BLOOMINGTON - Tom Crean's reputation for basketball recruiting excellence faces an instant test - Can the new Indiana University men's basketball coach persuade heralded recruits Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway to return to the Hoosier Nation?

And then there's this twist - Will Crean want them to return?

Ebanks and Holloway were Kelvin Sampson recruits. Crean might have a different vision for the kind of players he wants at IU, just as Ebanks and Holloway might have different visions for the kind of coach they want to play for.

Both players opted out of their national letters of intent in the aftermath of Sampson's forced resignation over alleged NCAA violations and reopened their recruiting. Both have said they want to talk to the new coach before making a decision.

Crean said he'll meet with them “very quickly.” What will he tell them?

“The biggest thing is explain why I'm here, what Indiana means to me,” he said. “Everybody who chooses a school, there's a reason why. One reason is certainly the coach and his staff, but there have to be other things that drove them to make the decision they did. I'll try to get that across to them.

“I'll let them know what I feel about Indiana and what I feel about winning and work ethic and what it's going to take to be successful. I'll do my best to convey that, and if it's not good enough, or if I feel it's not a good fit, then we'll have to make that decision.”

Add Ebanks and Holloway to two other recruits still committed - 6-foot-8 forward Tom Pritchard and 6-3 guard Matt Roth - and you have a top-15-in-the-nation class. That would be huge considering future recruiting will be limited by self-imposed sanctions that include the loss of a scholarship for next year and prohibiting one assistant coach from off-campus recruiting for a year.

“The sanctions that were imposed by Indiana are very strong,” Crean said. “I was shocked when I looked at them. Indiana grabbed a bad situation and handled it very well.”

Adding to the difficulty is the uncertainty over how many of the returning players actually will return.

The biggest questions surround starters Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, who were kicked off the team earlier this week by then-interim coach Dan Dakich. Crean said he's “read and listened” about the situation, “but I don't have an answer for you. We'll see how it all shakes out.”

Athletic director Rick Greenspan said he supported Dakich's action but will allow Crean to make the final decision. Freshman guard Jordan Crawford said the Bassett-Ellis situation was “just a misunderstanding.”

“Jamarcus had no intention of leaving, and Armon loves playing with the guys,” Crawford said. “They're excited that (Crean) is the new coach. They both want to come back.

“A lot of people say certain (negative) things about them, but I see them every day and I know they're good kids.”

If neither player returns, and if freshman guard Eric Gordon decides to leave for the NBA Draft (he's expected to make an announcement about it on Friday), then IU would be without any starters from this year's 25-8 NCAA tourney team.

On Wednesday morning, Crean met with Crawford and the other returning players - center Eli Holman, forwards DeAndre Thomas and Kyle Taber, and guards Brandon McGee and Brett Finkelmeier. Crean also will meet individually with players.

Crawford and Holman are considering a transfer. Both attended Wednesday's news conference announcing Crean's arrival after nine years at Marquette. Neither committed to staying.

“We'll see how the individual meetings go,” Crawford said.

Crean had recruited Holman while at Marquette and joked that he didn't do a good job because Holman wound up at IU. Holman said he'll return home to California this weekend to decide what he wants to do. He played only six games this season because of a wrist injury.

“I'm not leaning here or there,” Holman said. “I'll take things one day at a time. It all comes down to my decision and what I think about things.”