All Day I Dream About Signees: adidas May Classic tourney invades IU

More than 200 teams and 2,000 players participated in this year’s adidas May Classic tournament, but three players stuck out. 

The three’s pure athletic ability and raw basketball talent even outshone the newly christened Cook Hall. 

While Gary Harris, Jeremy Hollowell and Aaron Thomas all have received scholarship offers from the Hoosiers, this weekend marked the first time many of the Hoosier faithful caught a glimpse of the potential signees. The three players have become a hot commodity for several Big Ten and other Midwestern schools during this summer’s AAU circuit.  

GARY HARRIS

Harris, a class of 2012 recruit, attends Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., and has received offers from four colleges in Indiana alone, along with Cincinnati, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State, Xavier and Vanderbilt. Schools expressing interest in the 6-foot-4 shooting guard include Florida, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State and Oregon State.
 
Purdue has typically been viewed as a school Harris would be interested in, as both of his parents are Purdue graduates. Harris’ mother, then Joy Holmes, was a very successful basketball player for the Boilermakers. She was named the 1991 Big Ten Athlete of the Year and played four seasons in the WNBA. Though Purdue’s scholarship situation for the 2012 class is tight, speculation continued that Purdue was interested in Harris. Harris, however, cleared this up on Saturday with a simple answer.
 
“No, they’re not,” Harris said when asked if the Boilermakers were involved in his recruitment. 

Harris, who has bulked up by nearly 20 pounds in the past year, credits the increase of interested schools to working in the weight room and staying injury-free during the AAU season this year. 

However, with Butler, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and Notre Dame already offering the in-state guard scholarships, IU will likely be up against even more state and Midwestern schools as Harris continues to improve his game. 

But IU can take comfort in the fact that Harris wants to enjoy the moment and has not made a timetable for his decision. 

“I’m just taking it slow right now,” Harris said of recruiting. “I’m just taking it all in. Starting next basketball season, I’m going to start taking it more serious, but I’m just taking it all in and enjoying it right now.”

JEREMY HOLLOWELL

IU has attempted to get back to recruiting within the state’s large crop of players, and snagging Lawrence Central’s 2012 recruit Hollowell would be a major step for IU coach Tom Crean and his program. 

That’s if they can grab the 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward before the likes of Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana State, Louisville, Tennessee and Xavier, all of which have offered, Hollowell said. 

It’s also likely the Hoosiers will be battling off even more teams after Hollowell’s early play in the adidas May Classic. In his first game on Friday, Hollowell had a double–double, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds. On Saturday, however, fans got a glimpse of the sheer potential Hollowell exhibits, as he scored 14 points and showed off some of his dunking abilities. Even more impressive, Hollowell sat most of the game as his team defeated their opponent, adidas Team Hustle, 86-24. Hollowell did start the game and helped his team hold Team Hustle scoreless until the 5:11 mark of the first half. 

Hollowell is set to visit IU on May 19, but he received a sneak preview of the school’s facilities. However, while Hollowell said he thought Cook Hall was a nice practice facility, those alone  can do only so much. More important to Hollowell is the coaching staff. In fact, the important aspects of a school are simple and straightforward to Hollowell. 

“The style of play, the coach, wherever I’ll fit in, where I feel like I fit in most,” Hollowell said.  

AARON THOMAS

This 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard just oozes Hoosier pride, and he’s not even from Indiana. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native reportedly wore an IU basketball shirt to his first game at the Twin Lakes Recreation Center. Thomas put up 28 points for his team, the Queen City Prophets, but had only just begun impressing the bystanders, parents and media outlets watching the tournament.


On Saturday, Thomas had Hoosier fans cheering as he put up several windmill dunks, prompting many fans to hope Thomas gets a chance to fill the remaining scholarship spot for the 2011 recruiting class.

The fans aren’t alone. Thomas wants that lone spot, as well. 

“My interest in IU is very high,” Thomas said. “I feel comfortable here. It’s the biggest court in Indiana, so I’d like to be a part of that, and Tom Crean’s a good coach, you know. He taught Dwayne Wade, so he has a lot of history.”

But because he must have options in such a deep recruiting class, Thomas is also looking at Cincinnati, DePaul, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia and Xavier. However, Thomas said he only has offers from Cincinnati, DePaul and Indiana. 

Thomas said he plans to make his decision by the end of July. For for the time being, Thomas will continue visiting IU, making a trip next month and then coming later in the summer for camps. 

Like Hollowell, Thomas felt the new facilities did not outweigh the importance of the school’s coach or team, but he was still impressed.  

“Its good,” Thomas said. “I like it ... I felt like I was at home so, you know, I enjoyed it. They have a lot of new things built, so I like that.”