The Indiana basketball staff has had a 'slow' week this past week in comparison to how the first month went. Last weekend was highlighted by the Run N' Slam AAU event in Ft Wayne that featured multiple IU targets.
Among those that stood out were five star Gary West (IN) forward Jalen Washington and Wauwatosa East (WI) wing Leon Bond. Washington plays for Meanstreets on the AAU circuit and Bond plays for JH1 which is Jordan Hulls' AAU program.
Jalen Washington showed why he was a top-30 type player after failing to play a full high school season in his first two years. He was able to score all over the floor. He hit multiple 3's, turnaround jumpers, was aggressive with his post moves and showed a lot more agility than during the high school season. He continues to get better physically and was at 100% this past weekend.
Of his game, Washington told us: 'I am really just trying to keep it simple. I want to master shooting and posting first then start to move on to anything extra.'
Of what Washington wants to improve: 'I would say probably getting a better feel because I haven't had much expeirnce. I know getting stronger will definitely help me elevate my game.'
Indiana, Purdue, Louisville, Ohio State, Alabama and now North Carolina are heavily involved in his recruitment. He is in contact with the new IU staff and has a prior connection with Dane Fife as well. Indiana has made him the top priority now for the 2022 class.
For Leon Bond, he showed why he will be in line for a huge rankings bump. His ability to be a two-way player showed. He was all over the floor, whether he was in transition, scoring at the rim, mid-range jumpers, and even on the defensive end with multiple blocks as well.
Indiana was in contact with Bond before the coaching change and Mike Roberts was his main contact.
Bond told us he is expected to speak with the new staff 'soon': 'No I haven’t but the director of my (AAU) program said that they plan on calling me soon.'
Bond on Mike Woodson's experience: 'I think it’s amazing. Having someone who played at the highest level to learn from is a huge advantage and can help your game develop.'
I would expect IU, along with multiple other high major programs to get involved very soon. He holds P5 offers from Marquette and Virginia Tech right now.
More on Bond: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/indiana-continues-to-monitor-2022-wing-leon-bond
As for a recent offer, Wilbraham and Monson Academy (MA) forward Kyle Filipowski continues to have constant communication with Indiana. He had another 'really good' zoom this past week with the staff and IU is continuing to ramp up its recruitment of the three-star forward.
This is one to continue to monitor, as we have mentioned in the past. There is heavy mutual interest between the two and Filipowski will continue to rise in the rankings and see many more big programs get involved in his recruitment over the next two months.
More on his IU offer: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/2022-pf-kyle-filipowski-breaks-down-indiana-offer-summer-plans
Some 2023 names that are starting to emerge on the IU radar are Centerville (OH) guard Gabe Cupps and North Laurel (KY) guard Reed Sheppard. Cupps is more of a pass first point guard who has good athleticism and great vision. He is still developing his overall offensive skillset in terms of scoring the ball, but he can get into the lane at will and is a very crafty player all around the court. For Sheppard, he is an ideal combo guard who can play on and off of the ball. He is a great scorer and playmaker.
Very early stages of communication but IU is interested in both at the moment.
More on Sheppard: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/run-n-slam-iu-targets-notes-and-takeaways
Finally, for 2021 signee Tamar Bates, he is going to be a big riser in the new Rivals150 rankings. He has been spotlighted numerous times this past week when it comes to storylines heading into Rivals Rankings Week.
Bates is expected to arrive in Bloomington in June with most of the incoming class. Obviously he hasn't played a second of college basketball yet, but the way he helped run the IMG team this past year showed he is going to be a big time player at the next level. At this point, I wouldn't be shocked if he earns a starting spot early in the season - but we are a ways from that point.
More on expected rise:
indiana.rivals.com
indiana.rivals.com
Among those that stood out were five star Gary West (IN) forward Jalen Washington and Wauwatosa East (WI) wing Leon Bond. Washington plays for Meanstreets on the AAU circuit and Bond plays for JH1 which is Jordan Hulls' AAU program.
Jalen Washington showed why he was a top-30 type player after failing to play a full high school season in his first two years. He was able to score all over the floor. He hit multiple 3's, turnaround jumpers, was aggressive with his post moves and showed a lot more agility than during the high school season. He continues to get better physically and was at 100% this past weekend.
Of his game, Washington told us: 'I am really just trying to keep it simple. I want to master shooting and posting first then start to move on to anything extra.'
Of what Washington wants to improve: 'I would say probably getting a better feel because I haven't had much expeirnce. I know getting stronger will definitely help me elevate my game.'
Indiana, Purdue, Louisville, Ohio State, Alabama and now North Carolina are heavily involved in his recruitment. He is in contact with the new IU staff and has a prior connection with Dane Fife as well. Indiana has made him the top priority now for the 2022 class.
For Leon Bond, he showed why he will be in line for a huge rankings bump. His ability to be a two-way player showed. He was all over the floor, whether he was in transition, scoring at the rim, mid-range jumpers, and even on the defensive end with multiple blocks as well.
Indiana was in contact with Bond before the coaching change and Mike Roberts was his main contact.
Bond told us he is expected to speak with the new staff 'soon': 'No I haven’t but the director of my (AAU) program said that they plan on calling me soon.'
Bond on Mike Woodson's experience: 'I think it’s amazing. Having someone who played at the highest level to learn from is a huge advantage and can help your game develop.'
I would expect IU, along with multiple other high major programs to get involved very soon. He holds P5 offers from Marquette and Virginia Tech right now.
More on Bond: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/indiana-continues-to-monitor-2022-wing-leon-bond
As for a recent offer, Wilbraham and Monson Academy (MA) forward Kyle Filipowski continues to have constant communication with Indiana. He had another 'really good' zoom this past week with the staff and IU is continuing to ramp up its recruitment of the three-star forward.
This is one to continue to monitor, as we have mentioned in the past. There is heavy mutual interest between the two and Filipowski will continue to rise in the rankings and see many more big programs get involved in his recruitment over the next two months.
More on his IU offer: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/2022-pf-kyle-filipowski-breaks-down-indiana-offer-summer-plans
Some 2023 names that are starting to emerge on the IU radar are Centerville (OH) guard Gabe Cupps and North Laurel (KY) guard Reed Sheppard. Cupps is more of a pass first point guard who has good athleticism and great vision. He is still developing his overall offensive skillset in terms of scoring the ball, but he can get into the lane at will and is a very crafty player all around the court. For Sheppard, he is an ideal combo guard who can play on and off of the ball. He is a great scorer and playmaker.
Very early stages of communication but IU is interested in both at the moment.
More on Sheppard: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/run-n-slam-iu-targets-notes-and-takeaways
Finally, for 2021 signee Tamar Bates, he is going to be a big riser in the new Rivals150 rankings. He has been spotlighted numerous times this past week when it comes to storylines heading into Rivals Rankings Week.
Bates is expected to arrive in Bloomington in June with most of the incoming class. Obviously he hasn't played a second of college basketball yet, but the way he helped run the IMG team this past year showed he is going to be a big time player at the next level. At this point, I wouldn't be shocked if he earns a starting spot early in the season - but we are a ways from that point.
More on expected rise:
TheHoosier - Rivals Roundtable: Iverson Classic, stock boosters, ranking moves
Five-star Paolo Banchero could make a case for the top spot in the 2021 rankings at the Iverson Classic.
indiana.rivals.com
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