by jksander » Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:40 am
Budget
Reports: $30,000 (Midwest Gold)
Travel: None -- will be searching for diamonds in the rough, not All Americans
Assistant Salaries: $74,000
Recruiting Budget: $39,000 (5 open scholarships)
June 26, 2015: We're casting a wide net in the state of Indiana, initially scouting 35 players who scouting reports say have the potential to make waves here in Fort Wayne. I have my eyes on some top players in the state, who have refused much of my communication but are showing interest in at least making visits. Robert McArdle, a 6'5” guard from Linton, has shown legitimate interest in staying close to home, and our reports have him ranked 34th in the region, 30 points ahead of the WSSN rankings in the region. He's had interest from Notre Dame as well, so I'll be keeping an eye on him. With five spots to fill, we've got plenty of work to do.
September 18, 2015: I made visits to our top four scholarship recruits, and all of them went quite well. In fact, we got a commitment from 6'8” center Darren Lepore, who will come from Greensburg High in Greensburg, Indiana, to play for us next fall. Butler challenged us all the way for this guy, who can shoot and score with the best of them. He needs work on defense and handling, and he's raw from an overall athletic standpoint, but I like his work ethic. We see him ranked 41st in the region overall and as a top 400 recruit nationally. Most important, he's keyed in on discipline as one of his top priorities.
September 25, 2015: We've signed our top recruit! Adam Woodard, a 6'8” forward from Vincennes Lincoln High, ranked 138th in the nation and 12th in the region, has committed to play for us over Purdue, Butler, Notre Dame and Indiana! He's a solid athlete overall with good potential for growth, and he's already a top notch defender and shooter inside. And Robert McArdle signed as well -- the Linton-Stockton High standout from Linton, Indiana, is ranked 22nd in the region according to our scouts but is being overlooked by the larger programs despite the highest overall potential I've seen among our top recruits, athletically and as a shooter (inside AND out). We have two additional spots to fill, but things are happening for this program. I can sense it!
Here is our schedule for the 2015-16 season:
November
15 - @ Creighton
18 - Illinois State
22 - Chicago State
25 - @ Evansville
29 - Houston
December
2 - @ Xavier
6 - Hawaii
9 - @ Illinois
13 - Maine
16 - @ #17 Wisconsin
20 - Eastern Kentucky
27 - Oral Roberts
30 - @ North Dakota State
January
3 - Western Illinois
6 - @ IUPUI
10 - Nebraska (Omaha)
13 - @ Denver
17 - South Dakota
24 - @ South Dakota State
27 - @ Oral Roberts
31 - North Dakota State
February
3 - @ Western Illinois
7 - IUPUI
10 - @ Nebraska (Omaha)
14 - Denver
17 - @ South Dakota
24 - South Dakota State