Author: Mike Schumann

It appears that the college football season just might start on time.  That’s real progress, because a couple months ago that scenario did not seem very likely. But with just under three months until the kickoff of the 2020 season, one of the more significant questions that remains is to what extent fans will be permitted to attend the games. The scenarios are all over the map.  Literally. The Texas governor has already approved stadiums at 50 percent of capacity.  Purdue president Mitch Daniels said recently that he doesn’t expect Ross Ade Stadium to be more than 25 percent full…

Perhaps he saw something he liked? Justin Smith will be playing for a team that Indiana faced three times in the last two seasons. The recent IU graduate announced on his Twitter page on Monday afternoon that he will play his final season of college basketball at Arkansas. https://twitter.com/justinsmith3_/status/1270038126887677955?s=20 Smith will become the sixth transfer to join the Razorbacks’ roster for the 2020-21 season as head coach Eric Musselman continues to rebuild that program.  Including freshmen the team projects to have 10 new faces. Smith’s fit at Arkansas will be interesting.  The 6-foot-7 forward wants to play out on the…

Mike Roberts knew he wasn’t going to get far with a rising phenom in the Atlanta suburbs named Bruce Thornton. Roberts has known Thornton’s Milton High School head coach Allen Whitehart for a long time, but as an assistant coach at UNC-Greensboro, it was quickly becoming clear this wasn’t a mid-major prospect. When Roberts took an assistant coaching position at his alma mater last summer, he knew he had a second chance. “Mike had already known about him (Thornton) before he went to Indiana, and he knew they didn’t have a chance when he was at UNCG,” Whitehart told The…

The murder of George Floyd and resulting events around the country have had a profound impact on IU athletes. Hoosiers have been involved in protests and rallies all over the country, including Race Thompson in Minnesota, Joey Brunk and Trayce Jackson-Davis in Indianapolis, Tom Allen and many members of the IU football program in Bloomington, and Jaelynn Penn in Louisville. Those are just a few examples. And if you want to understand what the last couple weeks have meant to these IU athletes, it is best to hear from them directly. Penn and her IU women’s basketball teammate Danielle Patterson…

It was another interesting week in the world of IU Athletics recruiting. From commitments and offers to other intriguing stories, each week we summarize the top news from the trail. Here is the latest edition of This week in IU basketball and football recruiting. COMMITMENT:  TRENTEN HOWLAND GIVES IU WELL-ROUNDED 2021 BACKFIELD Fire and ice?  Thunder and lightning?  Indiana’s backfield mates in the class of 2021 might one day be worthy of a nickname like that. Joliet, Ill. running back Trenten Howland verbally committed to IU on Friday, joining David Holloman as an IU backfield commit in the class of…

What game stands out the most to former IU basketball star Cody Zeller when it comes to his two years in Bloomington?  Surely the 2011 win over Kentucky, right?  Not so fast. On March 10, 2013 IU defeated No. 7 Michigan on the road to clinch the outright Big Ten title, and Zeller came up huge in the game’s final minutes. Watch as Zeller recalls that thrilling contest with IU basketball sports information director J.D. Campbell on “The Last Minute.” There were also several interesting events both leading up to this game and upon its conclusion.  You can read all…

It sounded like the kids in the back of a car during a long drive home. “When can we come back?  When can we get back?  When are we getting back?” Instead, after nearly three months away from organized team activities, that was how IU head coach Archie Miller described the enthusiasm he is hearing from his players as they waited for the green light to return to campus. Amid the chaos and upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, in many ways it has been a long drive back towards something that resembles normalcy. And now finally, Miller can…

Outgoing and incoming directors of IU athletics Fred Glass and Scott Dolson joined the voice of IU basketball and football Don Fischer for a Friday night Q&A session. Glass has been the IU AD since 2009.  Dolson is set to take over the role on July 1. See also:  Glass’ best and worst moments as the AD | Dolson wouldn’t be AD without Delray Brooks Video credit – IU Athletics Find us on Facebook:  thedailyhoosier You can follow us on Twitter:  @daily_hoosier The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly” Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no…

Point guard projects to be a position of high importance in the class of 2022 for Indiana, and Archie Miller may have identified his priority target at that position. IU offered Milton, Georgia, based point guard Bruce Thornton on Friday. Thornton reported the offer on his Twitter page. https://twitter.com/Bruce2T_/status/1268979012849799169?s=20 “He’s really excited.  He understands the history of Indiana basketball,” Milton High School head coach Allen Whitehart told The Daily Hoosier. Thornton is a big, physical incoming junior that is able to use his strength at a young age to impose his will. At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Thornton plays a…

The backfield of the future is set in Bloomington. Class of 2021 running back Trenten Howland announced on Friday that he has committed to play for IU. Howland broke the news on his Twitter page. https://twitter.com/HowlandTrenten/status/1268910230483673088?s=20 “Indiana overall was just a great fit for me in so many ways,” Howland told Rivals’ Tim Ohalloran.  “I just love Coach (Tom) Allen and his message and just the way he runs the football program. I just couldn’t pass up the offer from the Hoosiers.” The Joliet, Illinois product is a 3-star recruit and the No. 804 player overall in the 2021 class…