Indiana's class of 2023 is looking to come down to three options: top-50 forward Arrinten Page, the spring and transfer portal.
Four-star guard
Deshawn Harris-Smith is the other offer out there that visited but it doesn't appear Indiana is a legit option as of today. That can change if this recruitment drags on. It has already gone on a bit longer than some thought. Just at this time, Villanova, Xavier and Maryland seem to be the 'top group'. I have had people tell me Villanova is the team to beat if it just pushes a bit more. Xavier and Maryland are still involved as well and wouldn't totally count either out.
As for a name that is on the 'radar' of the 2023 class -- four-star combo guard
Elmarko Jackson. Indiana offered Jackson during the later stages of the summer but it doesn't appear there is much going on outside of staying in contact. Jackson announced on twitter a few weeks ago that he would be cutting his list and scheduling visits. I wouldn't expect Indiana to be on the list if it's a small list. If it's a larger list, then maybe. But there needs to be a major change in communication from the IU staff to have any impact on this recruitment.
So, for
Arrinten Page... the lone option for a fall commitment for Indiana. As we stated since his visit, Indiana checked off all the boxes that the family had. TheHoosier has been told by sources that Indiana sits in a very good spot for Page.
Page told TheHoosier this week that his Miami (Fla.) official visit is still on. He said it was scheduled for Aug. 25-27.
No visits are scheduled after that. He has visited Missouri, Cincinnati, USC and Indiana up to this point. Originally a September decision was 'expected' but it seems like this may go a bit longer than that.
Indiana still sits in a good spot.
More from Page's visit:
Indiana hosted top-50 forward Arrinten Page for an official visit this week.
indiana.rivals.com
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Indiana has now turned its heavy recruiting to the class of 2024 and has done good work early.
Players like Liam McNeeley, Derik Queen, Jaeden Mustaf, Asa Newell, Raleigh Burgess, Jonathan Powell, Kanon Catchings, William Jobe are all players who have already visited Indiana, have a junior year official visit scheduled or are expected to visit this fall.
The second tier of prospects I would put as: Yves Missi, Boogie Fland, Khani Rooths, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and Flory Budinga. Expect a few of these players to make visits - but nothing on the forefront at the moment.
As for the lone official visit scheduled, top-30 prospect
Liam McNeeley is visiting Sept. 23-25. That is his only official visits planned for the moment. Indiana has a better shot than some may think in that recruitment and him taking his first official visit to Indiana shows that.
As a remainder, he transferred to Montverde (FLa.) Academy this summer.
Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas Tech are some of the other programs pushing hard at the moment for McNeeley.
More on McNeeley:
Class of 2024 wing Liam McNeeley has set his official visit to Indiana.
indiana.rivals.com
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A 2024 guard to keep an eye on is 6-foot-4 guard
Jaeden Mustaf. He transferred from DeMatha (DC) to Carmel Christian (NC) for this upcoming season. He told TheHoosier this week that Indiana is 'definitely' a school he will be visiting. At this point, he isn't sure if it will be official or unofficial. Obviously, if it's an official it shows a certain level of interest.
This summer he has taken visits to NC State and Virginia -- both unofficially. He received an offer from Virginia on his visit.
Mustaf on Virginia: "They do everything the right way. They have a great coaching staff, great facilities, education is great. They have everything i would need as a player to develop."
In addition to Indiana, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Georgia are some of the other programs he is looking to visit this fall.
Mustaf is the son of former Maryland standout and NBA first-round pick Jerrod Mustaf.
Mustaf is a crafty guard with the ball in his hands. He can play both on and off of the ball, but he is best creating with the ball. He has good athleticism and can play around the rim with ease. He has very good body control. His jumper is consistent and shows good ability to create and finish in the mid-range.
Mustaf played up with the 17U division and was a critical part of the New World program that won the Adidas Championship earlier this summer. He scored 25 points in the championship game, earning MVP honors. He played alongside 2023 former IU target Jamie Kaiser and 2024 target Khani Rooths.
Mustaf is ranked No. 72 in the 2024 class.
More on Mustaf's relationship with Indiana:
2024 guard Jaeden Mustaf discusses his recruitment, interest in Indiana and what visits could be next.
indiana.rivals.com
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A top target for Indiana in the 2024 class is
Asa Newell. Newell is a 6-foot-9 forward who is highly skilled. He transferred to Montverde (Fla.) Academy this offseason.
Newell visited Indiana unofficially this summer and came away with an offer on his visit.
He missed a few live evaluation periods for camps and playing with Team USA Basketball. He averaged 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.9 minutes of play per game for the FIBA U17 World Cup team that won Gold this summer. Newell had 12 points in the quarterfinal win over Serbia but didn't have a lot of scoring opportunities outside of that consistently.
Indiana assistant coach Yasir Rosemond watched Newell at the end of the final live evaluation period in July.
Newell is in the middle of planning out visits this fall. They are waiting for the Montverde schedule to come out and work on visits around that schedule. His dad tells TheHoosier that Indiana will be a school that gets a visit this fall.
Newell is ranked No. 19 in the 2024 class.
More on Newell's unofficial visit:
Indiana extended an offer to Montverde top-40 2024 forward Asa Newell on his unofficial visit this week.
indiana.rivals.com
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As for another member of that core 2024 group for Indiana, Montverde (Fla.) Academy four-star big man
Derik Queen continues to have interest in visiting Indiana. No visit is scheduled but Indiana is one of the core programs pretty heavily involved. Others involved include Maryland, Arizona, Georgetown, LSU, Auburn.
Sources tell TheHoosier that Indiana and Maryland are expected to be spots he will visit. Arizona is potentially a third.
Queen has kinda flown under the radar this summer playing on the Under Armour circuit. Most of IU's targets are on Nike or Adidas circuits so Indiana wasn't always on hand to see Queen.
There was initial whispers that he could potential reclassify to 2023, but things seem to be a bit quieter on that at the moment. It could happen, but it seems like sticking to 2024 is the case for right now.
Queen is playing in the Under Armour Next Elite 24 game tonight on ESPU at 7 pm ET.
Queen is ranked No. 22 in the 2024 class.
Here are some highlights from this week.
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As noted above the Under Armour Next Elite 24 game is tonight.
Outside of Derik Queen, other prospects of IU interest are: 2024 guard Boogie Fland, 2024 forward Bryson Tucker and 2025 forward Bryson Tiller. 2023 guard Elmarko Jackson is also there, but as discussed above, unless anything changes, IU won't be a serious player.
www.ibj.com
