On the way to Noblesville last night, I envisioned Eric Gordon draining 3s from halfcourt, Jamarcus Ellis recording a quadruple double and the recruits putting on an overall performance that would rival the Harlem Globetrotters and the 90's Chicago Bulls.
But with Eric Gordon and Jamarcus Ellis sitting out due to summer school obligations (and Jordan and Kukoc no showing), I would have to settle. Even without their top two players, the IU recruit team was able to escape Noblesville with a victory last night, 128-116.
Filling in for Gordon and Ellis was Broad Ripple's Robert Goff and Eric Gordon's little brother, Evan. For those not familiar with him, Evan will be a junior this fall at North Central and will be on the varsity basketball team.
But needless to say, the Hoosiers felt the absence of "Gordellis." With 9:46 left in the game the Noblesville team cut the Hoosiers lead to only one at 90-89.
"They really made a run there," Brandon McGee said, "but we knew they would make one."
The Hoosiers battled back thanks to big baskets by Jordan Crawford, Eli Holman and Ray McCallum Jr. Crawford led all scorers last night with 31 points (with five 3s).
"Jordan played awesome tonight," DeAndre Thomas said. "He hit some shots we really needed and he turned it on in the second half. With Eric and Jamarcus out we needed everyone to play well."
The surprise of the evening was the scoring output from McCallum Jr., who finished with 19 points. With 5:20 left in the game, McCallum blocked a Noblesville 3-point attempt, tipped the ball to himself and dribbled to the basket before throwing down a two-handed dunk.
"The guys out there make me step my game up a little more," McCallum said. "With EJ not playing they told me I'd have to score more."
The Hoosiers received 27 points from a bulked up Eli Holman. Holman said when he arrived earlier this summer he weighed 215, but thanks to lifting and conditioning he is now up to 240.
Thomas finished with 16 points and McGee was held to only four in part to limited playing time from a non-serious knee injury. McGee assured me after the game that he had only banged his knee a bit and was fine.
Note: There is much more I have to pass along from the game. In the upcoming days I'll post some recruiting analysis, a Bahamas preview, a McCallum Jr. feature and several tidbits and quotes from every IU recruit (sans Ellis). Stay tuned.
Remember me? If you're like me, then you haven't heard Ben Allen's name since last spring. But just because the 6-foot-11 junior center has been out of the news doesn't mean he hasn't been working hard.
Representing Australia in the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand, Allen came off the bench Tuesday to score 16 points and grab six rebounds in his team's 81-79 loss to Korea.
Allen playing extra games this summer will most likely benefit him this fall. If Allen can gain some experience and confidence from this tournament it could really help him when the season begins. Allen and his country will play again tomorrow against Israel.
Roth names top 3 It appears as if the Hoosiers have set their sights on yet another Indiana Elite standout.
Matt Roth, a class of 2008 shooting guard from Metamora (IL) Washington announced his top three schools earlier this week: Indiana, Saint Louis University and Bradley. According to several sources, Roth has been offered a scholarship by the Hoosiers and enjoyed a recent unofficial visit.
For the most part, the 6-foot-3 Roth is known as a gunner: a pure 3-point shooter. His game is somewhat similar to Kyle Hornsby. Expect Roth to make his college decision in the upcoming weeks.
