Top Chicago point guard prospect Darius Smith committed to Connecticut on Monday night, ending any speculation that IU coach Tom Crean might add the 6-foot-2 senior to the Hoosiers roster.
Despite freshman Malik Story transferring out of the program, IU has no remaining scholarships to award for the 2009-10 campaign. Nevertheless, Crean was rumored to be pursuing the Marshall High School star.
Unlike with most recruits, very little leaked out about the Smith recruitment, and no one seemed to have the inside scoop but Smith himself.
Some reports said IU and Marquette were the frontrunners. Others had Duke as his leader. More recently, Cincinnati appeared to be high on his list. According to a Chicago Tribune article from Monday, Smith chose the Huskies over the Bearcats and Arizona State.
It had appeared that Smith was the only legit 2009 target for the Hoosiers, so perhaps next year's roster is set. Rumors continue to fly that another transfer may break this week, but for now it appears that Crean has his 13 scholarship players for next year.
