Yogi Ferrell's journey from fourth-grade phenom to NBA hopeful a long one

"In today's age, kids who meet expectations kind of get overlooked sometimes. Yogi is one of them. He was supposed to be good, he is good, he's going to continue to be good. There's no shock value in that. He gets hurt for it."

--Chuck Martin via Chris Dortch, NBA.com

I highly recommend reading this phenomenal piece from Dortch in its entirety, highlighting Ferrell's journey from a cocky fourth-grader who was rated the top player in his class to the player and person that he is today. Ferrell has received a lot of support from the media after he wasn't invited to the NBA Combine; Fran Fraschilla most recently tweeted out a reminder of how dominant Ferrell was against Kentucky. No one who has worked with or coached Ferrell has any doubt that he'll make it in the league, even though as Martin points out above Ferrell's talent can almost be taken for granted at times. No one speaks higher of Ferrell than Tom Crean, who said, "The things that will stand out when teams really look deep into him are incredible physical and mental toughness with tremendous durability. He is so dependable in so many areas. He is also one of the absolute smartest people I've ever coached. He knows the game inside and out." Ferrell has all of those qualities and more, and it'll be interesting to see where he ends up in a little less than a month. There's no doubt that he'll bring that tenacious work ethic that has helped him get to this point.

"The Hoosier swimming nation is so very proud of Anze, When he came to Indiana, it was his dream to become an Olympian and today that journey was realized. Additionally, Anze was just chosen as a captain for next year's Hoosier team. All in all, a pretty awesome week for Anze and his family."

--IU Swimming Head Coach Ray Looze via IUHoosiers.com

Rising senior Anze Tavcar qualified for the Rio Olympics for Slovenia, posting a time of 48.88 seconds in the 100 freestyle at the European Championships. Tavcar became the fourth Hoosier swimmer to qualify for this summer's games, along with Kennedy Goss (Canada), Ali Khalafalla (Egypt), and Marwan Elkamash (incoming transfer, Egypt). Tavcar became the 74th Olympian to come from IU's storied swimming and diving program.

"In one sense of the word I am trying to be patient to make sure that I don’t get too frustrated," Sudfeld said. "But at the same time I am not being complacent, saying ‘Oh I have time.’ I’m trying to have a sense of urgency so if something crazy happens I can help this team win."

--Nate Sudfeld via Hogan LePore, Redskins.com

Former Hoosier signal-caller Sudfeld is starting his career in Washington as the third-string quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, and GM Scot McCloughan told him that he has time and can be patient. While that's well and good, it's great to see how much Sudfeld has committed himself to getting better and his new team. He has settled in nicely in his new home, receiving guidance from the two quarterbacks above him on the depth chart as well as QB coach Matt Cavanaugh, offensive coordinator Sean McVay, and head coach Jay Gruden. While it's unlikely that Sudfeld will see the field during his rookie season (barring something drastic), his development this season will be extremely important--especially if Washington and Cousins can't agree on a contract after this season.

RANDOM OTHER STUFF

• Dan Feeney was named a Preseason First Team All-American by Athlon Sports
• McDonald's All-American Lindsey Corsaro, a former Kentucky commit, has narrowed her options to IU, Michigan, and UCLA.
• Highly touted Class of 2017 guard Paul Scruggs has narrowed his list to eight. IUBB is one of four Big Ten schools still in the running.