By Brent Boles (@Slumpbusting)
Indiana received its third class of 2013 commitment from Germantown, Wisconsin big man Luke Fischer. Fischer pledged his commitment to Tom Cream and the Hoosiers after making the trip to Bloomington with his family to witness IU defeat Ohio State 74-70 on New Year's Eve.
What exactly does Fischer's commitment mean for the Hoosiers? For one it means front court depth. IU fans are hopeful that when the high school junior arrives in Bloomington in 2 years that Cody Zeller will still be donning candy stripes, and Fischer will serve as a viable backup.
Worst case scenario? Zeller leaves early for the NBA and Fischer, listed anywhere between 6'8" and 6'9", will form a three headed monster with 2012 recruits Hanner Perea and Peter Jurkin.
Even with the possibility of early attrition, Indiana fans you take note that the days of watching undersized Hoosiers playing out of position. Long gone are the days of watching walk-on Kyle Taber jump for an opening tip-off, or seeing AJ Moye leave his guts on the court because he's playing out of position at power forward. Tom Crean is building depth at Indiana.
What's this mean for the rest of the 2013 class? If Indiana fans have learned anything about Tom Crean, it's that he never stops recruiting, whether the team has scholarships available or not. Many people believed that this would be a four man class for IU. Fischer is commit number 3 joining Indianapolis area natives Collin Hartman and Devin Davis. Don't assume that Crean will turn up the heat, and close out the class with a pledge from either Bo Zeigler or Derek Willis. Receiving the verbal from the Wisconsin big man isn't going to stop Crean from going after other front court players. The Indiana faithful should fully expect the IU staff to keep pursuing Maryland big man Beejay Anya.
What's this mean for the future? With three commitments in the 2013 class and James Blackmon Jr. and Trey Lyles committed for 2014, Tom Crean can now be choosey with who is offered a scholarship. Up until this point IU has been able to convince the best players in the state to stay home and play for the Hoosiers without much success on the basketball court. With the momentum of a 13-1 start including wins over the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country, the Indiana staff can now focus on the state's best talent while stretching out into other parts of the country going after the nation's best.
Check out Fischer's Highlights
