Inside the Hall | Indiana Hoosiers Basketball News, Recruiting and Analysis

2016 forward De’Ron Davis “very interested” in Indiana

by Justin Albers in Recruiting | April 29th, 2013

042913hdf It didn’t take long for Indiana to notice De’Ron Davis.

The Hoosiers were the first to offer Davis a scholarship last July, and it’s safe to say he’s an early priority for Indiana in the 2016 class.

Associate head coach Steve McClain was in Denver to watch Davis play with his Colorado Hawks 16-under team on Friday at the Mile High Classic, and Davis noticed. The Hawks fell in Sunday’s championship game by four points.

It was the second straight weekend McClain watched Davis as the Hawks were in Dallas for the adidas Exclusive Run for the first April evaluation period.

“I’m very interested in them,” Davis, who plays at Overland High School, told Inside the Hall on Sunday night. “It was pretty exciting to see them there. It’s cool to have them after me.

“Indiana was my first offer. It does mean a lot, but right now I’m not really focused on any of my offers or schools that are on me right now just because I have a long journey and I’m trying to stay focused on the task at hand.”

Davis, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, is one of the top ranked rising sophomores nationally and has continued to develop his game.

Last fall, he was invited to USA Basketball’s Developmental National Team mini-camp in Colorado Springs. Several IU targets participated with Davis, including Tyus Battle, Bryant Crawford, Marcus Derrickson, Eron Gordon, Marcus LoVett, Malachi Richardson, Elijah Thomas and Diamond Stone.

He provided Inside the Hall a brief summary and analysis of his playing style for those who haven’t seen him play.

Tags: Deron Davis

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Recruiting Roundup: EYBL Hampton

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | April 29th, 2013

042813 This weekend marked the second of two April evaluation periods, and the premier event was session two of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) in Hampton at the Boo Williams Sportsplex.

Tom Crean, associate head coach Tim Buckley and assistant Kenny Johnson were on hand at different points throughout the weekend tracking James Blackmon Jr. and various prospects being recruited for 2014, 2015 and beyond.

Here’s a rundown of how many of the names on the IU radar performed over the weekend:

· James Blackmon Jr., Spiece Indy Heat: If his efficiency numbers are any indication, Blackmon Jr. might be underrated nationally. Through nine EYBL contests, his effective field goal percentage is 60.2 and he’s scored in double figures in every game. In Hampton, the future IU guard averaged 14.0 points and 2.6 rebounds as Spiece Indy Heat finished 4-1.

· Theo Pinson, CP3 All-Stars: One of IU’s top recruiting targets in the 2014 class, Pinson continues to contribute in a variety of areas on the EYBL circuit. He shot 47.8 percent in Hampton and averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.6 blocks as CP3 All-Stars went 4-1. Pinson told reporters over the weekend that he’ll trim his list next month and is considering North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgetown, Louisville, Florida State, North Carolina State and Wake Forest.

· Trevon Bluiett, Spiece Indy Heat: After averaging 18.7 points in the first EYBL session, Bluiett filled it up even more in session two, averaging 21.4 points on 47.8 percent shooting. He didn’t shoot it particularly well from three (38.2 percent), but hit close to 93 percent of his free throws and also averaged 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

· Ahmed Hill, Southern Stampede: Indiana remains active in Hill’s recruitment, but his list is still lengthy at this point. Southern Stampede had a tough weekend, dropping all five contests. Hill averaged 14.8 points and 3.4 rebounds and mentioned the Hoosiers prominently in this update with 247 Sports:

It was rough sledding for the Southern Stampede over the weekend, but there is no denying the talent of Hill. An electric athlete, Hill also has great body control when attacking the rim.

Looking for a school where he has a great relationship with the head coach, Hill had the likes of Tom Crean, Billy Donovan, Leonard Hamilton and Mark Fox watch him play at various times over the weekend. Hill listed Indiana, Kansas, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Texas and Marquette as the schools recruiting him the hardest.

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Tags: James Blackmon Jr., Phil Booth, Theo Pinson, Trevon Bluiett

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2014 guard Brandone Francis calls IU offer “a blessing”

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | April 26th, 2013

042613scv Following his MVP performance in the 17-and-under division at last weekend’s adidas Exclusive Run in Dallas, 2014 Arlington Country Day (Fla.) guard Brandone Francis has seen his stock rise significantly over the past week.

A 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard who can score and handle the ball, Francis was tracked closely by associate head coach Steve McClain in Dallas and Tom Crean watched him on Wednesday at high school.

On Thursday, the Hoosiers extended a scholarship offer to the rising guard, who plays AAU for Florida Elite.

“It’s a dream. I never thought I’d have a scholarship offer from Indiana,” Francis told Inside the Hall. “I think it’s the hard work that I’ve put in the gym. People didn’t really know about me.

“I showed people that hard work pays off and that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. It’s a blessing.”

Originally from La Romana, the third largest city in the Dominican Republic, Francis came to the United States in the ninth grade and was not ranked by any of the major recruiting services coming into last weekend.

That is expected to change quickly, but Francis believes that his game still has plenty of room to grow. He missed time with a knee injury and wrist injury over the past year, but is now fully healthy.

“The sky is the limit. I want to be great,” he said. “I want to show people that I’m better than a lot of players [ranked] in front of me. I just want to show what I can do, go to college, get my degree and make my mother proud. I just want to show everybody what I can do on the court.”

Tags: Brandone Francis

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HD Video: Luke Fischer at the Derby Festival Basketball Classic

by Alex Bozich in Video | April 25th, 2013

2013 Indiana signee Luke Fischer scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three steals and two blocks as his team won the 2013 Derby Festival Basketball Classic last Friday at Freedom Hall.

Inside the Hall has compiled just under a minute of high-definition clips of the future Hoosier big man from the event in the embedded media player below:

Tags: Luke Fischer

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2015 point guard Bryant Crawford remains high on IU

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | April 25th, 2013

042513hdf Indiana’s recruiting presence in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, also known as the DMV, has been strong since Tom Crean arrived in Bloomington in the spring of 2008.

It’s only grown stronger over the past 11 months with the hiring of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Kenny Johnson. One player the Hoosiers have made a priority from D.C. in the 2015 class is Gonzaga Prep’s Bryant Crawford.

At 6-foot-2 and 175-pounds, Crawford had the opportunity to take over the point guard duties this past high school season after Nate Britt, a North Carolina signee, transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season.

Crawford handled the responsibilities well, averaging 8.6 points for a team that finished 27-5 and went undefeated in WCAC regular-season play.

After missing his freshman season with a fractured tibia, it was a chance for the young guard to show he was capable of being a leader.

“I tried to be more vocal and give my teammates constructive criticism,” he told Inside the Hall of his sophomore season at Gonzaga. “We fell a little bit short and didn’t finish how we wanted to, but everything else was good.”

With a strong summer of AAU with Team Takeover in 2012 and his play at Gonzaga as a sophomore, recruiting interest has picked up for Crawford. Maryland recently offered, joining Indiana, Georgetown, Connecticut, Seton Hall, SMU and Penn State, among others.

Indiana was one of the first offers for Crawford and remains high on his list.

“They’re recruiting me pretty hard. I talk to them often. I saw them at open gyms, practices and games,” Crawford said. “The coaches there have showed they believe in me and they want me a lot. They have faith in me and just want to see me improve and become better as a player and as a person.”

He’s already taken a pair of unofficial visits to Bloomington. The first was last August when IU offered a scholarship and the second was for Hoosier Hysteria, which was an experience that made an impact.

Tags: Bryant Crawford

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Breaking down the IU career, departure of Maurice Creek

by Justin Albers in Commentary | April 24th, 2013

IUCCSITH0011 Everybody has their own opinion on Maurice Creek, and that’s fine. But it’s impossible to talk about his career at Indiana without using the word “unfair” or without discussing what could have been.

In reality, Creek helped the Hoosiers very little on the court after his first year and half with the Hoosiers. It wasn’t his fault and he did everything he could to contribute, but his body never could hold up long enough for him to make any real impact.

It’s not like he didn’t want it bad enough or didn’t work to have success. If you spent any amount of time around the Indiana campus over the last four years, you likely witnessed Creek’s love for the game of basketball. He regularly carried a ball with him when he walked around campus, and he spent considerable time shooting around at the HPER and SRSC facilities during the team’s offseason.

Creek loves the game. The game just hasn’t always loved him back.

It’s unfortunate, too, considering the talented player we’re talking about. Some people forget how good Creek was as a freshman, when he scored 31 points on a highly-ranked Kentucky team that consisted of a backcourt of John Wall and Eric Bledsoe.

He averaged 16.4 points per game that season, shooting 53 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc. And that came on a team that won only 10 games.

He was a likely on-and-done talent, maybe two-and-done. He should be playing in his second or third NBA season right now. Instead, he’s trying to find another school where he can use his last year of eligibility and begin working on a graduate degree.

Tags: Maurice Creek

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Creek will not return to Indiana for 2013-2014 season

by Alex Bozich in Media | April 24th, 2013

Indiana redshirt junior Maurice Creek will not return to Indiana for a fifth season and will instead seek to complete his eligibility at a school closer to his home. Creek will receive his undergraduate degree next week.

Here’s the full release from IU media relations:

Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has announced that guard Maurice Creek will graduate next week and will not play for the Hoosiers next season. He will look to play his final season immediately at another school and begin work on a graduate degree.

“With his graduation coming up next week, Maurice and his family have decided to pursue an opportunity where he can find the type of role that would provide him the minutes he desires and is accustomed to,” said Crean. “In all my time as a coach, I have never witnessed someone overcoming the adversity that Maurice had sustained during his time. His attitude, ability to continue to work and his passion for the game of basketball have never wavered. He has been an integral part of our basketball family and will always remain that in our eyes and and should also in the eyes of Hoosier Nation.”

Tags: Maurice Creek

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