IU gets 2014 commitment

[bobbiemcgee]

Gotta love this, we're recruiting a middle school kid, but then, so is the competition:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101080332

[bobbiemcgee]

Oddly or not so oddly in today's envirionment, he'll have to field offers from High Schools first. Feeling pretty old today when I realized this kid will graduate 50 yrs. after I did. Hope he chooses Cathedral, my alma mater. Just sent them my yearly donation. Guess he will also get offers from Lawrence Central, Roncalli, Brebeuf, etc. Whatever happened to going to school where you live. Haha. Heard Cathedral is offering two hoodies and a parking spot.

[paulxu]

Hope his dad can keep him grounded, or by the time he gets to college his head will be huge.

[DC Muskie]

Bobby Knight openly talked about having Damon Bailey on his championship team in 1987. He was in eighth grade that year I think.

[SixFig]

From Indianapolis Star Twitter:

star_recruits Tech's Trey Lyles (2014) just made a pretty spin move and lay-in. Xavier and Indiana assistant coaches here watching.

[waggy]

Trey Lyles of Indy Tech. It's actually IU's 2nd commit for 2014. Lyles is a legit prospect, but I can't imagine as a fan having to wait that long to watch a recruit play. I could easily dead by then.

[JimCoker]

I think that is really rolling the dice, offering a scholarship to someone that far down the road. The kid is starting his sophomore year. Too much can happen in that timeline, including his body and/or abilities stop developing. To offer that far in advance means that you are probably making a lot of assumptions on continued development. It probably also means the IU coaching staff has no qualms with yanking the scholarship offer should the player fail to live up to expectations.

[Coogles]

I think that is really rolling the dice, offering a scholarship to someone that far down the road. The kid is starting his sophomore year.

He's actually just starting his freshman year.

With Lyles' skills and his size, it's pretty unlikely that he doesn't end up being at least a very, very good prospect. The danger comes with other issues that can crop up like injuries, grade problems, off-court behavior, etc. I don't know the kid or his parents and I'm sure Crean likes what he knows so far, but as a coach I'd want to see a year of classes on the transcript before I offer a scholarship, especially if my program had recent grade issues like Indiana has.

Then again, I'm receiving exactly $0 from a university to coach basketball, so what I think means absolutely nothing.:D

[xufan02]

This kid is a big time player. Crean needs to land some guys in 2011, 2012, and 2013 to right the ship or he will be bounced before this kid hits campus.

[waggy]

Not that there is anything they can do about it, but I don't the NCAA is too keen on this.

[Woodburn]

This kid is a big time player. Crean needs to land some guys in 2011, 2012, and 2013 to right the ship or he will be bounced before this kid hits campus.

I think this is exactly right. Lyles will probably be a great player. Maybe he already his, but I have no idea because I'm not a pedophile and don't follow 8th grade basketball. Crean's setting himself up nicely to justify his job should IU fail to make the tournament this (or next year): "Help is on the way, give me more time etc."

Our coaches were watching Lyles already. I just wonder whether we did, or would have, offer(ed) him this early for the obvious reasons and whether there's a connection between a coach's hot seat and the timing on this sort of thing.

[smileyy]

"Commitments" that far out are completely non-binding on both sides, aren't they? Other than reputation, there's nothing that keeps either side from backing out until an NLoI is signed, right?

[kyxu]

"Commitments" that far out are completely non-binding on both sides, aren't they? Other than reputation, there's nothing that keeps either side from backing out until an NLoI is signed, right?

Commitments at any point prior to the signing of an LOI are non-binding. All a commitment is is a student-athlete exercising his or her first amendment right to declare which school they intend to enroll.

The only thing, as you said, that keeps them from backing out is the stigma associated with doing so.

[MADXSTER]

Who was the LaSalle kid who was offered a schollie by UC after his freshman year of HS, the UC in essence said you need to go elsewhere.

[Lamont Sanford]

Who was the LaSalle kid who was offered a schollie by UC after his freshman year of HS, the UC in essence said you need to go elsewhere.

You're thinking of Danny McElroy who now plays at Bowling Green.

[Masterofreality]

Trey Lyles of Indy Tech. It's actually IU's 2nd commit for 2014. Lyles is a legit prospect, but I can't imagine as a fan having to wait that long to watch a recruit play. I could easily dead by then.

Crean is just tired of CMack and TSteele kicking his pompous a$$ in Indiana recruiting.

He's just trying to get in early "ahead of the curve".