Ebanks tops Hoosiers wish list for 2008 recruiting class

The sidelines were a “who’s who” of IU basketball. Senior forward D.J. White, sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior-college recruit DeAndre Thomas sat at the scorer’s table enjoying themselves and working the clock. \nJunior center Ben Allen roamed around in flip-flops. Senior forward Lance Stemler, off crutches from his summer ankle injury, joined Allen and took the game in from the nearby bleachers, while IU recruit Jamarcus Ellis took in the action as well.\nIU recruit Eric Gordon and his two younger brothers were even dribbling courtside. Gordon was on his official visit to IU’s campus in order to catch the game and meet another potential IU recruit.\nThe recruit they all were watching was the player atop the Hoosiers’ 2008 wishlist: Devin Ebanks.\nEbanks, a native of Queens, N.Y., was in town May 12 for the Adidas May Classic, playing for his AAU squad, Team Takeover. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound small forward is a top-10 recruit in the class of 2008 and could become the newest Hoosier by the end of the summer.\nRecruiting Ebanks has become a two-horse race between IU and University of Miami - Florida. \n“I would probably have to say it is neck-and-neck now \nbecause before I had seen Miami but had not seen it here, and I like what I see here,” Ebanks said. \nAnd the Hoosiers courtside liked what they saw in Ebanks. During the first of the two games in Assembly Hall on May 12, Ebanks scored 31 points and led his team to a double-digit victory.\nExamining the box score after the game, obviously impressed, Gordon smiled and said, “That was a quiet 31 points, wasn’t it?”\nThe night before, Gordon joined IU’s coaching staff, athletic director Rick Greenspan and several other Hoosier players in hosting Ebanks and his family at Yogi’s Grill & Bar.\nGordon said the group didn’t get to the restaurant until late Friday night, but that the evening went well. Between his games Saturday, Ebanks sounded impressed by the Hoosiers’ inner circle. \n“Here it is really family-oriented,” Ebanks said. “Coach (Sampson) talked about family a lot when we talked to him. He is a hardworking coach, and if I come here he will really help me with my defense. He says he is a defensive coach, and I really need to work on my defense. That will be a main key there.”\nIU’s coaching staff arranged to give Ebanks a sneak peek of the Hoosier family over the weekend. Ebanks and Team Takeover were boosted by a cameo appearance in the second game by IU recruit Eshaunte “Bear” Jones. The New York-based squad lost the game, but the two players played well and showed their potential as future teammates, posting a combined score of 31 points. \nJones and Bud Mackey have already committed to the Hoosier class of 2008, and IU’s staff is hoping to add Ebanks to the group. Ebanks said the Hoosiers began recruiting him at the start of his junior year and have been in touch since then.\nKelvin Sampson has regularly exchanged text messages with Ebanks, and IU assistant coach and fellow New Yorker Rob Senderoff has had many phone conversations with the prized recruit.\n“He is a really good guy,” Ebanks said of Senderoff. “I really like him.” \nThe Hoosiers may not be able to offer Ebanks Miami’s beautiful climate, but after taking his unofficial visit last weekend, he said he really enjoyed Bloomington’s campus.\n“I watched the movie ‘Hoosiers,’ so I am thinking I am going to a basketball state,” said Ebanks. “Then I met the people and went out with some of the students and it definitely met up with my expectations.” \nAdding that the whole recruiting process is giving him and his family “headaches,” Ebanks said he plans to make a college decision by the end of the summer at the latest.