What happened on Tuesday wasn't a real surprise with Ibi Watson. The consensus opinion last week from those that closely followed this one that he was going to pick Michigan if the Wolverines offered, otherwise he'd likely choose Indiana. Watson comes from the same high school as Caris LeVert and had attended camp at Michigan and along with his family had built a good relationship with coach John Beilein.
The Watson news may be good if Indiana finds another shooter or two in this class. But they'll want to find a consistent shooter and the pickings are slim in this class. The good news is two guys that can fill it up from deep are visiting in four weeks -- the Huntington Prep duo of Curtis Jones and Miles Bridges. Both were teammates this past year with IU frosh Thomas Bryant.
Bridges had a huge July and may push himself into top 10-15 status in this class in the next Rivals150. While Michigan State and Kentucky are considered the co-favorites by many, getting Bridges on campus this early, with the students around in the lively atmosphere that you see at the start of the fall semester, might change all that. When we first interviewed Bridges two years ago he said Indiana and Kansas were his two dream schools.
Might not be a surprise if Indiana landed a commitment from Jones soon after this visit. Depending on who you talk to, Indiana or Georgetown leads for him right now. The only school that might be able to change that is Florida, but today it looks like a Georgetown or Indiana choice.
Landing Jones would help Indiana address the shooting void we have discussed. He has a little bit of a funky release but can knock down 3-4 three-pointers as quickly as anybody in this class except maybe Malik Monk.
In our Tuesday hot board we had Indiana, Arizona and Texas leading for De'Ron Davis, so his cutdown to that trio was as expected. Have since changed his leaders to just Indiana and Arizona, as those two seem to have the best shot.
Davis is looking at a December decision so you could see him wait to make an official for a November home game. Hoosier Hysteria in October would obviously make sense as well.
One guy that IU may clearly lead for could be Lamar Stevens, the No. 97 overall player in the senior class. He recently cut his list to IU, Pitt, Penn State, Villanova, Maryland, Temple, SMU and Marquette. Pitt seems to be the team to worry the most about here although there's a fair amount of buzz of a package deal for Carr and Stevens with Penn State, Maryland, SMU and Temple as the programs that made both players' short lists.
Stevens has already said that Indiana, Marquette and Pitt would be getting three of the five officials each recruit is allowed.
Another hot target for IU is Bruce Brown of Vermont Academy and the 6-foot-3 combo guard is planning to do his own short list any day now. Would expect to see Indiana, Texas, Arizona, SMU and UMass. Don't know that he'll just have five on his shorter list but those are the programs most discussed right now with Brown.
Not a lot to add on the Thon Maker and Rawle Alkins front as both players seem to be headed towards spring 2016 decisions. Maker has picked up recent offers from Iowa State and UNLV.
A couple other 2016 prospects not to sleep on are De'Riante Jenkins and DeVonte Green. Hoosiers are pursuing Jenkins as hard as anyone right now and Green had a very nice July, could help IU with scoring and distributing at guard and may help the Hoosiers land his good friend and AAU teammate Rawle Alkins. He's also gone on record that he'd like to set up a visit to Bloomington this coming month.
Added three new names to the 2016 Hot Board yesterday:
Clevon Brown - 6'7 power forward from San Antonio. IU watched him in July and has become a hot commodity among Big 12 programs after an impressive summer. Not ranked maybe because he plays with lower profile club team.
Robert Baker - skinny 6'8 power forward from Georgia that SEC shools love. Ranked No. 149 and is a terrific student which has lead to interest from Stanford and Ivy League programs.
Andrew Jones - a 6'4 guard who really blew up in July. Currently unranked but that will change and he's already earned offers from Texas, Oregon, Pitt, Arizona, Baylor, etc. From the Dallas area.
All may be longer shots but players who came on with big July play and often those prospects end up being pretty open to new schools joining the fray.
Spent several hours yesterday working on a 2017 hot board as it has over 40 names on it right now. Hope to have it up on front page this weekend.
A few 2017 tidbits: Combo guard Markus Howard is visiting IU for a quick unofficial on Sunday. He's from Las Vegas but the son of a former IU football player. Howard is ranked No. 31 overall in the class and is known for his long range bombing and his ability to use his nice strength to score on drives, despite being just under 6-foot. Some question as to whether he's a point guard but he handles it well.
Indiana offered 6-foot-6 Jaylen Sebree of Hopkinsville, Kentucky this week. He was scouted by them at the Super Showcase last weekend when he played with the Louisville Magic. Had the chance to see Sebree play a few times this month and looks like a solid small forward prospect because he's smooth, long, athletic and surprisingly skilled.
Youtube highlights Jaylen Sebree
Malik Williams of Fort Wayne Snider added offers from Purdue, Xavier and Cincinnati this past week. Williams was listed at 7-foot-0 for the first time this month by his Legit Basketball program. Indiana was his first offer last August.
Williams isn't the only in-state big from that 2017 class now on the Big Ten radar. Jack Nunge of Castle has grown to 6-foot-9 and is very skilled. Indiana and Iowa scouted him often this month and he holds offers from Ball State, Evansville, Vermont and Toledo. His 6-foot-8 teammate on Pocket City AAU is Alex King and the forward from Columbus North added Ball State and other D-1 offers this month.
The other big to keep in mind is 6-foot-9 Jaylen Butz from Fort Wayne North Side. July helped earn him Kent State and Ball State offers.
Because all three are just halfway through high school, have to think one may break through and earn a Big Ten offer at some point.
For those looking to pick up tickets for Maui Invitational the individual game ticket only sales begin in August. Right now I believe tickets are only available in travel packages. I know someone posted that August 6th (Thursday) was the day the game tickets may go on sale but in a quick check of the official site it just says sometime in August.
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The Hoosiers added to their 2016 recruiting class this week with a commitment from junior college defensive back Jayme Thompson. The Toledo, Ohio native started his college career at Ohio State but left after his true freshman season and transferred to Iowa Western C.C. He played at Iowa Western last fall and he will be there this fall before transferring to IU in January. He will have two years to play two. Thompson is listed as a safety but the IU staff feels like he can help them out at corner as well. Here is the story we put out on him this morning on his IU commitment.
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The IU staff is also trying to make a late addition to the 2015 recruiting class if they can. This past weekend they hosted junior college defensive back Quinn Tiggs for an official visit. Peegs.com heard the visit went well but IU is waiting to see how Tiggs finishes in a summer school class he is currently taking. If he gets the necessary grade it seems like there is a good chance he will be with the Hoosiers starting this fall. With the news yesterday that corners Laray Smith and Kenny Mullen are no longer with the program, and the news that Donavan Clark will be limited with a back injury adding an experienced player at corner could mean a lot to an IU defense that could be relying on several young players at a critical position. Here is the story we did on Tiggs before his visit last weekend.
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IU extended a new offer this week to 2017 in-state linebacker Bryant Fitzgerald from Avon. Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt put out this story today on Fitzgerald and his thoughts on getting an offer from the Hoosiers.
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Peegs.com spoke to Ohio athlete Malik Harrison recently about his recruiting and his interest in IU. The three-star prospect told us that the Hoosiers like him as a receiver and that he is very interested in them. He was in Bloomington last month for an unofficial visit. Here is out story on Harrison.
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Yesterday was the first day of the 2015 Big Ten Media Days and IU was one of seven conference schools to meet with the media. Head coach Kevin Wilson and players Nate Sudfeld, Jason Spriggs and Adarius Rayner were the representatives for the Hoosiers. Peegs.com was there and we have video of Coach Wilson and the players during yesterday’s media day.
Video: Kevin Wilson at B1G Media Day
Video: Sudfeld, Spriggs & Rayner at B1G Media Day
You can also check out the transcript of Coach Wilson’s comments at the media day from the Big Ten site.
The Hoosiers also announced some 2015 roster updates yesterday and you can check those out here.
The Watson news may be good if Indiana finds another shooter or two in this class. But they'll want to find a consistent shooter and the pickings are slim in this class. The good news is two guys that can fill it up from deep are visiting in four weeks -- the Huntington Prep duo of Curtis Jones and Miles Bridges. Both were teammates this past year with IU frosh Thomas Bryant.
Bridges had a huge July and may push himself into top 10-15 status in this class in the next Rivals150. While Michigan State and Kentucky are considered the co-favorites by many, getting Bridges on campus this early, with the students around in the lively atmosphere that you see at the start of the fall semester, might change all that. When we first interviewed Bridges two years ago he said Indiana and Kansas were his two dream schools.
Might not be a surprise if Indiana landed a commitment from Jones soon after this visit. Depending on who you talk to, Indiana or Georgetown leads for him right now. The only school that might be able to change that is Florida, but today it looks like a Georgetown or Indiana choice.
Landing Jones would help Indiana address the shooting void we have discussed. He has a little bit of a funky release but can knock down 3-4 three-pointers as quickly as anybody in this class except maybe Malik Monk.
In our Tuesday hot board we had Indiana, Arizona and Texas leading for De'Ron Davis, so his cutdown to that trio was as expected. Have since changed his leaders to just Indiana and Arizona, as those two seem to have the best shot.
Davis is looking at a December decision so you could see him wait to make an official for a November home game. Hoosier Hysteria in October would obviously make sense as well.
One guy that IU may clearly lead for could be Lamar Stevens, the No. 97 overall player in the senior class. He recently cut his list to IU, Pitt, Penn State, Villanova, Maryland, Temple, SMU and Marquette. Pitt seems to be the team to worry the most about here although there's a fair amount of buzz of a package deal for Carr and Stevens with Penn State, Maryland, SMU and Temple as the programs that made both players' short lists.
Stevens has already said that Indiana, Marquette and Pitt would be getting three of the five officials each recruit is allowed.
Another hot target for IU is Bruce Brown of Vermont Academy and the 6-foot-3 combo guard is planning to do his own short list any day now. Would expect to see Indiana, Texas, Arizona, SMU and UMass. Don't know that he'll just have five on his shorter list but those are the programs most discussed right now with Brown.
Not a lot to add on the Thon Maker and Rawle Alkins front as both players seem to be headed towards spring 2016 decisions. Maker has picked up recent offers from Iowa State and UNLV.
A couple other 2016 prospects not to sleep on are De'Riante Jenkins and DeVonte Green. Hoosiers are pursuing Jenkins as hard as anyone right now and Green had a very nice July, could help IU with scoring and distributing at guard and may help the Hoosiers land his good friend and AAU teammate Rawle Alkins. He's also gone on record that he'd like to set up a visit to Bloomington this coming month.
Added three new names to the 2016 Hot Board yesterday:
Clevon Brown - 6'7 power forward from San Antonio. IU watched him in July and has become a hot commodity among Big 12 programs after an impressive summer. Not ranked maybe because he plays with lower profile club team.
Robert Baker - skinny 6'8 power forward from Georgia that SEC shools love. Ranked No. 149 and is a terrific student which has lead to interest from Stanford and Ivy League programs.
Andrew Jones - a 6'4 guard who really blew up in July. Currently unranked but that will change and he's already earned offers from Texas, Oregon, Pitt, Arizona, Baylor, etc. From the Dallas area.
All may be longer shots but players who came on with big July play and often those prospects end up being pretty open to new schools joining the fray.
Spent several hours yesterday working on a 2017 hot board as it has over 40 names on it right now. Hope to have it up on front page this weekend.
A few 2017 tidbits: Combo guard Markus Howard is visiting IU for a quick unofficial on Sunday. He's from Las Vegas but the son of a former IU football player. Howard is ranked No. 31 overall in the class and is known for his long range bombing and his ability to use his nice strength to score on drives, despite being just under 6-foot. Some question as to whether he's a point guard but he handles it well.
Indiana offered 6-foot-6 Jaylen Sebree of Hopkinsville, Kentucky this week. He was scouted by them at the Super Showcase last weekend when he played with the Louisville Magic. Had the chance to see Sebree play a few times this month and looks like a solid small forward prospect because he's smooth, long, athletic and surprisingly skilled.
Youtube highlights Jaylen Sebree
Malik Williams of Fort Wayne Snider added offers from Purdue, Xavier and Cincinnati this past week. Williams was listed at 7-foot-0 for the first time this month by his Legit Basketball program. Indiana was his first offer last August.
Williams isn't the only in-state big from that 2017 class now on the Big Ten radar. Jack Nunge of Castle has grown to 6-foot-9 and is very skilled. Indiana and Iowa scouted him often this month and he holds offers from Ball State, Evansville, Vermont and Toledo. His 6-foot-8 teammate on Pocket City AAU is Alex King and the forward from Columbus North added Ball State and other D-1 offers this month.
The other big to keep in mind is 6-foot-9 Jaylen Butz from Fort Wayne North Side. July helped earn him Kent State and Ball State offers.
Because all three are just halfway through high school, have to think one may break through and earn a Big Ten offer at some point.
For those looking to pick up tickets for Maui Invitational the individual game ticket only sales begin in August. Right now I believe tickets are only available in travel packages. I know someone posted that August 6th (Thursday) was the day the game tickets may go on sale but in a quick check of the official site it just says sometime in August.
------------
The Hoosiers added to their 2016 recruiting class this week with a commitment from junior college defensive back Jayme Thompson. The Toledo, Ohio native started his college career at Ohio State but left after his true freshman season and transferred to Iowa Western C.C. He played at Iowa Western last fall and he will be there this fall before transferring to IU in January. He will have two years to play two. Thompson is listed as a safety but the IU staff feels like he can help them out at corner as well. Here is the story we put out on him this morning on his IU commitment.
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The IU staff is also trying to make a late addition to the 2015 recruiting class if they can. This past weekend they hosted junior college defensive back Quinn Tiggs for an official visit. Peegs.com heard the visit went well but IU is waiting to see how Tiggs finishes in a summer school class he is currently taking. If he gets the necessary grade it seems like there is a good chance he will be with the Hoosiers starting this fall. With the news yesterday that corners Laray Smith and Kenny Mullen are no longer with the program, and the news that Donavan Clark will be limited with a back injury adding an experienced player at corner could mean a lot to an IU defense that could be relying on several young players at a critical position. Here is the story we did on Tiggs before his visit last weekend.
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IU extended a new offer this week to 2017 in-state linebacker Bryant Fitzgerald from Avon. Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt put out this story today on Fitzgerald and his thoughts on getting an offer from the Hoosiers.
-----
Peegs.com spoke to Ohio athlete Malik Harrison recently about his recruiting and his interest in IU. The three-star prospect told us that the Hoosiers like him as a receiver and that he is very interested in them. He was in Bloomington last month for an unofficial visit. Here is out story on Harrison.
-----
Yesterday was the first day of the 2015 Big Ten Media Days and IU was one of seven conference schools to meet with the media. Head coach Kevin Wilson and players Nate Sudfeld, Jason Spriggs and Adarius Rayner were the representatives for the Hoosiers. Peegs.com was there and we have video of Coach Wilson and the players during yesterday’s media day.
Video: Kevin Wilson at B1G Media Day
Video: Sudfeld, Spriggs & Rayner at B1G Media Day
You can also check out the transcript of Coach Wilson’s comments at the media day from the Big Ten site.
The Hoosiers also announced some 2015 roster updates yesterday and you can check those out here.
