A whirlwind of basketball news last week. Matt Roth is in for 2008. A.J. Ratliff is out for most of 2007. And Ben Allen will hang up his candy-striped pants for good. IU basketball seems to be making a lot of headlines for August.
The announcement of Ratliff's ineligibility for the first nine games of the season due to inadequate academics is certainly troubling news for a team that will be returning only five players that saw significant playing time last season. A.J.'s ineligibility could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, however, as newcomers such as freshman Jordan Crawford and junior transfer Jamarcus Ellis will get a chance to prove themselves on the court early in the season, while Ratliff will have time to heal his tender wrists. Ratliff broke his right wrist this summer playing pickup basketball. Last season, he played with an injured left wrist.
During last Saturday's press conference, senior forward D.J. White mentioned Crawford as someone that has been overlooked in the 2007 recruiting class - partially due to the signing of reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball Eric Gordon. "(Crawford) will surprise a lot of people," said White.
When asked about Allen's decision to transfer, IU coach Kelvin Sampson seemed indifferent, saying flatly, "I had no problem with it." The 6-11 Aussie never found a niche in Sampson's system in which he was asked to play in the post instead of on the perimeter where he prefers. He never looked comfortable on offense with his back to the basket, and, despite his height, never developed a reliable post move. With the influx of talent this year, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Allen would be hard-pressed for court time.
Roth looks like a great complimentary piece to 2008's recruiting class, which already includes five-star recruit Devin Ebanks and Kentucky's own Bud Mackey. A pinpoint shooter (143 three-pointers made in his junior year of high school!), Roth also played on the Indiana Elite team alongside Washington, IN native Tyler Zeller, one of the top-recruits in the nation yet to make a verbal commitment. Zeller will officially visit IU next month. If he chooses the Hoosiers, well, that just makes the Roth pickup that much sweeter.
