Jody Demling of The Louisville Courier-Journal has the scoop:

“Indiana is new,” Witherspoon said. “It was last night. But what I told everybody is that it was going to be hard to make a decision because we were not going to exclude any schools.

“I could never do a list because we didn’t want to count anybody out. Coach (Roshwon) McLeod was the point man and I have also talked to coach (Tom) Crean.”

Witherspoon said the coaches didn’t talk about Kyrie Irving or the late inquiry about Selby only saying they “apologized” for not getting involved sooner. Irving has long been an IU target but the Hoosiers are battling Duke, Kentucky and Texas A&M for Irving.

“Coach McLeod and I had a real good conversation and then Coach Crean and I had another good conversation. They said they wanted to come in and do an in-home and we’re fine with it.”

We’re not sure how, if at all, this news affects Indiana’s pursuit of Kyrie Irving, who recently announced an official visit to Kentucky on October 15. Selby played with IU commit Victor Oladipo last season at DeMatha but transferred to Lake Clifton (MD) for his senior season.

A video feature on Selby that was first published last year by The Washington Post is embedded after the jump …

Around the Hall is recommended reading from the Inside the Hall crew

+ Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz talks to Dick Vitale, a long-time advocate of a Bob Knight return to IU, about whether he thinks the former coach will show up in Bloomington. Former H-T sports editor Bob Hammel also gives his take. {Indianapolis Star}

+ Duke has extended an offer to Marshall Plumlee and the 6-11 junior also holds offers from IU, Florida, Purdue, LSU, Minnesota, N.C. State, Notre Dame and Virginia. {Asheville Citizen-Times}

+ Stacey Poole Sr. says that his son, Stacey Jr., now has Kentucky as the No. 1 school on his list. {Louisville Courier-Journal}

+ 2010 forward Brandon Mobley, an AAU teammate of 2010 commitment David Williams, will visit Bloomington in November and has the Hoosiers in his final three schools. {Indiana Daily Student}

+ The incoming freshmen will wear the following uniform numbers: Jordan Hulls (1), Christian Watford (2), Maurice Creek (3), Bawa Muniru (15), Bobby Capobianco (23), Derek Elston (32). {IU Hoosiers}

+ 2009-2010 preseason prospectus is available in PDF format. {IU Hoosiers}

+ Courier-Journal recruiting writer Jody Demling held a live chat yesterday and a replay is available. {Louisville Courier-Journal}

+ Florida International threatens to withdraw from the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament if the Panthers have to open the event against North Carolina rather than Ohio State. Either way, they’re still losing by 20+. {ESPN.com}

+ It’s been viva, Las Vegas for Bloomington South basketball team. {The Louisville Courier-Journal}

+ According to John Calipari’s Twitter page, Tom Crean’s son, Riley, has challenged Calipari’s son, Brad, to a three-point shooting contest. {Twitpic}

+ 2010 IU target Kyrie Irving drops 37 on Team Final in Orlando. {Zagsblog}

+ Louisville Courier-Journal recruiting expert Jody Demling’s comprehensive reports from Las Vegas: Day 1; Day 2; Day 3; Day 4.

Jody’s radio show, “Sports Night,” will air a recruiting special Tuesday at 6PM that will feature interviews with Jordan Hulls, Bobby Capobianco, Christian Watford and Derek Elston. Fans in the Southern Indiana/Louisville area can hear the show on 93.9 FM and streaming is available here.

Inside the Hall: IU’s 2009 class is top five nationally by just about every recruiting service out there. Where do you rank Tom Crean’s first fall signing class and tell us what kind of impact fans can expect from this group.

Jody Demling: There might not be a top five or 10 guy in the class, but when you look at it as a whole this is a really, really good class and the Hoosier fans should be excited. I was talking with a couple of the guys this week and the theme that coach Crean must be preaching is “pieces to the puzzle” because several mentioned that phrase. But I think it’s so true, this group is six pieces to the Indiana puzzle that Crean is trying to put together and they all seem like perfect fits for the program.

ITH: Christian Watford is the big name in the class, but a lot of fans haven’t had a chance to see him play since he’s from Birmingham. What’s the scouting report on Watford and is he the best player in IU’s class?

JD: Christian is the highest ranked guy in the class and will be a solid addition to the Hoosier program. He has a body ready for the college game, is a solid shooter and can play a number of positions. But I personally think when it’s all said and done that Maurice Creek will be the best of the bunch. I love his game and his determination.

ITH: Let’s talk about the three players with ties to Indiana — Bobby Capobianco (Indiana Elite), Jordan Hulls (Bloomington South and Indiana Elite) and Derek Elston (Tipton and Indiana SYF Players) — all three seem like gritty, hard-nosed kids that IU fans will embrace. What role do you see each of these guys filling?

JD: Jordan is going to be a player that the fans love. He came out of nowhere last spring and became one of the best PGs in the nation. He can fill it up from the three-point line all the way to the popcorn stand! Elston is now healthy and will be a huge addition at his position. He’s a guy who can shoot from outside and bang with the big boys. Bobby is just going to be one of those guys that gets his hands dirty and bangs and bangs and bangs. Every program needs a big, strong, physical guy and that’s going to be Bobby.

ITH: There was quite a bit of buzz around Bawa Muniru’s trip to Oklahoma State’s midnight madness. What effect, if any, will that have on his commitment to IU?

JD: I expect now that Bawa will sign with the Hoosiers and likely sometime during this week-long period. It might be towards the end, but I think it will happen. He’s a bit of a project, but he is a big kid with good skills and a huge upside. He reminds me of a kid that Louisville picked up a few years back – Muhammed Lasage. And had he not had troubles with the NCAA and his eligibility, he would have been a nice pick up. Muniru will be the same and I suspect with out the troubles.

He’s doing a lot better today. That was a nasty fall. I didn’t really see it. I was blocked out when he fell, so I didn’t realize how bad it was until after the game. He didn’t come down directly on the tailbone, it was more to the side.

It was a really nasty fall. We’re not practicing today, but he couldn’t practice today if we were. Hopefully he’ll be able to go on Thursday.

Sampson added that he expects Gordon to be ready to go on Saturday against Kentucky.

Rivals.com has the most favorable assessment, slotting the class as the 15th best in the country:

The Hoosiers have a star coming to Bloomington in Devin Ebanks. In lieu of an Eric Gordon departure in the spring, Ebanks gives coach Kelvin Sampson another outstanding offensive weapon. Ebanks, a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, is one of the toughest players to defend at his position. Point guard Terrell Holloway is a jitterbug floor general with great speed and solid distribution skills. Matt Roth gives the team a good shooter, and Tom Pritchard is a big-bodied grinder that will fit in well in the Big Ten.

The Louisville Courier-Journal’s recruiting guru and our good friend, Jody Demling, thinks that IU’s class could end up ranking higher when it’s all said and done.

“I would say when it gets to the lower teens (in the ranking of the classes), they’re all basically the same,” Demling said. “While you see separation at the top, you don’t see separation in the classes ranked 15 to 20. I think Indiana will raise a little by the end of the year because of Matt Roth. He’s a lot better than people think he is. I think the kid’s going to be really good.”

The Hoop Scoop, managed by Clark Francis, puts the class at No. 23. Some IU fans may remember Francis for his ranking of a fictional player, Ivan Renko, that was created by Bob Knight. Van Coleman of Hoopmasters slotted the class at No. 19 and Dave Telep of Scout.com ranks the class No. 25.

So what does all of this mean? Absolutely nothing. The rankings should be taken for what they are: somebody’s opinion. They’re not scientific and there are always highly touted players that end up doing nothing (see: Felipe Lopez) and there’s always those who come from under the radar and turn into impact players (see: Grayson Flittner, just ask Kentucky fans).

Most national recruiting services rank Mackey below Mason County and UK recruit Darius Miller as well as University Heights and Mississippi St. recruit Scott Hopson.

That’s not the case with Bolus and I’m guessing a lot of that has to do with the fact that Mackey was the best player on the best team in the state last year. I’m really not sure if Bud is the best of the three players, but it makes for an interesting debate nonetheless.

- A quick note: IU football coach Bill Lynch will appear Wednesday just after 2 p.m. on a new Louisville based radio show with Demling and Courier-Journal Sports Columnist Rick Bozich called the Zonebusters. Those of you in the Louisville area can hear the show on 1570 AM and for those of you who are out of the area, you can stream the show at 1570thezone.com.

Rick Bozich: Louisville Courier-Journal: Nights like last night are the reason this is the best college basketball area in the country. When I arrived at New Albany High School gym before 5:30 p.m. yesterday, there were already nearly a hundred people waiting outside, eager to be there when the doors opened at 6 for the scrimmage game between Indiana recruits and a group of Southern Indiana high school players.

To watch a scrimmage. Top that Tobacco Road. Don’t think so. …

Eli Holman showed he has the potential to give Sampson quality minutes around the basket. He’ll give D.J. White something he didn’t have last season — help on the glass and a guy who can allow White to go to the bench for a few minutes. Holman was the biggest surprise to me. He is more polished than I thought he would be. Nice tough. And he can really, really run.

Doug Wilson, Bloomington Herald-Times: Ellis, at 6-foot-5, has different skills than any Hoosier guard of recent years. He drew defenders to him and whipped the ball to open teammates. His stat line: 12 points, 14 assists, 16 rebounds. … The big question about Holman — besides his academic eligibility, which has now been resolved — has been his lack of polish offensively. All he did Thursday was score 30 points with 10 rebounds and six blocks.

Sure it was against smaller, less athletic players, but I saw Ben Allen play in a similar recruit game against similar players two years ago and have a lot of trouble capitalizing on his height advantage. The IU recruits lost that game.

No knock on Allen or any of the recent Hoosier big men, but none of them outside of D.J. White has had physical ability like Holman.

(It’s OK Doug — you can knock Ben Allen. We don’t mind.)

Jody Demling, Louisville Courier-Journal Recruiting: Mackey said he hoped the showing with his future teammates would end any speculation that he might be wavering on his commitment.

“I like the colors (of the Indiana jersey he was wearing),” Mackey said. “I’m an Indiana boy now. And it feels great.”

There’s a bit more scattered about the interwebs, but not as much of note. What’s universally evident is the palpable sense of excitment, even among those that are supposed to take stern, objective stances toward their teams. Can we just start the season already?

Also, yes, that is a photo of Eli Holman, and yes, he is likely to be my favorite player this year. In case you were wondering.