Today’s Newsstand is a compilation of links from The Courier-Journal’s much-anticipated annual area high school preview insert, which was included in today’s edition:

• Meet the Dragons’ yin and yang
• Highlanders must ‘learn how to win’
• Red Devils ahead of last year’s pace
• These aren’t last season’s New Albany Bulldogs
• Charlestown will find out how the little half lives
• Generals have grown up — and out
• Clark/Floyd roundup: Providence faces a sizable disadvantage
  
• Clark/Floyd roundup: Back to business for the Braves
• Harrison roundup: Some programs on the rebound
• Southern Indiana roundup: All eyes on Orleans again

The first Associated Press boys’ basketball poll of the 2008-09 season was released today, and Southern Indiana is well represented in each class.

Class 4-A: 1. Lawrence North; 2. Marion; 3. Bloomington South; 4. Indianapolis Cathedral; 5. Lafayette Jeff; 6. New Albany; 7. Carmel; 8. Brownsburg; 9. Indianapolis North Central; 10. (tie) Muncie Central, Franklin Central.

Class 3-A: 1. Batesville; 2. Washington; 3. Fort Wayne Harding; 4. Evansville Memorial; 5. Fort Wayne Dwenger; 6. Plymouth; 7. Edgewood; 8. Northwestern; 9. North Montgomery; 10. South Bend St. Joseph’s.

Class 2-A: 1. Fort Wayne Luers; 2. Winchester; 3. Tipton; 4. Bluffton; 5. Oak Hill; 6. Westview; 7. Lawrenceburg; 8. Hauser; 9. Heritage Christian; 10. Jimtown.

Class A: 1. Lafayette Catholic; 2. Rockville; 3. Triton; 4. Barr-Reeve; 5. Orleans; 6. Indianapolis Lutheran; 7. Fort Wayne Blackhawk; 8. Jac-Cen-Del; 9. North Daviess; 10. Shakamak.

Batesville’s Colt Ryan made his pledge official to Marty Simmons‘ program  this week, signing a national letter of intent to play for the University of Evansville.

Ryan, who averaged 16 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists last season, is expected to make an immediate impact for the Aces, Simmons said in a release.

“Colt is one of the better guards in the state and comes from a program at Batesville that has been very successful,” Simmons added. “His vision and passing ability allow him to make those around him better.”

But the 6-foot-4 guard sees more in Evansville than just basketball.

“I really liked the coaches and it was evident they cared about the players,” Ryan told the Evansville Courier & Press after his campus visit. “I got to hang out with the team, and I really liked them on a personal level and their work ethic. They worked hard. But I’m also from a small town and I liked the size of the campus and the fact I’ll be able to get personal attention in the classroom. I really liked what I saw academically. It was the right fit for me.”

Dave Telep, perhaps the nation’s most respected recruiting analyst, recently gave Bloomington South’s Jordan Hulls major accolades, mentioning him in a interview as one of the Class of 2009’s biggest surprises:

“When I think of guards, Jordan Hulls comes to mind. Heck, as late as May he wasn’t on our Top 100 list. Others are better prospects but how many can lead like he can? Let’s be honest, the kid wasn’t even thought of a serious prospect for the Hoosiers as a junior and he resides in Bloomington!”

Hulls, a 6-foot point guard, gave a verbal commitment in May to Tom Crean’s Indiana program, and is expected to officially ink today with the Hoosiers.

UPDATE: With Hulls’ commitment now official, IU Media Relations released this statement from Crean:

“Jordan is someone that has taken the steps necessary to make himself, not only a Division I player but a high-major player.  It was a no-brainer there and (assistant coach) Tim Buckley deserves the credit for seeing him in Pittsburgh and coming back and being adamant.  And after the way he felt about players at Marquette like Dwayne Wade and Travis Diener, there was no doubt that I wasn’t going to doubt anything Tim said about Jordan.  We brought him over for an unofficial before I had ever had a chance to see him play.  But after seeing him once and seeing numerous tapes, there was no question that we wanted to have him in the program.  He can shoot the ball with deep range and he understands the game at a very high level as well as making everyone else around him better.  We feel he will be very good in the pick and roll and he comes from a great program, not only at Bloomington South High School and J.R. Holmes, but the Indiana Elite program as well.”

Antwain Banks, currently an assistant men’s basketball coach at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, has been named coach of Team Southern Indiana’s 2010 squad, the program announced.

Banks, 27, hails from South Bend, where he graduated in 1999 from John Adams High School. After two seasons in the junior college ranks at Ancilla, Banks helped IUS capture back-to-back Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in 2001-02 and 2002-03, and he was a key component to the Grenadiers’ 2002-03 NAIA National Tournament squad.

“I immediately fell in love with this area,” said Banks, referring to his initial visit to the school’s campus. “After two great seasons, I knew I couldn’t leave upon graduating. This community has been great to me, opened up a lot of doors for me. Through Team Southern Indiana, I look forward to working even more closely with Southern Indiana’s youth.”

Banks fills the void left at the conclusion of summer play when Anthony Winchester accepted a graduate assistant position for new coach Ken McDonald’s Western Kentucky program.

Washington sophomore Cody Zeller and New Albany junior Donnie Hale are Southern Indiana’s top representatives in Rick Bolus‘ latest statewide underclassmen rankings.

Zeller, a 6-foot-8 forward, is brother of former Washington standouts Luke and Tyler. Hale, who played a key role last season in New Albany’s undefeated regular season effort, is a 6-7 post. Both are listed in Bolus’ “second six” category.

Southern Indiana underclassmen listed as “next best” include: Cody Banet, Floyd Central; Trey Hughes, Barr-Reeve; Billy Newton, Shakamak and Matt Trimnell, Seymour.

Southern Indiana underclassmen listed as “best of the rest” include: Anthony Adams, Jeffersonville; Andy Cochrane, Bloomfield; Darwin Davis, Bloomington North; Logan Laswell, Paoli; Evan Maschmeyer, Jeffersonville; Geordi McClennan, Eastern Greene; Jalan Packer, Princeton; Joel Scudder, South Dearborn; James Stamper, Columbus North; Ethan Stanifer, Shakamak; Jeffrey Thompson, Floyd Central and Taylor Wischmeier, Brownstown.