IU Recruiting Picture

Tom Crean's first recruiting class at the helm of IU's storied basketball program is officially (almost) in the books, and to call it a rousing success would be an understatement. The six-man haul pulled in by Crean, while under self-imposed sanctions remaining from the Kelvin Sampson regime, will form the bedrock foundation that the Hoosiers will build around in the coming years. The class has a little bit of everything, and is ranked by national recruiting services as a consensus top5-8 class. The six recruits, now officially signed with IU, are Bobby Capobianco (6'8" PF, Loveland HS, OH), Maurice Creek (6'5" SG, Hargrave Military Academy, VA), Derek Elston (6'8" SF/PF, Tipton HS, IN), Jordan Hulls (6'1" PG, Bloomington South HS, IN), Bawa Muniru (7'0" C, Mount Zion Academy, NC), and Christian Watford (6'8" SG/SF, Shades Valley Tech Academy, AL).
Watford, the highest rated of the group, is a Tracy McGrady-esqe player, who combines great size with superior atleticism, and is able to play multiple postitions with versatility. Creek, a powerfully built two-guard who can score in bunches, with compete immediately for PT upon arrival in B-town. (As will all these guys, really). Elston is an under the radar type of guy, due to missing most of this years' AAU circuit with a knee injury. Many believe he'll again blow up on the national scene during his senior year. He is more of a 3 than a 4 on the college level right now until he gets stronger, but with his surprising athleticism and great motor, expect him to be on the floor a lot. The big bruiser from the Cincy area, Capobianco, was Crean's first recruit and was on the verge of committing to him while at Marquette. He is a prototypical Big 10 post player with great strength, desire, but also with a very soft touch from distance. Muniru, a late addition to the class, provides much needed size and a defensive presence IU is lacking this year, for those of you who've been watching (cough....Chaminade....ahem....). Hulls is my personal favorite in this class. A Bloomington kid who chose to stay home despite many rival offer from Big 10 schools including Purdue, and heavy interest from ACC power Duke, he epitomizes all a Hoosier should be. A tough-nosed, selfless leader, he will follow in the steps of other great IU lead guards like Dane Fife, Michael Lewis, Isiah Thomas, and others. For a long time, it was tough for analysts and on-lookers to see his true talent and worth, but it came out this summer on his AAU team, ironically, in his absence. The loaded Indiana Elite AAU Team, featuring such studs as Bobby C., Stephan Van Treese (Louisville),and Mason Plumlee (Duke), was without Jordan's services while he played with his high school team in an alternate tourney. During his absence, the Elite team struggled mightily, losing games they typically dominated. Because of this, Hulls has shot up the recruiting ranks, finding himself in many national top 100 lists.
The groundbreaking class may not be altogether wrapped up, however. There are some indications that Crean would like to add another player during th spring signing period. There are many names floating around as to who the seventh man could be, and some of the most likely possibilities are Dominic Cheek, Angus Brandt, DaShonte Riley, and an extreme and somewhat painfully ironic longshot in Demarcus Cousins. Cheek, a five star guard from Bob Hurley's powerhouse St. Anthony's HS, was very high on IU, at one time wanting to take an official visit to Bloomington, but his interest has cooled as of late. However, he did not sign in the early period, so there's hope. Also, he is very close with IU assistant coach Roshown McCleod, so that is a positive connection. Brandt, a 6'9" Aussie post product, has also lost his once high interest in IU. Hoosier fans may cringe and have visions of Ben Allen chucking three's when they think of Aussie ballers, but Brandt is a true post banger. Again, he did not sign early, so ground could be regained in his recruitiment. Riley has just come back on the recruiting scene. Long committed to Georgetown, he decided not to sign with the Hoyas, instead opting to reopen his recruitment. He had IU interest prior to his previous verbal, so that is another option. The last ironic option is Cousins, who is a UAB commit, and another kid who has an olmost familial bond with former IU coach, Mike Davis. The saga surrounding Cousins committment to UAB is puzzling, to say the least. It appears he wants to stay home and play in Birmingham, but is leveraging his lofty ranking (top 5) to get Davis job security, and himself peace of mind. There are rumblings that Davis wants to leave and replace lame duck Mark Gottfried at his alma mater, Alabama. Cousins wants his letter of intent to include a clause that would allow him to cut ties with UAB and follow Davis should he leave. UAB is not budging, so Cousins is waiting to sign. A mess, right? If something falls through with Davis, which is not a real stretch of imagination, IU could swoop in for his services. Cousins had IU in his top 3 before declaring for the Blazers, so it's another longshot option.
That is the future of IU hoops! Adding these 6 (maybe 7) kids to the Cream and Crimson, with the addition of Georgetown transfer Jeremiah Rivers, to the current crew should provide a great team to root for.
Check back later to see where IU and Crean are turning their attention to in terms of recruiting in the coming years!