Monday Notebook: Hollowell, Harris, Traylor and more

by Alex Bozich in Media | April 18th, 2011

(Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)

– The right wrist injury sustained by Lawrence Central forward Jeremy Hollowell is not as serious as originally thought. The 2012 IU commit tweeted that his wrist is not broken or fractured and that he’ll likely miss just two to three weeks. That should put Hollowell back in time for either the Spiece Run ‘N Slam in Ft. Wayne (May 7-8) or the adidas May Classic in Bloomington (May 14-16).

– The Indianapolis Star is reporting that Tom Crean was scheduled to watch Gary Harris work out on Monday at Hamilton Southeastern. Update: Crean was there. Also in attendance: Rick Pitino, John Beilein and coaches from Tenneessee and Kansas State.

– In an interview with GoPokes.com (premium story), 2011 IMG Academy forward Jamari Traylor said he plans to visit either Indiana or Kansas this weekend. Traylor took an official visit to Oklahoma State this past weekend.

– Crean watched an open gym at Brownsburg on Monday, according to Hoosier Hoops Report, where guard K.J. Walton (2015) and Jaraan Lands (2014) are believed to be the major attractions. This YouTube video of Walton is impressive for a freshman-to-be.

– 2014 Evansville Bosse guard Jaquan Lyle will be watched by Butler, Indiana, Indiana State, Ohio State, Purdue and St. Louis at an open gym on Tuesday.

– Indianapolis Speedway guard Justin Brent (2014) tweeted that he expects assistant coach Tim Buckley at an open gym later this week.

– ESPN.com bracketologist Joe Lunardi released a ridiculously early 2012 Bracketology and Indiana was listed among the “first four” teams. This doesn’t tell us much other than the fact that expectations for postseason play next year in Bloomington are real. Also in Lunardi’s field from the Big Ten: Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin. This means Lunardi believes the Hoosiers jump past Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern and Penn State.

– Former Indiana coach Bob Knight’s comments on the Kentucky program and John Calipari at a recent speech in Wabash, Indiana were not flattering.

Tags: Gary Harris, Jamari Traylor, Jeremy Hollowell

Anonymous

First of all, Love the news that Hollowell’s injury is not as bad as we all thought. I would love for him to spend these two to three weeks working out his legs, and dribbling with his left hand to give him some left handed abilities along with his right handed drives.

Secondly. Wow K.J. Walton. I like this kid already and he’s only an 8th grader. He’s got a nice shot from the perimeter, and what from the highlight reels appear to be a nice Verdell like mid range. I would like to see Crean start pursuing him for 2015, because the kids only going to get better.

Third. I’ll take being one of the 4 teams in, because i’m close to dayton. I’ll take any post season play right now. But, I think Lunardi is actually selling us a little short. I think we will improve to top 5 or 6, and be a non play in game seed.

And I don’t see how he has Purdue at a 4 seed…
Luke72

A bit overdone with the graphics and such but Coach Knight has maintanined a true course in all these years. Fun listening to him!
N71

The Bob Knight video was great, he certainly still has his mind and edge. Not sure what I would do when looking at 2015, if no one leaves early IU could beat the Cavs. I guess you just go down the list and see who the best player is in the state and regardless of their position, you lock them up.
jcris

if joe lenardi has more than more than 3 of the picks exactly right, I will give you my pay check.

The fact that he has put that out is the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.

Glad to see the wrist isn’t serious for hollowell
http://www.twitter.com/GBuc12 BaseballBuc

WOW! K.J. Walton is unbelievable. And an 8th grader!?!? gimme a break.
Anonymous

Can someone send Jamari the link to the Lunardi’s predictions? “See, IU will get you tournament exposure in year 1 too!”
Kelin Blab

KJ Walton Wow ditto. Hope Crean offers him tomorrow!
Anonymous

Yeah but adding him would be huge to that. I feel like with Jamari there to help Zeller down low, we improve from a Play-in Game to a solid maybe 8 or 9 seed or somewhere around there.
Anonymous

I agree. Get him committed before anyone else comes at him.
Aceman_Mujezinovic_07

Man, after watching the highlights from this last weekend’s AAU event, I just have one thing to say . . . WOW!!! Every IU recruit there looked great and I am amazed at the athleticism and ability possessed by Jeremy Hollowell! He could end up being the highlight of that class. His length is undervalued and he leaps and cuts much better than I thought he did from the last time I saw him!

I am so pumped about JH!
Anonymous

Soo relieved Hollowell’s injury is not that serious. He is an incredible talent and I believe not rated high enough. Glad to hear he will be back in action this summer and improving his game.
Anonymous

Then your baseline is way off. Last season, IU was always going to be a sub .500 team, with a very slim chance at an NIT berth, if things went well. Next season, I think they take the next step, but that step isn’t that they have a chance at being an 8 seed (or even a First Four team), it’s that they should be solidly in the NIT, with a very slim chance at an NCAA berth. The talent change just isn’t significant enough to warrant anything else. Zeller will obviously help, and certain players should grow, for sure. But that isn’t enough. However, the 2012 class is just so good in so many areas, the kind of program-changer that IU needs desperately, and that season, barring unforeseen issues (injuries, players leaving, etc) the expectations will shift sharply.
HoosierFromCt

RT @boogiecousins (Demarcus Cousins): All respect Coach Knight but I went to my spring classes at UK, finished strong, good gpa even after declaring for draft
Anonymous

That would make the NCC more interesting. It would be nice to see Marion competitive again. That would help the entire conference. So weird to see Marion and Anderson in the cellar.
http://www.vccm.net/ iubase

Loved the RMK video…almost as good was the whinning from the pUKsters….agree that the NBA needs to follow what baseball has done for years….I do think the pressure will be on CTC to get an NCAA berth by 2012 and the Lunardi article sets that bar in place…I think it can be done and that will then push into final four possibility by 14.
Glawton12

Thanks for the great info, but just a quick edit. I think you meant the Hoosiers will jump past Nebraska where you noted Iowa twice.
http://www.insidethehall.com/ Alex Bozich

I actually meant Penn State. Thanks for catching that.
Plane1972

There are a lot of minutes in the paint up for grabs in Stillwater. LeBryan Nash will take the really tasty ones at Traylor’s position, but Ford played two power forwards in Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim side-by-side a lot. Probably isn’t a bad fit for him.
Anonymous

Not at all. Last year realistically, Indiana should’ve been above .500. We lost some non-conference games that we positively should’ve won, and lost a few games in the Big Ten that we’re ours to win, Michigan State, At Wisconsin, Iowa round 2, At Minnesota etc. I honestly thought we should’ve been a solid NIT berth and perhaps a reach for NCAA team.

this year, with the addition of Zeller, and probable return of Creek, since all signs seem to point to him already having intense workouts which doesn’t sound like rehab to me. And the improvement of certain people on our team, I feel like to expect a NIT berth is underselling this group of young men.
Anonymous

Walton is another Indiana player ……… this state is amazing; I don’t think too many other states can assemble teams with players out of their state only. Great name too – I’m sold on him already.
Anonymous

I’m with Jay. But I like Josh’s optimism.
Anonymous

Well, now, let’s not let facts get in the way of a good story…
Anonymous

Rats. I was hoping that meant we were REALLY beating up on Iowa next year.
INUnivHoosier

#notintendedtobeafactualstatement right?

I had to take a moment of pause when I heard that. I’d like to see if he said that out of assumption (based on hatred for UK – can’t blame him for that) or got the story from somewhere(one).
INUnivHoosier

I think the only way to change the NCAA is to have the government enforce the non-profit designation (by enforce I mean take it away or make them actually oriented toward “student”-athletes). Either be for profit and put profit over everything else or be non-profit and put the concern for educational attainment first.

Not going to happen, though.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NBPQHYYHNOLGMRTOR32WHD336Y MichaelK

Just read on ESPN insider that Jamari Traylor has cut Indiana from his final four.
Anonymous

On terms of Jaquan Lyle, here is some good news:
jlyle11
IU 2012, 2013, & 2014 classes are pretty darn good haha

jeremy152012
#yessir RT @jlyle11: IU 2012, 2013, & 2014 classes are pretty darn good haha

jlyle11
@jeremy152012 hold it down I may be apart of that..

jeremy152012
Yup u already know.. u 2013? Or 14? RT @jlyle11: @jeremy152012 hold it down I may be apart of that..

jlyle11
@jeremy152012 2014

jeremy152012
@jlyle11 that’s wassup I heard u was nice! Who u play for? You trey lyles and james yal would be nasty!

jlyle11
@jeremy152012 I’m ranked 2nd in the state behind Trey and yeah If I commit and Trevon our class we would better then yalls haha
oldred1976

Wow,that KJ Walton is a ball player 8th grade 6′ 2″.That means 6 4,. 6 5 by freshman yr.? The Kid’s got that babyface maybe he’s got some Zeke in him . HA HA!!

On another subject it appears that Mr. Traylor doesn’t want to be in the NCAA basketball hall of fame. He has eliminated the Hoosiers. Oh well next.
stonaroni

Blackmon used to teach at Marion. I am suprised it has taken this long to get him back home, especially with his home grown talent.

Kokomo is good again along with Marion. Now if only Anderson could get back their mojo from the 80′s and 90′s. I remember the days when nearly every team in the NCC was good enough to make a run at the state championship.
stonaroni

Just wait until he puts on 25 lbs of pure muscle on that frame. Dangerous!
stonaroni

WE NEED ANOTHER BIG IN THE CLASS OF 2011!!!

Has Godsgift from Erie Juco signed anywhere yet? Let’s get on him.
Anonymous

This is what I wanna see. Someone who wants to be part of something great! And the fact that JH is doing what patterson did for him. Recruit one another. I would love for JH to go see Lyle play sometime since JH can’t practice for a few weeks. Build some friendships plus you know the coaches will be building relationships and we are golden.
KD

Heard that James Blackmon Sr. applies for the head coaching position at his alma mater Marion. Maybe Jr. will be playing his high school ball around Indy.
Anonymous

I like these:

jlyle11 jaquan lyle
@jeremy152012 you get with your class and I’ll get with my class haha
2 hours ago » jlyle11 jaquan lyle
@jeremy152012 we all gotta go up to IU one day for an open gym and scrimmage each other #2014wins

I would love to watch that.
Anonymous

What games should IU have won in the non-conference? Northern Iowa? On the road against B.C.? That’s two. Just because you thought they should have been a solid NIT team doesn’t make it so. They weren’t good enough, definitely not without two of their potential top 8 players in Creek (who was nowhere near where we thought he’d be even before he was hurt again) and Guy (who was taken into consideration when we were all making picks last summer.)

Any formula that you have that says that IU, last season, SHOULD have won at Wisconsin and at Michigan State is wrong. IU hasn’t won at either of those places in forever; I’m not sure they’ve actually ever won at the Kohl Center, and they haven’t won at Breslin since the 90′s, if I’m not mistaken. Those were Big Ten road games, at places where no one wins, (especially not IU) against two NCAA Tournament teams.

And you could make a case that given the injuries and unfortunate situation with Guy, that IU actually overachieved last year. It hurts to think about it like that, but realistically, IU should have beaten Iowa twice, yes. But they also shouldn’t have beaten Illinois or Minnesota. And to be honest, if I have to choose between beating Iowa twice and losing to those two teams, I’ll take the two ranked wins. But either way, I thought they were right where they should have been. They just didn’t have enough talent, relative to other teams. Northwestern had a better team. Penn State had a better team (if only because of Talor Battle.) Michigan had a better team. And as much as it hurts, Iowa was probably on par with IU, once it became apparent that Creek wasn’t the same. Last year was a super year for the Big Ten. Next season will still be a good year, especially if some people return who are currently on the NBA fence. And keep in mind, IU’s non-conference schedule strength will probably increase a bit, based on the games we’ve heard about. It’s hard to compare seasons just by record. IU may end up only winning a few more games next year and making the NIT, but that could end up meaning they took significant, significant strides, and are in a great place to welcome the 2012 class.
Anonymous

I remember those days too. Kokomo, Marion, Muncie Central, Richmond, Anderson, and back when I was in school, Lafayette Jeff. Pretty impressive conference. A team like Richmond might finish 6th in the conference with an overall record of 15-5 (3-4).

Kokomo is obviously still very good as a 4A runner-up banner would attest, but the rest of the conference was just so-so this year. I saw Kokomo and Richmond (2nd place) play this year, and Kokomo beat them by nearly 20. Wasn’t even close. Marion got beat by Peru, and I don’t think Anderson won more than 5 or 6 games this year. Huntington North was decent, but inconsistent too.
Anonymous

Richmond should have won their sectional this year but they got jobbed pretty badly by the refs, Dunham got every possible call. Plus Luce took Marion to the 4a final, I’m pretty sure he’ll do a good job with the Richmond program.
Plane1972

You’re so right HoosierFromCT. How can anyone say that Indiana is not the mecca of American basketball? Where else would you fill an arena for a high school scrimmage of only home grown talent. No other place can boast a supply of home grown talent like we can.

As we all know, basketball was invented in Springfield, MA but perfected in Bloomington, IN.
Anonymous

Luce is a good coach. He should have Richmond back to their old ways soon. That Dunham kid is pretty tough. He nearly single-handedly lifted Pendleton over Kokomo in the regional. Butler has a good one in him.
Anonymous

I am NOT disappointed at all! The best would be for McGary to reclassify and go to IU in 2011 not 2012.
Anonymous

Jeremy is really good! And he is actively recruiting the younger guns to come to IU.
Anonymous

I do not think that he would add anything. Now Mitch McGary reclassifying to 2011 and coming to Indiana, that would add a lot!
Anonymous

No one but me wants to give Austin Etherington any love. I think that he has a chance to start early with Zeller, Watford, Hulls, and Oladipo. If Will gets his 3-point accuracy down, then Will for Austin. Then when Creek gets in shape and Big 10 strong, Mo starts. That is a tremendously stronger team than last year because you have Pritchard, Elston and Jones adding real talent off of the bench.
Anonymous

Why be realistic-these are expectations. Set them high. If Indiana fields a Men’s Basketball team, the goal has to be 20 wins!
http://twitter.com/stevetodd73 Stephen Jackson

Did you see where Trey Lyles just asked never mined j lyles just commited to IU hoihohohohohohohohohohoHoosiers
Anonymous

Your lineup doesn’t represent a tremendously stronger team, it’s a team with the same pieces rearranged. I think Etherington will be a solid player for IU, but he’s a wing player, and expecting him to come in and contribute more than Jones/Watford/a possibly healthy Creek/Sheehey/Oladipo, and he’d need to beat out 4 of those 5 to start, is probably quite a reach at this point. As I said, Zeller will add a lot, and players will develop, but the problem with viewing it like that is, that every other team in college basketball will have kids getting older and developing as well. IU should take another step back, but that step is into having a very realistic shot at the NIT, with a very slim chance at the NCAA. And then the fun starts the year after.

I know it’s tough to think that way, but what is encouraging about how the program is being rebuilt, is that it looks like once IU is back, the foundation that has been laid the past few years (and that will continue to be laid the next few) will mean that the team will be in a perfect position to return to the kind of sustained success that IU used to enjoy, before the Mike Davis yo-yo years, and the tail-end of Knight’s tenure.
http://twitter.com/stevetodd73 Stephen Jackson

Nevermind some kid took J. lyles computer to lunch and tweeted that he commits to IU, Dang high schoolers
Anonymous

That’s too bad.
Anonymous

I disagree. Austin is NEW, Cody is NEW, and a healthy Mo Creek is NEW. Then you have Watford and Hulls, IU’s two best players. Then you have Victor and Will, each of whom was very athletic but not polished as a basketball player. Their improvement next season will be much greater than most others. I think that Austin will be our #1 3-point threat, with Hulls, and Watford right behind, and hopefully, Mo Creek taking that honor away as the season progresses. Zeller will change everything. So I see the total as a different team!
stonaroni

I have not seen himn play but hear he is a godd shooter. He is the exact type of kid that makes butler so good. All around players who work hard and step up to the level of competition.

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