(Photo via Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)
Note: Video of Hollowell’s announcement is available after the jump, courtesy of our friends at the Hoosier Scoop.
Earlier this afternoon, Jeremy Hollowell became the fifth recruit to join Indiana’s 2012 recruiting class and we’ve transcribed the Lawrence Central junior’s comments from his Thursday press conference for your covenience below:
Opening statement
“I just want to start by thanking everybody for coming out. First I want to thank God for putting me in the position I’m in, being blessed to be in the position I’m in. I want to thank my mom for everything she’s done for me. My dad, who drove a long way last night to be here with me today. I want to thank my sister and my older brother for giving me advice. All of my friends, teammates, coaches, my school. But we’re here today to figure out what college I’m going to. It’s been a long recruiting process. It’s been tough. It’s been fun though. A good experience. But I’m ready to decide and I’m pretty excited with my decision. The school I plan on attending for college will be Indiana University.”
On when he realized that Indiana was going to be his choice
“I’ve been thinking about it. I always think about it. This past week I’ve been thinking about it pretty hard and I just was going with my gut feeling. I just wanted to do what was best for me, what I thought was best for me. And it was Indiana.”
On whether he let the coaches know his decision before announcing
“Yeah, he (Tom Crean) was in yesterday to watch me work out. I called him afterwards and I told him.”
On the factors that led him to choosing Indiana and whether the other 2012 recruits played a role
“Yeah, it did. At Indiana I see something pretty amazing about to happen. And I wanted to make sure I was a part of that. I didn’t want to regret it down the line. Playing with those guys should be pretty exciting. I was real happy about it. I’ve been knowing Yogi (Ferrell) since the third grade. I played with Ron (Patterson) a couple of summers ago. I think we can do something pretty special.”
On how close it was with the other schools that recruited him
“It started out Ohio State, kind of backed off a little bit, rethought it. I was still kind of young so I didn’t really take it all in. Purdue picked up, talking to Terone (Johnson) a lot, he really wanted me to come there but I had to do what was best for me.”
On why he chose to make his decision before AAU began
“I wanted to go into AAU knowing where I was going and just focus on playing basketball and winning games and not have to stress about it, not have to worry about it. Just knowing where I’m going and preparing for that time when the time comes.”
On what Coach Crean said to hit a chord with him in his recruitment
“Just how hard he recruited me. How he said he would use me in different positions and things like that. He made me feel like a real priority to him. I think that was the biggest thing – how hard he recruited me and him being the head coach that was a big factor in showing that he really wanted me there.”
On how Indiana plans to use him and how he’ll fit in the system
“He compared me to Christian Watford. Playing multiple positions, guarding different positions. Being able to fill in any spot that he would need me to. Helping out with all of the little things – rebounding, scoring, a little bit of everything.”
On whether the proximity from Indianapolis to Bloomington was a factor
“Yeah, it was important. I kinda get home sick at AAU tournaments, so just imagining being in college without my mom being there without my family being there. I think I should stay close to home for her to be able to come to the games and my family to be here to support me.”
On how well he knows the other 2012 recruits and how they’ll complement each other
“I’ve been knowing Yogi for a while. Me and Ron became pretty friends playing AAU together. Hanner (Perea) and Peter (Jurkin) I know through AAU. I think we can do something real special. We’re all don’t really play the same position. I think we can all work together and come together as a team.”
On how important it was for Indiana to have other good players in place before he decided
“That helps a lot showing all the great players I would be surrounded by playing with, all the great players that’s there can really turn a program around.”
On whether it became more attractive as Indiana continued to land additional recruits
“Yeah, it really helped seeing the guys that were going there, knowing they were pretty good players. They’re all high-major players and it was exciting for me seeing who I’d be able to play with and things we can accomplish.”
On when he knew it was Indiana
“I’ve been kinda knowing for a while. That was just my gut feeling. The school I thought would be best for me. I would look at another school and just always think about IU. I feel like if I went there (another school) I would regret it in the long run. So I went with what I thought was best for me. I’m just leaving it up to me now for me to work hard and do what I have to do.”
On whether he got tired of people encouraging him to go to different schools via social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter
“I did kind of get tired of it, but you just have to deal with it. I said I have to deal with it. I just tried to ignore it and continue to work hard and do what I have to do.”
On what he needs to improve on before arriving in Bloomington
“I need to get stronger, faster, playing every possession hard. Being more aggressive. My ball handling, my foot work, playing defense. Pretty much to prepare for that next level so I’ll be ready.”
On whether he’ll become a recruiter like Ron Patterson or Yogi Ferrell and who he would recruit
“We all know that I’m going to go after Gary Harris pretty hard. He knows that. We’re good friends. I think if we get him we’ll really be something special. He knows I’m going to come after him hard. We’ve been talking about it but it’s still his decision and I’ll leave it up to him but I want to get my two cents in and hope he makes the best decision.”
On how well all of the recruits can fit together
“I think it’s a good group of guys, unselfish guys who just want to win, play basketball and do some great things.”
VIDEO
