Here’s the release that was issued this afternoon:

INDIANAPOLIS – After a highly successful debut in 2011, the directors of athletics at Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue have agreed to a two-year extension of the Crossroads Classic that will keep one of college basketball’s premier non-conference events in Indianapolis in 2013 and 2014.

Barry Collier of Butler, Fred Glass of Indiana, Jack Swarbrick of Notre Dame and Morgan Burke of Purdue each signed an addendum to the original Crossroads Classic contract. Bankers Life Fieldhouse will remain as host for the full term of the agreement.

“We are so proud to partner with four outstanding Indiana institutions and build on the success of the inaugural Crossroads Classic,” Rick Fuson, Chief Operating Officer of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said. “We are excited that the extension will continue this great tradition in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.”

In addition to the originally-scheduled date of Dec. 15, 2012, the Crossroads Classic will now also be held on Dec. 14, 2013, and Dec. 20, 2014. Game times and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

A sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans witnessed the inaugural Crossroads Classic last December, as Butler and Indiana were victorious at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Both games were also televised nationally, with CBS broadcasting the Butler-Purdue matchup and ESPN2 airing the Indiana-Notre Dame contest.

Opponents will rotate in 2012, with Butler taking on Indiana and Notre Dame squaring off with Purdue. Indiana will serve as the host school for the second-annual Crossroads Classic.

The coming together of the four most-storied college basketball programs in the state of Indiana, the Crossroads Classic is a nod to the Hoosier Classic of years past, when the schools played a doubleheader non-conference showcase at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Comments from the four schools’ directors of athletics

“Butler University is proud to be a part of this premier and unique event. The competition will continue to showcase our four institutions and their teams in an electric atmosphere in a great venue. Indianapolis is the perfect location for these elite college basketball match-ups!”

Barry Collier, Butler Athletic Director

“I think very early on you could see the excitement building about having these four programs together at one venue. I think it has quickly become a showcase event for college basketball fans in the state of Indiana.”

Fred Glass, Indiana Vice President and Director of Athletics

“College fans were treated to a great day of basketball last year, and I am thrilled that all four schools have agreed to extend the contract for two more years. Indianapolis and Bankers Life Fieldhouse proved to be ideal hosts and we are fortunate to be able to partner with them once again. Notre Dame looks forward to building this into not only one of the premier college basketball events in the country, but also into a platform for broader collaboration among four great universities.”

Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame Vice President/Director of Athletics

“Purdue is pleased to extend this event two additional years in partnership with Butler, Indiana and Notre Dame. The inaugural year highlighted spirited competition, as well as large and lively crowds. We hope the Crossroads Classic will be a holiday tradition in Indianapolis for many years to come.”

Morgan Burke, Purdue Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

On Monday evening, IU’s latest commit sat down with Inside the Hall at Paul VI High School to talk about his verbal pledge to the Hoosiers, his recent unofficial visit to Bloomington, plans for the summer, goals for the upcoming high school season and much more.

Watch and listen to our lengthy conversation with Robinson, the No. 46 player overall in the 2013 class according to ESPN.com, in the embedded media player below:

With two off days between Thursday’s game three loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and game four on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade ventured a hour south to Bloomington on Friday afternoon to visit with Tom Crean.

Crean coached Wade for two seasons at Marquette and in 2002-2003, the Golden Eagles reached the Final Four for the first time since 1977.

Wade was a first team All-American in the Final Four season and went on to become the 5th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Following a performance of 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists that helped push Miami past the Pacers 101-93, the Heat guard talked about the trip to Indiana and the importance of his time with Crean.

“I really spent time with a mentor of mine, a father figure and had a long day and long hours of just conversation, just talking about a lot of things,” Wade told reporters. “So it was great for me to just get away and kind of get that energy that I needed from him.”

Wade, who shot just 2-of-13 from the field in Thursday’s 94-75 loss to the Pacers, said that Crean had film prepared for the two to watch together on Friday.

“They’ve got a great team up there (at Indiana), so he had film for me of my missed shots and my made shots so I can see it, so I can see both,” Wade said with a smile.

It was the eight time NBA All-Star’s first trip to Bloomington.

“First time there, great place, really nice campus,” he said.

Here’s postgame video of Wade, where he talks about his time at IU and with Crean:

(Photo credit: Rob Louthain on Twitter)

For the second time in a month, we’ve done some shuffling to the 2013 recruiting board. This time, it’s following the commitment of Stanford Robinson and the focus has narrowed considerably.

The latest version of the board, complete with refreshed player photos, national rankings, notes, school lists and links to recruit profiles, is available at the link below:

2013 Indiana Basketball Recruiting Board

The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall ) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward … (Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)

@RealAdamJ writes: When do the freshmen arrive on campus and how much time can coaches/strength coaches spend with them?

Alex Bozich: Assuming all of their academics are in order, I would expect the freshman to arrive on campus in time to begin taking classes in the second summer school session, which would be in mid-June. The three players participating in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series should arrive in Bloomington shortly after those games conclude.

As for the amount of time coaches and strength coaches can spend with them (and the other returning players), a rule change this year will allow “a maximum of eight hours of athletics activities per week during the summer in which institutional staff members may conduct or supervise. Of that, no more than two hours can involve skill-related instruction, for a maximum of eight weeks.”

In the past, strength coaches were the only staff members allowed to spend one-on-one time with players, so this is a rule change Tom Crean and several other college coaches have expressed excitement about.

@jasonwehlage writes: not sold on hiring coaches because of pipelines rather than acumen of basketball/ personal development…thoughts?

Alex Bozich: While not mentioned by name, this seems to be in reference to the hiring of Kenny Johnson as an assistant coach, who replaced Bennie Seltzer (now the head coach at Samford).

As for Johnson’s “acumen of basketball/personal development,” his background shows coaching experience at Paul VI Catholic and a season at Towson (as an assistant coach) as well as experience in directing Team Takeover, one of the top Nike travel programs in the country. He’s been around the game and Crean has known him for a while as well. He also has a degree in Cell, Molecular Biology and Genetics.

Recruiting, like any business, is heavily dependent on building relationships. Programs across the country hire assistant coaches they feel can help successfully recruit players for this very reason. Given Johnson’s ties to the D.C. area and his former association with Team Takeover, the same program that produced Maurice Creek and Victor Oladipo, it seems like a savvy hire for Indiana that will help them continue to recruit one of the top areas in the country.

@Brice_Bowden writes: do you think every incoming recruit will get regular minutes next year?

Alex Bozich: Regular minutes? No. I would expect playing time for all in some of the non-conference blowout victories, but once the conference portion of the schedule rolls around, the rotation will likely be trimmed.

IU returns seven players who saw regular minutes on a team that went to the Sweet 16. And that doesn’t factor in Maurice Creek, who will warrant serious consideration for minutes if he’s healthy. Even if they went ten or eleven deep regularly, there will be an odd man or two out.

@OGZeman writes: How deep do you think IU will play next year? 10-11?

Alex Bozich: 10 or 11 seems realistic, if Indiana does indeed play at the pace Crean has tweeted about frequently since last season ended.

@Whitey6275 writes: who will be the biggest surprise from the 2012 class next year?

Alex Bozich: I’m not sure there will be a surprise player in this class. Yogi Ferrell is obviously expected to play a major role, so he’s not going to be labeled as a surprise. How often Hanner Perea, Peter Jurkin and Ron Patterson play as freshmen will depend heavily on how much they’re able to improve during the summer and how quickly they’re able to embrace a role. For Perea and Jurkin, that role is post defense and rebounding. For Patterson, it’s getting stronger and continuing to build on what’s currently a strong presence as a defender.

That leaves Jeremy Hollowell, who is going to be a very good offensive player from day one because at 6-foot-8, he’s got guard skills and can also score around the basket. For those who haven’t seen him play much, there could be a bit of surprise in terms of how polished he already is.

@PaulAynilian writes: With the Robinson commit, how many scholly’s are left for 2013 class, and how important is Anya to the class’s success?

Alex Bozich: On paper, no scholarships remain for the 2013 class. But “on paper” assumes that no one leaves early for the NBA Draft after next season. Cody Zeller is obviously on the NBA radar and Victor Oladipo skyrocketed up draft boards after the season. There are also questions about  Maurice Creek: Is he healthy enough to return to the court? Will he use a scholarship beyond this upcoming season? It’s impossible to know if anyone is going to leave or how things turn out with Creek. Scholarships are always going to be viewed by some as a “problem” if IU continues to utilize the oversign, but another way of looking at it is proactively planning for the future in case there’s a transfer, medical issue or early departure.

As for Anya, he’s a big time talent that can lock down the paint as a shot blocking presence, so he would elevate the class from very good to potentially great. But following the highly publicized 2012 class, the 2013 haul is a nice follow up act. Stanford Robinson is a top 50 kid who one national analyst told me is a “tough kid who plays hard and is a winner.” Luke Fischer is a rapidly improving big man that can run the floor and plays the game with a solid base of fundamentals. Devin Davis looks healthy this spring and may be a bit undervalued nationally. And Collin Hartman is a forward who can shoot it and is working to develop a more well-rounded offensive game. This is going to be a very solid class that will only be better if Indiana is able to add Anya.

It should take less than five minutes to complete, and your participation will help us gather important feedback for a new feature we are considering launching later this year. (Please note: What has always been free, would remain free. The new features outlined would be in addition to the content already provided.)

Please be assured that your responses will be anonymous and any personal information will be kept strictly confidential. No one will sell you anything.

Providing your email address at the end will enter you for a chance to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com.

You can access the survey by accessing the link below. We appreciate your help.

Inside the Hall Reader Survey

But as he sat down and gave it more thought on Wednesday, the junior guard from Paul VI Catholic in Fairfax, Virginia realized he ready to make the call.

Robinson committed to Indiana just two days after taking an unofficial visit to Bloomington.

He’s the fourth commitment in the Hoosiers’ 2013 recruiting class. Robinson chose Indiana over Maryland, Rutgers, Texas and Villanova.

“When I was coming back on the plane with my mom, we talked about it and we felt like Indiana was the right choice,” Robinson told Inside the Hall. “So we sat down today with my coaches, my high school coach and my AAU coach, to make sure I wasn’t trying to commit off of a feeling.”

After those conversations, which included answering questions from his coaches about why he wanted to attend IU, Robinson was comfortable with his choice to become a Hoosier.

“I felt comfortable, my parents felt comfortable and my little brother also played a big part in it as well,” he said.

The left-handed guard, who has known new IU assistant coach Kenny Johnson since eighth grade, said shortly after his unofficial visit that Tom Crean had a great plan for how he’ll fit in the program.

Robinson talked about that plan shortly after making his decision.

“He (Crean) told me he wanted me to be ready to play a combo guard, to be ready to play the two and the one and just be ready to play a fast tempo,” Robinson said. “This is how he wants to play, he wants to play an up-tempo game and I feel like that will be a great fit for me because this is what we do on my AAU team and my high school team.”

Robinson is primarily a shooting guard for Team Takeover, his AAU team, but said he expects to play point guard next high school season.

BeeJay Anya, a close friend and AAU teammate of Robinson, is one of IU’s remaining 2013 recruiting targets. He said he “definitely will” get into Anya’s ear about joining him in Bloomington.

Ryan Corazza contributed to this report.

He left with nothing but positive things to say about the overall experience.

“We got to see a lot of the campus, the Student Union, Assembly Hall, the practice facility,” Robinson told Inside the Hall on Tuesday night. “We played open gym and saw the dorms. It was a good experience. The coaches were real friendly. I could see myself having a great relationship with the coaches. And then I had one of my former coaches down there, Coach (Kenny) Johnson.”

The 6-foot-4 guard, rated the No. 46 player nationally according to ESPN.com, says that IU’s newest assistant was a big factor in his decision to attend Paul VI in Fairfax, Virginia.

“Coach Johnson is the reason I’m at Paul VI High School right now,” Robinson said. “He was there as the head assistant coach and he recruited me to come to Paul VI. But I’ve actually known Johnson since I was in the eighth grade.”

Beyond the familiarity with Johnson, Robinson’s relationships with Tom Crean and Victor Oladipo have the Hoosiers in a favorable position.

“Coach Crean is a great coach and he’s high energy. That’s what I like about him,” he said. “He was very positive and it was great to have some conversations with Coach Crean. He has a great plan for me.

“Me and Victor are like brothers. He’s like a role model to me when he comes in the high school. He’s one of the hardest working guys I know.”

After a broken nose forced him to miss the first EYBL session in Minneapolis, Robinson has progressed over the last two sessions in Hampton and in Dallas, where he averaged 13.4 points and shot 55 percent from the field.

Team Takeover, which also includes another IU recruiting target in DeMatha forward BeeJay Anya, finished the EYBL Dallas session 5-0.

“Since I’ve been back from the injury, I feel like I’m being more aggressive every game,” the left-handed guard said. “I’m getting stronger every game.”

The next step in the process for Robinson, who can sign a National Letter of Intent in November, may be coming sooner than he originally planned.

He plans to sit down with his family and coaches this week and said a decision could come by Friday.

“I could definitely see myself up there (at Indiana) because of the relationship me and Coach Johnson have. I would always have somebody there to support me and keep me pushing. Coach Crean is a great guy, a family type guy. I could definitely see myself going there because the coaches felt like family and I had great conversations with the coaches. I feel like we could build a great relationship.

“Indiana’s definitely high in my decision, but so is Villanova and some other schools.”

The 14-year old Gordon, who will play at North Central High School next winter, already has offers from Indiana and Purdue and interest from several Big Ten schools.

“It should be an easier process for him since I was the first son,” Eric Gordon said at the adidas May Classic on Saturday. “He’ll be aware of it and it’s going to be his choice and he’ll have fun with it.”

Eron is playing with the Eric Gordon All-Stars on a 15-and-under team this spring, which is comprised of some of the top class of 2015 prospects in Indiana.

With the NBA season over for the Hornets, the oldest Gordon is making it a priority to watch Eron and the other teams in his program play this spring.

“I try to watch every tournament he plays,” he said. “Right after the (NBA) season, I went to see him play in Atlanta. He’s a lot better player now than he was two or three months ago when he was playing with his school team.”

After watching his brother and his teammates cruise to a comfortable pool play win at the Twin Lakes Center just a few miles from the IU campus, Gordon said he can see a lot of similarities between himself and Eron.

“You see him going to the basket a lot more,” Gordon said. “Even though I was a 3-point shooter, as I got older and stronger, I took it to the basket and that’s what I see him doing now. He’s a great scorer. He scores in different ways than I did. I was more powerful and tried to use my athleticism. Him, he’s got pretty good skills at that age.”

Gordon, who had his first season in New Orleans limited to just nine games after a knee injury, believes Eron is motivated to succeed in part due to his NBA career and the success of Evan Gordon, a guard at Arizona State.

“He’s been watching us our whole careers and now he’s just trying to do even better and be better than both of us,” he said. “I remember in NBA games, I might have 20 something, maybe 30 — he wants to score more than that the next game whenever he plays. It’s almost like a competition.”

With more than four years until he can sign a Letter of Intent, Eron Gordon told reporters at the Spiece Run-N-Slam in early May that on the advice of Eric and his dad, Eric Gordon Sr., his sole focus is on improvement.

“Everybody knows he’s gonna end up being pretty good and everybody likes to compare us,” Eric Gordon said. “I just know he’s going to be good. When he goes to college, he’s going to be looking forward to trying to be a NBA player. We look forward to that for him. But he’s still young.”

Here’s a look at how Trey Lyles and several of IU’s recruiting targets performed statistically over the weekend as well as some scouting notes from those in attendance:

· Trey Lyles, Spiece Indy Heat: It was a tough shooting weekend (39.6 percent) for Lyles, but he did finish the weekend with a pair of double digit rebounding games. His average numbers over five games: 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a block in 27.4 minutes.

· Trevon Bluiett, Spiece Indy Heat: Bluiett scored in double figures in all five of Spiece Indy Heat’s games and finished the weekend with a scoring average of 17 points. As he continues to diversify his offensive game, his stock should continue to rise nationally.

· Jaquan Lyle, Spiece Indy Heat: Lyle shot the ball extremely well in Dallas (60.9 percent), but his play tapered off in the session’s final two games. He finished the weekend with averages of 8.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.

· Marcus Lee, California Supreme: In limited minutes (16.6 per game), the talented shot blocker was active on the glass (5.6 rebounds) and put up decent scoring numbers (7.2 points).

· Jordan Mathews, California Supreme: After a very strong weekend in Hampton, Mathews didn’t shoot the ball as well in Dallas (39.1 percent), but still averaged in double figures (12.0 points). The son of UCLA assistant coach Phil Mathews has offers from Colorado, San Diego State, VCU and Wyoming, according to Rivals.

· Semi Ojeleye, Mokan Elite: Olejeye recently trimmed his list to 11 schools and Indiana made the cut. He had a tough weekend from beyond the 3-point line (14.3 percent on 28 attempts), but still managed 16.6 points per game.

· BeeJay Anya, Team Takevover: The top remaining target of Indiana’s 2013 recruiting efforts helped lead Team Takeover to a perfect 5-0 record with averages of 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

· Stanford Robinson, Team Takeover: Robinson, who took an unofficial visit to Bloomington on Monday and told us afterward that he has a scholarship offer from IU, shot close to 55 percent from the field in Dallas and scored 13.4 points per game.

Scouting Notes

Eric Bossi of Rivals.com on Ojeleye:

There aren’t many wings in the country with a better build than 6-foot-6 four-star Semi Ojeleye and he’s got tenacity to match his well developed frame. The Ottawa (Kan.) High standout is the main offensive weapon for MoKan’s 17 and under team and he’s programmed to score. His jumper wasn’t falling from deep so he got in the lane and powered his way to the rim for tough conversions.

Evan Daniels of Scout.com ($) touted an improved jump shot from Stanford Robinson and the ability of Trey Lyles to “simply could have scored as many points as he wanted given his physical advantage.”

Tweet Worthy

IU commit 6-8 Trey Lyles in Class of ’14 impressed me as a nice face up PF. Played hard and smart.— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) May 13, 2012

2013 SG Stan Robinson has developed his middle game. He’s confident in his pull-up jumpers and can shoot it out to 22-feet.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDanielscout) May 14, 2012

JaQuan Lyle. My kind of point guard. He and Trey Lyles could be illegal combo on eybl next year #eybl
— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) May 12, 2012

Marcus Lee is a sleek athlete. Needs time to get in weight room so he can hold ground. Runs exceptionally well. #eybl
— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) May 12, 2012

TN Travelers need a white towel to toss in. BeeJay Anya has them in a submission hold #eybl

— Dave Telep (@DaveTelep) May 12, 2012

(Photo credit: 247Sports.com)

The Challenge, won by the Big Ten the previous three seasons, will be played on Nov. 27 and Wednesday, Nov. 28.

The Hoosiers won their Big Ten-ACC Challenge game last season at North Carolina State. It was the program’s first win in the event since beating Georgia Tech in 2007.

Start times and broadcast information will be released at a later date.

North Carolina is the fifth confirmed non-conference opponent on Indiana’s 2012-2013 schedule.

“With North Carolina coming to Assembly Hall, I see BEDLAM coming to BLOOMINGTON! Our players are very, very excited for that opportunity,” IU coach Tom Crean said on Twitter. “The pace of the game will be at Warp speed. It will be a indoor track meet in Assembly Hall. North Carolina’s running game is high level.”

The Tar Heels are once again expected to be among the country’s top 15 teams despite losing Tyler Zeller to graduation and Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall as early entrants to the NBA Draft.

ESPN.com has North Carolina at No. 13 in their early top 25 while CBSSports.com has the Heels at No. 9.

Roy Williams returns a talented roster from an Elite Eight team that includes forward James McAdoo (pictured) and guards Dexter Strickland, Reggie Bullock, Leslie McDonald and P.J. Hairston.

Both Strickland and McDonald are recovering from torn ACLs.

Point guard Marcus Paige, a McDonald’s All-American point guard from Marion (IA), headlines a four-man recruiting class for UNC.

Wing J.P. Tokoto, center Joel James and forward Brice Johnson are also expected to make an impact.

The meeting will be the third all-time between the programs in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Indiana won in Chapel Hill, 79-66, in 2001 and North Carolina won in Bloomington, 70-63, in 2004.

IU leads the overall series with North Carolina, 7-5.

The complete lineup for the 2012 Big Ten-ACC Challenge:

That was before Tom Crean led the Hoosiers to a turnaround season that ended with a trip to the Sweet 16.

The revival last winter in Bloomington did not go unnoticed by Russell, the No. 14 player nationally in the 2014 class according to ESPN.com.

“I like the way Tom Crean turned the whole atmosphere around,” Russell said Saturday at the adidas May Classic. “Just how he gets his guys involved and ready to play every game.”

Russell spent his sophomore season at Montverde Academy after beginning his high school career in Louisville, Kentucky at Central High School. The adjustment was difficult at first for the left-handed guard.

“It was tough from the start because it’s college preparatory,” he said. “The work ethic is different, everything. Mandatory study halls and you’re by yourself. You’ve gotta do everything by yourself and it’s just tough.”

Montverde’s season ended with an 86-83 loss to Findlay Prep in the National High School Invitational Championship. The goals at Montverde are even more ambitious for next season.

“We shouldn’t lose a game next year,” Russell said.  ”We’ve got a dominating point guard in Kasey Hill (Florida commit). We’ve got multiple different weapons in me, Dakari Johnson, he’s an amazing threat. And we’ve got role players coming in.”

As for recruiting, Indiana joins Louisville, Ohio State and Xavier as the four programs that have extended scholarship offers. Cincinnati and Missouri are also involved and are on Russell’s summer calendar for unofficial visits.

He does not, however, have a leading school in his recruitment.

“Every school’s at the top,” he said. “I don’t really have a favorite school.”

The 6-foot-7 Hartman returned to the court this past weekend at the adidas May Classic and hit two clutch free throws with 13.4 seconds remaining in the Eric Gordon All-Stars 73-70 win over Louisville Magic in the Gold Bracket Championship.

Here’s a transcript of Hartman’s comments to an assembled group of media following a pool play loss on Saturday afternoon:

On how he’s feeling physically after missing the adidas Spring Classic two weeks ago:

“Two weeks ago, I had a concussion after the tournament we played in at the Fieldhouse (in Merrillville). I’m good now, 100 percent. Back is good, ankles are good, everything’s good.”

On how he got the concussion:

“I chested up on a guy and he turned and his me with an elbow. He broke my nose and I blacked out for a few seconds and came back in the game five minutes later, finished the game and went to the doctor and he said I had a concussion. I was out of school for a week.”

On how long it took him to feel like himself again after that injury:

“The most annoying thing was kind of forgetting everything. But now I’m 100 percent and it kind of feels good to be able to work out again because when you have a concussion, you can’t workout, you’ve gotta just lay low. And I think that’s the best part is getting back into things and not feeling kind of left out.”

On what he feels like he needs to work on this spring and summer:

“Just getting bigger, stronger, faster. Being able to play every position and guard every position. Just developing the physicality to it that’s going to get me to the next level.”

On how he’s developing physically:

“I don’t feel like I’ve bulked up, but I feel like I’ve toned up. I haven’t been to lift. It’s been like five weeks since I’ve lifted because I’ve been gone and traveling, but I’m back in and lifting (as of last week), starting to feel good. My body’s adjusting, I’m a little sore, but it just comes with it.”

On how beneficial the trip to Germany with Team USA was last month:

“It was good to meet guys all around our country that we were playing with and just hang out with them and see the different styles of play that people play with. In Germany, it’s crazy how they play over there. You can hop step and then euro around somebody and I just kind of waited for the whistle and it never came. It’s a whole other world over there. It’s a new experience to see what everybody else is like … how much stronger and bigger they are than us. It just opens your eyes to what you need to get yourself to if you’re going to go to that next level.”

On how the team did on the Germany trip:

“They were all like a year and a half older than us and we just met each other when we landed in Dallas. That was the first time we’d met each other. We had like four practices before our first game. I felt like we adjusted pretty well to it for just meeting each other. At that point, it’s just basketball IQ and being unselfish.”

On what he learned basketball wise on the trip that he can apply to his game:

“Just the physicality, being able to use your body and get into people. Because they do that very well over there. It’s a physical game and you have to get knocked down to get the foul. But using your body and that kind stuff, that’s what I’ve taken from it.”

On the development on his AAU teammate and future IU teammate, Devin Davis:

“He’s gotten a lot stronger, he’s developed his jump shot a lot. He can jump out of the gym, he’s got the lankiest arms I’ve ever seen. He’s really improved. He’s really gotten stronger, being able to guard people better and shoot off the 3.”

On how often he and Devin Davis talk about their future:

“All the time. We talk about it all the time. We talk about rooming together, where we’re going to hang out. Sometimes, we argue about who is going to win state next year. We’re really looking forward to IU.”

On what the IU staff tells him about where he needs to improve:

“Physicality and getting to the rim more. And not just being a shooter and being able to guard everybody. That’s what I’m starting to pride myself on is being able to guard everybody. From point guards to center, seven-foot to five-five. Adjusting to the level that it’s going to be at in the future.”

Edwards, in town to play for Indiana Elite Team Indiana in the adidas May Classic, spent Friday evening getting familiar with one of the two schools that has already offered him a scholarship.

“It was great. I toured the campus with all of the coaches,” Edwards said on Saturday morning. “We rode around in a golf cart and they told me about the business school. I saw the weight room, the business school, the arts school, all of that. We saw the football stadium, tennis courts.”

The visit was just days after an unofficial trip to West Lafayette to check out Purdue, the other school with an early offer out to Edwards.

“Purdue, it was pretty great,” Edwards said “It’s not like IU though, it’s not like IU.”

The difference? Facilities, which are a positive for IU, according to Edwards.

“Difference is, like the weight room at Purdue, they’ve got a lot of football stuff in the weight room,” he said. “IU has one just for the basketball team.”

The recruiting pitches from IU and Purdue are also different as the Hoosier staff views Edwards as a point guard and the Boilermaker staff covets him as a combo guard.

The uptempo pace of play Tom Crean has implemented is something the young point guard believes fits his game well.

“They talked to me about the offense. They said I would fit great in their offense,” Edwards said. “They have some great guards in Jordan Hulls and Yogi Ferrell. They like to run, get ball screens and shoot, things that I like to do in my game.

“I like to come off ball screens, attack the rim, (play on the) fast break, get the ball off the rim and go. Just like IU does. I’ve seen the tapes of them from last season.”

Besides the two in-state rivals, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Xavier are also recruiting Edwards. He hopes to visit Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State this summer.

While he’s enjoying the early attention, an early decision seems unlikely despite a push from Purdue to end the process early.

“It’s pretty great,” Edwards said. “I didn’t expect all of this to come so soon, my freshman year. I thought it was going to come my sophomore or junior year. I like it.

“I’m just striving to get better. I’ll make my decision like my junior or early senior year. I’m trying to get better.”

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — 2014 Indianapolis Tech forward Trey Lyles gave a verbal commitment to Indiana coach Tom Crean before playing a game in high school and since that time, he’s helped lead the resurgence of the Indianapolis Tech program while also keeping a close eye on his future team in Bloomington.

Inside the Hall caught up with Lyles, one of the top 10 players nationally in his class, at last weekend’s Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam at Spiece Fieldhouse for a couple of Q & A, which are available below:

On how the Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) has gone so far:

“It’s good for a challenge, it makes you play up to your abilities and makes you come together as a team and play together as one and I think we’ve done that very well for the first two sessions, you know we had some let offs in three of the games that we lost, but I think we’ve grown from that and become a better team.”

On what it was like to play against Julius Randle, one of the top 2013 players nationally:

“You know it was good. He’s a good physical guy, really strong, he can pull up. Really plays the 3/4 position, he’s a good matchup for me.”

On his sophomore season at Indianapolis Tech:

“I thought it was pretty good. We had our best record in 22 years, and I really went out there and played my game and played to the best of my ability and put up numbers, and hopefully for next year we can be a little bit better.”

On how he’s evolving as a leader within the Tech program:

“You have to lead the guys by example. The best player has to lead them so just have to lead them on and off the court and play hard all of the time.”

On what he’s been working on since the end of the high school season:

“Strictly guard moves. You know, being able to play the two and three position. Shooting, lots of shooting and a lot of ball handling drills.”

On the position he sees himself playing in college:

“Mainly just a three or a four. Some five if I have a mismatch. Just wherever the mismatch is.”

On the areas of his game where he’s noticing improvement:

“Being more aggressive when I have the ball. And when I don’t have the ball, going to get it. Really just being aggressive and attacking the basket.”

On his mindset while playing with talented teammates on Spiece Indy Heat:

“Really just see what the defense is giving us. If they’re laying off of me, I just go ahead and attack everybody. We find the open person and attack.”

On the absence of his friend and teammate James Blackmon Jr. this spring and summer:

“It would be good to have him, but learning to be able to play without him is good. But, you know once he gets back, he’s gonna come back 100% better and better than he was before, so it’s really just a waiting process.

On Indiana’s run to the Sweet 16:

“I thought it was great. Great for the program, it put them back on top and really showed that they’re a national team now. With everything they’ve done in the past and they’re getting better and better as the years go on.”

On how good he expects Indiana to be next season:

“I think they can have a Final Four type team because they have a lot of scorers, a lot of defensive guys and a lot of athleticism. So they’ll be able to run with any team in the nation. Hopefully they can just play up to their capabilities.”

On whether he saw Indiana’s turnaround coming this past season:

“Yeah. I thought Victor (Oladipo) and Will Sheehey really turned it on. You could tell that they matured a lot in their game and they went out there and demonstrated that they were better than they were their freshman year. Hopefully this year they’ll be even better and it can lead them to a Final Four or championship.”

On the advice he receives from his coach at Tech, Jason Delaney:

“Just being more aggressive and becoming a better leader.”

Alex Bozich and Joe Eberhardt contributed to this report.

The Star Press learned through a Freedom of Information Act request that the Ball State men’s basketball team will play at Indiana University on Nov. 25 in Assembly Hall.

The game time will be determined at a later date by the Big Ten Network.

Indiana will pay Ball State $85,000 in compensation within 60 days after the game.

Indiana athletic director Fred Glass signed the one-game contract on April 12. Former Ball State athletic director Tom Collins signed the contract on April 28. Bernard Hannon, the Ball State associate vice president, business affairs and assistant treasurer, finalized the contract with his signature on May 4.

The 6-foot-5 lefty, who plays AAU with the King James Shooting Stars, already holds scholarship offers from Dayton, Miami (OH), West Virginia and Xavier and is receiving interest from Cincinnati, IU, Michigan and Ohio State.

Our friends at UMHoops.com have followed Kennard closely this spring and passed along the following video of the talented young guard from last weekend’s Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam in Fort Wayne:

You can watch more extensive footage of Kennard from the King James Classic over at UMHoops and also read their scouting notes on Kennard from the Run-N-Slam.