Not just Gordon; Sampson shores up three more for 2007 b-ball class

Eric Gordon wasn't the only prized signing Kelvin Sampson had the pleasure of officially revealing Wednesday.\nThe first-year Hoosier coach added Eli Holman, a 6-foot-9 center from Richmond, Calif., Brandon McGee, a 6-foot-7 forward from Chicago's Crane High School and 6-foot-5 shooting guard Jamarcus Ellis from Chipola College in Chipola, Fla. to his first IU recruiting class.\nSampson was able to make the signings despite recruiting restrictions the NCAA imposed on him in May. The restrictions prevented the coach from calling recruits or making visits off campus, thanks to a ruling that Sampson deliberately broke NCAA rules regulating recruiting phone calls during his tenure at Oklahoma.\nSampson has one scholarship remaining for the 2007 class. If no recruit signs by Nov. 15 when the fall signing period ends, Sampson would have the chance to add to the class again beginning April 11 during the spring signing period, but he cannot exceed five signings total for his 2007 class.\n"This is an outstanding class," Sampson said. "It has a little bit of everything. We have really good young talent and size, and we've got some versatility."\n Holman, McGee and Ellis, like Gordon, are expected to enroll at IU in June.\nHolman, ranked No. 121 in the class of 2007 by Rivals.com, has a 7-foot-7 wingspan and excels at blocking shots. He averaged a triple-double as a junior, blocking 12 shots a game in addition to scoring 11 points and nabbing 10 rebounds.\nAt the Reebok ABCD camp in early July, Holman helped his stock dramatically by leading the camp in blocked shots with 3.4 per game.\n"The sky's the limit for Eli," Sampson said. "By the time he gets here, he will be at least 6-foot-10, with extremely, extremely, extremely long arms. Long-armed kids have a tendency to play bigger than they really are. He has a passion for shot-blocking, and he can come in and play a role right away."\nAs a junior at Crane in Chicago, McGee averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds. He is ranked No. 108 overall by Rivals.com and is the No. 6 senior in Illinois Hoops' Super 25.\nSampson said McGee reminds him of a favorite former player -- Denver Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera.\n"I have a tendency to compare kids to players I have," Sampson said of McGee. "He has a lot of Eduardo Najera in him. He doesn't have a position. He can play just about anywhere you'd like him to.\n"McGee has a high basketball IQ. He can make threes. But the thing that jumps out the most to me is his feel for the game. He makes people better with the pass."\nEllis is ranked No. 3 among junior college players in the 2007 class and averaged 13.5 points and 9.9 rebounds as a freshman last year at Chipola.\nThe coach said he looks forward to June, when the new Hoosiers will be able to get a feel for the Bloomington community and the IU basketball program.