Indiana University's latest recruit has a reputation as an imposing shot blocker.

That's the aspect of Guy-Marc Michel's game that has garnered the most reputation.

A magazine piece from last year said "he has all the physical tools to be a big-time Division I center," which we'll get back to in a minute.

We'll start with the basics. The 7-1 junior college center, who signed with IU today, has averaged better than three blocks per game during his two years in junior college. Not unexpected for a guy with a 7-8 wingspan.

"They come any which way," North Idaho College coach Jared Phay said of Michel's blocks. "He's just such a presence around the hoop.

"He can come from the weak side. He times it well, but he doesn't even need to really do that because he's so long. He's tough to get the ball over."

Michel (whose first name 'Guy' rhymes with 'see'), 21, has been playing organized basketball for about five years, Phay said.

"He came to us pretty raw, but in the past year, he figured it out," North Idaho coach Jared Phay said. "His shot-blocking and rebounding are his biggest things."

Michel averaged 7.2 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots a game this past
season as a sophomore. As a freshman he averaged 8.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. A native of Martinique, Michel played for French national under-20 team. He speaks three languages.

Michel weighs 265 and has a frame that could add even more muscle,

"He's not a stick out there," Phay said. "He's pretty athletic. He gets up and down the court pretty good. He needs to work on his footwork and his back-to-the-basket game, but his upside is huge.

"His biggest improvements have been his strength and his aggressiveness on the court. His freshman year, he was a little tentative at times. This past year he was more aggressive and would go get rebounds and block shots and play a lot more physical."

Michel also shows the hiring of Steve McClain as an assistant already is playing dividends. McClain was recruiting Michel when McClain was the coach at Colorado.

"He had a pretty strong relationship with Steve McClain, who recruited him when (McClain) was at Colorado," Phay said. "He got to meet coach (Tom) Crean, who was someone he wanted to play for."

Michel was also being recruited by Gonzaga.

Several websites have opinions on Michel's game.

One from early on is here.

Slam Magazine referenced Michel last year in a story about small-college basketball, including the junior college scene. The article had the following to say:

"Another big frontcourt presence for the Cardinals was center Guy-Marc Michel, hailing from Sainte Marie, Martinique. Standing at a lighthouse-like 7-1, Michel is lean and rangy, with a mile-long stride and a wingspan like a bald eagle. He can put the ball on the floor and hop-step to the rack all in one smooth maneuver; oddly graceful for someone so large. Rumor has it Gonzaga University (just half an hour west of Coeur d' Alene, in Spokane) is holding Michel at NIC until he's ready for a transfer to the big leagues. To my untrained eye, he has all the physical tools to be a big-time Division I center, though he seems a little raw on the offensive end. But what team couldn't use an athletic seven-footer?"

I talked with Walter Offutt for a while tonight after his mom returned from her visit to Indiana University.

She was there checking on his financial aid package if he were to walk on and play basketball there. That meeting went well but there was another development in his recruitment.

The other school he's considering, Ohio, now has a scholarship to offer.

Ohio is coached by John Groce, who recruited Offutt to Ohio State out of Warren Central High School. Offutt plans to visit Ohio this weekend, then make a decision next week.

"Ohio was always right there, there but didn't have a scholarship, the 6-3 guard said. "One opened up and now it's really 50-50. As far as walking on at IU, things look really good from the financial part.

"But Ohio's offering a full ride, and as far as my relationship with John Groce, player-coach relationships don't get any better than me and John Groce."

A former national top-100 recruit out of Warren Central, Offutt can't receive an athletic scholarship at IU because he initially played at Ohio State and the Big Ten prohibits players from being on scholarship at two schools in the league.

Several times during the conversation, Offutt repeated that "It's going to be a tough decision."

"I've got a chance to get back into the Big Ten and play at the highest level, but on the other hand, I'd be playing for a coach that recruited me and I'd have a full ride. It's going to be a tough decision."

Later he added, "Obviously Indiana is in the Big Ten and Ohio is in the (Mid-American Conference), but Indiana is struggling and not where they used to be.

"At Ohio, John Groce is recruiting good players, they're going to be picked to win their league I think, and they're going to go to the NCAA Tournament. If I go there, I'd get that exposure and my dream is still to go to the NBA."

Scout.com released its final 2010 rankings this week so I thought it might be interesting to see the differences in where it slotted the Indiana prospects compared to Rivals.com. Here's a look. There's not a huge disparity with most of these prospects:

Deshaun Thomas, Fort Wayne Luers (Rivals, 22; Scout, 24)

Ray McCallum, former Bloomington North, now Detroit Country Day (Rivals, 43; Scout, 22)

Dominique Ferguson, former Lawrence North, now Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) (Rivals, 46; Scout, 58)

Terone Johnson, North Central (Rivals, 51; Scout, 73)

Justin Martin, former Lawrence North, Mountain State Academy (W.V.) (Rivals, 86, Scout, 87)

Russell Byrd, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (Rivals, 115; Scout, 82)

Chrishawn Hopkins, Manual (Butler recruit) (Rivals, 124; Scout, NR)

Talked to Jeremiah Davis tonight just to check in on where he's at with his college decision. Apparently his Facebook status said he's "ready to pull the trigger." For those hoping for a decision, keep waiting.

"Just an inside joke," Davis said.

So, really nothing to new to report on the status of the 6-3 Muncie Central junior guard. He said he's still a little sore after playing eight games last weekend en route to the Run-N-Slam championship in Fort Wayne with his 17-and-under Indiana Elite team. They are off this weekend.

Davis' decision could be close or it could be a while. Just don't read too much into his Facebook posts.

The question now for Butler is, what to do with Gordon Hayward's scholarship?

Hayward is announcing Friday that he's staying in the NBA draft, which opens up a scholarship for the Bulldogs.

The hot topic at this point is Moussa Gueye, a 7-foot junior college player. Gueye originally committed to Valparaiso before his freshman season in junior college then reopened his recruiting in March.

Originally from Senegal, Gueye played this past season for Lake Land Community College in Illinois, his first year in junior college.

From comments he's made, it sounds as if Gueye's plan at this point is to stay in junior college for another season. Junior college players who were academically eligible for Division I prior to starting college, can go Division I after one year in junior college.

Players who were not academically eligible for DI out of high school must graduate from their junior college first. Gueye's situation isn't clear at this point, so it's uncertain if he's even an option for the 2010-11 season.

Indiana, Alabama, Texas, Illinois, Missouri and other schools along with Butler have jumped in on Gueye.

"I've gotten calls from all around the nation," Gueye told the Mattoon (Ill.) Journal Gazette and Times-Courier in April. "I have one year. I'm going to use every minute and every second to decide."

Butler would first have to win the battle for Gueye, then the school and player would have to decide if he should enroll this fall, if indeed that is an option.

Butler, as Bulldogs beat writer David Woods has pointed out, is very patient in recruiting. The Bulldogs got Mike Green late in the summer and he turned out to be a tremendous player. A few transfers and some junior college players are available every summer, but Butler would have to find a player who it feels is the right fit.

The Bulldogs also could bank the scholarship and have an extra one to use in the talented 2011 class.

Stay up the the minute at http://twitter.com/star_recruits

There's been some question as to whether or not Christian Kirk, a 6-7 junior from St. Charles, Mo., had been offered by Butler. Kirk said Wednesday that he has not received an offer from Butler, but hoped to visit this summer.

Kirk said he currently has offers from Missouri State, Saint Louis and Southern Illinois.

"At one point I told a reporter that coach (Brad) Stevens had told me they'd offer when I made it up to campus for a visit," Kirk said. "So it kind of got misinterpreted because I never made it to campus."

Kirk described himself as a post player who can step out and shoot the mid-range jumper. He said he was still interested in Butler, though he said hadn't heard as much recently from the Bulldogs' coaching staff. Butler got a commitment last week from Illinois junior guard Roosevelt Jones last week, which could impact the interest in Kirk. He said Alabama, Arizona State, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Stanford have also been in contact.

Warren Central freshman Devin Davis Jr. is going to contribute a weekly entry to the blog throughout the summer. This is a feature we utilized last year with North Central's Terone Johnson, who will play at Purdue last year. While Johnson was already committed to Purdue last summer, Davis is still in the early stages of his recruitment. A 6-6 forward, Davis started last season as a freshman at Warren Central, where he plays for former Warren Central and Indiana star Greg Graham. Davis will blog about his summer tournaments and whatever else strikes him that week. He took the chance this week to introduce himself a bit and catch you up on his spring season:

This year had been phenomenal, fun and a big learning process. Playing varsity as a freshman at Warren Central has been phenomenal because I got the chance to play against some of the best players in the state. Also having college coaches interested in me because my play was exciting. Currently playing with some of the best freshman in the state on the Eric Gordon (15-and-under team) is not only fun, but is helping to elevate my game.

My summer started off being in the gym at 6 in the morning, then being back in the gym from 3 to 5 p.m. working on my game. Being in the weight room also helped me with my game by making me stronger. Then working out in the evening with some other players and my dad also gives me an extra edge.

At the beginning of the school year the Warren varsity team started coming to Warren to workout in the mornings from 6 to 7. Then after school we practiced from 3 to 5. After that I had individual practice with my dad. I did this until the season started, which was a big part of getting me ready for varsity basketball. During the season I had my ups and downs. Sometimes I felt I didn't know my role on the team, so I started asking questions.

During the middle of the season I started to get more confidence in myself and the team. By the end of the season everything was going good with me, I started to feel more like I was a big help for the team and that I did my part every night that I stepped on the floor.

When the season was over I started getting letters of interest from a couple of colleges. This was quite a surprise for me. I found out that the colleges interested in me are Xavier, Purdue, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Tennessee, Illinois, and Butler. Knowing this only made me want to get better in everyway.

Towards the end of the school year I came to find out that I was going to be on the Eric Gordon All Stars team, with some of my old opponents. When I found out I was excited but at the same time I was a little worried about how the team chemistry would be. I knew that playing for this team could only make me play harder and make me better. The Eric Gordon team is trying to build one of the best organizations in the nation. Our first couple of tournaments has been big learning blocks for us. Every time we play with each other we build as a team and get even better. I think that The Eric Gordon All Star team can be very good and we are willing to work hard to do that.

Thank you for taking the time to hear what I've had to say about my freshman year and the summer coming up.

I've heard a few times that Indiana was the front-runner to land North Central sophomore D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. His mother, Kelana Rivera, has heard it, too, even from other coaches recruiting her son.

But Rivera said her son's recruitment is still very much "wide open." Kentucky has entered the picture recently and Ohio State has also been showing more interest. The 6-4 Smith-Rivera is a combo guard with offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, Purdue, Tennessee and Xavier.

"We're planning to visit Ohio State, Pitt and Georgetown his summer," Rivera said. "It's hard with all the tournaments and the kids in school right now, but we'd also like to see Kentucky."

Smith-Rivera's mother said Indiana is a big part of the picture as well.

"They definitely have the right coach there with Tom Crean," she said. "It's a rebuilding process and they are working to get the right pieces in place."

It's unlikely that Smith-Rivera will commit before his junior season, although he's said before that he would make a decision when the time is right. He has a big spring and summer ahead of him as he was named this week to the Adidas Nations 2012 team for the second consecutive year. He played with the Latin America team last year, but will likely play with the United States team this year.

Indiana University's search for front court help continues.

Six-foot-9 junior college forward John Wilkins, who visited IU this past weekend, said this week he will play for Illinois State.

Wilkins' father, former NBA player Jeff Wilkins, also played at ISU.

Wilkins had offers from IU, Iowa, Iowa State, Providence and others.

Last week, Dwight McCombs, a 6-8 junior college power, forward picked Central Florida over Indiana, Arizona State and Middle Tennessee State.

Wilkins, a 215-pound power forward attended Southeastern Community College in Iowa this past year, but didn't play basketball. He was declared ineligible because as a teenager he played on a team in Belgium that was ruled a pro team.

Wilkins originally signed with Bradley in 2008 but wasn't cleared by the NCAA. He went to junior college, waged a court battle for his eligibility and lost.

Whether he'll immediately be eligible or have to sit out several games to start the 2010-11 season isn't immediately clear.

The Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam All-Star Classic wrapped up Sunday at the Spiece Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne. I was there Friday and all day Saturday. There were a few big names missing (Pike junior Marquis Teague namely, for prom), but the overall level of talent was very high and several top in-state prospects were in action. Here's a quick wrap-up:

Five players who impressed

Bryson Scott: I'd heard really good things about the 6-1 Fort Wayne Northrop freshman and his twin brother, 6-foot Brenton, but it was my first time seeing them in action. Bryson is the more athletic of the two and stronger getting the ball to the basket. That's what he does best. He scored 26 points in the game I saw Saturday and wouldn't stop attacking until a defender got in his way. That's an old school approach: just go until somebody stops you. Brenton started at point guard as a freshman and is a little better outside shooter than his brother. The Scotts are receiving interest from a number of schools, including Illinois, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue. The twins look like they might be done growing and are probably both point guards in college. They aren't necessarily set on playing together at the next level.

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera: The 6-4 North Central sophomore was a scoring machine in a late Saturday game against the Illinois Wolves late Saturday night, scoring 31 points on a combination of drives and outside shots. I've seen Smith-Rivera a lot in the last two years and don't know that I've seen him that good offensively. He's playing point guard on his Indiana Elite 16-and-under team and is really handling the ball well, better than I remember during the high school season. The knock on Smith-Rivera seems to be that he's already reached his ceiling. That ceiling looked pretty high Saturday night.

Jeremy Hollowell: As we wrote in Sunday's paper, the 6-7 Lawrence Central sophomore is blessed with a world of potential. It appears he's now starting to realize it. Late in a game Saturday, with his team trailing by two points and just a few seconds left, he drove his defender to the right and scored on a strong move to the basket. A year ago he might have faded away and laid it up too soft. He's been playing like that since the near the end of his high school season and should be a force next year as a junior. He has a number of offers and said Ohio State may have a "little edge" because he lived in Cleveland while in elementary school.

Yogi Ferrell: The 5-10 Park Tudor sophomore makes things happen and doesn't take possessions off on defense. He wasn't as "on" with his shot in the two games I watched that I'd seen him before, but still has that extra gear you only see from high-level Division I prospects. Fits in well with an Indiana Elite team that includes Austin Etherington, Jeremiah Davis, Spencer Turner, Cody Zeller and Marshall Plumlee.

Collin Hartman: Have to admit, I only saw a portion of one of Hartman's games, but he made three 3-pointers and scored on three drives in that short amount of time. The 6-6 Cathedral freshman looks like he's starting to fill out his frame even since the end of the school season. At times, he would settle for the outside shot during the high school season (and he has a good outside shot), but now appears to be making more of a conscious effort to drive and draw fouls. Like Hollowell, Hartman has a lot of upside.

Five players who surprised

Antonio Wilson: Nobody drew more "Who's is this guy?" questions than the 6-8 Wilson, who played last year at Fort Wayne Elmhurst and will transfer to North Side for his senior season after the closing of Elmhurst. Wilson can dunk, that's for sure, throwing down several over the course of the tournament. Can he do more than that? He's still a little raw, but he passes the eye test.

Rapheal Davis: The 6-5 Fort Wayne South Side sophomore and Purdue recruit hit the 3-pointer consistently and showed more athleticism than I'd remembered from last summer. He brought the ball up at times for the 17-and-under Speice Indy Heat, but is probably not ready to play point guard full-time.

D.J. Balentine: The 6-1 Kokomo guard isn't an overly impressive athlete, but is a very good shooter and gets into the lane with more regularlity than you'd expect. Balentine said Michigan has been recruiting him pretty hard and his game makes sense for that system.

Jeremiah Davis: Probably belongs more in the "five who impressed" category, but will put the 6-3 Muncie Central junior here because he was playing off the ball more with Ferrell on the point. It didn't seem to bother Davis at all, who at times struggles with turnovers. He can be a streaky outside shooter, but was knocking them down most of the day on Saturday. Davis seems to play with even more consistency with major talent around him, which is a good sign for college.

V.J. Beachem: The 6-4 freshman from Fort Wayne Harding could be a star in the making. He's very thin right now, but looks like he could grow a few more inches. He plays on the same Spiece team as the Scott twins.dau