Should Indiana change its Hoosier Hysteria event to accommodate the official visit of Gary Harris?
The short answer -– yes.
The longer answer -– absolutely yes.
In a lot of ways, Hoosier Hysteria is all about recruiting. Harris, the Hamilton Southeastern superstar and nationally regarded shooting guard, tops Tom Crean’s remaining wish list for the Class of 2012.
Normally IU would hold Hoosier Hysteria, the annual kickoff to college basketball practice, on a Friday night. It’s all about pomp and circumstance, with the real work beginning the next day.
This year Friday is Oct. 14.
The problem is Harris wants to officially visit IU the weekend of Oct. 15, which is a Saturday. He can’t come on Friday because he’s a standout receiver for Hamilton Southeastern, which is set to host McCutcheon that night in its regular season finale.
The Hoosiers have not officially set a date for Hoosier Hysteria. They don’t have to do it that Friday night. They could do it Saturday night, and probably will. That way Harris gets the full recruiting treatment, including 10,000 or so fans in Assembly Hall, much like Cody Zeller did last year.
That's the same Cody Zeller who is now a freshman at Indiana.
Harris also will reportedly officially visit Purdue on Oct. 1 and Michigan State on Nov. 5. The official signing period begins a few days later.
If you’re into signs, then a lot of times the school that gets the last visit has the edge. That school gets the last chance to make a big impression.
However, that is not etched in stone and might not have anything to do with Harris’ approach. He’s allowed two more official visits and he’ll likely use one of them on Louisville.
Even without Harris, Crean has the nation’s top-rated recruiting class for 2012, highlighted by Yogie Ferrell, Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Perea. But you can never have enough talent, and Harris is quite a talent.
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Crean’s recruiting roll extends to the Class of 2014. Rivals.com came out with its top-25 list for that class and Indianapolis Tech forward Trey Lyles, who already has committed to IU, made it at No. 18.
Other IU targets on the list include Evansville Bosse’s Jaquan Lyle at No. 8, Chicago’s Cliff Alexander at No. 9 and Louisville’s D’Angelo Roberts at No. 14.
Not on the list is the Hoosiers’ other commitment for the Class of 2014, Fort Wayne’s James Blackmon Jr.
Everything you said makes sense and the hope is IU Fans will absolutely pack the place.
ReplyDeleteCody Zeller went to UNC's Hoosier Hysteria equivalent last year.
ReplyDeleteCody Zeller went to the House of Red event for Halloween last year instead. It was much like Hoosier Hysteria.
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