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Indiana Recruiting Class

By Dan Vance

Franchise484@aol.com

July 4th

Will one of the nation’s top recruit classes even get playing time?

That may be the biggest questions facing the 2004-2005 Indiana Hoosier freshman class. A freshman class that includes the number one high school player in the state of Indiana, among others.

With a steady core of athletes already playing for Coach Mike Davis, playing time may be a question come opening day. Several potential recruits signed elsewhere to assure playing time, something that Davis can’t guarantee.

Among those missed recruits are 6’8’’ Josh Smith, who found himself part of the NBA Draft Class as an Atlanta Hawk and Pike High School (Indianapolis, IN) prodigy Courtney Lee, who sold himself short by signing with Western Kentucky.

With Bracey Wright leading the charge, the future of IU basketball looks healthier than it’s been since The General was sent packing to Lubbock. But how many of the leading man class will stick around long enough to find themselves as more than understudies? For 2004-2005, they won’t be much more.

A.J. Ratliff (North Central HS – Indianapolis, IN) leads the class in many ways. While D.J. White is considered the best player by many in the class, Ratliff is the state’s reining Mr. Basketball. And wearing the #1 jersey in the Indiana/Kentucky All-Star Series was not all that Ratliff did well in his senior year.

Ratliff’s thin, but strong frame made him an ideal guard in high school and should keep him able to go between the point and two guard positions readily. At 6’3’’, 180, few opponents in the strong Indianapolis area could contest Ratliff, who averaged 19 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals while leading the Panthers to a 21-4 record. Chances are that Ratliff (who passed on Iowa and Xavier) will average the most minutes of any freshman on the Hoosier roster.

But White (Hillcrest HS - Tuscaloosa, AL) may not be far behind. At 6’8’’, White will have to bulk up above his listed 225, but that is one of very few adjustments that 5-star recruit must make. That and he will be one of two in the class to have to adjust to Indiana basketball.

While White faced his fair share of challenges in Alabama, the Indiana basketball lifestyle is far different. Some may say that it is far advanced. And while he is ranked among the best overall players in the country, a common fear is that White may not be ready right away. That fear could keep White riding the pine for a few weeks at least.

But he won’t be alone. James Hardy (Elmhurst HS – Fort Wayne, IN), who signed on with Indiana as a football player, but will double up with basketball, may be right there with him. Hardy, who placed third in the 2004 Indiana Mr. Basketball race behind Ratliff and Butler’s A.J. Graves, will see little playing time as the year progresses, despite putting up 27.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a senior.

The main reason? Hardy simply has not played on the same level as some of the other recruits. While no man can deny his ability or his stature in Indiana basketball, Fort Wayne in not the thriving basketball metropolis that Indianapolis is. Call it bias, call it fact. At the end of the day, Coach Keith Edmonds at Elmhurst was not in much of a spot to prepare Hardy for the next big dance.

But, Hardy does have a few things working in his favor. He is a very mature athlete and person. In addition to being blessed with a great range and strength to drive, Hardy can and will lead. He lead the 2002-2003 Elmhurst team out of the cellar to a State Runner-Up position and turned then teammate Joe Poindexter into a star, much like he did to 2003-2004 teammate Chad Edmonds. Hardy makes everyone around him look good. In addition, Hardy comes out of Fort Wayne as the city’s all-time scoring leader.

While Pike’s Lee opted not to become a Hoosier, Davis did land another prized Pike purebred, kind of. Robert Vaden (Bridgton Academy - North Bridgton, ME) shocked many Indiana High School basketball faithful when he transferred his 6’4’’, 200 pound frame out of Pike and Indiana before his senior year.

Yet, Vaden grew immensely in Maine, upping his scoring average over six points per game against obviously softer players. Vaden committed to Purdue after just his freshman year at Pike, but changed his mind in May of 2003 when he committed to Indiana, making him the first member of the recruit class.

Vaden will bring something to the table that no other Hoosier recruit can. And that is a good deal of experience both in and out of the state. Vaden will be able to help new-to-the-state players White and Robert Rothbart adjust to Indiana while helping Indiana adjust to the Alabama and California style big men. Expect to see Vaden play a semi-pivotal role off the bench.

The final piece of the recruit class is the 7’1’’ Rothbart (Natomas HS – Sacramento, CA.) It is almost a given that at around 230 pounds, Rothbart will be expected to bulk up and spend the year proving why he belongs at IU. As of this point, proving that he belongs is something that Rothbart has not done in many eyes. But it is evident that improving his size is in his plans. Before his senior season, Rothbart was listed at 6’11’’, 190, a change of two inches and forty pounds.

NBA scouts already have claimed that Rothbart is nowhere near an NBA caliber player after his workouts during his brief stay in the NBA Draft pool. Meanwhile, Rothbart may have lucked out in the chance to work with transfer Marco Killingsworth (formerly of Auburn) on his inside game, which didn’t lead him much of anywhere at Natomas.

No, the class will not really miss the NBA-bound Smith. Instead they will prosper and grow under the tutelage of Davis, Wright, Pat Ewing Jr. and Sean Kline, among others. In the end, if everyone stays put, this class may be the one to lead Hoosier Hysteria back into the Final Four.