The biggest news over the last week (ish) was the injury to Xavier Johnson and the surgery he had on Wednesday for a broken foot.
He is obviously a significant part to what Indiana was doing this season and you could see the offensive potential with he and Jalen Hood-Schifino on the floor. Unfortunately, that won't be the case until at least mid February at this point.
So, it's Hood-Schifino's team. He has now scored a new career-high in four of his last six games. He has scored 10+ points in five of his last six games -- averaging 11.8 points per game and 4.0 assists per game. He is also shooting 40.9 percent overall and 40.9 percent on 3s, making 1.5 3s per game in that span.
More on JHS:
indiana.rivals.com
Moving forward, Trayce Jackson-Davis missed Tuesday's game against Elon for precautionary reasons. We'll see if he plays against Kennesaw State -- if not, I still wouldn't be too focused on that.
Indiana hits conference play with an -- in my opinion -- underrated and difficult start in January. The Hoosiers go on the road to Iowa, at home against a 9-2 Northwestern and then at Penn State. After that is two games at home against Wisconsin and Illinois.... no time to let up at all.
On Friday, Indiana will host Kennesaw State. The Owls average over 9 3s per game and will spread Indiana out. IU has to be ready to defend in this one.
Detailed scouting report on Kennesaw State:
indiana.rivals.com
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A new development is with 2024 wing Caleb Williams from Sidwell Friends (DC). He took an official visit to Indiana for Hoosier Hysteria and has been someone Indiana has been very active with since. They have visited him a few times in the last two months for games/open gyms.
Williams tells Thehoosier.com that he is looking at a potential return visit sometime during the season to see a game. They are working on schedules to see if it can work but that is a real possibility. At this time, that is really the only visit on his radar.
He is not really in a decision making mindset right now, but Indiana remains a school at the top for him.
Here's his visit recap from October:
indiana.rivals.com
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2024 four-star Carmel Christian (NC) guard Jaeden Mustaf is still in regular communication with Indiana and the goal is to keep working on rescheduling his official visit that was scheduled for earlier this fall. It was his dad's birthday and dates become a bit tight so they decided to look for an easier option in the spring.
I think Indiana still receives a visit from Mustaf. Indiana has been in to see him multiple times this fall and are still one of the core groups involved. Georgetown and Florida State have received official visits from Mustaf.
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Indiana hosted two more 2025 prospects for visits this week on Tuesday. One was a return visitor and the other was someone that Indiana has seen a few times this fall/winter.
2025 five-star guard from Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Pa.) Meleek Thomas returned to Indiana with his high school team for a team trip. He was here for the UNC game earlier this year.
He is very drawn to Indiana at this point. He's ranked No. 15 in the 2025 class and is a very, vary talented scoring combo guard.
Meleek Thomas' trainer/mentor to TheHoosier.com following their previous visit (UNC game): "Unreal!! Has to be the best college basketball environment in the country! Electric. Meleek was smiling ear to ear the entire time! He was pumped"
The other visitor was 2025 point guard Azavier Robinson from Lawrence North (Ind.). He had to reschedule a visit earlier this season so this was his first trip to Bloomington.
Brian Walsh is the lead guy here and has visited Robinson a few times.
In total there have been 10 -- by my count -- 2025 visitors already this season. Out of those, five have been on campus at least twice.
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The newest 2025 prospect that is on the Indiana radar is St. Francis (MD) four-star guard Tyler Jackson. Jackson is ranked No. 37 in the 2025 class.
He's a 6-foot-2 point guard who is a terrific scorer.
He was a standout at City of Palms this past week. Here's a breakdown of Jackson's performance from Rivals national recruiting director Rob Cassidy:
"Jackson is currently ranked as the No. 37 prospect in the 2025 class, but even that lofty ranking now feels too low for the Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances High School sophomore. A pure scorer capable of getting buckets in every imaginable way, Jackson still needs to add size and become a better distributor, but the young point guard is already a reliable shooter and possesses the ball-handling ability and quickness to create for himself off the bounce. On Sunday he turned in a 26-point effort that included three 3-pointers, a couple of mid-range pull-up buckets and a floater or two in the lane."
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The class of 2026 is obviously a bit away but one name to keep tabs on is Prolific Prep (CA) forward Tyran Stokes. Stokes is averaging 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists this year while shooting 40% from three.
Indiana is in contact here. He is looking to visit Indiana and a visit this season wouldn't be out of the question.
Here is a breakdown of Stokes' game from Rivals national recruiting director Rob Cassidy:
"Stokes plays with the aggression, instincts and athleticism of a senior. So while he needs some serious polishing when it comes to shooting and handling the ball, he projects as a strong, but hyper-versatile forward capable of playing multiple frontcourt positions, even if it seems as though he’s best suited for the 4 as things stand."
Here's some background:
indiana.rivals.com
indiana.rivals.com
indiana.rivals.com
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2023 signee Gabe Cupps and Centerville are off to a good start this season at 6-1 and have won six straight since a loss to Cathedral (Ind.). He is averaging 14.0 points on 44.6 percent shooting, 5.7 assists and just 2.0 turnovers per game.
He scored 25 points on 11-of-18 FG against Cathedral.
He is obviously a significant part to what Indiana was doing this season and you could see the offensive potential with he and Jalen Hood-Schifino on the floor. Unfortunately, that won't be the case until at least mid February at this point.
So, it's Hood-Schifino's team. He has now scored a new career-high in four of his last six games. He has scored 10+ points in five of his last six games -- averaging 11.8 points per game and 4.0 assists per game. He is also shooting 40.9 percent overall and 40.9 percent on 3s, making 1.5 3s per game in that span.
More on JHS:
Jalen Hood-Schifino ready for newest role at Indiana: 'I love leading'
Jalen Hood-Schifino ready for newest role at Indiana: 'I love leading'
Moving forward, Trayce Jackson-Davis missed Tuesday's game against Elon for precautionary reasons. We'll see if he plays against Kennesaw State -- if not, I still wouldn't be too focused on that.
Indiana hits conference play with an -- in my opinion -- underrated and difficult start in January. The Hoosiers go on the road to Iowa, at home against a 9-2 Northwestern and then at Penn State. After that is two games at home against Wisconsin and Illinois.... no time to let up at all.
On Friday, Indiana will host Kennesaw State. The Owls average over 9 3s per game and will spread Indiana out. IU has to be ready to defend in this one.
Detailed scouting report on Kennesaw State:
Scouting Notes: Kennesaw State
Here is a deep dive into some of the challenges Kennesaw State could give Indiana.
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A new development is with 2024 wing Caleb Williams from Sidwell Friends (DC). He took an official visit to Indiana for Hoosier Hysteria and has been someone Indiana has been very active with since. They have visited him a few times in the last two months for games/open gyms.
Williams tells Thehoosier.com that he is looking at a potential return visit sometime during the season to see a game. They are working on schedules to see if it can work but that is a real possibility. At this time, that is really the only visit on his radar.
He is not really in a decision making mindset right now, but Indiana remains a school at the top for him.
Here's his visit recap from October:
2024 wing Caleb Williams sees fit at Indiana following official visit
Indiana hosted 2024 wing Caleb Williams for an official visit this past weekend.
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2024 four-star Carmel Christian (NC) guard Jaeden Mustaf is still in regular communication with Indiana and the goal is to keep working on rescheduling his official visit that was scheduled for earlier this fall. It was his dad's birthday and dates become a bit tight so they decided to look for an easier option in the spring.
I think Indiana still receives a visit from Mustaf. Indiana has been in to see him multiple times this fall and are still one of the core groups involved. Georgetown and Florida State have received official visits from Mustaf.
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Indiana hosted two more 2025 prospects for visits this week on Tuesday. One was a return visitor and the other was someone that Indiana has seen a few times this fall/winter.
2025 five-star guard from Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Pa.) Meleek Thomas returned to Indiana with his high school team for a team trip. He was here for the UNC game earlier this year.
He is very drawn to Indiana at this point. He's ranked No. 15 in the 2025 class and is a very, vary talented scoring combo guard.
Meleek Thomas' trainer/mentor to TheHoosier.com following their previous visit (UNC game): "Unreal!! Has to be the best college basketball environment in the country! Electric. Meleek was smiling ear to ear the entire time! He was pumped"
The other visitor was 2025 point guard Azavier Robinson from Lawrence North (Ind.). He had to reschedule a visit earlier this season so this was his first trip to Bloomington.
Brian Walsh is the lead guy here and has visited Robinson a few times.
In total there have been 10 -- by my count -- 2025 visitors already this season. Out of those, five have been on campus at least twice.
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The newest 2025 prospect that is on the Indiana radar is St. Francis (MD) four-star guard Tyler Jackson. Jackson is ranked No. 37 in the 2025 class.
He's a 6-foot-2 point guard who is a terrific scorer.
He was a standout at City of Palms this past week. Here's a breakdown of Jackson's performance from Rivals national recruiting director Rob Cassidy:
"Jackson is currently ranked as the No. 37 prospect in the 2025 class, but even that lofty ranking now feels too low for the Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances High School sophomore. A pure scorer capable of getting buckets in every imaginable way, Jackson still needs to add size and become a better distributor, but the young point guard is already a reliable shooter and possesses the ball-handling ability and quickness to create for himself off the bounce. On Sunday he turned in a 26-point effort that included three 3-pointers, a couple of mid-range pull-up buckets and a floater or two in the lane."
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The class of 2026 is obviously a bit away but one name to keep tabs on is Prolific Prep (CA) forward Tyran Stokes. Stokes is averaging 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists this year while shooting 40% from three.
Indiana is in contact here. He is looking to visit Indiana and a visit this season wouldn't be out of the question.
Here is a breakdown of Stokes' game from Rivals national recruiting director Rob Cassidy:
"Stokes plays with the aggression, instincts and athleticism of a senior. So while he needs some serious polishing when it comes to shooting and handling the ball, he projects as a strong, but hyper-versatile forward capable of playing multiple frontcourt positions, even if it seems as though he’s best suited for the 4 as things stand."
Here's some background:
Cassidy's Takeaways: Day 1 of Holiday Hoopsgiving
Four-star Trentyn Flowers scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting Friday.
Freshman Tyran Stokes talks recruitment, North Carolina fandom
One of the top 2026 players in America, Tyran Stokes grew up a North Carolina fan
At just 15 years old, Tyran Stokes trying to live up to hype
The young prospect already has offers from Alabama, Louisville, Texas A&M and others.
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2023 signee Gabe Cupps and Centerville are off to a good start this season at 6-1 and have won six straight since a loss to Cathedral (Ind.). He is averaging 14.0 points on 44.6 percent shooting, 5.7 assists and just 2.0 turnovers per game.
He scored 25 points on 11-of-18 FG against Cathedral.
