IU recruit working hard to run the point for Hoosiers next season

The Jan. 13 Illinois game marked the first time this season all scholarship members of IU’s backcourt were available. Nobody was academically ineligible, no one was suspended and no guard sat out with an injury.\nBut with the anticipated graduation of senior A.J. Ratliff and the likely departure of freshman phenom Eric Gordon, IU’s backcourt won’t look the same next season. On Nov. 14, however, Sampson added a pair of guards who he is confident can fill the holes in IU’s depth chart.\nOne of them is sharpshooter Matt Roth, who recently broke his high school’s career scoring record and set the Illinois high school record for career 3-pointers made.\nBut for all of the sharpshooters the Hoosiers have had in recent memory, Terrell Holloway will provide something IU has sorely lacked during the Sampson era: a pure point guard.\n“He is not a shooting guard that we are converting to point guard or a scorer point guard,” Sampson said after receiving Holloway’s letter of intent in November. “He is a true point guard and always has been.”\nAs a senior, Holloway led Hempstead High School to the Nassau Class AA title. Poor grades led to his prep school enrollment at Harmony Community School in Cincinnati, the same school at which former IU recruit Bud Mackey recently enrolled. \n“The basic attraction (to Harmony) more than anything is the academics,” Harmony coach Rodney Crawford said. “Basketball is secondary.”\nHolloway said he “definitely” will qualify to play for the Hoosiers next year.\nHolloway, the 100th-ranked prospect in the class of 2008 according to Rivals.com, was ranked the No. 14 fifth-year player in the country by Hoop Scoop Online in September.\nHolloway is best known for his playmaking ability, leading Harmony in assists and doing his scoring on the side, said Crawford, a former Cincinnati Bearcat basketball player.\nAt a press conference following the Nov. 14 signings of Roth, Holloway, Tom Pritchard and five-star forward Devin Ebanks, Sampson praised his future guard in describing his basketball assets. \n“(Holloway) is extremely fast with the ball,” Sampson said. “He is strong too, even though he is listed as 175 pounds, he is more like 185 pounds. He is a great on-ball defender and a tough kid. He gets people involved and can create off the dribble.”\nOff the court, Crawford said Holloway is genuine and always answers questions with a polite “yes sir” or “no sir.”\n“He’s a quality kid,” Crawford said. “Real respectful.”\nHolloway, who said he is averaging about 14 points and nine assists per game at Harmony this season, said he chose IU over Tennessee, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Virginia and St. John’s.\n“I definitely liked the tradition at IU and I felt like it was a good opportunity for me to play,” Holloway said. “Coach Sampson, I know he’s a good coach, and I knew that Indiana was a good fit for me.”\nJohn Decker of HoosierNation.com said Holloway’s presence will let sophomore guard Armon Bassett and freshman guard Jordan Crawford look for their shots a little more than they have been able to this season.\n“Having a guy like Holloway will allow Sampson to play Bassett and Crawford at the wing,” Decker said.\nWhether or not Holloway makes an immediate impact as a freshman, the point guard is looking forward to becoming a Hoosier.\n“I’ll be pretty excited when I put the (IU) jersey on for the first time,” Holloway said.\nAs for the candy-striped warm-up pants? He laughed, and said he likes them too.