Talk about good timing. Rivals.com has just come out with its top 150 for the Class of 2012 and there’s a bunch of really good big men at the top. This is great news for Indiana, which could use a bunch of really good big men.
Nine of Rivals’ first 10 are inside players. That leads us to some not so great news for the Hoosiers -- only one is apparently interested in them, No. 6 Ricardo Ledo of Rhode Island, and he’s a 6-5 small forward.
However, the No. 13 player, Hanner Perea, an extremely athletic 6-7 forward from North Carolina who just happens to play on the Indiana Elite AAU team, is VERY interested in the Cream ‘n Crimson ways.
As you would expect, IU has plenty of competition for Perea, including North Carolina, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Baylor, Alabama and Mississippi. That’s fine. Coach Tom Crean and his staff can handle it.
The Hoosiers also are in the running for No. 16 Gary Harris, a guard from Hamilton Southeastern; No. 21 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, a guard from Indianapolis North Central; No. 22 Yogi Ferrell, a guard from Indianapolis Park Tudor; No. 35 Jeremy Hollowell, a guard from Indianapolis Lawrence Central, and a whole bunch more.
Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but if IU can land one of these elite guys early, it just might set the stage for a big-time class.
Starting today Crean and his staff, as well as every coach from every college in the land, begin their annual July odyssey that takes them all over America to evaluate and be seen.
Who knows? Maybe that will be enough for the best of the 2012 class to consider the Hoosiers. The top three are No. 1 Andre Drummond, a 6-9, 251-pound center from Connecticut; No. 2 Isaiah Austin, a 6-11, 200-pound center from Texas; and No. 3 DaJuan Coleman, a 6-8, 280-pound center from New York.
Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut, Louisville and Georgetown top Drummond’s list. Austin’s favorites include Texas, Kansas and Baylor. Kentucky, Kansas, North Caroline, Ohio State and Louisville are after Coleman.
Getting those players isn’t a necessity, of course, but getting difference-making players is.
That’s what this month is all about.
Players on IU's great teams were Hoosiers with a few from adjacent states. Very few came from farther unless they had an IU connection. To reignite the Hoosier pride the same formula will be required. If the south, east, or west think they have great players, let them prove it against our Hoosiers. I have a hunch that they will need more than hype against IU when we again keep our best at home.
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