits are quick to proclaim a team a dynasty, a quarterback elite and a recruit a sure thing. Monday morning quarterbacking and over-analyzing comes with covering sports. However, Duke’s title run solidified the modernization of collegiate hoops so many in the media had proclaimed.
The degree to which freshman players impact the game has skyrocketed across Division 1 basketball in the last decade. Powerhouse programs with coaching legends have completely altered recruiting to compile top recruits each year. Next season, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski will rely on four incoming freshmen to try to repeat last season’s championship. These fresh faces carry heavy expectations.
IU boasts its own set of talented newcomers with high expectations heading into this season. Thomas Bryant, an All-American from New York, will have his hands full from the get-go. He brings legitimacy to a depleted frontcourt, marred by underperforming and Hanner Mosquera-Perea’s dismissal. The Hoosiers are highly talented, but leadership is desperately needed from Coach Crean’s squad, whose reputation has undergone much scrutiny from Hoosier faithful.
The addition of Bryant makes IU a preseason darling. With the return of senior Yogi Ferrell, sophomore Justin Blackmon Jr. and junior Troy Williams, there is no doubt the boys from Bloomington have the capability to compete in the NCAA tournament come in late March.
That being said, the road through the Big Ten alone is daunting. Maryland, Purdue and Michigan State are all championship contenders, as each school brought in highly-touted recruits to counter big men like Bryant down low.
Caleb Swanigan, a 6-foot-8 275-pound stud, recently decided to play his college ball with the Boilermakers. Watching his YouTube reel might make any IU fan tremble. His presence, along with the return of A.J. Hammons, makes Purdue a force to be reckoned with.
A few hundred miles north, power forward Deyonta Davis keeps Michigan State in the title conversation. In College Park, Maryland nabbed Wisconsin native Diamond Stone, an incredibly skilled player who was heavily recruited. The effectiveness of Bryant, Swanigan, Davis and Stone will be very telling in how successful these programs can be.
Looking outside the Big Ten, top recruits’ commitments keeps Duke, Kentucky and LSU in the mix. College basketball lovers salivate at the idea of the potential matchups in the low post next year.
While great pressure mounts on these players, coaching, as always, will separate the good from the great. Duke’s title run was solidified because of the cohesion Coach K created among his players. Blending senior Quinn Cook with freshmen Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow, all of whom are now headed pro, is a remarkable accomplishment. Crean faces a tough — but necessary — test to assimilate the young and talented Bryant with veterans Ferrell and Williams.
That’s the task nowadays for top programs. Cycling players year-in and year-out is now common practice in college hoops. It’s remarkable how kids — yes kids — who just graduated high school assume such important roles on the court, even if just for a season. Massive expectations sit on the shoulders of Bryant and company. Fair or foul, that’s the reality of the game today.
jms31@indiana.edu
