Naadir Tharpe, Scout.com’s No. 12 point guard nationally in the 2011 class, has a new school expressing interest: Indiana.
Assistant coach Tim Buckley watched the 5-11 point guard work out a couple of weeks ago at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports tweeted last week that the Hoosiers were coming on strong.
“It seems like we’re going to start building a relationship together,” Tharpe said. “I haven’t spoken to Coach Crean yet, but I was talking to one of the assistant coaches and he said that Coach Crean was going to come back up to Brewster to see me. So we’ll just see how that goes.”
Tharpe, who listed Arizona as his top school over the summer, appears to be wide open and is looking forward to learning more about the IU program.
“I really don’t know a lot about the program, but something I do know is that usually it’s a really good, winning program,” he said. “I know that Coach Crean is a really tough coach and he works his players hard to strive to be the best. I want to know more about Indiana, that’s why I’m going to keep on talking to the coaches.”
If you’re following us on Twitter, you may have noticed an update from Fox Sports writer Jeff Goodman regarding Indiana coming on strong for 2011 point guard Naadir Tharpe.
Tharpe is a 5-11 point guard at Brewster Academy (NH) and is rated No. 62 nationally by Scout.com and No. 80 by Rivals.com. In April, Tharpe told WildcatSportsReport.com that he could potentially re-classify to 2010: “It’s like this – I am at Brewster Academy right now and a 2011 player. I was looking things over with my Coach and if my grades are right and the college is perfect for me next year then I could possibly become a 2010 player.”
Here’s an interview with Tharpe, which was filmed in July at the adidas Super 64:
Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Bobby Capobianco.
The least heralded by analysts of Indiana’s 2009 recruiting class, Bobby Capobianco won’t be the first name you come across when browsing the various preseason magazines beginning to hit newsstands.
Capobianco, a 6-8 bruiser from Loveland (OH), is the son of a former Vanderbilt basketball standout, Barbara and a former Vanderbilt football player, Bob. Tom Crean began recruiting him while at Marquette and just 15 days after landing in Bloomington, Capobianco became Crean’s first commitment. He led Loveland to a 17-4 record last season and averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game.
The trademark of his game lies in the paint and his impact will be felt primarily on the boards. He’s capable of putting up points on the block using either hand and has a nice stroke from 15-17 feet. It’s doubtful that he’ll block a ton of shots, but he won’t stand for getting beat by defenders, either. Capobianco’s effort on defense is the trademark of his game. What he lacks in foot speed and athleticism, he makes up for with a willingness to work hard on every possession.
That, in a nutshell, is how the National Letter of Intent will be enforced at NCAA member schools moving forward according to a report by The Sporting News:
The National Letter of Intent Policy and Review Committee sent a memo to member schools Thursday announcing that “institutions should be aware they are prohibited from establishing any additional conditions associated with the NLI agreement in advance of a prospective student-athlete signing the NLI.”
A copy of the memo was provided to Sporting News by a Division I basketball coach. The memo declares that if any institution or its employees “offer additional conditions, the prospective student-athlete’s NLI is subject to being declared null and void along with possible institutional penalties.” The memo does not state what sort of penalties might be enforced.
Obtaining a release from a Letter of Intent has become commonplace following coaching changes: both Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway were released from IU after Kelvin Sampson was fired. This past spring, Xavier Henry invoked a clause in his LOI with Memphis after John Calipari left the school and bolted for Kansas.
According to a tweet earlier this afternoon by Hoosier Nation’s John Decker, Indiana will have an in-home visit tonight with 2010 five-star wing Jelan Kendrick.
Kendrick, who is related to former Hoosier A.J. Moye, is rated the No. 8 player nationally by Rivals.com and No. 15 by Scout.com. We’ve embedded video of a ridiculous Kendrick dunk from the King City Classic after the jump:
Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Maurice Creek.
To get a good idea of the impact Tom Crean expects Maurice Creek to have on the IU program, you only need to go back in the archives to August 31, 2009.
That’s the date when the NCAA clearinghouse passed along word that Creek, who used the summer to finish up core classes needed to qualify, would be eligible for the upcoming season.
Upon hearing of the green light from the NCAA for Creek to begin working out with the team, Crean tweeted that grown men were hugging each other all over Assembly Hall. (To be fair, I hugged Ryan and Eamonn upon hearing the news.) But yeah, Creek is a special enough talent to produce man hugs out of the IU coaching staff. Powerful stuff.
Creek brings a trait to Bloomington that last year’s team sorely lacked: a polished offensive game capable of consistently putting points on the board. A soft spoken kid from Oxon Hill (MD), the 6-5 Creek switched schools a couple of times before landing at Hargrave Military Academy for his senior season. He averaged 18.4 ppg for a team that finished 27-2.
We gathered with H-T Sports Editor Chris Korman to discuss all things Indiana basketball earlier this evening. A transcript of the chat for those of you that couldn’t attend is embedded below:
Cody (7 points, 4 reb.) wins Zeller vs. Zeller battle tonight in Charlotte over Tyler (5 points, 5 reb.) as Bobcats beat Cavs, 101-92.about 9 hours ago
Naadir Tharpe, Scout.com’s No. 12 point guard nationally in the 2011 class, has a new school expressing interest: Indiana.
Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Bobby Capobianco. 
Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Maurice Creek. 
