Jerod Morris

Indiana received its first addition from the transfer portal on Wednesday morning as Ball State transfer Payton Sparks announced his commitment to Indiana. Jerod and Coach Tonsoni break down Sparks’ game, what this means for Indiana’s overall roster, and what to expect from Sparks in the Big Ten. They also explain how their feelings about Sparks as a Hoosier have evolved since he was first mentioned as a possibility.

Also joining us is Evan Wilson, who plays at Akron, and has seen Sparks up close the last two seasons. He has some excellent insight into what Sparks brings to the table from a skills standpoint and, perhaps more importantly, from a mentality and culture standpoint. Follow Evan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ewilly02

If you want to really dive deep on who Sparks is as a player and what he’ll bring to the table for IU, this episode is for you.

Here is the audio:

And here is the video replay:

Akron basketball player Evan Wilson joins Jerod to provide a unique take on IU’s first round opponent, Kent State. Evan grew up in Noblesville as an IU fan and still follows the Hoosiers closely. His Akron Zips team has played Kent State six times across the last two seasons. So Evan understands the intersections between the two teams as well as anyone.

We discuss his impressions of IU this season, the strengths and weaknesses of Kent State, what IU needs to worry about and where the Hoosiers have an advantage, plus his gut feeling for how the game may play out. We also get his perspective as a mid-major player on the possibility for NCAA Tournament expansion.

This is a fun, engaging conversation that will get you properly calibrated for the challenge Indiana faces on Friday night.

Follow Evan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ewilly02

Here is the audio:

And here is the video replay:

With a four-day gap between games, this was the perfect time to invite on friend of the show Sam Vecenie to talk about the rising draft prospects of Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Sam covers the NBA Draft for The Athletic and also hosts the Game Theory podcast. https://theathletic.com/podcast/208-game-theory-podcast/

We cover a number of topics in 30 minutes:

• How NBA teams view skill development with prospects

• The biggest plusses and minuses on Jalen’s scouting report

• How much credit does Mike Woodson deserve for Jalen’s development?

• The biggest plusses and minuses on Trayce’s scouting report

• Trying to find an NBA comp for Trayce

• Who else on Indiana’s current roster is Sam paying attention to?

And more.

Here is the audio:

And here is the video replay:

This is another bonus presentation in our main feed of content that is usually reserved only for our private community members. Learn more at https://hoosiers.mn.co/

This week, Jerod and Coach talk to Mike DeCourcy about IU’s loss at Northwestern, officiating, and where IU stands in his bracket. Then John Gasaway from ESPN stops by to preview IU-Illinois and provide his unique brand of insight on what really matters in college coaching and how to view analytics.

Finally, Jerod and Coach dip into the mailbag and answer a variety questions, starting with their ideas on how to help Tamar Bates bust out of his funk, their IU basketball Mount Rushmores, Indiana’s likelihood of getting a Big Ten Tournament double bye and much more.

Here is the audio:

And here is the video replay:

Since we didn’t host AC Radio last night to focus on the women’s team’s huge victory over Iowa, we decided to make this week’s Banner Friday community content available in our public podcast feed. Hopefully you enjoy this taste of our premium content and want to join us in the community. If so, go to http://assemblycall.com/community and use the free trial to try it out.

In this edition, Jerod and Coach talk to Mike DeCourcy about Indiana’s recent run and other Big Ten topics. Then they welcome Brendan Quinn from The Athletic and The Moving Screen Pod to get you ready for Indiana’s game against Michigan on Saturday night. After that, we dive into the mailbag and answer a bunch of questions submitted by community members.

Enjoy!

Here is the audio:

And here is the video replay: