Let's say you're Indiana coach Tom Crean searching for the prime-time basketball talent that will not only return the Hoosiers to Final Four promised land, but keep them there. This month that means you're in Kentucky and Georgia and Las Vegas and plenty of places in between, watching the nation's top players compete in AAU events.
Yes, everybody knows who the top players are — they include Bishop Luer's Deshaun Thomas, Blackhawk Christian's Russell Byrd and South Side's Raphael Davis — but what about the up-and-comers, the diamonds in the rough, the guys who might not yet have all-world reputations, but who just might develop into all-world college players?
What are you looking for? How can you tell if they have the right stuff? First, Crean said with an eye toward the Hoosiers' inside needs, you want talented big guys.
“We need to make sure we continue to recruit size,” he said. “We are on some size and length (power forwards Michael Cobbins of Texas and Terrence Jones of Oregon top the Class of 2010 wish list; Florida forward Davis Williams has orally committed), but we need to make sure we are on it even more abundantly. That would be something that would stand out.
“But you also need to think about whether there is something that just draws you to them. The way they get to the rim. Their shooting or their speed and quickness. Are there things in that versatile stage that really draw you to them?
“If there are, let's look at who's recruiting them. If you are going to get in on somebody late, then let's look at the schools in proximity of them. You can take a shot, especially if you're Indiana, but you might not want to spend a lot of time on something like that. But if you find someone who is open (about school choices) and looking all over, and Indiana tradition and playing at a school like this draws them, that is important.
“You have to do your homework and there are a lot of key characteristics that play into it. But it's more on feel.”
For Crean, recruiting feel goes beyond statistics. It involves seeing players in a variety of competitive situations – specifically in a rivalry game, in a game their team is supposed to win easily and in a practice.
“I'd want to see one of those games at home and one on the road,” Crean said. “I'd want to sit behind the bench and across from the bench so I can see them interact. Not with how they deal with the head coach, but how they deal with assistant coaches and managers and people at the end of the bench. How they cheer for people at the end of the bench.
“How do they react? How do they respond under pressure in a rivalry game? What are they like in practice? When do they get to practice — are they one of the first ones to get there and the last to leave?
“I want to see them in early morning workouts when they've had some sleep deprivation. See what they're like when it's not convenient for them. That's what it's all about. How do you deal with adversity?”
Then comes the off-the-court evaluations.
“How do they treat their families? How do they treat their teachers?
“With every recruit you build a case study. You have to find out if it's a good marriage. It has to be a two-way street.”
That street finds IU after players such as New Jersey point guard Kyrie Irving (ranked No. 7 in the Class of 2010), Indianapolis Pike guard Marquise Teague (ranked as high as No. 2 in the Class of 2011) and Washington power forward Cody Zeller (a top-60 player in the Class of 2011).
Along the way IU coaches have plenty of contact with the school's compliance department. In the aftermath of the Kelvin Sampson sanction-filled mess, following the rules is priority No. 1.
“One thing about our relationship with Compliance is that they know we're going to ask a lot of questions,” Crean said. “If we are going to err, we are going to err on the side of commission and not omission. We want to throw out a lot of hypothetical questions and make sure we understand.”
That's especially true during July.
“You have to have constant communication with ‘home base' (the compliance and basketball offices),” Crean said. “You have to make sure you maintain that contact back home so you can let everyone know what you are doing.”
