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(04/03/08 5:16am)
Before accepting the IU head coaching position, Tom Crean knew of the many challenges he’d have to tackle in Bloomington.\n“We’re going to have to embrace them because there is no other way to look at it,” Crean said of the obstacles during his press conference yesterday.\nOne of the biggest hurdles the former Marquette coach will face during his first few days in office is recruiting. For next season, Matt Roth and Tom Pritchard are still bound to the letters of intent they signed in November, but recruits Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway have been released from theirs and have yet to sign elsewhere.\n“We’re going to get into that process quickly,” Crean said. “I don’t want to comment on recruiting as much right now except that we’re going to do everything we can to study and to get to know the four young men that have committed or signed to this University and also to continue to recruit.”\nJere Quinn, Ebanks’ coach at St. Thomas More (Conn.), said he has not been in touch with either Ebanks or Crean since the coach was hired Wednesday.\nQuinn did say Ebanks will be playing in the April 19 Jordan Brand Classic game and will be visiting four schools – Memphis, Texas, Rutgers and West Virginia – prior to and following the ESPNU-televised game at Madison Square Garden.\nHolloway, meanwhile, has a new list of college choices, according to the recruiting service Rivals.com. Holloway told the Indiana Daily Student in January he was considering St. John’s and Virginia, but the point guard is now also considering Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and possibly Marquette.\nOn Tuesday, Holloway said he did not want to comment much on the hiring but did say he has already spoken with Crean and would like to speak more with him.\n“(In) the past 24 hours, I can say a lot of things have changed,” Holloway said.\nHolloway confirmed that Crean had recruited him while at Marquette and said he likes the way guards are utilized in his system.\n“Over there with Marquette with (guards such as) Jerel McNeal and Dominic James, the guards were able to play and get out there and run,” Holloway said.\nDespite the chaos surrounding IU basketball this year, Pritchard said he has been set on IU since the moment he committed and is “excited that IU has found a coach.”\n“I’m not really familiar with him, but I’m sure he’s a great coach, and I’ve heard a lot about him, and I can’t wait to meet him,” the center said.\nRoth echoed that sentiment, saying he’s “pretty excited” about the hiring.\n“He had a pretty good record at Marquette, and he had some good players there,” the shooting guard said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
(04/02/08 10:18pm)
Editor's note: For Jordan's full story in today's IDS, click here.
(03/28/08 6:38pm)
So Devin Ebanks has gotten his release from IU. Although he says he is still considering IU, he was quoted as saying that his top four are Memphis, Texas, Rutgers and West Virginia, and he plans on visiting each of those schools. He also told Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com, "I want to go somewhere I can develop, play right away and have a great relationship with my coach."
(03/21/08 5:34pm)
One interesting tidbit before all eyes are turned to tonight's IU-Arkansas contest: former IU shooting guard Joey Shaw has committed to Nevada. Shaw joins an already impressive recruiting class, at least by WAC standards, which includes Luke Babbitt and Mark McLaughlin, the 19th and 76th-ranked class of 2008 recruits according to Scout.com. The Wolfpack finished this season 21-12, losing by one to Houston in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational on Tuesday.
(03/21/08 4:58am)
Devin Ebanks will be released from the letter of intent he signed with IU and will reopen his recruitment, Adam Zagoria of the Herald News in West Paterson, N.J., reported Tuesday. \n“He’s spoke to the people at Indiana, and they’re apparently going to be sending him his release,” Jere Quinn, Ebanks’ coach at St. Thomas More (Conn.), told Zagoria on Tuesday.\nOn Thursday, Quinn told the Indiana Daily Student that Ebanks still has the Hoosiers on his recruiting list. Ebanks is expected to look at Memphis, Texas, Rutgers as well as a possible fourth school, Quinn told Zagoria.\nQuinn also confirmed that the small forward, rated No. 13 in the class of 2008 by Rivals.com, “is going to take a few visits,” but is awaiting his release papers from IU.\nAlthough Quinn and several media outlets have reported Quinn’s release, IU spokesperson J.D. Campbell had no knowledge of the situation.\n“I cannot confirm (that) because I haven’t talked to anyone,” Campebll said Thursday afternoon. “I’m busy with the basketball team (in Raleigh, N.C.).”\nOn Nov. 27, Rivals tabbed former IU coach Kelvin Sampson’s four-man 2008 recruiting class, headlined by Ebanks, as the 15th best in the nation. Also signing with IU in the fall were three-star recruits Tom Pritchard and Matt Roth, both still bound by their letters of intent, as well as Terrell Holloway, the No. 100 recruit according to Rivals.
(03/18/08 5:41pm)
Adam Zagoria is reporting on his blog that IU will indeed release its 5-star recruit Devin Ebanks from his Letter of Intent. Ebanks' coach at St. Thomas More told Zagoria that Memphis, Texas, Rutgers and possibly a fourth school are the schools Ebanks is considering.
(03/16/08 4:18am)
IU commit Tom Pritchard and St. Edward High School's surprise state tournament run ended Saturday night with a loss in the Ohio Division I title game. Pritchard was perfect from the field (3-3) but fouled out of his final high school game, a 65-52 loss to Newark. Pritchard finished with nine points, six rebounds and three assits.
(03/15/08 1:09pm)
At this season's start, it appeared that St. Edward High School had a great shot at a state title in Ohio's premier division. After all, the Eagles were led by Delvon Roe, No. 14 on Rivals.com's class of 2008 rankings, as well as three-star recruit, IU-bound Tom Pritchard. Roe and fellow senior Alex Sterba, however, have been out for the majority of the year with knee injuries, essentially putting the team on the shoulders of the 6-foot-8 Pritchard.
(03/13/08 3:05am)
Following the recent completion of his season at Wallace State Community College (Ala.), former Hoosier forward Xavier Keeling has announced his plans to play at Creighton University next year. According to an Omaha World-Herald article, the 6-foot-6 Huntsville, Ala. native, who spent his freshman year with IU last season, plans to sign a letter of intent with the Bluejays in April.
(03/11/08 7:45pm)
I spoke with Adam Zagoria on the phone this morning about the Devin Ebanks situation. Although he revealed all he knows in his blog post Monday, he gave his insight on the situation, both with Ebanks and IU recruitment in general.
(03/11/08 2:01am)
On his blog, Adam Zagoria of the Herald News in West Patterson, N.J. is reporting that Devin Ebanks, his mother and his prep coach met with IU interim coach Dan Dakich and assistant coach Ray McCallum on Monday.
(03/07/08 3:47am)
I apologize for not getting this up sooner, but sources say that five-star forward Devin Ebanks has decommitted from IU. Ebanks had a clause in his letter of intent allowing him to re-open his recruitment if Kelvin Sampson was no longer head coach at IU. The six-foot-eight forward said he would wait to make a decision until after his season ended, but with St. Thomas More's (CT) loss on Tuesday in the National Prep Championships, Ebanks did not wait long. Memphis is rumored to be the front-runner, with Texas and Rutgers also in the mix. We will try to keep everyone posted on this situation and get any information we can.
(03/04/08 9:52pm)
Eight teams began competition today at the National Prep Championship at Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y.
(02/28/08 2:13pm)
Last night, I spoke with Tobias Harris for the first time since the reports of Kelvin Sampson's major violations a couple weeks back. In our 15-20 minute conversation online, the Half Hollow Hills West High School sophomore who was one of Sampson's main targets for 2010-11, asked me about the coaching situation and told me a bit more about what he is looking for in a team.
(02/25/08 6:30pm)
As seen at other schools when coaches resign or are fired, until an 'interim' tag is removed or until a school hires a new coach, recruiting is really hampered. Players won't chose a school if they don't know who the coach will be, but even when someone is hired, it's a whole new ball game for recruits. Take rising junior big man Kyle Rowley for example.
(02/20/08 5:02am)
The McDonald's All-American Game rosters were released on Tuesday, but five-star forward and tenatively IU-bound Devin Ebanks was not among the 24 players selected. According to FOX Sports Blog, Ebanks was left out because he is a fifth-year player. Among notable players on the rosters are B.J. Mullens and William Buford, both headed to play for Thad Matta at Ohio State next year, and former IU recruit Tyler Zeller.
(02/14/08 4:09pm)
In today's article about IU recruits' reactions, I spoke with one player who has signed for '08 and one who has verbally committed for '09. Last night, I also got in touch with Tobias Harris, a player on IU's radar for 2010-11, and he said the following about the current circumstances: "The situation was a setback, but IU still has a great coaching staff and that is what I am looking for." He and his father have spoken so highly of Coaches Sampson and McCallum, so it appears that any changes in staff are likely to impact his decision.
(02/14/08 9:54am)
With the revelation of the five major NCAA infractions allegedly committed by IU coach Kelvin Sampson and his coaching staff, any lingering IU recruiting questions have exploded to a new level.\nFour players have signed letters of intent to play for the Hoosiers next year, one high school junior has verbally committed to IU and numerous other recruits have been on IU’s radar. They are now faced with a dilemma and are unsure of what their college basketball futures may hold.\n“I just called (IU assistant coach Jeff Meyer) today to talk about it,” said Derek Elston, the 6-foot-8 small forward who verbally committed to IU for the 2009-10 season. “They said that I’m still part of the family and I still love all those guys down there. I made a commitment and I’m going to stay with it. No matter what, I’m going to stick with it.”\nElston’s father, Darrell, a former North Carolina guard, said he was unaware of the “impermissible recruiting contact” when it happened but was sure that a high school player would not realize it was a violation. As for the overall situation with Sampson, Elston’s father hopes the situation doesn’t become too severe. He said the recently announced violations will have some impact on his son’s college decision.\n“I just hope that this is not real serious because Derek really enjoys this coaching staff and is pretty much set on going to IU,” he said. “If it becomes a little bit bigger, then I would hope he doesn’t change his mind. I hope it isn’t anything major.” \nTerrell Holloway, one of the class of 2008 signees, said he is concerned about any possible postseason sanctions or coaching changes, but said he does not know much about the situation. \n“I have to be concerned with the situation, because it has to do with me,” he said.\nWhen Holloway signed his national letter of intent in November, he said he was aware of Sampson’s October violations, but “this is obviously something new.” \nHolloway said he was not in a position to comment on the possibility of a new coach prowling the sidelines of Branch McCracken Court next season or the prospect of wanting to opt out of his letter of intent. He did say, however, that he is not looking at any other schools at the moment.\n“As of right now, I’m looking forward to being an Indiana Hoosier in the fall,” Holloway said.\nOf the five major violations listed in the NCAA report released Wednesday, one involves Derek Elston. The report revealed that Sampson and Meyer “engaged in an impermissible recruiting contact” this summer at a camp at Assembly Hall, when they gave the Tipton High School star “at least one T-shirt and a drawstring backpack.”\nAbout three weeks ago, members of the NCAA visited Elston at school and asked him several questions about the incident. While he said he did not want to talk about the situation, he said the NCAA went over the rules with him, discussed what happened and what went wrong, and asked him to be honest about the situation.\nElston’s father said he has noticed a drop in his son’s game performances lately, most specifically with his shooting, and he related it to the Sampson situation and the NCAA visit to Tipton.\n“I think the whole thing has really affected his play in high school; he hasn’t shot well the last three or four games,” he said.\nDerek Elston dispelled his father’s comments, however, citing two 32-point performances following the NCAA visit.\n“We just lost one of our point guards and that’s kind of got me down,” Elston said. “Nothing really with IU.”\nWhile Elston plans to stay committed to the Hoosiers, he is the only player who has pledged to play at IU for the 2009-10 season or beyond. And though Sampson’s future might currently be up in the air, so is recruiting, and thus the future of IU basketball.
(02/13/08 4:58am)
Two of IU’s four November signees, Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway, hail from New York.\nDespite the October resignation of assistant coach Rob Senderoff, IU’s former New York recruiting connection, the Hoosiers might still be in a “New York State of Mind” come 2010 if they sign sophomore standout Tobias Harris of Long Island.\nLast summer, Senderoff helped attract Harris to IU’s summer Elite Camp. It was there that Harris, a 6-foot-7 15-year-old, met the Hoosiers’ coaching staff and spent three days learning about the basketball program. \n“He’s very interested in Indiana,” Tobias Harris’ father, Torrel Harris Sr., said. “We flew down (to Bloomington) and we got to talk to all the coaches. He just thinks the world of Indiana.”\nOn Jan. 24, IU coach Kelvin Sampson became the first collegiate coach to offer a scholarship to Tobias Harris. Since then, Tobias Harris has picked up an offer from Connecticut, and said he is also interested in Arizona, Maryland, Rutgers and Florida.\nHarris has been labeled a major prospect in the class of 2010 by several recruiting services. On Monday, the sophomore exploded for 52 points, improving his average to 31.0 points per game for his 18-0 Half Hollow Hills West High School team. Though he can play any position from point guard to power forward, Harris said he is most comfortable at shooting guard.\nThe sophomore said his strengths are shooting and “just playing in the flow of the game.” He also said he hopes to improve on his defense and overall quickness. \n“I think that his agility is not up to par is because he is growing so fast,” his father said. “This summer he was 6-4; now he’s 6-7, so he hasn’t grown into his body. He’s probably going to be 6-10 the way he’s growing.”\nHarris’ high school coach Bill Mitaritonna said Harris has not only grown, but has also gotten stronger. When the season ends, however, he said Harris will begin to work hard in the weight room. \n“Once he gets that under his belt, he’s going to be extremely dangerous, already more than he is,” Mitaritonna said. \nDespite the early interest from several college basketball powerhouses, Harris isn’t ready to make up his mind.\n“I want to be patient on it and I don’t want to rush any decisions,” he said. \nHarris, already his high school’s all-time leading scorer, said he is mostly considering academics and coaching staffs when it comes to choosing his future school. After their trip to Bloomington this summer, both Harris and his father gained a lot of respect for the entire Hoosier program, as well as the school.\n“Indiana is great,” his father said. “The tradition at Indiana is unbelievable. The campus is unbelievable.”\nOf the other schools Harris is considering, one that stands out is Arizona. Harris’ cousin, Portland Trail Blazers center Channing Frye, played for the Wildcats and was instrumental in their 2005 run to the Elite Eight.\nThe Harris family saw Frye’s success, but Tobias Harris wants to do things differently from his cousin. He wants to win a national championship.\nOffering a scholarship to the talented sophomore shows that Sampson wants one badly, too.
(01/30/08 7:02am)
Wait, Tom who?\nThat was the reaction of most Hoosier fans this fall when virtually unknown Tom Pritchard pledged to play basketball next season for IU coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson had never heard of the 6-foot-8 big man when he first saw him play this past summer.\n“As is the case a lot of time in recruiting, you go to watch one kid and wind up coming back asking about another kid,” Sampson said at a press conference in November. “I can’t remember who I went to see, but early in the game against a very high level team, I said ‘Who is this kid?’”\nPritchard, an unranked, three-star center, according to recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com, hails from Westlake, Ohio. Playing high school ball alongside five-star forward and Michigan State-bound Delvon Roe, and being a part of the same IU recruiting class as highly-touted Devin Ebanks, it is easy to understand why Pritchard has been slapped with the “unheralded” label.\nBut on Dec. 6, Hoosier fans began to take notice of Pritchard. That night, Pritchard’s high school, St. Edward, opened its season at home versus consensus top-five recruit Jrue Holiday and the Campbell Hall Vikings of North Hollywood, Calif. In the ESPN2-televised game, Pritchard scored 23 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked five shots in St. Edward’s 78-73 victory. \nThat night also marked the last time Pritchard took the floor with Roe and senior guard Alex Sterba, both of whose high school careers ended due to serious knee injuries. The following night, when St. Edward hosted Western Reserve Academy, the Eagles became Pritchard’s team. \nSt. Edward coach Eric Flannery said Pritchard really had to adjust to his new role after Roe and Sterba went down. Since the injuries, and as of Jan. 18, Pritchard has averaged 16.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.\n“What’s interesting to see now is how Tom is expanding his game and going on without Delvon,” said Flannery, a 2007 AP Division I Coach of the Year. “I think that’s only going to help him down the road as a player.” \nFlannery, who has coached Pritchard since his freshman year, said the senior star has come a long way, “improving tremendously over four years.”\n“I think in many ways – and I’ve said this to many people – \nhe could go down as our biggest success story,” Flannery said. “We’ve had great players go through our program, and Tom has really gone down and developed. He’s going to be a great piece to a big puzzle at Indiana.”\nPritchard’s 240-pound frame will really help the Hoosiers inside, said John Decker of Hoosiernation.com. He said Pritchard is a very skilled passer for someone his size and will be a solid role player for four years in Bloomington.\nJoining a frontcourt that will boast 295-pound junior DeAndre Thomas as well as lanky and inexperienced freshman Eli Holman, Pritchard will have an opportunity to make a big impact as a freshman. \n“The opportunity is definitely there and I’m willing to take it with necessary improvements in the offseason,” Pritchard said.\nThose improvements, he said, are shooting, finishing around the basket and getting stronger – each a necessary element in becoming a better post player. No matter his progress, Pritchard said he will embrace whatever role Sampson assigns him.\n“I’ve never been concerned with playing time,” he said. “I’ll sit on the bench and cheer the team on if it helps the team win.”\nPritchard said he chose the Hoosiers over Penn State, Miami (Ohio), Virginia, Virginia Tech and Providence. Pitchard cited Sampson and IU’s basketball tradition as two of the primary factors that led to his signing.\n“A big key was coach Sampson and all his knowledge and being a great guy,” Pritchard said. “Also just the basketball; it’s a basketball state and everyone likes basketball (in Bloomington).”\nOff the court, Pritchard says he is “very laid-back, shy and just easygoing.” \n“Quiet” was the first word that his high school coach thought of, but Flannery isn’t expecting him to play quietly at IU.\n“On the court I think he’s going to make a huge contribution,” he said. “I think over the next four years he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”