Capobianco talks 2008-09 players
Chris Braswell (2009), Marquis Teague (2011) and Spencer Turner (2011) were among several recruits on campus this weekend, as were IU Class of 2009 commits Bobby Capobianco, Maurice Creek and Jordan Hulls.
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Chris Braswell (2009), Marquis Teague (2011) and Spencer Turner (2011) were among several recruits on campus this weekend, as were IU Class of 2009 commits Bobby Capobianco, Maurice Creek and Jordan Hulls.
We've heard plenty about Maurice Creek and Christian Watford, and now we've turned our attention to Ghana native Bawa Muniru, but what about the kid they call Jordy?
Both HoosierNation and Peegs reported early this week that Tom Crean will be hosting several visitors at this weekend's Michigan State game.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU recruit Derek Elston hasn’t played basketball in more than four months.The senior forward from Tipton, Ind., suffered a torn meniscus at an AAU event on May 17 and underwent surgery just four days later to repair his knee.Elston has been waking up each morning during the week at 6 a.m. for informal team workouts, only to watch his teammates from the sidelines. Being shelved for more than four months has been tough on him, but the four-star recruit said he “can’t wait” to be cleared to play.Elston is set to go to the doctor today, where they will run a few tests on him. He might get the good news he is looking for and be out on the court soon.“If I do get released,” he said by phone Sunday night, “we’ll play in the morning Wednesday, and I guarantee I’ll be the first one there.”Elston, ranked as the No. 90 senior-class prospect by Scout.com and No. 98 by Rivals.com, committed to play for IU last September. Despite giving his promise to Kelvin Sampson, Elston has developed a good relationship with IU coach Tom Crean – and assistant coach Tim Buckley, especially – and is eager to join the team next year.Last Saturday, Elston made the trip to Bloomington with a few friends to watch the IU-Ball State football game. “It was too much fun. It was a good trip,” he said. “Just me and a couple buddies were going to come up to the IU game, and then we caught up with coach Buckley, and he took us around, walked us around with (7-foot IU recruit) Bawa (Muniru) and just had a good time.”Elston said he watched a bit of an IU volleyball game, saw the Walk, accompanied IU coaches who were watching film with Muniru, and before kickoff even got onto the field with Muniru and some high school freshman recruits also visiting during the weekend.“When I was down on the field at the beginning of the game, and having all these people screaming ‘Derek,’ and getting their picture taken with me, that was a lot of fun,” Elston said. The Tipton High School star said he tried talking with Muniru a bit, but said the 7-foot Ghana native did not always seem to understand him. Elston did say Muniru was a “funny guy,” and seemed to have lots of fun at the football game.Muniru was on campus for an official visit, five days after Crean and assistants Bennie Seltzer and Roshown McLeod visited the big man at Charis Prep in North Carolina. IU could benefit from adding another true post player, but on Wednesday, Crean and McLeod took a trip to New Jersey to visit five-star guard/forward Dominic Cheek. “(I’d) probably (prefer) a big man, because I’d hate to see another Eric Gordon, a one-and-done guy,” Elston said. “With regards to IU and me, I’d like to see us get a big guy who will stay all this time and learn and become a great player after his third or fourth year.”If IU doesn’t end up with another big man, Elston – listed as a small forward by Rivals but a power forward by Scout – might see more time in the post next year. He’s listed at 6-foot-8 on several recruiting sites but says he’s one inch taller, and Elston might not even be done growing. “When I tore my meniscus, actually, they took x-rays and said that I still had a lot of room left in my joints for growing,” Elston said. “Whether I get to 6-10 or not, I don’t know, but I think I still have a little bit more in me.”
Derek Elston was in town on Saturday for the IU football game, and today he will make his way to the doctor to see if he can return to the basketball court. Elston had surgery on a torn meniscus in May and he seems to be fully recovered, but is waiting for the okay from the doctor. Check out today's article on Elston, as well as his thoughts on Watford that didn't make the cut:
Tom Crean's Class of 2009 very well could end up as the best among Big Ten teams, especially with the addition of another player such as Dominic Cheek, Chris Braswell or Bawa Muniru. The following year, however, Crean has just two scholarships to give (Devan Dumes, Tijan Jobe), while many of his rival coaches such as Thad Matta, Bruce Weber and Bo Ryan have already been already landing major talent for 2010.
As expected, 7-footer Bawa Muniru was on campus for an official visit this weekend. It wasn't difficult to spot him last night at the football game, and he even drew a crowd of kids wanting to take pictures with him, while others had their cell phone cameras out like they had never seen anyone so big. Sure it isn't an everday occurence to see someone of that size, but would Tijan Jobe get that same attention?
...at least according to ESPN.com's Page 2 writer, Jim Caple. Caple compiled his list of the most important sports venues in the country --not his favorite, not the best and not the most beautiful, just the most important.
Tom Crean and IU assistant Roshown McLeod were up in the Garden State on Wednesday to visit with Dominic Cheek, a five-star recruit from legendary prep program St. Anthony. Cheek, his uncle Omari Knight and St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley met with the IU coaches for two hours and came away with a good perspective on where Crean and IU are at this point.
ESPN's Andy Katz got in touch with Sean Miller of Xavier (Jordan Crawford) and Mike Davis of UAB (Armon Bassett) regarding their transfers' push for immediate eligibility. Here's the article about all your favorite former Hoosiers.
The saga of former blue-chip recruit and Lawrence North big man Stephan Van Treese has taken a turn for the better. Van Treese is off to Louisville, per the Peegs.com forum. While you need an account to see the insider info (which we cannot disclose to readers), the sources are reliable, including Mike Pegram (Peegs) himself. While the rumors of walking on at IU were entertaining, SVT has found a home just over the Ohio River.
Although the article is hidden from the main page of ZagsBlog.net, Tom Crean is reportedly making an in-home visit to see Dominick Cheek on Wednesday. Yesterday, Adam Zagoria omitted IU from a list of potential schools for Cheek's fifth official visit, but that doesn't mean that Crean isn't still going after him. One would have to think Roshown McLeod would accompany Crean on the visit up to New Jersey, as McLeod is the older brother of one of Cheek's good friends/teammate.
When Roshown McLeod became IU's third assistant, No. 15/16 ranked recruit Dominic Cheek seemed to become interested in IU. Shortly after the Cheek-IU buzz began to generate, the five-star recruit said he "definitely" planned on visiting IU. After opting to take official visits to Kansas, Villanova, Wake Forest and, most recently, Tennessee, Cheek has one more school left to choose for a visit. Memphis, UConn, Pitt, Rutgers and Seton Hall are the schools left in the running for official number five for Cheek, according to Adam Zagoria.
Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal did a nice breakdown of IU's 2009 recruiting class the other day. I won't bore you by paraphrasing/quoting everything he said, as I have provided a hyperlink above, but here are some of the highlights: "What coach Crean has been able to do on the recruiting front is nothing short of a miracle. He's landed one of the top recruiting classes in the nation and he did it basically with handcuffs on. And add the ankle bracelets and take away all the extra phone calls!" "It's only going to get better with the ability to do equal with all the other coaches." Jordan Hulls - "I'll suspect he'll play a lot and right away." Bobby Capobianco - "...a perfect fit for Big Ten basketball." Derek Elston - "He was a steal!" Maurice Creek - "I am certain he's the player that all of the rabid Hoosier fans will fall for right away." Christian Watford - "He's a talent and his slashing abilities are needed more --and will fit in better--with the Hoosiers."
Say what you want. Even if you put no weight on recruiting rankings, you still look at them (or at least sift through the many basketblog posts by yours truly). While Scout.com and Rivals.com seem to have the greatest reputation, let's not forget about the "The Worldwide Leader in Sports." ESPN.com released updated rankings, although I am really unsure how much they have changed (disclaimer: Nick Williams No. 24 and Tom Pritchard, No. 71 for Class of 2008, contrary to three-star ratings from Scout and Rivals):
Here is the article, alluded to by Zach Osterman below. Don't forget to check out Hoosier Sidelines, a podcast/audio interview in which I discuss Christian Watford and the overall IU recruiting picture with Osterman and fellow IDS staff member Peter Stevenson. One of the topics we address is whether or not Crean will seek to oversign by one and possibly reel in a big man for the already stellar Class of 2009 recruits.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>High school senior Christian Watford, one of the best small forwards in the country, has committed to play for the IU men’s basketball team starting next season. IU coach Tom Crean has long been after the four-star recruit – ranked No. 34 in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 72 by Scout.com – and one of the Hoosiers’ top priorities has finally made the call.Watford’s commitment buoys IU’s 2009 recruiting class, ranked ninth in the nation by Rivals.com. BLOG: For more, see the Basketblog.Although he made it official Tuesday evening, Watford said he had known for a while he was planning on playing for Crean and the Hoosiers.“I went up (to IU) for the Elite Camp on August 23; I liked it and thought about it,” he said by phone Tuesday night. “It just felt like the best fit for me, and that’s where I wanted to go.”Crean, who had been trying to court the long and athletic 6-foot-7 inch forward since his days at Marquette, flew down to Alabama on Tuesday afternoon to watch Watford in an open gym at his high school in Birmingham.Although the Shades Valley High School star said Crean’s plane came in late, the Hoosiers’ coach did get to watch him work out a bit. Not long after, he told Crean the big news.“He was very rejoiceful,” the recruit said of his future coach’s reaction to the commitment.It was first reported on Sunday that Watford had IU at the top of his list, then came the news that Crean would be making the home visit to see Watford on Tuesday. Watford himself then wrote on his Facebook page late Monday night, “WORLD...STAY TUNED 4 TOMORROW!!!!!!” The world, or at least the IU basketball world, did stay tuned, and Hoosier fans got the news they were hoping for. Watford said another factor in choosing IU was that through the entire recruiting process, Crean and the IU coaches “stayed by (his) side.”Now, the recruit said he will focus on his high school season and “just go from there.” He is highly anticipating his future at IU, however, saying he is “definitely looking forward to” winning an NCAA title with the Hoosiers.With the addition of Watford, Crean now has five high school seniors slated to attend IU next year. Crean had previously secured four commitments for next year: point guard Jordan Hulls, shooting guard Maurice Creek, small forward Derek Elston and power forward Bobby Capobianco.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>High school juniors and class of 2010 basketball recruits Lavonte Dority, Lenzelle Smith, Jr. and Alex Gauna were among a handful of recruits on campus Saturday for unofficial visits with the IU men’s basketball team.The recruits met with the coaches and even watched Saturday night’s IU football game from 50-yard-line seats alongside IU players Jeremiah Rivers and Devan Dumes.While IU coach Tom Crean was the one playing host to the recruits this past weekend, today he is headed down to Birmingham, Ala., according to media reports, where he will be a guest at Shades Valley Technical Academy and likely the home of Class of 2009 recruit Christian Watford who is the No. 34 ranked recruit on Rivals.com and No. 72 Scout.com.For several weeks, Watford has been known publicly as one of Crean’s top recruiting priority, and with Crean headed to Shades Valley to watch the 6-foot-8 forward work out, rumors are rampant about a verbal commitment.Crean has already put together a four-man recruiting class for next season that experts might call very good, but Crean is looking to make it great. And adding Watford may just do that.A commitment from Watford would mean the Hoosiers would be bringing in four four-star recruits — at least according to Scout.com — and thus four of Scout’s current Top 90 prospects for next year.Just more than two weeks ago, Watford and his entire family made the trip up to IU to attend the Elite Camp. There, Watford and his family mingled with the likes of Isiah Thomas, while the four-star recruit also met with coaches and scrimmaged with other recruits.While initial reports were indeed favorable for IU and it seemed that Watford still had intended to visit four of his other top schools: Alabama, Kentucky, Louisville and another possible leader, along with IU and Memphis.John Decker of HoosierNation.com reported Monday that Watford’s father, Ernest, said that IU has made the “push to the top” of his son’s list.Bobby Capobianco and Jordan Hulls, high school seniors who have committed to IU and also attended the Elite Camp, spoke with the Indiana Daily Student briefly two weeks ago about Watford.At the camp, Capobianco joked with Watford about how he “looks good” in IU colors, while he told the IDS he was “banking” on either Watford or Roger Franklin committing to play for IU.However, Franklin is no longer considering the Hoosiers.Hulls, meanwhile, also had some contact with Watford at the Elite Camp, and he had nothing but positives to say about the IU recruit.“We played on the same team at the Elite Camp, and we didn’t lose,” Hulls said. “He’s fun to play with because he’s so good, and he’s a mismatch for everybody. He made it easy for me as point guard.”
IU has long been after Christian Watford (No. 34 Rivals.com, No. 72 Scout.com), so much that about six weeks ago he has was labeled as the Hoosiers' top priority. Rumors surfaced that Tom Crean would be traveling to visit Watford in Alabama this Tuesday, and that has been confirmed by Watford's father, Ernest. John Decker of HoosierNation.com recently pushed an article about Watford, and while I can't reveal the inside scoop that is in the insider article, the teaser on Watford's profile (see above hyperlink) is enough to make any IU fan happy: "Father confirms Crean's visit on Tuesday as well as IU's standing as a team to beat."
Mark Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans football team won't be the only guests in town Saturday, Sept. 27. Chris Braswell, a 6-foot-8 power forward former Georgetown commit, will be in Bloomington for an official visit. Braswell, a former Class of 2008 prospect, plays for Hargrave Military Academy and D.C. Triple Threat (AAU), the same teams as future Hoosier Maurice Creek.