Davis signs Aussie big man Ben Allen\nAustralian recruit Ben Allen signed his national letter of intent Thursday to play for the Hoosiers for the 2005-06 season.\nAllen, a Melbourne, Australia, native, played at the Australian Institute of Sport. IU coach Mike Davis is looking forward to adding the 6-foot-10, 250-pound center to his already stocked line up next season.\n"When you add Ben to the guys we will have next year, we will be one of the most talented teams in the Big Ten," Davis said in a statement. "My staff, especially (associated head) coach (Kerry) Rupp, deserves a lot of the credit for this."\nDavis and staff are planning on using Allen in the same way they used recent National Basketball Development League draftee Kirk Haston and current Washington Wizard Jared Jeffries. \nIn Australia, Allen was a member of the country's 18-and-under and 21-and-under national teams. \n"If Ben Allen was a high school player in the United States, he would be a top 10 or top 15 player nationally," Davis said. "With his ability to play both inside and outside at his size, he is a special talent."\nPlaying time will be at a premium in the frontcourt next season for the Hoosiers, as Davis returns D.J. White, Pat Ewing Jr., Sean Kline and Lucas Steijn, with Marco Killingsworth eligible to play to go along with Allen.
Hoosiers 5 players short against SIUE\nFor Friday's game against Southern Illinois Edwardsville, IU will be without senior Ryan Tapak, junior Donald Perry and freshmen A.J. Ratliff, Kyle Tabor and Lucas Steijn.\nInjuries plagued Tapak, who didn't practice all week, as well as Ratliff and Tabor. \nSteijn will not dress for tonight's game because of unknown circumstances. The Netherlands native sat out the Hoosiers' Nov. 4 win over Bellarmine as his punishment for a preseason illegal consumption violation. \nPerry is still suspended indefinitely and did not attend practice Wednesday.
Bennett signs trio for 2005-06 season\nThe fall signing period started off with a bang as IU coach Kathi Bennett announced the signing of three newcomers: Tara Miller, Kimberly Roberson, and Whitney Thomas. The three additions, all from Indiana, will begin their careers for the cream and crimson in the 2005-06 season. All three women played together this past summer on the Indiana Junior All-Stars.\n"We are very excited to have all three of these athletes join our team next season. Their accomplishments so far are tremendous and they will really bring a lot to the team," Bennett said. "I feel very confident that this recruiting class will help us achieve great things in 2005-06."\nWith all three signees hailing from Indiana, IU will have a total of nine players from the Hoosier state, the most since the 1990-91 squad.\nSIDE NOTE: The injury bug hit IU again, as sophomore forward Jamey Chapman didn't dress for the Hoosiers' exhibition game against the Australian Institute of Sport. Bennett described the injury as a hip fracture, which could cause the Omaha, Neb., native to miss the rest of the season.\n-- Compiled by staff writer Dan Click and senior writer Josh Weinfuss
