Evansville Courier Press SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2024 1B SPORTS BLOOMINGTON Curt Cignetti always waxed long and lyrical about his team during his spring season at Indiana, but when the Hoo- new coach has had a message to deliver, not been shy. Like Tuesday when, after a disap- pointingly poor practice, Cignetti sug- gested too many of his players out like the old after last week- scrimmage. And when not wanted to over- share, Cignetti has been honest about that too. only pulled the curtain back a few inches, for example, on his quarterback race. Eventually, that picture will have to clarify itself, beginning with next spring game.
Not just at quarter- back, but a host of positions revamped or remade in the wake of coaching change last winter. With that in mind, here are position groups to keep a close eye on come April 18. Quarterback Start where it matters most. Unsurprisingly, Cignetti has reserved much of what threadbare praise doled out to Kurtis Rourke. The Ohio transfer is both the most creden- tialed and most experienced signal call- er on roster, and the one his coach has singled out most often.
not going to tell you about the quarterback Cignetti said on April 2. here on out I might not be very open about it. I am impressed with progress. just say Based on assessments, re- turner Tayven Jackson might be closest to Rourke at the moment. Jackson, Cig- netti suggested recently, has had both good and bad days during the spring.
True freshman Tyler Cherry see- ing as many snaps as his older team- mates, but based on com- ments, Cherry seems entrenched with the third string right now. And while his workload met that of the two Hoosiers ahead of him, Cherry has caught eye. getting some Cignetti said. get quite as many reps as the 1s and 2s, but getting reps every day. not ready, but he does throw the ball to the right guy a lot.
The arm strength and accuracy need to improve but for a freshman to come in and the open receiver always get them the ball but he keeps plugging along and gets bet- ter every Wide receiver Cignetti took a raft of transfers at receiver, to boost both depth and ex- perience in a receiver room call on regularly come fall. Since his hiring, Cignetti has hinted at the possibility of more four-receiver sets than Indiana tended to deploy un- der Tom Allen, whose coordinators of- Reshaping the Hoosiers Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti during spring ball on March 24 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. COURTESY OF ANDREW ATHLETICS 5 position groups worth watching under new coach Zach Osterman Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK See HOOSIERS, Page 4B BLOOMINGTON College basket- transfer window will emerge from its Final Four-enforced slowdown at the end of this week, when the dead period lifts and visits can resume. Indiana, still light six scholarship players with plenty of work to do, will dive right back in. The Hoosiers are lin- ing up visitors for the coming weekends, with a heavy emphasis on positions and roles of need.
IndyStar examines those needs, and some names to know as roster-building accelerate. Needs Backcourt impact: An already thin guard rotation lost Xavier Johnson (eli- gibility) and CJ Gunn (portal) once the season ended. Trey Galloway gives Mike Woodson proven ball-handling and creativity, but he cannot run a one- man show. Indiana needs shooting and scoring punch, both, here. Players who can get on the ball and make plays, for them- selves or others, and players who can stretch the in ways last roster too often could not.
IU has a handful of out-and-out point guard targets, suggesting Woodson would like to share load. Backcourt depth: Simplistic, yes. But an extent to which Indiana just needs bodies in its backcourt. Gal- loway and Gabe Cupps are the only guards returning to play at least of available minutes last season. The growth of Anthony role in Big Ten play be overlooked, but not by itself a cure-all.
Floor spacing: long past time Indiana had the tools necessary to shoot 3-pointers with both accuracy and That means adding at least two players with an established track record shooting the ball well. It also means bolstering the roster with players used to the kind of volume the Hoosiers so desperately need. Rim protection: Whether Woodson intends to play Malik Reneau at the INDIANA BASKETBALL IU transfer portal hot board: Priority positions, names to know IU Insider Zach Osterman Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK See OSTERMAN, Page 2B Ben Humrichous (13) should be on the list of priority transfers. MACABE PRESS The message left on my land-line voicemail that June night 30 years ago, the night of the infamous slow-speed white Bronco police chase, was short and not so sweet. to I worked at The Washington Post then, and sports editor George Solo- mon was quickly rallying his troops for one of the biggest stories of our ca- reers: the arrest and trial of O.J.
Simp- son for the murders of his ex-wife Ni- cole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Early the next morning, I from Washington to San Francisco with one job to do: Knock on the front door at the home of sister to see if she might speak with me. I feel- ing very optimistic about this, but we had to try. I knocked. She answered.
Knowing I had just a few seconds to make my case, I told her I had in from D.C. to speak with her about her brother. Could we talk? She politely said no and shut the door. Not in my face, not by any means, but the door was most clos- ing and there I stood on her front stoop, my sole reason for traveling to California now over. Christine Brennan Columnist USA TODAY What we learned covering O.J.
case For most people, the O.J. Simpson saga heralded the start of obsession with reality TV. VJ TODAY SPORTS See BRENNAN, Page 3B We now know who will be in Detroit for the NFL draft. The league has announced that 13 players will be present at the 2024 NFL draft, which will take place April 25-27. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harri- son Jr.
and Drake Maye headline the group. Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 as the quarterback for Southern California, is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears. Daniels won the honor given to the best player in college football this sea- son after leading LSU's high-powered Harrison Jr. had his second straight season with 1,000 receiving yards for Ohio State.
Maye threw for nearly 8,000 yards and 62 touchdowns in his See DRAFT, Page 3B Three QBs among top 13 prospects attending NFL draft in Detroit Lorenzo Reyes USA TODAY Williams.
