More surprising, though, is the early success of Indiana University's Tom Crean, who resurrected the Hoosiers' moribund program last April in the wake of the Kelvin Sampson debacle. Crean is off to a great start, landing six solid recruits, including Birmingham Shades Valley standout Christian Watford, according to Armstrong.
Here’s the SI scribe’s take:
The program's anchor is still securely lodged in the Midwest, but that didn't stop reconstructionist Tom Crean from reaching out to the south for Watford -- a 6-8, 215-pound swingman from Birmingham, Ala. A slasher with body control he should be Crean's cornerstone in trying times and play well off [fellow recruits Maurice] Creek and [Bawa] Muniru.
Good for Crean. He built a tremendous program at Marquette and, by all accounts, has an unrivaled eye for talent (See: Wade, Dwyane). This, in addition to a killer living room speech, should put Indiana back near the top of college basketball in no time.
Also of note, Memphis’ John Calipari landed Xavier Henry, the younger brother of C.J. Henry, who the Yankees drafted out of high school in 2005, before trading him a year later to the Phillies as part of the deal that brought Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle to the Bronx. Although Henry recently resigned with the Yankees after the Phillies released him, he’s currently riding Calipari’s bench in downtown Memphis. It remains to be seen whether C.J. plans on returning to the diamond any time soon, or if he'd rather stick around to play ball with his younger brother. Either way, the Tigers already look pretty stacked for next season.
