The news that Harry Gonzo, not Rick Greenspan, will be leading the head coaching search was welcome to those of us in the “whatever you do, don’t hire Kevin Stallings camp.” It’s not that I’m dead set on having an “Indiana guy,” but I’m dead set on not having a Purdue guy. (In fact, I think the “we need to have an Indiana guy” stuff is ridiculous. There’s not a candidate that makes sense, folks.)

Greenspan’s connection to Stallings dates back to 1994 when the Athletic Director gave the current Vanderbilt coach his first head coaching gig at Illinois State. It’s also been reported that Greenspan has consulted Stallings for advice on numerous occasions. So let me make this perfectly clear: Indiana should want no part of Kevin Stallings as its next head coach. The further Greenspan is away from the decision making chair in this hire, the better.

It’s not that Stallings is a bad coach — he’s been to two of the last four Sweet Sixteen’s at a traditionally mediocre program — but shouldn’t Indiana be aiming higher than this? Do we really want to bring in a guy who attended and coached at our most bitter rival to bring the program back to the glory it once enjoyed? Absolutely not. Does Stallings give you that feeling of a home run hire that will create the much needed buzz we so desperately crave? Not even close. In fact, he might even possess less charisma than Kelvin Sampson, if that’s even possible.

So before you go any farther with your Kevin Stallings man crush, stop right there, search committee. The last thing we need at Indiana University is someone from Purdue trying to clean up this mess.

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If you haven’t noticed, the kids giving verbals pledges to the school of their choice are getting younger and younger. In today’s Louisville Courier-Journal, recruiting guru and our good friend, Jody Demling, takes a look at the issue.

Of course there’s two sides to this story. You’ve got those who think it’s necessary to recruit eighth graders, like USC coach Tim Floyd. And then you’ve got the coaches and critics who think offering a scholarship in the eighth grade is just ridiculous. For example, Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings:

“I have a daughter going into the eighth grade, and I don’t think I would let her commit to any place,” he said. “But I guess if a college coach is silly enough to offer an eighth- or ninth-grader a scholarship, then I guess a kid could be silly enough to accept it.”

I happen to agree with Stallings. The onus here is not just on the coach, it’s also on the kid kid’s parents. What parent would allow their kid to accept a college scholarship before starting high school?

When I was an eighth grader, I was more concerned about beating acne and braces than making a college decision. But apparently times are a changing. Just last month, USC took a commitment from freshman-to-be Ryan Boatwright.

Furthermore, the schools take a big risk on getting burned by a prospect not panning out when they take an early commitment. After all, the guys who are the best players in eighth and ninth grade are usually not the best players by their senior year.

Apparently, Billy Donovan agrees with me:

“When you make decisions further out in the process, so many things can change,” he said. “The further out in the process, there is the likelihood for more mistakes.”

So what is YOUR take on all of this? Is it okay for a kid to make a college choice as an eighth grader? Is it even acceptable for the schools to be courting kids this young? I’m interesting in hearing your thoughts.