Indiana quarterback Tre Roberson to transfer

After taking part in a two quarterback system last season with Nate Sudfeld, Tre Roberson has announced that he'll be transferring from the Indiana football program. Roberson's departure along with Cam Coffman's means that Sudfeld will be the Hoosiers' clear cut starter this season.

Roberson, who was Indiana's Mr. Football in 2010 was the program's first true freshman starter in 2011. A broken leg wiped out most of his sophomore season. He came back in 2013 to share the job (four starts) with Sudfeld. Head coach Kevin Wilson planned to employ the same two quarterback system that he used last year, which might've contributed to Roberson's departure.

“I want to thank the coaching staff, my teammates and Indiana University for all of their support over the last three years,” Roberson said. “My time in Bloomington will always hold a special place in my heart. I wish everyone at IU all the best as I move on to the next chapter in my life.”

For his career, Roberson threw for 2,433 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.  He added 10 touchdowns running the ball.

This comes as a surprise to many in the IU community as none saw this coming. I don't think pundits around college football or Wilson saw this coming, although he sounds content on move on with Sudfeld as his starter.

“We appreciate and thank Tre for his contributions to our football program both on and off the field,” Indiana coach Kevin Wilson said. “He is an outstanding player and a great young man. We wish him well as he moves forward with his career.”

Roberson is a dual threat talent who will be a sought after transfer. With his ability to make plays through the air and on the ground, look for plenty of high major schools to try to woo Roberson to their campus.  

 

Sampson agrees to deal with the University of Houston

The Houston Cougars have found their next head coach and they didn’t have to look far.

Houston Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson has agreed to return to college hoops as the Cougars’ coach, according to CBSSports.com.

Sampson had worked in the NBA with the Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks over the past six years.

Sampson, 58, was fired from Indiana in 2008 after an NCAA investigation into improper and excessive contact with recruits regarding phone calls and text messages.

The violations were repeat offenses from when he was head coach at Oklahoma. This led to a five-year show-cause on Sampson, one of the harshest in NCAA history against a D-I college basketball coach.
The NCAA no longer puts such restrictions on text messages with recruits.

Sampson compiled a 496-271 career record at Indiana, Oklahoma, Washington State and Montana Tech. However, he received a five-year show-cause order in 2008, which meant that if a team wanted to hire him, it would need to impose sanctions on Sampson or “show cause” that Sampson properly served his punishment. The show-cause recently expired, so Sampson will be able to coach without any sanctions levied upon him.

Say what you want about Sampson but he will have the Cougars playing at a different level than in years past. Call him a cheater or a dirtbag but Sampson has the potential to make Houston a nationally relevant program once again.

Gunner Kiel transferring to Cincinnati

The travels of Gunner Kiel will have another stop added. Kiel announced that he'll be transferring to Cincinnati and will be eligible in 2014.

For those that remember, Kiel was the top rated passer by Rivals.com and Scout.com while in high school at Columbus East (Ind.). Kiel announced that he was going to Indiana which would've been a major coup for the Hoosiers. Kiel then spurned the Hoosiers for Les Miles and LSU. Kiel the changed his mind again and decided to sign a letter of intent with Notre Dame.

Kiel did not play and watched another freshman, Everett Golson, lead the Fighting Irish to the national championship game. Which leads us to today and Kiel announcing that he'll be a Bearcat.

"Cincinnati was the best fit for me because the relationship I have with coach (Darin) Hinshaw is like nothing else. He is a great overall person and is someone I know I can get coached by. The group of guys I'm going to be around is second to none. I love where (Cincinnati) is heading and the future is bright."  

The transfer could be a good move for the young quarterback, as ESPN's Joe Schad is also reporting that Bearcats coach Tommy Tuberville plans to implement a pro-style attack that will better suit Kiel's skill set than Notre Dame's spread did. It's also a recruiting coup for Tuberville, who now has an elite talent around which to build his offense.

It can work out if Kiel decides that he actually wants to stick around.

My top 10 NBA Draft prospects

I'm giving my top 10 NBA Draft Prospects, based off of my immense excitement for the upcoming draft on June 21st. Many changes happened within the ranks with injuries and players stepping up. The list is subject to change.

10. PG/SG Michael Carter-Williams, Syraucse

Great size for his position, and such a solid defender who plays a solid 35+ Minutes Per Game with Syracuse. Averaging an impressive 7.9 Assists and 2.9 Steals Per Game. My problem is that he can fold under pressure and can throw up unnecessary shots. A young guy with good upside overall, just not immediate upside.

9. C Alex Len, Maryland

Averaging 8.1 Rebounds and 2 Blocks Per Game, and is very active under the boards. Lacks some skills on the offensive end on the low block, though.

8. PG Trey Burke, Michigan

Many of draft sites don't even have him on their top 15, but I think the stats really speak for itself. Averaging 18.9 Points, 6.9 Assists and 1.6 Steals Per Game in a Conference which many of people think is the best in the country (Big 10). A tad undersized, but not that it's stopped anybody before.

7. SF/PF Anthony Bennett, UNLV

Another efficient player who has solid size. Averaging 14.6 Points, 8.3 Rebounds Per Game and he's extremely athletic. My question is the type of competition he's been going up though, being in the Mountain West Conference.

6. SG Victor Oladipo, Indiana

Averaging 14 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2.3 Steals Per Game and plays solid defense. Not enough of a scoring threat for the NBA though, but can make an impact for any team this coming year for sure.

5. PG Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Has been a proven clutch player this year, and has good size for a PG at a strong 6'4", 225 LB. Averaging 14.6 Points, 5.6 Rebounds and 4.3 Assists Per Game. Some say he's a Shooting Guard, but I think he's going to be better at the Point. Has struggled at shooting over 15 feet, much more of a slasher.

4. SF Otto Porter, Georgetown

A guy who's moved up so many mock drafts in the last couple of weeks, and he's moved up on mine as well. Averaging 16.6 Points, 7.6 Rebounds, 2.0 Steals Per Game while shooting at a ridiculous .469  3PT% this season. He's a really underrated defender too, and could move all the way up to #1 on many charts if he keeps this run up.

3. SG/SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

A gifted scorer with great range. Averaging 18.3 Points, 5.1 Rebounds while shooting at a solid .446 3PT%. I think he could be the best offensive threat in this draft. His only problem is character, as he tends to get mad when he's passed up for the final shot of the game. Other people may look at it as a good thing though, viewing it as confidence in himself.

2. C Cody Zeller, Indiana

Now with Nerlens Noel done for the year, Zeller will be by far the best Center in this draft. He's averaging 16.5 Points, 8.1 Rebounds and 1.4 Blocks Per Game. Has tremendous size and fairly solid moves down low for an NBA prospect.

1. SG Ben McLemore, Kansas

A tremendous talent and can hit most shots from the outside. Has a Ray Allen type of stroke, and hits on .425 of his 3PT shots. Averaging 16.5 Points, 5.4 Rebounds and shooting .868% FT which is usually the one best sign of a good shooter. He has an incredible story that you can read up on which I wrote about the other day.

Indiana won't wear new Adidas uniforms

Following the lead of Michigan and North Carolina State, the Indiana Hoosiers have declined to wear the new new Adidas designed basketball uniforms for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

That's a wise choice. I know college basketball fans have gotten a peek at the sleeved jerseys and camouflage shorts. Those uniforms are flat out ugly. I don't advocate anyone losing their job but whoever designed them needs to be fired or reassigned.

Indiana athletic director Fred Glass didn't want to get away from the classic cream and crimson of the Hoosiers.  


“When you look at that picture, it’s really hard to tell those uniforms apart,’’ Glass said. “It has really been a consistent look. Our thing is stability and a classic look. It’s about the name on the front of the chest and not on the back. All those things are important to who we are.

“I take seriously our obligation to be a good partner with Adidas, and we weren’t cavalier about this. But when all is said and done, that’s just not something that I think is appropriate for us here at Indiana to do.”

“The Indiana uniform is such a reflection of who we are as a program and a university that we weren’t comfortable moving away from our classic, iconic uniforms.’’

I'm surprised that traditional powers such as UCLA, Kansas, and Louisville are going along with it. UCLA fans aren't too happy with the decision for the Bruins to wear them. They look like volleyball jerseys if you ask me.

Glass should be commended for saying no and sticking with tradition over a marketing scheme.