IU has bigger trophies in sight

Awards are always great.
But Christian Watford isn’t returning to school this year for a chance to defend his ESPY.
The Indiana University forward won the ESPY award Wednesday for Best Play for his buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Hoosiers a 73-72 win in December over then-No. 1 and eventual NCAA champion Kentucky.
Indiana hopes to be winning so much more than ESPYs in 2012-13. If the season goes as the Hoosiers hope, they’ll be in the running for the Team of the Year award the NBA champion Miami Heat picked up Wednesday.
The goal of playing in Atlanta in the 2013 Final Four is not at all out of reach. In fact, early NCAA rankings from ESPN’s Andy Katz, USA Today, TheBigLead.com and SI.com’s Luke Winn all have Indiana at No. 1.
“The Hoosiers — with nearly everyone returning and joined by another elite recruiting class — will be right there in the running for a national title,” said Katz.
“The next step in Tom Crean’s Hoosier Revival is to chose a national title,” said Winn.
With Cody Zeller (15.6 points per game, 6.6 rebounds) and Watford (12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) passing on chances to enter the NBA draft, Indiana returns each of its top five scorers and top three rebounders from the 2011-12 squad that finished 27-9 and handed Kentucky one of its two losses. Jordan Hulls (11.7 ppg, 3.3 assists per game), Victor Oladipo (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Will Sheehey (8.6 ppg) round out the best of the returning group.
The most significant loss for the team comes from the graduation of Verdell Jones III, who played 24.5 minutes per game while averaging 7.5 points, 3.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds.
And while the losses are minimal, the additions for the Hoosiers are potentially immense.
Indiana’s highly-touted recruiting class includes Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, Ron Patterson, Jeremy Hollowell, Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Peter Jurkin.
The first three on that list all played for Jay County High School coach Craig Teagle on the Indiana All-Star team last month. Both Ferrell, a lightning-quick point guard from Park Tudor High School, and Mosquera-Perea, a power forward from La Lumiere School in LaPorte, were ranked as five-star recruits by Rivals.com.
IU could also see the return of Maurice Creek (16.4 points per game in 2009-10), who missed the entire 2011-12 season with a torn Achilles tendon.
In addition to their win over Kentucky, the team they later lost to in the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers beat then-No. 2 Ohio State last season and had four victories over top 25 teams.
Injuries can always throw a wrench into the best-laid plans. But based on last season’s success and the composition of the 2012-13 team, Indiana fans should be ready for more great moments and a chance to see their team lifting the national championship trophy.[[In-content Ad]]