The Indiana basketball program is off to a 2-0 start and have looked good doing so, albeit agains lesser competition.
My couple main takeaways through two games:
1. Bench is the real deal and better than some staring 5s around the country
2. Miller Kopp is totally comfortable with his role this year and confident
3. How about the growth of Jordan Geronimo? 3 of his last 4 games dating back to last year he's scored 10+ points in... playing really confident
4. Jalen Hood-Schifino is the real deal. Struggled shooting last night but had 8 assists to just three turnovers in 28 minutes and a +34... the guy is a gamer and is such an added boost to the playmaking of this team.
5. Trayce Jackson-Davis is going to get his... but he's not forcing much at all this year. Very patient on paint touches and making smart plays.
6. Malik Reneau is a perfect spark off of the bench
7. This is a good shooting team and with multiple playmakers on the floor at once, IU is getting great looks.
Here were some of my takeaways from last night's win over Bethune-Cookman:
indiana.rivals.com
---
2024 four-star center Somto Cyril of Overtime Elite (GA) is on his official visit to Indiana this weekend. This is a recruitment to watch.
Cyril is ranked No. 28 in the 2024 Rivals150 but there is an option to reclassify to 2023, and that is a really strong possibility. Sources seem to indicate that is more of a chance than staying in 2024, at the moment. Time will tell, but that seems to be a real possibility.
Cyril has taken just one official visit, to Cincinnati.
Cincinnati and Indiana are the two programs to watch, according to sources.
Cyril is a 6-foot-10 forward who emerged as one of the more physically imposing big men in the country this summer on the AAU circuit. He is a terrific rebounder, rim protector and defender. His offensive game continues to develop, but anything around the rim is a dunk at this point.
Indiana assistant coach Yasir Rosemond is well connected in the Atlanta area and has visited Cyril a few times this summer and fall.
---
2024 five-star guard Dylan Harper of Don Bosco (NJ) is also going to be on his official visit to Indiana this weekend.
At this point, this is still an uphill battle for Indiana, but getting an official visit is notable. Rutgers and Duke remain the leaders in this one but there isn't an expectation that he will be making a decision in the near future.
Harper has visited Rutgers, Duke and Michigan officially.
The five-star guard is ranked No. 10 in the Rivals150 class of 2024 rankings.
---
2024 top-50 guard Rakease Passmore of Combine Academy (NC) had his official visit to Indiana last weekend and it was a very good one. It was his first official visit.
He currently holds offers from programs like Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, NC State, Illinois, Auburn, Oregon, Virginia, LSU, Memphis, Houston, Ole Miss and others.
Indiana set the bar very high and should be considered one of, if not the, frontrunner at this stage.
Passmore on the visit: "(The bar was set) Pretty high. Indiana was really good... It was great to see it all. It was different. It just felt different. I really felt like the coaches weren't just faking it with me because I was there. It felt great."
Passmore went on the visit with his guardian and stepbrother. They very much liked the visit as well.
"They loved Indiana. They said they loved the visit. They were almost having more fun than me."
Passmore has taken unofficial visits to Wake Forest, Tennessee, NC State and College of Charleston up to this point.
More on Passmore's post visit Q&A:
indiana.rivals.com
---
2024 four-star guard Jaeden Mustaf of Carmel Christian (NC) will be getting a visit from Mike Woodson and Kenya Hunter today.
Mustaf is still working on scheduling his official visit to Indiana, which will come during the season.
Mustaf has a good relationship with Indiana and is continuing to build on it.
"They are great," Mustaf said of Indiana's staff. "It is more than basketball. They ask about my family, and other things outside of basketball. I think it’s a great program and there is a great winning tradition . . . Overall we have a good relationship, just growing it more and more but it has been good so far."
---
Not a huge update on the topic of 2024 four-star center Derik Queen of Montverde Academy. This is going to be an Indiana vs Maryland battle and would be shocked if it doesn't end up being one of those two teams at this point.
The talk of moving to the 2023 class is still only whispers. We'll see if that happens. I think he stays 2024 at this moment in time, but he's nowhere near a decision so lots can happen.
There is also some potential of a pro route that could happen, according to sources. That has been whispered.
At the end of the day, I think he stays 2024 and will be deciding between Maryland and Indiana.
---
Indiana offered 2025 Malachi Moreno of Great Crossing (Ky.) recently. Moreno visited Indiana for Hoosier Hysteria and has been on IU's radar for a while.
He has offers from Indiana, Cincinnati, Iowa, Ohio State and Purdue among others.
He likes Indiana a lot in the early stages.
Here's an update from our friends over at Bearcat Report:
indiana.rivals.com
---
As noted earlier this week, 2025 Lloyd Memorial (Ky) wing EJ Walker will be taking an unofficial visit to Indiana on Jan. 8 for the game against Northwestern.
Walker was on campus for Hoosier Hysteria and Indiana has been in to watch him a few times this fall.
Dayton, Minnesota, Purdue, West Virginia, Ohio State and others involved.
---
Wednesday started early signing period and Indiana's two 2023 commits, Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton signed this week.
Cupps signed on Wednesday and Newton on Thursday.
Woodson comments:
indiana.rivals.com
Cupps Scouting Analysis:
indiana.rivals.com
Newton Scouting Analysis:
indiana.rivals.com
My couple main takeaways through two games:
1. Bench is the real deal and better than some staring 5s around the country
2. Miller Kopp is totally comfortable with his role this year and confident
3. How about the growth of Jordan Geronimo? 3 of his last 4 games dating back to last year he's scored 10+ points in... playing really confident
4. Jalen Hood-Schifino is the real deal. Struggled shooting last night but had 8 assists to just three turnovers in 28 minutes and a +34... the guy is a gamer and is such an added boost to the playmaking of this team.
5. Trayce Jackson-Davis is going to get his... but he's not forcing much at all this year. Very patient on paint touches and making smart plays.
6. Malik Reneau is a perfect spark off of the bench
7. This is a good shooting team and with multiple playmakers on the floor at once, IU is getting great looks.
Here were some of my takeaways from last night's win over Bethune-Cookman:
Quick Hitters: Takeaways from IU's win over Bethune-Cookman
Here are the main takeaways from Indiana's win over Bethune-Cookman.
---
2024 four-star center Somto Cyril of Overtime Elite (GA) is on his official visit to Indiana this weekend. This is a recruitment to watch.
Cyril is ranked No. 28 in the 2024 Rivals150 but there is an option to reclassify to 2023, and that is a really strong possibility. Sources seem to indicate that is more of a chance than staying in 2024, at the moment. Time will tell, but that seems to be a real possibility.
Cyril has taken just one official visit, to Cincinnati.
Cincinnati and Indiana are the two programs to watch, according to sources.
Cyril is a 6-foot-10 forward who emerged as one of the more physically imposing big men in the country this summer on the AAU circuit. He is a terrific rebounder, rim protector and defender. His offensive game continues to develop, but anything around the rim is a dunk at this point.
Indiana assistant coach Yasir Rosemond is well connected in the Atlanta area and has visited Cyril a few times this summer and fall.
---
2024 five-star guard Dylan Harper of Don Bosco (NJ) is also going to be on his official visit to Indiana this weekend.
At this point, this is still an uphill battle for Indiana, but getting an official visit is notable. Rutgers and Duke remain the leaders in this one but there isn't an expectation that he will be making a decision in the near future.
Harper has visited Rutgers, Duke and Michigan officially.
The five-star guard is ranked No. 10 in the Rivals150 class of 2024 rankings.
---
2024 top-50 guard Rakease Passmore of Combine Academy (NC) had his official visit to Indiana last weekend and it was a very good one. It was his first official visit.
He currently holds offers from programs like Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, NC State, Illinois, Auburn, Oregon, Virginia, LSU, Memphis, Houston, Ole Miss and others.
Indiana set the bar very high and should be considered one of, if not the, frontrunner at this stage.
Passmore on the visit: "(The bar was set) Pretty high. Indiana was really good... It was great to see it all. It was different. It just felt different. I really felt like the coaches weren't just faking it with me because I was there. It felt great."
Passmore went on the visit with his guardian and stepbrother. They very much liked the visit as well.
"They loved Indiana. They said they loved the visit. They were almost having more fun than me."
Passmore has taken unofficial visits to Wake Forest, Tennessee, NC State and College of Charleston up to this point.
More on Passmore's post visit Q&A:
Indiana sets 'high bar' for top-50 guard Rakease Passmore following visit
Indiana hosted 2024 top-50 wing Rakease Passmore of Combine Academy (NC) for an official visit.
---
2024 four-star guard Jaeden Mustaf of Carmel Christian (NC) will be getting a visit from Mike Woodson and Kenya Hunter today.
Mustaf is still working on scheduling his official visit to Indiana, which will come during the season.
Mustaf has a good relationship with Indiana and is continuing to build on it.
"They are great," Mustaf said of Indiana's staff. "It is more than basketball. They ask about my family, and other things outside of basketball. I think it’s a great program and there is a great winning tradition . . . Overall we have a good relationship, just growing it more and more but it has been good so far."
---
Not a huge update on the topic of 2024 four-star center Derik Queen of Montverde Academy. This is going to be an Indiana vs Maryland battle and would be shocked if it doesn't end up being one of those two teams at this point.
The talk of moving to the 2023 class is still only whispers. We'll see if that happens. I think he stays 2024 at this moment in time, but he's nowhere near a decision so lots can happen.
There is also some potential of a pro route that could happen, according to sources. That has been whispered.
At the end of the day, I think he stays 2024 and will be deciding between Maryland and Indiana.
---
Indiana offered 2025 Malachi Moreno of Great Crossing (Ky.) recently. Moreno visited Indiana for Hoosier Hysteria and has been on IU's radar for a while.
He has offers from Indiana, Cincinnati, Iowa, Ohio State and Purdue among others.
He likes Indiana a lot in the early stages.
Here's an update from our friends over at Bearcat Report:
Moreno Impressed by UC, Others
Sophomore wing Malachi Moreno continues to generate interest, including with UC, where he visited recently.
---
As noted earlier this week, 2025 Lloyd Memorial (Ky) wing EJ Walker will be taking an unofficial visit to Indiana on Jan. 8 for the game against Northwestern.
Walker was on campus for Hoosier Hysteria and Indiana has been in to watch him a few times this fall.
Dayton, Minnesota, Purdue, West Virginia, Ohio State and others involved.
---
Wednesday started early signing period and Indiana's two 2023 commits, Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton signed this week.
Cupps signed on Wednesday and Newton on Thursday.
Woodson comments:
Indiana announces signing of four-star guards Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton
The Indiana basketball program has officially announced the signing of its two-man 2023 recruiting class.
Cupps Scouting Analysis:
Scouting Analysis: Gabe Cupps
With his letter of intent now signed, TheHoosier.com takes a look at what Gabe Cupps will bring to Indiana.
Newton Scouting Analysis:
Scouting Analysis: Jakai Newton
With his letter of intent now signed, TheHoosier.com takes a look at what Jakai Newton will bring to Indiana.
