The quirky NCAA rule that allows players who have graduated from their current schools to transfer to another school without penalty may inure to IU's benefit for 2011-12. Garrett Green, a 6-11 center at LSU, has announced that he will be leaving the Tigers' program and will be playing his final season elsewhere while he pursues a graduate degree. Inside the Hall and various other entities have more information. Green, originally from Woodland Hills, California, had his best season as a junior, scoring 6.3 points per game and averaging 5.1 rebounds per game in 18 minutes per game of play for the 11-21 Tigers.
I suppose that my response to the possibility is to shrug my shoulders and say, "why not?" He certainly isn't a program-changing player. He shot 44 percent from the field (not great for a big man) and 44 percent from the line (bad for anyone). He averaged 2.5 fouls per game, which is pretty high for a guy who averaged 18 minutes per game (but hey, at least he'll fit in!). On the other hand, his rebounding numbers suggest an aggressiveness that IU hasn't had in the frontcourt in recent years. He would be taking a scholarship for only one year, meaning his enrollment would not impact the 2012 scholarship situation. If IU doesn't pick up Green or anyone else, then the scholarship would go unused or to a walk-on.
It's not yet clear that IU has a high interest in Green or vice versa, but picking him or someone else up for a year would be harmless at worst and helpful at best. We'll see how this develops.