...and one of them is not the Hoosiers starting line-up. I promise to never begin a story like that again. One of the most popular discussions this summer has been attempting to predict the Hoosiers starting line-up for the fall.
When Ray McCallum was named to Kelvin Sampson's coaching staff last year, word started to circulate that his son would play point guard for Bloomington North. In May when I first met Ray McCallum Jr., known better as Little Ray, he told me he hoped to play collegiate basketball wherever his father was coaching in three years. But after talking to the North sophomore last week, McCallum said he now had his college sights set specifically on Indiana University. "I still want to play for my dad," McCallum said.
Apparently, IU's athletic department does not celebrate the release of Madden '08 like I do. Or Rick Greenspan got an advance copy... Nevertheless, after making a conscience decision not to blog today, I discovered the Hoosiers released their 2007-2008 schedule.
Here is the second installment of our "Getting to know" feature on IU's incoming class. Next up: a story on Ray McCallum Jr.
I've been interviewing, writing about and researching IU's six incoming recruits since last November, but Wednesday night was my first opportunity to see several of the recruits playing in person. Most Hoosier fans have some familiarity with the recruits, but not a whole lot.
Being from Chicago, Brandon McGee knew what he was getting weather-wise when he committed to his Midwest neighbor Indiana.
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.
One of my favorite subplots of the IU recruit's barnstorming tour is the opposing team. The level of talent may only be a step above the first court at the SRSC, but it can still be entertaining. Such is the case for Wednesday night's game in Noblesville.
The Basketblog will be making the trip north to Noblesville Wednesday night to catch a glimpse of the IU recruits barnstorming tour. The game, which is at Noblesville High School at 7 p.m., will feature all six IU recruits: Eric Gordon, Eli Holman, Jamarcus Ellis, DeAndre Thomas, Jordan Crawford and Brandon McGee. Zach Osterman, the IDS's summer editor-in-chief and fall sports editor, will be making the trip as well.
The Hoosiers have had a lot of success when it comes to walk-ons. Before there was Errek Suhr, there was Ryan Tapak and Mark Johnson.
If you've been keeping up with this blog, or if you checked out the story in Monday's IDS, you would already know that DJ White stood out for the U.S.
Kelvin Sampson can only hope he gets this kind of production out of D.J. White when he suits up for the Hoosiers this fall. For the second straight game, White had a game-high 22 points and led the U.S.
Led by the Hoosier's very own D.J. White, the United States notched its first victory of the Pan Am Games Friday night, with a 74-71 victory over Argentina. White was 8-of-14 from the field and finished with a game-high 22 points.
Wow. After losing to Uruguay two nights ago, the United States wasted a 14-point first half lead and eventually lost to Panama, 75-67.
The U.S.'s Olympic team isn't the only team from America that continues to struggle with their less-heralded international competition. In the Pan Am Games opener, the United States blew a seven point second half lead to fall to Uruguay Wednesday night, 81-72. Although it came in a loss, D.J.
If history repeats itself, the Hoosiers might find themselves Big Ten champions this spring. IU has only won two Big Ten titles since 1993, with the most recent occurrence in 2002.
It's a forgone conclusion that Eric Gordon will be a force to reckon with next season. Arguably the best freshman in the nation, Gordon is expected to be IU's go-to-guy next season. But outside of Gordon, which incoming recruit do you think will have the greatest impact?
After being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, it appeared D.J. White was destined for the NBA Lottery.
With players graduating, jumping to the NBA, backing out of verbal commitments and a series of other reasons, it's hard to dissect what a basketball team will need 2-3 years down the line.
The following is an article from Monday's Indiana Daily Student: Senior forward D.J. White is one cut away from making the roster for the American team in the Pan American Games after competing in five trial sessions over the weekend.
