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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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?

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.

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.

– 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}

– 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.

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.

Inside the Hall: What kind of expectations do you and your teammates have for the upcoming year at Lawrence North?
Stephan Van Treese: I don’t see us losing a game unless we beat ourselves. I think we’ll be one of the top teams in the state. I just want to win state and I think everybody on the team wants to.

ITH: Along with Jeff Robinson and Dominique Ferguson, Lawrence North might have the best frontcourt in the state. Talk a little about both of those guys and what they bring as teammates.
SVT: They take pressure off of me because they’re just as tall as I am. Ferguson, he plays more of a three position and he can step out and hit the three and so can Robinson. They’re both extra long, freakishly long. Jeff’s wingspan is 7′3″ and Dominique’s is 7′5″. They’re both pretty quick. I’m pretty excited about this season.

ITH: Two seasons ago you played with Greg Oden and Mike Conley. What did you learn from those guys?
SVT: I learned what hard work can get you. They’d come in for morning workouts and everything. I just watched what they did to prepare for the season and then what they did during the season. I just learned how to be a better player from them.

ITH: What areas of your game are you looking to improve the most right now?
SVT: My ball handling and my jumpshot. Recently my jumpshot has been doing really well. Also my perimeter defense.

ITH: You visited IU this past weekend for Hoosier Hysteria. Talk a little about the atmosphere at Assembly Hall and how your visit went.
SVT: The atmosphere was great. I kind of already expected it just being down there from last year when EJ (Eric Gordon) first committed. I was excited to see how the fans reacted to EJ this year and see his dunks. I had fun and I’m pretty sure all the recruits had a lot of fun.

ITH: How are you going to go about making your decision?
SVT: This year I’m going to watch the teams on TV a lot. Tomorrow I’m leaving for North Carolina to see North Carolina and Wake Forest. I’m just going to visit and look at the coaches and their styles and stuff like that.

ITH: Do you ever look at the recruiting rankings on various websites (Scout, Rivals) and do you even worry it? How do you approach that?
SVT: Every once in a while I’ll look at them, but other people tell me a bunch. People at school tell me.

ITH: Does the recent news regarding Indiana have any effect on your interest?
SVT: Not really. The only way it would effect me is, like the tourney, if they wouldn’t be able to go to the tournament or something like that.

Devin Ebanks, Derek Elston and Matt Roth, three players already committed to the Hoosiers, are slated to take in the festivities. Ebanks will be on his official visit while Elston and Roth will be on unofficial visits. Roth took his official visit alongside Tyler Zeller a couple of weeks ago. Zeller will be at Notre Dame this weekend and will finish his visits with a trip to Purdue next weekend.

Kevin Jones, from Mount Vernon (NY), will be on hand for his unofficial visit with his brother, Gerard. Jones is one of the final 2008 targets still on the board and is also considering Ohio State, West Virginia, UMass and Pittsburgh.

The 2009 class will also be well represented at Hoosier Hysteria. As I talked about a few weeks ago, Nolan Dennis, Lance Stephenson (pictured) and Dexter Strickland will all attend.

Lawrence North’s Stephan Van Treese, who recently visited Louisville and is being recruited by several other high major programs, will make the drive down from Indianapolis.

If you include Elston, five of the top 100 players in the 2009 class will be at Assembly Hall.

Other notable guests include Ray McCallum Jr., Jordan Prosser and Jacob Jenkins. Prosser, a 2009 forward from Goodfield (IL), has an IU offer and played with Indiana Elite and will attend per Midstatehoops. Jenkins, also a member of the 2009 class, is from Manual high school in Louisville and does not have an offer from IU. He was in the Rivals top 100 for 2009 but dropped out of the rankings after the summer.

Also, I’ve received a few e-mails asking about TV coverage of Hoosier Hysteria. The Big Ten Network is planning to have live reports from around the Big Ten beginning at 9:30 PM on Friday. Indiana will be one of the schools featured along with Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Crawfordsville is located approximately 30 miles south of West Lafayette and its no secret that Byrd grew up rooting for Purdue. Therefore, this news comes as no surprise to many.

There’s no question that Painter and staff are stockpiling talent from inside the state. His 2007 class featured four Indiana All-Stars in E’Twaun Moore, Scott Martin, Robbie Hummel and Jajuan Johnson.

And now with Byrd in the fold, Painter’s attention will turn to Lawrence North’s Stephan Van Treese (an AAU teammate of Byrd’s) and Tipton’s Derek Elston who are also primary IU targets for the 2009 class. These recruiting battles between Painter and Coach Sampson will only add more fuel to the revived rivalry between IU and Purdue.