Two of the top sophomores in the class of 2011 — Lawrence North’s Ryan Taylor and Michael Chandler — committed to Louisville shortly after the Cardinals’ 74-71 win over Kentucky today.

The Courier-Journal’s Jody Demling has the details:

Indianapolis Lawrence North sophomore Ryan Taylor  and Michael Chandler gave Pitino the good news just minutes after the win over UK in Freedom Hall.

“We told Richard Pitino and he said there couldn’t be a better day than this,” Taylor told The Courier-Journal. “And then when we told coach Pitino, he told us he didn’t like champagne but that he was going to get a bottle tonight.”

Taylor is a 6-foot-6 forward who picked the Cardinals over Cincinnati, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana and Kentucky. The 6-11 Chandler picked U of L over Ohio State, Kentucky, Indiana and Florida.

U of L already has two players form the perennial powerhouse Lawrence North program, which produced NBA players Greg Oden and Mike Conley among other past All-State picks. Stephan Van Treese signed with U of L in November and will be a freshman next fall, while junior Justin Martin has already committed to the Cardinals.

Maybe I’m missing someone, but I believe Todd Leary is the only notable player in recent history from Lawrence North to end up in Bloomington. The mass exodus from Jack Keefer’s program, one of the things Tom Crean hoped to end, seems to be as vibrant as ever.

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There is potentially a new twist in the recruitment of Lawrence North forward Stephan Van Treese — the possibility that he will join Indiana next season as a walk-on. It seems the rumor originated with John Decker over at Hoosier Nation and then trickled onto the discussion forums where it’s become a hot topic.

Van Treese’s stock has taken a tumble nationally and he’s no longer listed in the Rivals 150 for the 2009 class. While he was impressive at the Kentucky Hoop Fest in July, the major concern seems to be his ability to score in the post against top notch talent.

The five schools he was considering at the start of the summer — UCLA, Kansas, Ohio State, Louisville and IU — have all backed off considerably. That leaves Van Treese with one offer from a high major school in South Bend — Notre Dame.

Whether or not this walk-on rumor is a real possibility remains to be seen, but the likelihood of a scholarship offer being extended from the coaching staff is basically non-existent. The focus for the 2009 class has shifted primarily to Dominic Cheek, Christian Watford, Roger Franklin and others. The interest from Van Treese in the IU program is still there — his brother is currently a student in Bloomington, his best friend is Bobby Capobianco and he’s been an IU fan for most of his life. Will that translate into a willingness to accept a walk-on spot to play for the program he loves?

Tom Crean, Bennie Seltzer and Tim Buckley (and perhaps the third assistant) are in Las Vegas this week watching parts of three different AAU events. The burning question that IU fans are still pondering: Who will fill the last available spot for the 2009 recruiting class?

The most likely candidates: Roger Franklin, Chris Braswell, Christian Watford and Stephan Van Treese. IU appears to be in solid standing with Franklin and Watford. The staff is looking hard at Braswell, who is playing AAU with Maurice Creek. Braswell has reclassified from 2008 to 2009 and will play alongside Creek next season at Hargrave Military Academy. And the latest we’ve heard on Van Treese is that it’s a long shot he’ll end up in Bloomington.

Based on what we know about all four players, the two most likely to end up in candy stripes seem to be Franklin and Braswell. Watford does have an unofficial trip planned to Bloomington, but the recruiting machine known as Memphis is reportedly out in front for his services. (And wherever there’s Memphis, there’s usually Worldwide Wes.) Perhaps his visit can swing momentum towards Indiana.

Put yourself in the staff’s position: Of these four guys, who is your main target and why? Do you want the guy who flat out goes after it every time he takes the floor in Franklin? Is Braswell, a 6-8 bruiser, your guy? Or maybe it’s Christian Watford, an athletic wing who can score in variety of ways? Or does the fact that Van Treese is from Indiana still lead you to believe that he should get an offer? Thoughts in the comments, por favor.

One of the questions the Indiana coaching staff will have to answer come the end of the evaluation period is whether or not a scholarship offer will be extended to Stephan Van Treese.

Van Treese, a 6-9 forward from Lawrence North who is a member of the 2009 class, has not been offered a scholarship by the new Indiana staff, but Indiana remains in his top five schools.

His list could become shorter in the near future as Louisville’s interest appears to have tapered off. There is also a possibility of another school getting involved and the rumor is that California is interested. Mike Montgomery was visible this past weekend at the Kentucky Hoop Fest watching Indiana Elite and presumably, Van Treese.

I got a good look at Van Treese on Friday and Saturday and came away impressed. He ran the floor, played hard, pounded the glass and converted most of his opportunities down low. The problem for the IU staff with limited scholarships available is whether or not he fits the mold of the missing piece for the 2009 class. He is somewhat similar to Bobby Capobianco and perhaps the coaching staff is looking at Roger Franklin as a more viable option because of his versatility.

With that said, the Indiana staff will get another look at Van Treese next week in Las Vegas and a decision on a scholarship offer should come shortly thereafter. My question for you, ITH’ers: Will Indiana look to lock up one of the top players from Indiana in the 2009 class or will they shift their focus elsewhere? Thoughts in the comments, por favor.

– Eric Gordon completed his third and final pre-draft workout on Monday for the Los Angeles Clippers. Gordon also worked out for Seattle and New York, but the Clippers at No. 7 seem to be the most realistic option of the three. “He’s got pro 3-point range,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said afterwards. {Catching the Clippers}

– Our old friend Robert Vaden came to his senses and pulled his name out of the NBA Draft on Monday. Vaden was projected as a second round pick at best by a majority of the mock drafts. {Indiana Daily Student}

– The thought of IU matching up with North Carolina in Maui just got a lot scarier. Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Danny Green all pulled their names out of the NBA Draft, making UNC the overwhelming choice for preseason No. 1. {AOL FanHouse}

– 2009 commitment Bobby Capobianco was invited to the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Virginia and will team up with Stephan Van Treese and Roger Franklin. Van Treese visited Bloomington on Monday and met with Indiana coach Tom Crean. {ESPN.com}

The Adidas May Classic took place this weekend in Bloomington and here are some notes from the event compiled from around the Web:

– Indiana Elite, led by Bobby Capobianco (IU), Jordan Hulls, Stephan Van Treese, Colt Ryan, D.J. Byrd (Purdue) and Mason Plumlee (Duke), won the 17-and-under title with a 80-63 win over the Michigan Mustangs. The Hoosier Scoop has a detailed recap as does Hoosier Nation.

– Demetrius Walker, a 6-4 guard, 200 lb. guard from San Juan Capistrano (CA) told reporters that Indiana is his favorite and was planning to visit with Tom Crean this weekend. However, Walker’s team changed their travel arrangements, so his meeting with Crean will have to be rescheduled, according to Chris Korman of the H-T/Hoosier Scoop. Walker is rated a 3-star recruit by Rivals and is in the 2009 class.

– Maurice Sutton told a group of reporters that he was really enjoying himself in Bloomington and based on his comments, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t end up a Hoosier. His unofficial visit will take place Monday before he flies home to Maryland. He is scheduled to visit Villanova next weekend before making a decision. That could change if Sutton decides to commit before he leaves town. Terry Hutchens had a nice piece on Sutton in Sunday morning’s Indianapolis Star and Jody Demling heard rumors that Sutton is close to a commitment to IU.

– Apparently IU is involved with Leonard Washington and quite frankly, this comes as surprise given Washington’s questionable academic reputation. He’s already reclassified from 2007 to 2008 and was reportedly involved in a couple of fights last summer at the Adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas. Jody Demling has some quotes from Washington here.

– Although Jeremiah Rivers hasn’t officially announced that he will transfer to IU, the Washington Times report likely is legitimate and Indiana looks to be in good position with the former Georgetown guard.

– Bobby Capobianco was very impressive during the AMC according to one observer I spoke with and his play this spring should help him skyrocket up the national recruiting rankings. Being committed to Indiana won’t hurt, either. Capobianco will be a fan favorite in Assembly Hall with his intensity on both ends of the floor.

– Jordan Crawford and Brandon McGee helped with score keeping for some of the games at Assembly Hall. Barring unforeseen circumstances, both figure to return next season.

– Chris Korman had a brief scouting report on Christian Watford and Jody Demling of the C-J listed Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis and Alabama as the schools most involved for his services. No word on if Watford, a Birmingham (AL) native, has any future visits lined up to Bloomington. He’ll visit Louisville and Kentucky before heading back to Birmingham, according to Demling. Watford is the No. 47 player in the 2009 class on Rivals.com.

A report by Jayhawkslant.com today revealed that Lawrence North junior Stephan Van Treese trimmed his list of schools and Inside the Hall spoke to the big man to get the details. The schools still in consideration are Indiana, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville and Ohio State. Van Treese also told Inside the Hall that he’s talked to new Indiana coach Tom Crean twice.

It’ll be interesting to see how Van Treese’s recruitment plays out as he’s good friends with Bobby Capobianco, who recently committed and IU was the first school to offer Van Treese a scholarship. He’ll likely let the process play out and take visits in the fall, but the Hoosiers should be in the thick of things right down to the end.