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My Two Cents: Weighing in on Archie Miller's Comments

Indiana basketball coach Archie Miller spoke at length for the first time in two months on Monday, and he had a lot to say. So, of course, that meant we had a lot to volley back and opine upon.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — We haven't heard from Indiana basketball coach Archie Miller in a while, so it was nice to see him talk about all sorts of topics on Monday during an Instagram Live conversation with Talia Goodman, the daughter of national basketball writer Jeff Goodman.

And since we're pretty good at dissecting his every word during the season, I thought it might be good to do the same in these dog days of July, as well. 

Here are several of Miller's comments, and my take on his thoughts.

When to start the season

News:  "I think playing a non-conference schedule is going to be difficult because of the amount of people you come into contact with. If we did start playing, I’d be in favor moving toward that post (Thanksgiving) holiday break where you could pretty much keep your team quarantined on campus. We could maybe start conference play in December, and get a full month of Big Ten play in December.'' — Archie Miller.

Views: Since football season is right around the corner and we have no idea what's going to happen with that, it's practically impossible to look even further down the road and figure out what happens with basketball. Miller comment makes a lot of sense because the only way to get a season done is by limiting exposure to the virus as much as possible. A virtually empty campus increases the odds of keeping players safe. I'd be all for a season starting say the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, so there's no football overlap.

Keeping everyone healthy

News: "It gave our protocols and systems a chance to see how it’s going to work. Our guys did a great job of handling it. When the other guys got back, they could see guys wearing the masks in the workout and realize it’s OK to do it. The hard part is that we can only be around them for about two hours at a time, so we're harping on them to do the right things those other 17 or so hours.'' — Archie Miller

Views: In all the conversation about sports coming back, there's been a lot of discussion about the responsibility the school has to keep these athletes safe, but in reality, it's on the players to make sure they make smart decisions every day. Miller is right. The coaches and staff members get to the see the players a couple of hours at a time, twice a day right now. The rest of the time, this whole thing blows up if the players are all running around Bloomington and interacting with thousands of other people. They need to keep their inner circle VERY small if we're going to have a season.

Quality time at home

News: "Never have I ever spent this much time at home with my wife and daughter. We've had a lot of fun together. Just having dinner together, that's unique. Usually in July, I might only see them four, five times in a month." — Archie Miller

Views: Because everyone has been on lockdown or on travel restrictions for four-plus months now, basketball coaches have had to learn a new way of living. Recruiting is all done online now, and every has seemed to adapt just fine. I've always thought that colleges spending millions of dollars on recruiting every year just to sign three or four kids never made sense, but it was always all about keeping up with the Joneses. Maybe in the future, all that travel time could be trimmed down a little bit. Extra family time? That's a wonderful thing.

Trayce Jackson-Davis' impact

News: "Trayce Jackson-Davis has to be an All-American for us. He has to be one of the premier players in the country for us.'' — Archie Miller

Views: I agree 100 percent, and I'm already on record with saying that I think Jackson-Davis will be the Big Ten player of the year next season. That makes him an All-American in my book. He was Indiana's leading scorer and rebounder a year ago, and we'll see several new pieces to his game this season. He averaged 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds a year ago. I can see him averaging 18 and 9 next year easily, and maybe even more scoring. His game will improve with better perimeter shooting around him, and I do think Indiana will be better there this season.

Expectations for Khristian Lander

News: "As far as expectations (for freshman point guard Khristian Lander), it's hard. You ask a 17-year-old to move in in July, graduate early from high school, there’s a pandemic happening, you can’t get on the floor with him as much as you’d like. I told him, just be yourself. Be comfortable. The basketball will take care of itself. We’ll let it play out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a big impact on our team and on college basketball this season.'' — Archie Miller 

Views:  The most important thing that Miller said there was for Lander to just be himself. There is a lot of pressure that comes with being a 5-star recruit, and there's a big multiplying factor there to by reclassifying and hitting Bloomington a year earlier than expected. There is no doubt he has all the tools, and a lot will be expected of him early. The biggest thing that often gets overlooked is that Lander already has a great relationship with a lot of his new teammates from his AAU days. He will hit the ground running, and with Rob Phinisee around to also ease the transition, he should be great. Big Ten freshman of the year? He's got a great shot in my book.

  • MILLER DOES LENGTHY PODCAST: Indiana coach Archie Miller did a 37-minute podcast on Monday, and talked about a variety of topics. CLICK HERE
  • HOOSIERS ADD GAME: Indiana will take on Western Michigan on Nov. 13 at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
  • FERRELL READY TO PLAY: The NBA season is ready to resume and former Hoosier Yogi Ferrell is ready to step up for the Sacramento Kings. CLICK HERE