Big man verbally commits to Hoosiers

The IU basketball team's recent recruiting roll continued Thursday as the Hoosiers received a verbal commitment from Ben Allen, a 6-foot-10, 215 pound center from Melbourne, Australia. Allen is the Hoosiers' third verbal commitment in two weeks and will be joining Arizona guard Joey Shaw and Indianapolis' Arlington High School product DeOnta Vaughn.\nAllen is the only big man in that group, though, as recruiting inside post players has become a priority for the Hoosiers. With the Hoosiers' limited scholarship numbers, it looks as if IU expects Vaughn to attend prep school next year because of academic shortcomings.\nAllen can join the Hoosiers for the 2005 school year. If Allen signs his letter of intent, he will become the second international student to sign with IU in two months, as freshman Lucas Steijn was a late addition to IU coach Mike Davis' team in September. Steijn hails from the Netherlands.\nAllen chose IU over offers from New Mexico, Utah and Gonzaga.