After collecting a Top-10 recruiting class in his first season, Coach Sampson is well on his way to signing another Top-10 class for 2008. So far, Devin Ebanks (No. 13 on Rivals.com), Bud Mackey (No. 35) and Matt Roth (NR) have verballed to the Hoosiers. Sampson and his main recruiters, assistant coaches Ray McCallum and Rob Senderoff, seem to be in the mix with four remaining players for the class of 2008 - all of which play forward or center. Here is the rundown of the remaining recruits.
1. Tyler Zeller (No. 22): Zeller is in the middle of a heated recruiting battle between IU, Purdue, UNC and Notre Dame. The 6ft-11in center from Washington, Indiana had a great summer in various tournaments and became one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. The highest ranked Indiana prep player, he Zeller is one of the favorites to be named Mr. Basketball, a feat his brother pulled off in 200While he is a center, Zeller does not fit the mold of a traditional post player. Zeller has set official trips to each of his final schools this fall. Zeller commented that he would make his decision a week after his final trip this fall. There is no indication of any particular school leading at the moment.
2. Angel Garcia (No. 27): Garcia blew up in the Indiana 5A state championship game for East Chicago. The 6ft-10in forward is a spot-up player who is comfortable handling the ball. He recently narrowed his list to Indiana and Memphis. Sound familiar? IU lost out on Derrick Rose, a top-5 player in the class of 2007, to coach John Calapari and the Tigers last November.
3. Kevin Jones (No. 79): The New York native Jones has offers from a handful of top programs. The 6ft-7in forward has been an IU target for sometime, but several teams continue to vie for Jones' services.
4. Tom Prichard (NR): Prichard is a 6ft-8in forward from Ohio. He is an under the radar prospect who has shown promise this summer. He is a more traditional post player who could be a good compliment to one of the previous forwards who prefer facing up to the basket.
It is uncertain how many or if any of these players will sign with Sampson and the Hoosiers. Currently, IU has three remaining scholarships for the 2008 season. Sampson may also sign a junior college big man to help "balance out" the classes or save a scholarship for the 2009 and 2010 classes which have many good Indiana prep players.
