Hoosier Deep Throat Solves IU’s Basketball Scholarship Mystery

The call came just after we got back from a Colorado Rocky Mountain adventure. Hoosier Deep Throat had an Indiana basketball tale to tell.

The clock had just hit midnight when we arrived at a darkened IU parking garage. We smelled Hoosier Deep Throat’s cigarette well before we reached a shadow-filled corner.

“You interested in the basketball scholarship dilemma?” he asked in a raspy voice.

“Is Usain Bolt pretty good in the 100 meters?” we responded.

After a summer of buzz, we wondered -- could the scholarship question finally be answered?

Coach Tom Crean had over-signed so that he had 14 players and 13 scholarships. Somebody was going to have to either leave or walk-on. Recent speculation had suggested veteran Maurice Creek was the most likely candidate because he wasn’t rehabbing to Crean’s liking. Creek has had two knee injuries and an Achilles tendon injury in the last three years, limiting him to a pair of half seasons. Would he return to the form that once saw him lead all college freshman in scoring?

Crean’s recent Tweet that included a photo of a smiling Creek suggested the guard was doing fine, and that he would not be the one out of scholarship luck.

With school set to start in a few weeks, anticipation has grown about the scholarship situation. Now, it seemed, the answer was about to come.

Deep Throat took a deep drag from his cigarette. He was, we knew, intentionally adding drama and suspense.

“OK, you win,” we said. “Who's out of luck?”

The glowed tip of Deep Throat’s cigarette danced in the darkness.

“To answer that,” he said, “look at the Class of 2013.”

We knew Crean has four commitments for the Class of 2013 -– forwards Devin Davis and Collin Hartman, center Luke Fischer and shooting guard Stanford Robinson. The 6-4 Robinson is the highest-rated player in the class, at No. 61 by Rivals.com. Davis is next at No. 99.

“It’s a good class,” we said. “It’s not quite as strong as the Class of 2012, but it has good versatility and length. What does that have to do with this year’s scholarships?”

Deep Throat crushed out his cigarette.

“Everything,” he said. “You just have to know where to look. And when you look close enough, you see Stanford Robinson is going to be a heck of a college player. He might be a top-40 kid by the end of the year.”

We were still clueless.

“Can you just tell us?” we asked.

“Robinson is a shooting guard. He’s a high-energy shooting guard. He makes one particular player vulnerable.”

A long pause. We wanted to punch Deep Throat.

“That’s Ron Patterson,” he said.

Patterson is the former Indianapolis Broad Ripple standout whose high-motor and long arms make him an intriguing defensive prospect. But shooting inconsistency is a potential problem.

“Robinson is better than Patterson,” Deep Throat said. “He makes Patterson expendable. And you might find Patterson isn’t as good a fit as he once was expected to be for Crean and the Hoosiers, especially now that they’re a national title contender.”

We answered with silence. George Washington -- yes, the father of our country -- was famous for using silence as a means to get information. He was fine being with a person and not saying a word, until the person had couldn’t take it anymore and began talking.

We figured if we shut up long enough, Deep Throat would break.

“You know, the veteran guys all want to be here,” he said at last. “They’ve done the work and paid the price. They’ve earned their scholarships. Crean ain’t gonna screw ‘em over.”

Deep Throat lit up another cigarette.

“That leaves the freshman. Yogi Ferrell is a point guard and IU hasn’t had a true point guard in years. While he struggles at defense sometimes, what freshman doesn’t? He’s gonna make an impact.

“Hanner Perea and Jeremy Hollowell are potential pros. They’re raw, but they'll make huge improvements now that they’re in IU’s development-strong program.

“Peter Jurkin might be a big unknown because he missed a lot of high school action due to injury, but the guy can play. He’s looked very good over the summer. He’ll be an upgrade over Tom Pritchard in backing up All-America forward Cody Zeller. And IU needs a good backup for Zeller in case of foul trouble or just to provide him with some rest.”

Somewhere beyond the darkness,a car alarm went off.

“Patterson is the guy who’s out,” Deep Throat said. “Bet the house on it.”

“We don’t bet,” we said. “We tried it once. Lost $180 in, like, 20 minutes playing blackjack. Never again.”

“Pity,” Deep Throat said.

We turned to leave, but stopped when Deep Throat starting talking again.

“Couple of other things you might want to know. Matt Roth ain’t playing for the Hoosiers unless as a walk-on, and that’s about as likely as me giving up smoking.

“Austin Etherington is the new Roth, except he’s bigger and plays better defense. He can hit the three. He might be IU’s best three-point shooter after Jordan Hulls. He barely played last year, but Crean likes his work ethic and drive. He’ll have a chance to make a mark.

“There are no minutes for Roth. Plus, the guy already has his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He can either start on his career, or transfer to a school that has an opening for him. It ain’t IU.

“Don’t forget about Remy Abel. The guy made an impact in the postseason, and he’s better now.

“Finally, look for Zeller to really show his all-around game. He’s gonna shoot three-pointers, and he’s gonna make a ton of them. He’s gonna be unguardable.”

Deep Throat went silent. We had our answer. As for the truth, well, it comes down to perspective and belief and patience.

Now, you know.