Peter Jurkin commits to Indiana.

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 10, 2010 6:49 AM EDT

Peter Jurkin, a 7-0 junior-to-be, has become the first commitment in the Indiana basketball recruiting class that will enroll in 2012. Inside the Hall has a brief interview with Jurkin. Currently, Jurkin is unranked by Rivals and Scout but is ranked #37 in his class by ESPN. Apparently, his play this summer is expected to give him a boost in the other rankings. Jurkin now is one of two players committed to Indiana. Hamilton Heights senior Austin Etherington is the only recruit committed for the class that will enroll next year. Cody Zeller, the younger brother of current North Carolina player Tyler Zeller and former Notre Dame player Luke Zeller, appears to be IU's top target for the short term. Jurkin is a nice addition and hopefully the start of a positive trend.

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A very nice addition

This kid appears to be pretty good. He’s not in the Tijan/Bawa mold. There’s a lot of speculation out there about what this will mean for Zeller’s decision. It’s all speculation, of course, but the optimists think that this is a good sign, as it means that Zeller can play power forward, without having to worry about playing center. It will also be interesting to see if this leads to a commitment from Hanner Parea, who’s apparently close with Jerkin and a pretty impressive specimen in his own right.

And it’s just good to have positive news.

by hoosierdaddynow on Aug 10, 2010 7:43 AM EDT reply actions

Yep. It’s at least a good sign. Of course, if we were to land the Zeller and Perea commitments in the next few months, get ready for the cry of “we don’t have enough guards!”

The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 10, 2010 8:46 AM EDT reply actions

No cure for stupid

I am reminded of that every time I visit a newspaper blog-related comment section.

If I were more technically astute, I’d link to an Inside the Hall piece from yesterday, in which a knowledgeable gentleman ranked the 15 best players in the State of Indiana for the 2012 class. That is some serious depth of talent just in state, and that of course has been one of the biggest outcries over the past ten years (rightfully so): we need to keep the best players in state. That class of 12 is the first where Crean is on a level playing field, and he appears to be making very good progress.

Each of those players has different strenghts, so it’s interesting to look at that and start to consider what Indiana’s needs are and will be. For awhile now, we have just been taking who we can get (which is not a knock on Hulls and Elston, in particular). It’s interesting now to think of it in terms of actually assembling a roster.

So here’s the question for you (and forgive me if this should have been a fanpost): without doing the math on scholarships, let’s assume that Perea commits and you have two spots left to fill. Who you taking? I’d take Yogi Ferell — looking like he’s going to be a great point guard. And I’d take Patterson from Broad Ripple. Word on him is that he’s a great defender. If you’ve got a point guard who can distribute and a couple of bigs down low, what you need is a perimeter defender to jump start an up tempo offense.

/chills

DISCLAIMER: not all of those thoughts are my original thoughts. You really should check out the ITH post. Still, I am interested in your thoughts.

by hoosierdaddynow on Aug 10, 2010 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m certainly not as dialed in on recruiting as the ITH guys are, but that certainly sounds like a well-balanced class to me. That would give us two top 25 guys and would give us a true point, a bigger guard/wing, a versatile big man, and a true big man. Smith-Rivera from North Central still intrigues me as well. If Jurkin makes the sort of move in the rankings that some are predicting, that could give us a four-man class with everyone in or near the top 50. Of course, even that class would lead to grumbling about having only two kids from Indiana. Frankly, I would like the geographical mix of this class. I want IU to be the first choice for the best Indiana players, but I also don’t want us to be a regional program. If Indiana kids don’t meet our needs in a given year, I want us to be able to go anywhere in the country to get someone.

Of course, I don’t want to excessively focus on 2012 when we still have a great shot at Cody Zeller, who would be a huge recruit at this point in the program’s history.

The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 10, 2010 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Zeller

would be a watershed recruit. That would be the clearest indication yet that our long and dreadful nightmare is coming to a close. Regardless of what he ever does on the Court (and I think he’ll be great), his commitment to IU would be a symbol. And he’d lock up Mr. Basketball then and there. Here’s hoping.

by hoosierdaddynow on Aug 10, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Completely agree.

The kid is so incredibly smooth in everything he does. He’s a star waiting to happen. But more importantly, he would be the true signal to the fanbase and the rest of the country that IU is once again a force to be reckoned with, in recruiting and thereafter on the court. That commitment alone would buy Crean years of time to build without huge pressure from the fanbase. That’s how big this kid seems to be to those who follow the program.

by LTTelamon on Aug 11, 2010 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Your picks are exactly who I would take.

Ferrell is small but has worlds of talent, and Patterson just seems like a great fit. That said… if Jeremy Hollowell (who seems to be headed for OSU, though no commit yet) were willing, I’d love to have him, and might even take him over Patterson.

by LTTelamon on Aug 11, 2010 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions