No new news on Creek, Muniru

With the academic status of 2009 recruits Maurice Creek and Bawa Muniru still uncertain, IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean didn’t have any new information to share when he met with the media Wednesday morning.

Creek told the Indiana Daily Student he is still awaiting the results of an SAT exam to finalize his eligibility, and Muniru reportedly needs one more class – which he is currently taking – to finish all his high school requirements.

Both are integral members of a pivotal recruiting class ranked in the top 10 nationally and are expected to help bring IU back into the national spotlight in the coming years. Thus, the future of both players has become a hot-button issue within the IU fan base.

Questioned about potential updates on either player, Crean kept his answer close to vest.

“I can’t tell you much. I’m not going to,” he said, according to audio on the IU Athletics Department Web site. “We’re very on top of it, with what (Creek)’s doing, and we’re confident that everything’s moving in the right direction for him. And that’s really all there is to that with both of them.”

Looming contact period, NBA Draft keep Crean busy

Summer is a strange time for college basketball coaches, with elite camps and the recruiting contact period balancing out the inability to work with current players, per NCAA rules.

Still, the second-year coach has kept busy – and his Twitter account shows it. As evidenced on Twitter over the last few days and in a press conference Wednesday, Crean has been working the phones for former Marquette players in the NBA, and attended an Indiana Pacers pre-draft workout.

Still, recruiting is as present as ever in the forefront of Crean’s thoughts. With the July contact period looming, Crean was careful not to overstep the limits of what he could talk about, per NCAA rules.

“I’m not going to go far into that. I mean, we know what we’re doing in recruiting,” said Crean, who has already signed 2010 forward David Williams and has reportedly offered a scholarship to 2011 forward Austin Etherington. “We’re going to recruit, and I’m not going to come in and explain every offer, nor could I, legally. We’re pretty locked into what we’re able to do.”

Moore breaks bone in foot

At the beginning of the press conference, Crean revealed that sophomore guard Daniel Moore, a fan favorite for his energetic play as a freshman, broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during a demonstration at one of his camps. Crean said Moore had surgery Monday and was expected back in Bloomington on Wednesday, and that the Carmel, Ind., native would be out for 10 weeks.

“His body looks stronger just by looking at him in camp,” Crean said. “Our focus now is that he continues to build that strength and that he really works on the form and technique of his shot.”

Crean said an element of Moore’s rehab would involve working on that technique at a lowered basket when he was ready, an activity that would be supervised by trainer Tim Garl and strength coach Jeff Watkinson.

Practice facility progress encourages Crean

With the new basketball practice facility on course to be completed by its target date of December, Crean said he is impressed with the progress of construction.

“I think it’s rapidly moving,” he said. “I look at it every day, and really, when you break it down and gauge it, it’s significantly different every week.”

Crean didn’t know exactly when the facility would be complete and his team able to move in, but he said he hopes that “when we move, it’s quick.”

The facility will house, among other things, practice facilities for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and a hall of fame area at the entrance, a part of the new building Crean is admittedly excited about getting to outfit.