Hoosiers just about set as fall approaches

Verdell Jones III amassed the third-most minutes on the IU men’s basketball team in 2008 with 799 total, despite nursing an injury for three games after an early-season win against Cornell.

This summer, he has been working to keep those minutes up and continue growing on and off the court.

“I had great training. ... Lifting and getting stronger,” Jones said, explaining why he decided to stay in Bloomington. “I really wanted to meet the freshmen too, so those were pretty much my two main reasons.”

Jones said he has been with team members every day, be it playing, lifting or hanging out.

“It’s been great,” he said. “It’s definitely helped us get closer. We became close real quick. We’re playing great together, getting used to each other’s tendencies and stuff like that. It’s been very beneficial.”

Jones said he is not the only member of the team to benefit from the offseason training.

“All the other players have been playing great too, so I’m really excited,” Jones said.
There’s been more to the summer than lifting and shooting hoops for this Hoosier and his teammates. Jones said he has spent time with the other players here for the summer playing video games, watching movies and going to the pool.

“We have a lot of fun off the court too,” Jones said.

Given his experiences this summer, Jones said he is more than willing to make the commitment to stay in Bloomington again after the next spring semester.

“I think academically and sports-wise, it’s a great benefit to come here in the summer,” he said. “I can take harder classes and knock them out of the way, and I can be at the gym every day, too.”

Hoosier fans who worried about the eligibility of incoming basketball players Maurice Creek and Bawa Muniru can breathe a cautious sigh of relief.

Muniru, a member of the 2009 recruiting class, was spotted playing at the Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center on Aug. 11 with several of his teammates and former Hoosier D.J. White, who now plays in the NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Muniru only recently arrived on campus because of eligibility issues. He needed to complete a summer course in order to meet IU academic requirements.

While there are still questions about his eligibility, seeing as he has not yet been cleared by the NCAA to play college ball, Muniru’s presence suggests all went well with his summer course and he will eventually be released to play for the Hoosiers in the 2009-10 season.

Creek has not yet arrived on campus and is still waiting to see if he is eligible based on his scores on the SAT.