Expect Indiana to privately cut loose committed recruit Bud Mackey in the coming days or weeks.
Mackey, the 6-foot-4 point from Georgetown (Ky.) committed to the Hoosiers, was arrested last week after crack cocaine was found in his shoe, according to multiple media reports in Kentucky and Indiana.
Media reports said Mackey told school officials that he was delivering it to an "unidentified person."
A source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Indiana will withdraw the commitment to Mackey, regardless of the outcome of his case that includes trafficking a controlled substance. Mackey is set to be arraigned on Oct. 16.
Indiana is obviously fairly confident that it will land another point guard without an issue. Taking a player who has this charge wasn't worth it to the Hoosiers.
• Indiana already had three commitments for the class of 2008 in 6-8 Devin Ebanks (Oakdale, Conn.), 6-8 Tom Pritchard (Lakewood, Ohio) and 6-3 Matt Roth (Washington, Ill.).
• Indiana is looking at defining its identity for this season, always an early-season must for Kelvin Sampson. That means starting with defense, despite the expected offensive production out of guard Eric Gordon and forward D.J. White.
The Hoosiers are defining this through conditioning at 6 a.m. three days a week.
"We're working as hard as we can to be tough mentally and to be physically in shape to handle the endurance,'' Sampson said.
Meanwhile, academically ineligible guard A.J. Ratliff is allowed to practice but won't be able to play in games until mid-December (assuming he's eligible).
• Kansas State wing Bill Walker is 100 percent healed from his ACL injury last season, according to the school. Walker is playing without any restrictions, including lifting, running and cutting (all since August).
I have to give some credit to reader Terry Ryan, who alerted us to a unique fact about K-State's David Hoskins. He's playing for his fifth head coach in five years. Here is how it breaks down: 2007-08 -- Frank Martin; 2006-07 -- Bob Huggins; 2005-06 -- Jim Wooldridge; 2004-05 -- Carlos Briggs at Schoolcraft CC (although he redshirted); 2003-04 -- Jay Smith (at Central Michigan). Meanwhile, seniors Clent Stewart and Blake Young are playing for their third different coach. Stewart played for Wooldridge and then Huggins and now Martin, while Young played two years under Brad Underwood at Dayton CC, and then Huggins and now Martin.
• Wednesday's off-beat recommendation comes from Sampson. The book he's enthralled with right now is Sally Jenkins' "The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, a People, a Nation."
The story is about the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which was opened by Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt in 1879. Glen "Pop" Warner was ultimately the head coach.
Sampson is a Lumbee Indian and has always found books on Indian history interesting.
"They went out and actively recruited and taught them how to act, speak English and at the same time played on a football team,'' Sampson said. "They were the first team to move toward the forward pass. It's a real interesting book."