In a move that he says will place him in a program that will build around him, former Lawrence North forward Dominique Ferguson is headed to Florida International. Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports and Evan Daniels of Scout.com broke the news earlier this afternoon.

Ferguson, who recently announced plans to leave Jack Keefer’s program at Lawrence North, will play this fall at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham (VA) before playing at FIU for Isiah Thomas.

There’s no denying the talent of Ferguson, a consensus top 25 player in the 2010 class, but perceived academic and attitude issues led some of his more notable suitors to take a wait and see approach.

The 6-9 wing de-committed from Kentucky after Billy Gillispie was fired in early April. He attended Indiana’s Elite Camp in June, but did not participate due to an injury. The Indiana staff had expressed interest in Ferguson after he opened up his recruitment, but didn’t offer a scholarship.

There’s no question that Isiah Thomas is one of the best guards, if not the best, to ever play for our Hoosiers. His recent track record, however, suggests he might not be the guy you want running your favorite NBA franchise. But now that he’s 18 months clear of his sexual harrassment fiasco with the Knicks, reports are running rampant that he might get back into coaching. This time, on the collegiate level:

Florida International is trying to hire former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas as its next basketball coach, sources have told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.

Florida International coach Sergio Rouco was fired Monday, and sources confirm that FIU athletic director Pete Garcia made calls within the conference recently to check on the viability of hiring Thomas.

The Sun Belt has recently become a second-chance destination. Florida Atlantic hired former St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis and Arkansas State hired former LSU coach John Brady.

If Thomas lands at Florida International, I like the move for both sides. Isiah gets a chance to start repairing his tarnished reputation. And Florida International, which hasn’t had a winning season in five years, gets a little buzz for its program. If nothing else, this mention of Isiah gives me a chance to relive this classic moment between Zeke and Bob Knight (earmuffs, boys and girls).

In the aftermath of his coaching debacle with the New York Knicks, Isiah Thomas is apparently back in the fold in Bloomington helping to rebuild the program he once led to a national championship. Via a tipster, here’s a link to Isiah hamming it up with Christian Watford, who attended the Elite Camp this weekend and is considering the Hoosiers, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis and Alabama.

From all indications, this past weekend was an excellent first step in putting some of the pieces of a fractured program back together. The Elite Camp yielded a commitment from 2011 guard Matt Carlino, several former players (D.J. White, Brian Evans and Thomas) helped work the camp and the day ended Saturday with a dinner in French Lick in an effort to reunite former players. Even though all former players and coaches were invited, Bobby Knight and Kelvin Sampson apparently forgot to RSVP.

Editor’s Note: You may have noticed the change in the author bylines on Inside the Hall. Big A, PostmanE and PostmanR will now be known by Alex, Eamonn and Ryan.

The ballots have been counted and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s countdown of the greatest Indiana players of all-time. Today: No. 3: Isiah Thomas.

Years at Indiana: 1979-1981

The numbers: 968 points (15.1 average); 356 assists (5.6 average); 136 steals (2.1 average)

Career highs: 39 points (February 28, 1981 vs. Michigan); 14 assists (March 14, 1981 vs. Maryland); 5 steals (four different occasions)

Notable achievements: All-American (1981); First team All-Big Ten (1980, 1981); Indiana Hall of Fame (1993); Big Ten champion (1980, 1981); National champion (1981)

The case for Thomas: Fortunately for Zeke, we’re not accounting for his abilities to run a NBA franchise. Instead, we’ll focus on his single season school record for assists (197), career 53% shooting from the field, two Big Ten championships and a NCAA championship in 1981.