Maurice Creek says he’s headed to Bloomington

  • 08/17/2009 9:07 pm in

The last time we were able to speak with Maurice Creek was at the at the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic in late April. At the time, we were under the assumption that Creek would arrive with the other IU freshmen in time for the beginning of the first summer session in Bloomington.

When Creek didn’t show, both Jordan Cohen of the Indiana Daily Student and Chris Korman of the Herald-Times confirmed that the Hargrave Military Academy product would not be present for either summer school session.

Since that time, numerous attempts to reach Creek have been unsuccessful and we’ve been left with Facebook, yes, Facebook, as our primary source for information. (We also sprinkled in an update from Tom Crean.) In an update earlier this evening, Creek revealed via Facebook that he’s headed to Bloomington this week:

So why, you ask, is this significant? By no means should this be interpreted as confirmation that Creek has been cleared by the NCAA to play this fall. It’s certainly encouraging that he’ll be on campus, but as we’ve seen in the past, getting the green light from the clearinghouse overlords can take time.

If Creek does indeed qualify, his impact on next season’s team could be greater than any of the other freshman. He’s the most polished incoming offensive player and has the work ethic on defense that the staff will demand to earn playing time. Missing the summer sessions could set him back a bit in getting acclimated academically, but he shouldn’t miss a beat on the floor. He’s been playing pickup with Kevin Durant in Baltimore.

For now, we’ll heed to Crean’s advice and wait with cautious optimism for Creek’s eligibility status to all shake out.

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