The Pitch: Beyond Titties, Beer, & Banners

It turns out today was a popular day for pitching IU.

First, Kravitz started the day by making a tongue-in-cheek attempt at impartiality in not suggesting a school for Cody Zeller.

Then, after Indiana Elite's morning tilt at the Adidas Invitational, Austin Etherington got straight to the point and said his top priority this summer was to "get Cody." You can see it for yourself, thanks to the dedicated work of Inside the Hall. 

But as I sat in the main gym at North Central High School and stared at the life-sized cut-outs of former Indiana Mr. Basketball winners Eric Gordon, AJ Ratliff, and Jason Gardner adorning the wall, I felt the need to expand on these pitches for Zeller to IU.  There's a lot at stake for all parties, and I've never been one to shy away from resolving conflicts.

Sure, Kravitz somehow managed to rattle off the obvious reasons for Cody to come to IU: traditions, academics, general awesomeness, blah, blah, blah... That shit is what coaches say to your parents on the couch when they're trying to be cute. Let's be real here. What took Bob 3 web pages to trudge through can be summed up in 3 tidy words: Titties, Beer, & Banners.  IU is top 3 all-time in each category. Period.

For a heterosexual, teen aged male there are few better places on Earth to sow your college basketball oats. Seriously, it's just that fucking great in B-town.  You instantly become a god on a campus where all the students are rock stars and every night is grammy night. You'll have absolutely zero problems finding throngs of women to do pretty much whatever freaky shit you could ever dream up. And, the entire community is batshit crazy for hoops.  Titties. Beer. Banners. What more could Zeller want there?

(Did I also mention that while the parents will be less than an hour and a half away from home games and within reach of all conference games, moms will be just far enough away to keep from showing up unannounced and stepping on a players game? Trust me. I've been almost exactly the same distance from home in Bloomington, and the proximity is unbeatable if you happen to like clean laundry and dirty coeds.)

Yeah, it's pretty much the ideal fit for Cody.

But if that weren't enough, I implore Zeller to look at the bigger picture.  Think 36,420 square miles big. Think state of Indiana big. 

Having not only recently won a state championship, but also being the heir apparent for the Indiana Mr. Basketball award, what would be the 3rd for his family in 6 years, Cody stands in the unique position of defining the modern legacy of basketball in Indiana. 

Living in Washington, Indiana, Steve Bouchie's hometown, Cody knows full well what kind of legacy a local legend can leave in his community when he hangs a banner in Assembly Hall. Zeller probably wouldn't need a pro contract to retire if he had a dollar for every time he has encountered Bouchie's name. 

The only thing keeping Cody from riding the wave of his high school success to IU is IU's current talent deficit. But Cody can fix that in almost an instant, both as an individual talent and as a magnet for other talent. 

Cody's commitment would not only give IU the capable big man it so badly needs to compete and in the Big 10, but would surely also attract other top talent to IU.   Winners like to win, and the winners IU is recruiting would like to see some more winners commit to the candy stripes before they also choose to spend their college days in Bloomington.  Cody can open the flood gates there. 

And with the in-state talent coming up through the high school ranks with Zeller, it's not hard to imagine an IU roster loaded with homeboys and ready to represent against the nation's best. 

And speaking of homeboys, Zeller would already play alongside Jordan Hulls, giving IU multiple Mr. Basketballs on the roster, a lethal recipe for the Hoosiers' past successes: Jeffries & Coverdale, Graham & Bailey, Jones & Edwards, Tolbert & Bouchie, Van Arsdale bros & Rayl, and, well, you know, those other ones....Gordon & goddamnit Ratliff ! (special shout-out to Delray Brooks for trying, unsuccessfully, to swagga jack Alford's Mr. BB mojo. "You, too, Luke Recker."- Cov.)

This is the stuff that Indiana boys dream about.  This is some Steve Alford, Damon Bailey, and Kent Benson shit. This is what separates the greats of the state from the all-time legends. 

So what that Oden & Conley took LN to 3 straight state championships and an NCAA title game? They took their show away from home and away from the people who cared most about them. Sean May's banner in Chapel Hill? Does anybody in Indiana really give a shit about Carolina? Bryce Drew's "the shot"? Well, that still gives me fucking goosebumps, but I digress.

The point is that if Cody chooses to keep his talent in Indiana for however many years he attends college, he and the entire state of Indiana benefit from keeping Indiana's best players close to home. It's a symbiotic relationship between the keepers of the flame and the state of the game. 

Cody needs Indiana's continued love to cement his legacy among the greats like he owes the state's rabid passion for the game in helping him to become the player he is today.  The best part? There's still lots of headroom for both to grow!

Moreover, what better thing to be a part of than the dreams of tomorrow's Hoosiers, the young boys who dare to become the next to hoist a state championship trophy, dawn Mr. Basketball's #1 jersey, and someday follow the flags out onto Branch McCracken Court for the first time in candy stripes.  It is now time for Cody to show Indiana's kids what kind of success can be harvested from this fertile soil when cultivated with sweat, determination, and fundamentals.   

Anywhere else, Zeller is just another great player.  But at Indiana....he becomes Indiana. 

And in my humble opinion, only that could possibly top titties, beer, & banners. 

But no matter what Cody chooses to do, I will unwaveringly credit his decision to Tijan's epic legacy. He can either run from it or bask in its greatness. In this context, either way, I already completely understand.