It has obviously been a busy past 48 hours for Indiana basketball - and even dating back to last week. Mike Woodson was named head coach on Sunday night and is now faced with a big task of trying to re-recruit the remaining five Hoosiers currently in the transfer portal. He also has to begin putting together his staff, something I would expect to start becoming announced within the week.
Woodson met with the team on Sunday night and began one-on-one meetings Monday with players, most important players in the transfer portal. Here are a few notes on some of the players in the transfer portal, as well as some additional notes.
If you missed it, earlier this afternoon IU senior guard Al Durham announced his commitment to Providence. Durham was the first player to announce his intention to transfer and there was no real thought he would return to Indiana. He averaged 11.3 points per game last year.
Armaan Franklin is the biggest name in the transfer portal for Indiana. He was IU's second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg) this past season. Since entering his name in the portal last week, he has heard from numerous big time programs. As of now, the three that have the most 'buzz' are Illinois, Virginia and Indiana. Multiple sources have told me that Illinois is pushing very hard. With the losses of Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier, there will be a need in the backcourt and his ability to be a two-way player is vital. I haven't been able to confirm this yet, but there has been some 'chatter' that a decision could come sooner rather than later. Indiana will still have a big need for Franklin and he showed this past season his importance to Indiana. Indiana was 7-4 on the season before Franklin suffered his first ankle injury and then 5-11 the rest of the way. Louisville is another program that had reached out to Franklin. At this time, however, I'm told by a few people around the Louisville program that they feel confident about landing Marshall transfer guard Jarrod West - set to announce tomorrow. If they land him, I would expect them to be out on Franklin. As a side note, West's final three are Pittsburgh, Louisville and Ohio State.
Next is Khristian Lander. The former five-star point guard was one of the five players to enter the portal last week. Again, he kept the option open to returning to Indiana. This is an interesting one. The point guard position is an emphasis for IU and Lander was obviously not the player many thought he would be last year. A lot can be pointed at the fact there was no summer for him to get acclimated with the program and the college training. But, at the end of the day, he didn't perform up to the level he can.
We were told Lander had a 'good' call with Woodson yesterday. Seemed to be introductory more than specifics. He is expected to have an in-person meeting on Wednesday with Coach Woodson. Woodson's style of play could be critical in Lander's decision.
Here is a brief description of what Woodson said during his press conference:
"We have got to recruit players that can shoot the ball and pass and dribble be able to make plays for one another. And in doing that, I think I can create an offense that everybody touches the basketball and if you can shoot the basketball, then your expected to shoot it and make shots. If you can’t shoot it, then you have to do other things to help us win basketball games."
Woodson wants to play faster and more free on offense. He wants to have guards who can make plays. We saw last year that Lander was one of the few guards who could make plays. Yes, he had a lot of turnovers, but he could make plays. Archie Miller called Lander, multiple times, the best playmaker and passer and guard with the best vision on the team. I think Lander would excel in Woodson's offense if given the keys to the car.
Lander's one-on-one meeting will go a long way - obviously - in determining whether he stays or goes. Seeing eye to eye on the offense, more than anything else, will be critical.
For Race Thompson and Jordan Geronimo, early indications suggest it will be difficult to keep them. Both out of state, Thompson (MN)/Geronimo (NJ), they seem to want to go closer to home. While Thompson hasn't openly said that, there seems to be some talk behind the scenes that is a possibility. As for Geronimo, it's evident he will be the hardest to keep in Bloomington. Here is what his mom told TheHoosier:
"Oh yes," his mom said on wanting him to be closer to home. "The first time we allowed Jordan to make his decision. This time we hope that he considers more of our concerns as his parents. We just want the best for Jordan."
One thing with Geronimo is his ability to defend and defend multiple positions. Here is what Woodson said about what he's looking for on that end of the floor.
"... from a defensive standpoint where you know we can recruit players that are capable of playing three or four positions. That’s kind of how I did it in the pros. Players that if you did switch defensively, you felt good about them. The players guarding the ball and players that are committed to rebounding the basketball."
Still, I think if Woodson keeps either of these guys, it's a major win.
Now to Parker Stewart. This one will tie closely with assistant coach Kenya Hunter. That relationship was the main reason he came to IU to begin with. His late father had a terrific relationship with Hunter and Hunter recruited Stewart when he was at Nebraska. If Hunter doesn't get retained on staff by Woodson, I find it extremely unlikely Stewart will return to Bloomington. Arkansas, Memphis and Kansas State were the other three program in his final-4 with Indiana when he announced his transfer from UT-Martin. I would expect Kansas State to get a look here if he goes elsewhere. The Wildcats have been involved with him every step of the way, going back to high school and following his transfer from Pitt. Indiana and Mike Woodson want shooters and Woodson said how much he loves to shoot 3's, so I'm not going to 100% rule out Stewart retuning to IU if Hunter leaves, but like I said, very unlikely.
So, the correlation with Kenya Hunter. Hunter has a lot of options. A lot. A lot of programs want him due to his strong recruiting ties to the East Coast. Sources have told me that Louisville has been pushing extremely hard here. Whether or not there has been a formal interview or not, there have been conversations. UL coach Chris Mack let two assistant go just a little over a week ago. Hunter remains on IU's list of potential assistant coaching candidates. I personally, think it would be VERY smart to keep Hunter on staff at Indiana.
Now for a player in the transfer portal that Indiana has reportedly reached out to. ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported that IU was one of 10+ programs to reach out to Florida transfer Noah Locke. For more context, it was reported by Adam Zagoria that an assistant for IU reached out to Locke. The 6-foot-3 and 205-pound Locke is a junior transfer guard. He averaged 10.6 points per game this past season while shooting 40.4 percent from three. For his three seasons, he has shot on average 40.3 percent, with his lowest percent being 37.9 as a freshman. He has made 2.3, 2.5 and then 2.3 3's per game in each of his three seasons.
A small additional note on some potential assistant coaches. Calbert Cheaney and Tim Buckley are two names that we've heard discussed. Nothing more on specifics with that, but wanted to pass that along. Buckley spent time from 2008–2017 on Tom Crean's staff. He is currently with UNLV as an assistant. As noted previously, Cheaney is an assistant with the Indiana Pacers right now.
Woodson met with the team on Sunday night and began one-on-one meetings Monday with players, most important players in the transfer portal. Here are a few notes on some of the players in the transfer portal, as well as some additional notes.
If you missed it, earlier this afternoon IU senior guard Al Durham announced his commitment to Providence. Durham was the first player to announce his intention to transfer and there was no real thought he would return to Indiana. He averaged 11.3 points per game last year.
Armaan Franklin is the biggest name in the transfer portal for Indiana. He was IU's second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg) this past season. Since entering his name in the portal last week, he has heard from numerous big time programs. As of now, the three that have the most 'buzz' are Illinois, Virginia and Indiana. Multiple sources have told me that Illinois is pushing very hard. With the losses of Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier, there will be a need in the backcourt and his ability to be a two-way player is vital. I haven't been able to confirm this yet, but there has been some 'chatter' that a decision could come sooner rather than later. Indiana will still have a big need for Franklin and he showed this past season his importance to Indiana. Indiana was 7-4 on the season before Franklin suffered his first ankle injury and then 5-11 the rest of the way. Louisville is another program that had reached out to Franklin. At this time, however, I'm told by a few people around the Louisville program that they feel confident about landing Marshall transfer guard Jarrod West - set to announce tomorrow. If they land him, I would expect them to be out on Franklin. As a side note, West's final three are Pittsburgh, Louisville and Ohio State.
Next is Khristian Lander. The former five-star point guard was one of the five players to enter the portal last week. Again, he kept the option open to returning to Indiana. This is an interesting one. The point guard position is an emphasis for IU and Lander was obviously not the player many thought he would be last year. A lot can be pointed at the fact there was no summer for him to get acclimated with the program and the college training. But, at the end of the day, he didn't perform up to the level he can.
We were told Lander had a 'good' call with Woodson yesterday. Seemed to be introductory more than specifics. He is expected to have an in-person meeting on Wednesday with Coach Woodson. Woodson's style of play could be critical in Lander's decision.
Here is a brief description of what Woodson said during his press conference:
"We have got to recruit players that can shoot the ball and pass and dribble be able to make plays for one another. And in doing that, I think I can create an offense that everybody touches the basketball and if you can shoot the basketball, then your expected to shoot it and make shots. If you can’t shoot it, then you have to do other things to help us win basketball games."
Woodson wants to play faster and more free on offense. He wants to have guards who can make plays. We saw last year that Lander was one of the few guards who could make plays. Yes, he had a lot of turnovers, but he could make plays. Archie Miller called Lander, multiple times, the best playmaker and passer and guard with the best vision on the team. I think Lander would excel in Woodson's offense if given the keys to the car.
Lander's one-on-one meeting will go a long way - obviously - in determining whether he stays or goes. Seeing eye to eye on the offense, more than anything else, will be critical.
For Race Thompson and Jordan Geronimo, early indications suggest it will be difficult to keep them. Both out of state, Thompson (MN)/Geronimo (NJ), they seem to want to go closer to home. While Thompson hasn't openly said that, there seems to be some talk behind the scenes that is a possibility. As for Geronimo, it's evident he will be the hardest to keep in Bloomington. Here is what his mom told TheHoosier:
"Oh yes," his mom said on wanting him to be closer to home. "The first time we allowed Jordan to make his decision. This time we hope that he considers more of our concerns as his parents. We just want the best for Jordan."
One thing with Geronimo is his ability to defend and defend multiple positions. Here is what Woodson said about what he's looking for on that end of the floor.
"... from a defensive standpoint where you know we can recruit players that are capable of playing three or four positions. That’s kind of how I did it in the pros. Players that if you did switch defensively, you felt good about them. The players guarding the ball and players that are committed to rebounding the basketball."
Still, I think if Woodson keeps either of these guys, it's a major win.
Now to Parker Stewart. This one will tie closely with assistant coach Kenya Hunter. That relationship was the main reason he came to IU to begin with. His late father had a terrific relationship with Hunter and Hunter recruited Stewart when he was at Nebraska. If Hunter doesn't get retained on staff by Woodson, I find it extremely unlikely Stewart will return to Bloomington. Arkansas, Memphis and Kansas State were the other three program in his final-4 with Indiana when he announced his transfer from UT-Martin. I would expect Kansas State to get a look here if he goes elsewhere. The Wildcats have been involved with him every step of the way, going back to high school and following his transfer from Pitt. Indiana and Mike Woodson want shooters and Woodson said how much he loves to shoot 3's, so I'm not going to 100% rule out Stewart retuning to IU if Hunter leaves, but like I said, very unlikely.
So, the correlation with Kenya Hunter. Hunter has a lot of options. A lot. A lot of programs want him due to his strong recruiting ties to the East Coast. Sources have told me that Louisville has been pushing extremely hard here. Whether or not there has been a formal interview or not, there have been conversations. UL coach Chris Mack let two assistant go just a little over a week ago. Hunter remains on IU's list of potential assistant coaching candidates. I personally, think it would be VERY smart to keep Hunter on staff at Indiana.
Now for a player in the transfer portal that Indiana has reportedly reached out to. ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported that IU was one of 10+ programs to reach out to Florida transfer Noah Locke. For more context, it was reported by Adam Zagoria that an assistant for IU reached out to Locke. The 6-foot-3 and 205-pound Locke is a junior transfer guard. He averaged 10.6 points per game this past season while shooting 40.4 percent from three. For his three seasons, he has shot on average 40.3 percent, with his lowest percent being 37.9 as a freshman. He has made 2.3, 2.5 and then 2.3 3's per game in each of his three seasons.
A small additional note on some potential assistant coaches. Calbert Cheaney and Tim Buckley are two names that we've heard discussed. Nothing more on specifics with that, but wanted to pass that along. Buckley spent time from 2008–2017 on Tom Crean's staff. He is currently with UNLV as an assistant. As noted previously, Cheaney is an assistant with the Indiana Pacers right now.
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