Recruit, prospect show concern | IndyStar.com
Devin Ebanks, the top-ranked player in Indiana University's 2008 recruiting class, might not join the Hoosiers in light of the most recent alleged
NCAA violations by coach Kelvin Sampson.
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Makes him wonder: Lawrence North's Stephan Van Treese, shown earlier this season, wants to make sure he has a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. - Heather Charles / The Star
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The 6-8 forward from New York is ranked as one of the 10 best high school seniors and considered an immediate impact player should Eric Gordon opt for the NBA after the season.
"Right now, we still have yet to make a decision," Ebanks' mother, Yvonne Jackson, told
Sports Illustrated. "Obviously, this is more serious than ever before, but we'll have to talk with the coaches and wait to see if Devin will reopen his recruitment."
Ebanks signed a letter of intent in November, and IU would have to release him before he could play elsewhere.
Oklahoma released the players who signed there before Sampson's departure for Indiana, and some are starting at other schools. IU athletic director Rick Greenspan didn't comment Thursday when asked if the Hoosiers would do the same.
Whether Ebanks attends is part of the uncertainty surrounding IU after Wednesday's allegations of "major" recruiting violations. Among the possible penalties is a postseason ban, which could devastate recruiting.
If IU is banned from the
NCAA Tournament, current high school juniors who made nonbinding oral commitments to IU or are considering playing for IU could decide to go elsewhere. Even the four seniors who signed a binding letter of intent in November could ask to be released.
"I'm really concerned," said Lawrence North center Stephan Van Treese, the state's top-ranked junior and one of the nationally ranked players in his class considering IU.
"If they have violations that they can't go to the tournament, why would I want to go there? The main thing I want to do when I go to college is play in the tournament. I think a lot of players feel the same way."
Tipton forward Derek Elston, another player ranked among the top 100 in the junior class, still plans to attend IU, his father said.
"I still think that he's very committed," Darrell Elston said. "If something serious would happen, we'd have to step back and look at other options, but as of right now, he's really committed."
The two most important recruiting periods are April and July, when coaches watch dozens of players at national events. With an
NCAA committee meeting in June to discuss the allegations and prospects unsure what penalties IU might face, Sampson and his staff can't guarantee them the Hoosiers will be eligible for postseason play.
"I think it's tough to convince a top-level prospect who has other options to go to a school where there's a good chance you won't get to participate in the postseason," said Jerry Meyer, recruiting analyst for rivals.com.
"You're going to have to find prospects who are loyal fans of Indiana or have dreamed of playing at Indiana."
IU's 2008 class includes no players from Indiana high schools.
Bob Gibbons, a nationally respected recruiting analyst, said any serious sanctions could hamper IU's future efforts.
"Rival recruiters would have a field day going in and talking not about only sanctions and postseason bans, but the coach's job security and, 'Do you want to go to a program that functions that way?' and pointing out past histories," Gibbons said.
The allegations already have some well-connected in-state coaches wondering if they should trust their players to Sampson.
Jim Reamer has coached Marquette star Dominic James, IU starting point guard Armon Bassett and others during spring and summer events.
Reamer pointed to several aspects of Bassett's experience as positive but added he now has questions about Sampson. "If he's willing to be dishonest with the people above him, how easy is it to be dishonest with the people below him?" Reamer asked. "You wonder if that's the kind of program you want kids to play in."
Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317) 444-6183.