A glimpse of what could be?

With the country’s elite high school basketball players in Bloomington this weekend for the adidas May Classic, basketball fans received a glimpse of what could add to IU coach Tom Crean’s mission of restoring Hoosier basketball back to prominence.

In order for that to happen, Crean and his staff have to work some more of the recruiting magic we saw them put on display this year after landing a top-10 class despite just a single conference win last season.

The current task of landing some of the now-Assembly Hall-familiar athletes might be the greatest Crean has faced since his tenure began.

That is saying quite a lot, given the circumstances the storied program has faced since mid-February of last year.

However, there may be some light at the end of the dark, narrow tunnel Kelvin Sampson sent the Indiana program down 15 months ago.

There were plenty of talented players to go around this weekend, and it worked out that a good amount of them call Indiana home. Calling Indiana their home school is yet to be determined, but remains a hope of the Hoosier nation.

That stands true for Marquis Teague, a junior-to-be from Indianapolis’ Pike High School and brother of Wake Forest standout Jeff Teague. Marquis Teague felt the weekend’s experience was as good as it gets for a basketball player.

“Assembly Hall is a great basketball venue,” he said. “It was great to play close to home, especially somewhere where the atmosphere is always good.”

Considered a top guard by many scouts and recruiting services, Teague is exactly what any motion-offense-oriented coach wants. He put on display his ability to shake defenders at the top of the key, opening up the lane against a man defense and isolating teammates against a zone.

It was enough to knock off 2011 IU commit Matt Carlino and his Indiana Elite One team Sunday morning, as the Spiece Indy Heat, Teague’s team, advanced before falling to Indianapolis’ Lawrence North and Dominique Ferguson, a 2010 top-10 recruit, and the SYF Players. The loss came despite 19 points from Teague.

Right now, it seems the chances of IU landing Teague hinge on the efforts of Rick Pitino, who coached Teague’s father at Boston University, and Pitino’s future at Louisville.

If IU were able to land Teague in 2011, Crean could have a 1-2 punch for the ages in Bloomington. It was clear to the scouts and recruiting services present at Assembly Hall on Sunday that Carlino’s court vision and instincts were second to none.

Anticipating where teammates would be and the movement of the defense, Carlino was able to quickly find open teammates with excellent looks at the basket.

Teague liked what Carlino brought to the table, saying his range and leadership abilities were equally high.

“Matt’s a great leader, and he can shoot from outside really well,” Teague said.

With one piece in place to what could be an unbreakable puzzle in Carlino, Hoosiers fans can only hope added visits to Bloomington and the tradition at IU can lead Teague down State Road 37 in just two short years.