Column: National Signing Day Exhale

At long last, it’s official.

Go ahead. You can exhale, look at IU’s Class of 2012 recruiting class and smile.

The recruiting haul, which became final Wednesday as five IU commitments signed their national letters of intent, is still intact as one of the best in the country. ESPN ranks the Hoosiers’ class as seventh-best in the nation, while Scout.com has it second, as of Wednesday night.

Sure, IU Coach Tom Crean’s 2012 class will not be as good as it could have been with coveted Hamilton Southeastern guard Gary Harris, who chose Michigan State instead of Indiana.

But five out of six sure ain’t bad.

Make no mistake, the 2012-2013 Indiana Hoosiers will be a new benchmark for this program. Whereas modest four-star recruits were satisfactory in the 2009 class (Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford, Maurice Creek) and five-star forward Cody Zeller was considered a surprise in Crean’s current freshman class, the class of 2012 is why the term “Indiana basketball” will again carry a once-respected connotation.

This class signifies IU’s return to the national spotlight, a light that once shone brightly in the 2002 NCAA Championship game and again in 2007 with a top-10 team before, well ... you know.

Fans, analysts and players will not be looking for another 20-loss season or middle-of-the-pack finish, as has been the case thus far. With returning Hoosiers, such as Hulls, Zeller, Will Sheehey and maybe Watford, if he stays for his senior year, alongside this talented recruiting class, conversations will not be about whether IU makes it to the Big Dance, but rather, how deep into March the Hoosiers will go.

With Harris, I think the 2012-2013 team had the potential to go to the Elite Eight, but now I foresee the Hoosiers making it as far as the Sweet 16 if they stay healthy — and that’s always a big if.

Right now, I’m sure several IU fans are already licking their chops at the possibility of a sixth banner in the next five years.

After all, the Class of 2012’s Fab Five have already hyped up that possibility extensively through tweets and interviews.

And that’s fine. Be proud of the best recruiting class IU has seen since Eric Gordon’s in 2007. Get excited for what will be the most talented team in Crean’s tenure. Expect greatness out of a program built on it.

But remember the unknowns that can’t be measured on a stat sheet or ranked on a website, factors such as player health and team chemistry between the veterans and the newcomers. Oh, and I also believe college players have the option of leaving for the NBA after their freshman year (see Kentucky Coach John Calipari).

Don’t believe that a seemingly perfect circumstance can end badly in the long run? Ask former four-star recruit Maurice Creek about that.

For now though, pop open the bubbly and enjoy the anticipation of seeing some of the best Indiana high school basketball talent step onto Branch McCracken Court in the cream and crimson next year.

After all, Hoosier Nation, you’ve had to endure a lot in the past few years. You deserve a “movement” in the right direction.

­— azaleon@indiana.edu