Strengths: Cosby is a part of one of the top teams in the state of Kentucky that is led by one of the better coaches in the state — Jeff Morrow. After sitting out the six first games of the season due to transfer rules, Cosby is still working his way into game shape. He showed an ability to get into the lane and also a nice touch from the perimeter when left open. For the most part, his court vision appeared to be solid and he didn’t try to make plays that weren’t available to him.

Weaknesses: It’s not a knock on Cosby, but his listed height of 6-3 by Rivals is a bit deceiving (go figure). He looked to be about 6-1. He also looked to be a bit out of the flow of the game, but that seemed to be more of a result of missing the first six games of the season and not his ability. Morrow wasn’t pleased with a couple of layups he gave up and as a result, Cosby found himself benched for a couple of long stretches in the second and fourth quarters. He has the tools to be a solid defender, but will need to step up the intensity on a more consistent basis.

The Bottom Line: The Indiana staff will keep a close eye on Cosby’s progress over the course of the season. As he continues to round back into form after sitting out last season and the first six games of this season, he should become more comfortable with his new surroundings and continue to blossom. He’s an intelligent player that has the potential to become a solid college player.

1. Tom Crean admitted that the coaching staff has ground to make up in 2010. By the time Crean arrived in Bloomington, many of the top prospects for 2010 were already starting to build solid relationships with other coaching staffs. And the recruiting sanctions placed on Crean over the summer only hampered his ability to get out and build his own relationships.

2. The availability of scholarships for 2010 (or lack thereof) has forced Crean to be more selective on who to target for this class. It’s a good bet that only two scholarships (or possibly only one) will be there for the taking.

So who is IU looking at in this class?

Kyrie Irving, a 6-2 guard from St. Patrick’s High School in New Jersey, sits atop of the wish list. Irving visited Bloomington in November for the season opener against Northwestern State and is among the top 30 players nationally in 2010. He’s an explosive scorer who can play both guard positions. Due to transfer rules, Irving won’t be eligible to play his first game for St. Patrick’s until January, but he’s lining up a long list of schools that also includes Memphis, Rutgers, Villanova, Florida, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas A & M.

Behind Irving, the two names most frequently mentioned are 6-9 Savannah (GA) forward Brandon Mobley and 6-3 Louisville (KY) guard Aaron Cosby.

Mobley has not yet visited Bloomington, but told Justin Young, formerly of Rivals.com, that the Hoosiers have offered a scholarship. I’m not convinced that Indiana is hard after Mobley, but he seems like an intriguing guy due to his size and length.

Cosby made a couple of visits to IU earlier in the fall and speculation was rampant that a commitment could be on the horizon. It now appears that Cosby is prepared to let his recruitment play out and visited Minnesota in early November. Due to his transfer from Manual to Jeffersontown, Cosby won’t be eligible to play until this Friday. He has an offer from Indiana and I would expect the staff to watch his progress closely.

Beyond these three players, Indiana is keeping an eye on guys like forward Alex Gauna from Eaton Rapids (MI) and forward Donnie Hale from New Albany (IN), but I wouldn’t expect either guy to end up a Hoosier. In the end, expect IU to be very conservative in dishing out offers for this class. With the scholarship situation limited, Crean can ill-afford to take any chances.

Cosby is already planning an unofficial visit to IU this coming weekend and he’ll be in Bloomington for Hoosier Hysteria as well.

Although Cosby is hearing from a large list of schools, two places in particular stand out for the 2010 guard.

“Right now, Indiana and Minnesota,” Cosby said when asked about the schools sitting atop of his list.

Cosby missed most of the 2007-2008 campaign after transferring from Manual to Jeffersontown and is looking forward to getting back on the court on December 19.

“Not being able to play was tough. I just used the time to work on my skills and get stronger,” he said. “I used the time to get better and prepare myself for AAU season.”

While Cosby doesn’t have a definite timetable for making a decision, an early commitment isn’t out of the question.

“I’m just looking for the right fit. If the right fit comes early, I wouldn’t mind making an early commitment. I’m just looking for the right fit and the right situation.”

The latest to garner an offer from Tom Crean and company: 6-3 guard Aaron Cosby from Jeffersontown High School in Louisville, according to Jody Demling of The Courier-Journal:

Jeffersontown junior guard Aaron Cosby told The Courier-Journal that Crean watched him in open gym on Thursday and offered him a scholarship this afternoon.

“He told me he was very impressed,” Cosby said. “This was the first time he had seen me play. I am going to think long and hard about it this week.”

Cosby noted the Hoosiers will only have two scholarships available in the Class of 2010. He’s making a visit to Miami of Ohio this weekend and was already scheduled for an unofficial visit to Bloomington next weekend.

Cosby sat out most of last season after transferring from Manual to Jeffersontown. He committed to Travis Ford and Massachusetts before his sophomore year, but re-opened his recruitment after Ford bolted for Stillwater. He currently doesn’t figure into Rivals.com’s rankings for 2010, but I would expect him to end up as a four-star player in that class. Here’s a list of schools involved with Cosby: Minnesota, Miami (OH), Purdue, Dayton, Ohio, Western Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Auburn, Virginia and Oklahoma State.