So someone on the Hoosier Nation board said fans from the Louisville board were comparing Crean to Tom Arnold. Someone else responded by posting these pictures. I e-mailed them to Jeff, and he felt it was a must for me to pass on. It is a pretty striking resemblance! I guess after Crean has won his 5 National Championships at IU we know who can play his role in the movie? As far as basketball news, Lawrence North senior to be, Justin Martin, who committed to Louisville early this year, decommitted today. IU had interest before the commitment and very well might be players now. He is a top 50 in the country talent. This would be a huge get and definitely a good trend to have Indiana kids like Martin decommitting to Louisville and Dominique Ferguson who also attended Lawrence North decommitting to Kentucky. We haven't gotten either yet, but it could happen. The bad news is there is a question about Martin's academics. More good news is the trouble that Memphis seems to be in. Kentucky and Calipari probably won't get in trouble, but it can't help his reputation or recruiting.

The Future?

I think we're all excited about the 2009 recruiting class. I think most can agree that it will be a nice turn around this year. The debate starts at are we talking .500? NIT? NCAA? Etc, etc. The nice thing about this class is that I believe it is a nice "foundation" class. I'd be surprised if any left early. Maybe Creek or Watford if they really pan out, but surely not atleast until they have played 2 years, if not 3. That said, if we have solid guys like Creek, Watford, Elston, Hulls, Capo, and Muniru for the next 3 or 4 years, if we add 1 or 2 big time 5 star guys over those years, even if they are "one and done" guys, that could push us to a Final 4 team by 2010-2011 or 2011-2012. I like the possibilities. Looking at the 2010 class, PG Kyrie Irving(pictured left) has been elevated to the #8 player in the NATION! It's long been believed we are the frontrunners for him. He played in a tourney in Bloomington this weekend and attended a baseball game with our coaching staff. He's quoted as saying he loves everything about INDIANA. This is a 5 star that could help push us over the edge. He's going to announce his decision in the Fall. Still in the '10 class is former KY commit, Dominique Ferguson(pictured below with Teague). He's #9 in the nation in that class. He has also been saying very favorable things about IU, and played in the same tourney as Irving last weekend. The latest news is that he has announced he's visiting 4 schools next month. IU is a definite and he will choose between UCLA, Texas, Arizona, and Florida for the other 3. Most think we will not get him, but that sounds pretty good to me! Lastly, our prized '11 kid, PG Marquis Teague. Most had him penciled in to go to Louisville, but now many think we might get him. He was at the tourney last weekend wearing a #20 INDIANA sweatshirt. Ironically, Nick Williams just vacated that uniform! Folks, if we get 2 of those 3, I really think we can hope for a Final Four in 2011 or 2012. I think it is fairly likely we do it too. Sounds like a long way off, but it's only the year after next!