Snowflakes, fans make decision easy

Roderick Wilmont is a Hoosier. \nAnd Mike Davis has a few snow flakes and an arena full of rally towels to thank. \nWilmont, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard from Miramar (Fla.) High School, visited IU for the Hoosiers' victory over Purdue last Thursday, saw snow flurries and a spirited Assembly Hall crowd and decided a day later to commit to play basketball for IU next season. \nIn doing so, he turned down visits to a crop of schools including Kentucky, Boston College, Florida State, South Florida, Clemson and Georgia Tech.\nWilmont's decision to attend IU comes three months after most top-notch recruits signed because his summer team folded midway through its schedule, leaving him to prove himself in his final high school season. \nHe has, and he's ready for IU.\n"He's real excited," said William Coleman, Wilmont's high school coach. "He's walking around in red heaven. He told everyone how he liked the atmosphere there. He said it snowed and the fan support is unreal."\nWilmont grew up in Texas but spent five years in Alaska, where he became accustomed to wintry weather. When he moved to Florida before his sophomore year of high school, he left the snow. Last week's flurries were the first he'd seen in three years. \nAnd the snow-white rally towels, a one-time special addition to Assembly Hall, stamped about the same impressive impression upon Wilmont. \n"I've been to some (Miami) games, but they're not anything like that," Wilmont said. "It's crazy (at IU). The towels. Everybody had one."\n Wilmont becomes the fourth recruit for Davis and the third perimeter player. IU has also signed guards Bracey Wright (The Colony, Texas) and Marshall Strickland (Mt. Airy, Md.) and forward Daryl Pegram (Worcester, Mass., Academy and San Bernadino, Calif.). \nThat should provide for a cluttered backcourt that is losing only current senior Dane Fife. The returnees next season will include current starters Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby as well as regulars A.J. Moye and Donald Perry. Walk-ons Mark Johnson, Ryan Tapak and Scott May stretch the guard number to 10, which Davis still doesn't consider too many. \n"We don't have that many guards," Davis said. "We could use some more guards right now who could play."\nHe might need some frontcourt help, depending on whether sophomore Jared Jeffries opts for the NBA after this season. Even if Jeffries does stay, IU will lose senior Jarrad Odle and rely on Jeffries, Jeff Newton, George Leach, Mike Roberts and Sean Kline. \nDavis prefers a four-man rotation of post players, but Roberts and Kline are unproven and will be coming off redshirt seasons.\n"(Davis) may be protecting himself from losing firepower," said Mike Sullivan, a recruiting analyst for Rivalshoops.com. "That's the only thing I can see from taking another guard. He has ample firepower coming in in the backcourt. He's giving himself another offensive weapon."\nWilmont is just that. He's averaging more than 32 points per game this season while playing primarily shooting guard. Wilmont, whose mother was a former state record-holder in the Texas high school ranks for girls' high jump, used his leaping ability and range to score a career-high 58 points earlier this season. \n"The basket was like a big, old wastebasket, and everything was going in," Wilmont said. \nColeman couldn't believe the performance from Wilmont, who leads a team that starts three freshmen and a sophomore.\n"He scored from all over," Coleman said. "You name it. He dunked a few, had a few putbacks, hit from 21, 22 feet out. It was a show. He walked up to me and said 'It looks a big basket, just huge. It looks like I'm looking down in it.' It was on."\nWilmont, who met former IU star Isiah Thomas during his visit, said he expects to see his scoring dip at IU, but will be comfortable with the move from shooting guard, Wright's natural position, to the wing, where Hornsby currently starts for the Hoosiers. \nColeman said Wilmont has the skills to shoot, drive and rebound, but Wilmont said he will focus on his defense in preparation for Davis' defense-first scheme. \nWilmont plans to major in business and is set to return to Bloomington this season to discuss the future with Davis. During his first visit, he called Coleman three times over a two-day span. The third call was to inform his coach he settled on IU. \n"He got back in Saturday, and his mom called and told me 'He's a Hoosier,'" Coleman said. "I asked him if he was happy, and he was. He's a very likeable kid"