I'd not heard that Bobby Capobianco committed.
I've seen him once. He'll have to get a bit better to compete in the Big 10, IMHO.
Not that he's a bad player at all. Just think IU might be a bit of a stretch.
I'd not heard that Bobby Capobianco committed.
I've seen him once. He'll have to get a bit better to compete in the Big 10, IMHO.
Not that he's a bad player at all. Just think IU might be a bit of a stretch.
When all is said and done more is said than done.
Here's what the HT Blog had to say about Capobianco.
St. Louis and West Virginia were the only other "major" programs high on him from what I've read. Other than Marquette when Crean was there.Capobianco is a rambunctious player with a good feel for playing in the paint. He’s already accustomed to playing the role he’ll have in college — as the guy creating havoc under the net and not so much worrying about that last number on the state line, points — because he plays that way for his Bloomington-based Indiana Elite team. He’s a solid rebounder and defender who is filling out and learning to control his body. I think last year he was a little lost on a really talented team; I expect him to climb the rankings during the AAU season.
Sounds like what I saw from him.Originally Posted by BRM
I also would have never guessed Ryan Childress would have ever seen the floor at Tennessee. But you know Bruce Pearl and developing players...
Maybe Coach Overra... errr... Crean can turn Capobianco into the same type of player.
When all is said and done more is said than done.
Pearl only develops players on the offensive end...or so I've heard.
Nick Williams has committed to Indiana.
Tell me more about him.Nick Williams has committed to Indiana.
When I see the 2016 Reds, I see a 100 loss team and no direction.
http://indiana.scout.com/2/748404.htmlWilliams Ready to Help Right Away
By John Decker
Posted Apr 21, 2008
Bloomington – Tom Crean is in need of some recruits who can step in and play right away, and he’s likely found one in Nick Williams. Williams will bring a 7'0" wing span, and the ability to play both inside and out according
to his prep coach, Otis Hughley...
The 6-5, 200-pound Mobile (Ala.) LeFlore H.S. standout committed to Indiana Monday, signing a Big Ten tender to play in Bloomington starting in the fall. He picked the Hoosiers over Arkansas shortly after returning home from an official visit to the Razorbacks’ program this weekend.
He’ll arrive on Bloomington’s campus ready to play right away, according to LeFlore H.S. coach Otis Hughley.
“He had a several places talking to him about playing early, in the ACC, the SEC, and at Marquette he was going to play early,” Hughley said Monday. “There wasn’t a place he was thinking about that he wouldn’t have played right away.
“I’ll tell you this, if anybody is ready to play right away, he is.”
Scout.com’s 32nd ranked shooting guard nationally, Williams averaged 21 points and seven rebounds this past season while playing alongside top-10 ’09 big man Demarcus Cousins. LeFlore went 30-3 this season, was ranked in the nation’s top 20, and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament semifinals.
The arrival of Cousins last fall was big for Williams because it allowed him to move to the perimeter. Hughley said Williams had been used in the post for his first three seasons because he has a 7’0” wing span and was easily the team’s best scorer in the paint, but Cousins’ presence allowed him to move to the wing.
Now, he’ll head to Bloomington as a proven scorer inside and out, and someone who should be a big part of the Hoosiers’ rotation next fall.
“They’re getting a Dwyane Wade-type,” said Hughley. “He’s a different kind of player (than Wade), but he might be better at this age than Dwyane was.
”He’s someone you can play wherever you need him. He’s one of those guys you just have to put on the floor. He’s long, rangy, and can score in a number of ways. He’s really versatile.”
While that versatility undoubtedly caught Crean’s eye, Williams’ personality likely did as well, according to Hughley.
“He has a Greg Oden-type personality,” Hughley said. “If you don’t like Nick, you don’t like anybody. He’s a great, great kid. Not a good kid, a great kid. He comes from a great family and you can just tell he’s been loved his whole life.”
He’s also a great addition to IU’s ’08 class which has doubled in the last two days. Over the weekend Vincennes (Ind.) J.C. guard Devan Hughes committed as well, joining fall signees Matt Roth and Tom Pritchard in the Hoosiers incoming class.
Williams originally pledged to Crean nearly two years ago when he was coaching at Marquette, and ultimately followed Crean to Bloomington after he was named as Kelvin Sampson’s replacement last month. While he had plenty of quality options, Hughley said Crean made the sort of impression that others couldn’t overcome.
“Nick really liked the way (Crean) develops players,” Hughley said. “He likes the way he’ll play young guys right away. He did a really good job with Nick. There are a lot of guys that do a good job, but (Crean) out-worked everybody and showed the most interest initially and Nick hasn’t forgotten that.”
That’s good news for the Hoosiers, who are getting one of those hard-to-find impact players in the late signing period, and someone who should continue to blossom over the next four years.
“Coach Crean has great ideas about how to play Nick, and he also understands how much better this kid is going to get,” Hughley said.
He's a 6'4" guard from Alabama. He's very athletic, but doesn't shoot very well. Rivals.com has him ranked as a 5.7 in their ranking system. Which is:
# 6.1 Franchise Player; considered one of the elite prospects in the country, generally among the nation's top 25 players overall; deemed to have excellent pro potential; high-major prospect
# 6.0-5.8 All-American Candidate; high-major prospect; considered one of the nation's top 300 prospects; deemed to have pro potential and ability to make an impact on college team
# 5.7-5.5 All-Region Selection; considered among the region's top prospects and among the top 750 or so prospects in the country; high-to-mid-major prospect; deemed to have pro potential and ability to make an impact on college team
# 5.4-5.0 Division I prospect; considered a mid-major prospect; deemed to have limited pro potential but definite Division I prospect; may be more of a role player
# 4.9 Sleeper; no Rivals.com expert knew much, if anything, about this player; a prospect that only a college coach really knew about
"I know a lot about the law and various other lawyerings."
Hitters who avoid outs are the funnest.
Here's more on Nick Williams.
D.J. White helped pursuade Nick to go to IU. Per the Indy Star:Bloomington, Indiana - Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has announced that Nick Williams, a 6-5, 205-lb. combo guard from LeFlore High School in Mobile, Alabama has signed a Big Ten Tender of Athletic Financial Aid to attend IU and play basketball for the Hoosiers beginning next fall. He was named Alabama High School Player of the Year earlier this spring.
“Nick really addresses a need for us and gives us a big, strong presence in the backcourt,” said Crean. “He is a winner who is tough and physical and he boasts a work ethic that has helped him improve his game in a variety of ways each year. He has done a wonderful job at making the transition as a perimeter player after beginning his career as an inside performer. He comes from an outstanding high school program and has been well coached throughout his career.”
Williams chose Indiana over Arkansas, Kansas State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Alabama. He had originally signed a national letter of intent with Marquette earlier this fall, but was let out of his commitment when Coach Crean took over the IU program.
Call it the Alabama connection, but just before Nick Williams decided to sign to play basketball for Indiana University, he received a call from D.J. White.
White is from Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Williams is from Mobile.
"When D.J. called me, he told me about the fans at Indiana and how crazy they are about their basketball," said Williams, who will compete for a starting guard spot next season. "He told me there really couldn't be any place else that I would rather want to play than Indiana."
That advice, and a strong feeling for IU coach Tom Crean and assistant Benny Seltzer -- another Alabama connection who hails from Birmingham -- convinced Williams to sign, though he had never seen the campus. He will make an unofficial visit in the next two weeks.
Indiana has made an offer to Maurice Sutton.
http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.htmlMaurice Sutton to Indiana University?
Well, it's definitely a possibility now that new Hoosiers' assistant coach Tim Buckley has made a visit to see the Upper Marlboro (Md.) Largo center and that IU has made him an official offer.
The 6-foot-10 Sutton just told me that the Hoosiers made contact on Monday and Buckley came to visit, extending an offer, on Tuesday.
"It's something I will consider that's for sure," Sutton said. "It's Indiana."
Sutton played in the Kentucky Derby Festival game last weekend and scored 17 points. He made an unofficial visit to Kentucky on Sunday. But UK coach Billy Gillispie told Sutton there wasn't a scholarship available at this time, but to "be patient."
Already making a visit to Boston College, Sutton will visit Seton Hall this weekend and said there's a good chance a trip to Bloomington is coming in the next few weeks.
"I know it's a basketball city," Sutton said. "I know it's a great program, a lot of history and they have a couple of championships. I'm going to try and learn some more."
New IU coach Tom Crean had been recruiting Sutton when he was at Marquette and Sutton said the relationship with Crean is "most definitely" why he's going to take a serious look at IU.
Sutton would be for 2008 correct?
That's correct.
Here's more on Sutton from ITH.
Ironically, I was just discussing Sutton on Monday night with a scout that has followed him relatively closely and I got the impression that he’s a major work in progress. He’s 6-10, but said to be very raw and unlikely to be an immediate contributor. With the lack of interior depth currently on board for next season, Tom Crean and staff are likely looking at any and all options to fill voids on the roster.
Sutton is said to be considering Kentucky, Boston College, Villanova, Syracuse and Seton Hall. Only Boston College has extended an offer to this point.
Those who saw Sutton at the Derby Classic this past weekend said he looked pretty bad.
BTW: From everything that I'm hearing, Billy G probably wouldn't be able to finish the words "Sutton you have a scholarship offer" before he'd say "I accept."
Some tidbits from the latest Tom Crean interview, courtesy of the Hoosier Scoop.
Full interview can be found on Hutchen's Indy Star blog.– Crean will have his third assistant in place by next week. He’s also completing the rest of his staff, bringing in a mix of people from Marquette and others he has known through the years. With the current situation at Indiana, he’s putting a premium on hiring guys that he already has a working relationship with. He needs to be able to trust them.
– Crean is recruiting as if Indiana will not lose any more scholarships due to the APR. Grades are still at the top of his priorities but he seems hopeful that, one way or another, the program will avoid the punishment of losing grants.
– No real update on Armon Bassett or Jamarcus Ellis. Both players have made it known that they’d like to return, but Crean is waiting on grades before he makes any decision on the team. Many of the players still listed on the roster are in this sort of limbo, it seems. Crean wants to see that they did what they needed to do in the classroom.
– IU has has been hosting unofficial visits almost every single day. A player was scheduled to show up after we left, in fact. Right now, the players are mostly from the 2008 and 09 classes, but a few 2010 players have shown up and the staff has invited 2011 guys.
– Indiana’s schedule is pretty much in place, with only a few games remaining to be figured out. The Hoosiers already play a tough slate of non-conference games away from Assembly Hall (Maui Invitational, at Kentucky, at Wake Forest) but there’s the possibility of a neutral site game being played at the new Lucas Oil Stadium.
– Crean had no reservations bringing Bennie Seltzer, a Kelvin Sampson disciple, with him from Marquette. “I know Bennie,” he said. “I’ve worked with Bennie.” Seltzer was not sited by the NCAA in any wrong-doing at Oklahoma. He spent most of his time working with the team, not recruiting, Crean said.
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