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2011 class loaded with talent; scholarships could be limited

by in Recruiting | May 27th, 2009

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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AAU Preview: Eddie Ford’s Grassroots Shootout

by in Media | April 17th, 2009

This weekend I’ll be in Louisville for the Grassroots Shootout, an event organized by Eddie Ford. Tournament play kicks off Friday night at 6:00 p.m. at the Hoops facility in the east end of Louisville. Pool play will continue through Saturday with the finals being held early on Sunday. A complete schedule of the event can be found here.

Among the top players and teams I’ll be keeping an eye out for (and hopefully grabbing some video of):

  • Cody Zeller (Washington HS) and Spencer Turner (Bloomington South) from the Indiana Elite One 17 & U team. (Matt Carlino and Marshall Plumlee will reportedly not make the trip to this weekend’s event.)
  • D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (North Central)
  • Obij Aget (Central Park, Birmingham, AL) and Hanner Perea (Central Park, Birmingham, AL). Both Aget and Perea are a part of Mark Adams’ A-HOPE Foundation.
  • Former Kentucky commitment and sophomore-to-be Michael Avery
  • Justin Gant (Terre Haute North) and Jeremiah Davis (Muncie Central)
  • Team Southern Indiana Red, a team organized by Matt Denison that won the Indyball.com Tournament last weekend.

In unrelated site news, beginning this Monday, April 20, we will begin a bi-weekly live chat on the site. The chat will be moderated by myself and Chris Korman of the H-T/Hoosier Scoop and will be available here and on the Scoop. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. The plan is to have guests join us from time-to-time to field questions and also discuss all things Indiana basketball.

‘This was bound to happen at some point’

by in Commentary | February 26th, 2009

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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ITH Video: Spencer Turner

by in Video | February 3rd, 2009

Inside the Hall got an extended look at Bloomington South sophomore Spencer Turner earlier this month at Edgewood and last Friday at Indianapolis Pike. Bloomington South is No. 1 in Class 4-A and No. 7 nationally in the USA Today Super 25. Here is the 6-2 guard, who is being watched closely by IU, Purdue, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin, in an exclusive video shot by and produced for Inside the Hall. Turner is wearing No. 23. Enjoy.


Spencer Turner from Inside The Hall on Vimeo.


Around the Hall: Shot selection and a whole lot of awesomeness

by in Media | January 8th, 2009

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

+ Matt Dollinger, the Indiana Daily Student beat reporter for the men’s basketball team and friend of ITH, took it upon himself to chart IU’s shot selection against Michigan. The result? IU’s most economical and efficient shots were three-pointers from the wing. {Basketblog}

+ Bloomington South sophomore Spencer Turner makes it no secret what his favorite word is: awesome. It’s awesome that IU is coming to watch him. It’s awesome that Jordan Hulls is going to IU. Tom Crean is an awesome guy. You get the point. {The Hoosier Scoop}

+ Michigan blogger Brian Cook didn’t want to bring it up, but the Wolverines are still painfully young and are not as good as their record. And who are we to disagree with him? {mgoblog}

Quotable:

Nobody is going to give Indiana a break. Nobody’s looking to give Indiana a favor. Indiana just has to go take it. It’s an unbelievably tough pill to swallow right now.” – Crean on the uphill battle his team faces.

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