The Zeller commitment is big in so many ways:
- Cody is a damn good player
- He's likely a 3-4 year player, not a one-and-done
- He's a winner (26 rebounds in a winning effort in the state final)
- He's versatile -- he can play inside and out; Crean says you can go "to" Cody or play "through" Cody
- His last name -- both older brothers were Mr. Basketball (Cody will be too this year) and IU didn't even come close to landing either of them. Mike Davis didn't recruit Luke and even though Sampson was in a decent position at one point with Tyler, it quickly fell apart when things started to unravel at IU.
- It may have sealed the deal for Yogi Ferrell.
- IU went head-to-head in a recruiting battle against UNC and finally won. It would have been tough to lose yet another top-rated big man in the state of Indiana to UNC (Montross, May, T. Zeller).
- He comes next year. So often, these recruits are committing so early that it's hard to picture what the team will even look like, but Zeller announced today and is coming next year.
- This recruitment ended up getting attention at the national level, so it was obviously good that it ended up going IU's way.
For the opener tomorrow night:
- Verdell Jones III is expected to play.
- Guy-Marc Michel is NOT expected to play. IU is still waiting for the NCAA to rule on Guy (take your own sweet-ass time, NCAA. Our season only starts in less than 24 hours). The NCAA did finally make their ruling on Kentucky's Enes Kanter. He has been declared ineligible. While Kanter and Michel's situations have been similar in that both have been waiting on an NCAA ruling on their amateur status related to playing with professionals overseas, I am hoping that is where the similarities end. We haven't heard a lot about Michel's situation and we haven't heard that he was paid (nor have we heard that he wasn't). The word out of IU has certainly been positive and makes it sound more like "when" and not "if" Guy gets cleared.
- Prediction: IU 93 Florida Gulf Coast 57
- Note on the prediction -- Usually my predictions are based on thorough analysis, but I have to admit a few things with this prediction. One, it's always tough to have any good info on the opponent (and even IU to a certain extent) when it is the first game of the season. Two, I am still flying high from CodyFest so I now believe IU is invincible and will cruise tomorrow night.
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7 comments:
Forgot to add the following to the Cody Zeller list:
• 3.99 GPA
• Intangibles
MoonseTen
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ryun:
well said Moonse Ten http://codyzellerrox!/this will be a domino effect. yogi is next. maybe hollowell or harris to really give us a fab 5. we just have to make it through this year, then add zeller to c-wat, creek, and co. and watch out! hopefully VJ makes a big difference tonight. we need guy!
Gavin said:
IU is back! This is the shot in the arm that we really needed. Cody Zeller was in te ride with JMV our afternoon radio show and he said the first call he was making was to yogi. Even if zeller were to turn out to be a bust (which I don't think he will) he has put IU back in the national spot light. Crean is a tremendous recruiter let's hope that we can take that talent and add a banner!
I'm on board with the score prediction, and not b/c of my emotion from the commitments this week, but I think the players are probably feeling the same excitement about the path of the program which impacts basically everyone on team besides Rivers. I expect a massive beatdown tonight and then we'll see if they can keep it going into Sunday.
Well, this is a tremendous move for Crean and Indiana. The program has magnetism now.
Our program is coming up at a time when the Big Ten is loaded with senior talent.
Those senior laden teams will be graduating, they will reload, but our guys will be experienced at a level that equals or surpasses our rivals.
I like how Crean is building a pipeline of talent for 2011, 2012, and beyond. That's how you run a program.
Chris Writes:
I was the anonymous guy above.
Anyway, with Zeller you get a guy that will be solid for 4 seasons. I don't expect him to carry IU on his back like Gordon. I expect him to be a guy with high basketball IQ and he will progress over time. Basketball is a team sport and this kid understands that. If you're shooting is cold, he knows to grab boards, set screens, and pass to the open man. I'm assuming he knows the toughest adjustment from HS to college is going to be on defense. I bet he's a good guy to have in the locker room and a winner in a TEAM game. I don't see a selfish player is this kid.
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