Let’s go recruitin’

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved pickles. Maybe it’s a southern thing, I don’t know, but I couldn’t get enough of them.

Problem was, there was rarely enough room in the refrigerator for more than one jar at a time, sad to say. You could fit probably 13 or 14 in one jar, so I had to learn to keep my head about me and my pickle tolerance low to make it last – not that I ever did.

So what the hell does this have to do with men’s basketball in general, much less at IU? Well, Tom Crean’s got himself a pickle jar.

The typical NCAA basketball scholarship limit is 13, though you’re allowed to cross that threshold by one, according to Big Ten rules. Due to the exodus of Sampsonites to parts hitherto unknown, Crean only has nine scholarship players on his roster, and one (Kyle Taber) will graduate this year, leaving five slots open. Factor in the one-over rule, and Crean could potentially add six players to next year’s class.

He’s got four rather good potential Hoosiers lined up for next year – they go by names like  Hulls, Capobianco, Creek, Elston – and a few names that would impress anyone on the AAU circuit – Watford, Cheek, Franklin – interested in becoming striped-pants No. 5. Throw in Indianapolis’ latest favored son Stephan Van Treese, and you’ve got yourself a regular conundrum.

Swirling lately have been rumors that Van Treese – who is interested in IU and whose stock has fallen since the summer (he’s no longer a ranked player on Scout or Rivals) – will walk on as a freshman next year with a scholarship to come the following fall. Keep in mind this gets even more complicated than from where we sit now because three more scholarships should open up after next year once Dumes, Jobe and Rivers leave.

As yet, IU has no signees for 2010 – the year Van Treese would theoretically get his ride – though they do have Matt Carlino for 2011. Keep in mind, of the nine current scholarship players, five are freshmen, technically entitled to four years of eligibility, so they won’t come off until 2013.

Confused yet? Just grab a pickle and pull up a chair.

Between the four IU’s got coming next year and the one – or two or in a crazy world, three – that still have a chance, the Hoosiers’ ranks will be awfully loaded at the bottom half of the student body. Were Van Treese to get a ride the next year, the Hoosiers would have two scholarships available, one already earmarked for Carlino.
Perhaps there is such a thing as too many pickles, but I’ll bet Tom Crean would disagree.

The man from Marquette has been both lauded and rewarded for his ability this summer to restock the shelves at Assembly Hall with quality talent, albeit presumably quite raw. Now he’s tasked with not just filling roster spots but filling roster spots with those gifted in the arts of scoring and rebounding and all those other fun things.

Early returns are favorable. Rivals ranked the Hoosiers’ 2009 haul the ninth-best in the country – it ought be noted that IU didn’t land anywhere in Scout’s top 30 – and one would assume that number would climb should one of the aforementioned barely-legals decide to come to Bloomington.

All this being well and good, it seems there’s been a hailstorm of love and affection for Tom Crean and his staff since they arrived piecemeal from Milwaukee and Atlanta between March and August. And why shouldn’t there be – Kelvin Sampson tossed Crean a curveball and the new man put it into the left-field bleachers with his enthusiasm, tenacity and early success.

That said, it’s time for Crean and his staff to ride through the dust stirred up by all the pep rallying and get down to business, something this underpaid, overrated pundit thinks they’ve been doing well so far.

Like I said, only so much room in that pickle jar.

See you next Tuesday.