The Kentucky Hoopfest kicked off Thursday in Louisville and Inside the Hall attended the evening session at Hoops and Basketball Academy.

+ Among the coaches in attendance: Tom Crean and Tim Buckley; Michigan State’s Tom Izzo; Butler’s Brad Stevens; Xavier’s Chris Mack and assistants from Ohio State, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin and Purdue.

+ At Hoops, the Spiece Indy Stars crushed Indiana Swish Orange. This Spiece group was coming off a tournament win at the Hoosier Shootout and Broad Ripple’s Ron Patterson, Lawrence Central’s Jeremy Hollowell (pictured), Southport’s Kellon Thomas and Avon’s Austin Burgett were all impressive. You’d be hard pressed to find a stronger group of 15-year olds.

Hollowell confirmed that Indiana is ready to make an offer, but it won’t be official until his mother gets a chance to be there for the occasion. Iowa and Cincinnati have offered. Hollowell is 6-5 (and still growing) and said he enjoyed his time last month at the Indiana Elite Camp.

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Bloomington South guard Darwin Davis didn’t wait for the IU offer that may or may not have come. The 5-9 guard who helped lead the Panthers to a state championship and won the MVP award at Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions, is headed to Xavier.

Davis also held an offer from Purdue and was receiving interest from Butler, Cincinnati, Iowa, Tennessee and IU.

With roughly two and a half years to recruit before the early signing period in November of 2010, the fruits from the Indiana staff’s recruiting efforts for the 2011 class could be plentiful. The only catch? The uncertainty of the scholarship situation. A quick look at the scholarship numbers page shows the Hoosiers have two available scholarships for 2011 (three if they oversign by one.) But if the Hoosiers add to the 2010 class, the number of available scholarships will decrease accordingly.

That said, let’s take a look at the names being frequently mentioned in Indiana’s 2011 recruiting efforts:

– Marquis Teague – Depending on who you talk to, Indiana’s chances to land Teague range from coming on strong to a longshot. Where the Hoosiers actually stand is anybody’s guess. Teague’s talent is undeniable. He is an excellent ball handler and can both score and distribute from the point guard position. And he’s already ready physically for the rigors of the Big Ten. His only knocks? An attitude that sometimes doesn’t endear him to officials and a jumpshot that is still improving. In the end, Teague possesses the talent to be special.

– Cody Zeller – I’ve watched Zeller twice this spring and came away impressed after watching him in the adidas May Classic. He’s a legitimate 6-9 and still growing. And as is usually the case with big men, he’s tweaking his game to adjust to his changing physique. Zeller is a heady player who can be a little too unselfish at times, but his skills in the post are very good. If he can improve his strength over the next two years, he’ll be a difference maker.

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Notes written shortly after Michael Santa’s much anticipated IU debut …

“I’ll never accept it and I never have, but this was bound to happen at some point with this team. We’ve asked a lot of them. A majority of theses guys would be redshirting on most any Division I program. I shouldn’t say most, but the high quality level to get that year to get their bodies right, to get stronger and all those kinds of things, to learn the college game. We are asking a lot of guys that have never done this before and it showed up tonight in a big way. There is nothing to hang our hat on tonight. It is just part of it.” – Tom Crean after Indiana’s 75-53 home loss on Wednesday to Northwestern.

No matter how much we’d all like to sugar coat it and talk about the hard work this version of the Indiana Hoosiers is putting in, the reality is that this team never really had a shot to compete at a high level. Crean and the coaching staff have coached them to competitiveness in spurts, but the talent and experience just isn’t there. Crean has done a superb job keeping the attitude and the spirit of his team positive, but there’s only so much you can say when the losses keep piling up. Take this season for what it is: an anomaly in the history of the Indiana basketball and no indication of the direction the program is heading.

– Ryan did an excellent job of summing up the extra phone call the Indianapolis Star reported early Wednesday morning. Under normal circumstances, this would have flown so far under the radar you wouldn’t have even known about it. But the circumstances following Kelvin Sampson’s major violations aren’t normal. You can believe Crean when he says it was an honest mistake, but it was the last thing Indiana needs right now.

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Before you watch this lovely piece of footage I edited for your viewing pleasure, I’d like to say a little something about Bloomington South sophomore Darwin Davis Jr. At first glance, he doesn’t scream ‘high major prospect.’ Calling him 5-9 might be a bit generous. But for what this kid lacks in stature, he makes up with how he understands the game of basketball. Jordan Hulls isn’t the only reason is South is undefeated, ranked No. 1 in state and recognized as one of the top ten teams nationally. Davis Jr. is a big piece of the puzzle for JR Holmes. He may not end up a Hoosier, but he’s going to be a steal for the school that lands him. Enjoy: