2026 IU Basketball Recruiting Hot Board – Version 2

Jan 4, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (TX) forward Davion Adkins (25) against Utah Prep Academy during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Highland High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Subscriber Content If you are reading this, I can safely assume three things about you: You are an IU basketball fan. You are familiar with the concept of a “hot board”. You have exceptional taste in what you read and are supporting independent media. Hooray for you! With those indisputable facts established, welcome to the SECOND version of the 2026 Hoosier Huddle IU Basketball Hot Board. This will be slightly different than others you might read and I reserve the right to change the format if it is discovered that readers want tweaks or adjustments. For now, I will list offered prospects in a very specific order: likelihood they are to end up committing to IU. That means committed prospects will be at the very top of the board. I will be using the 247Sports Composite Ranking and the “evaluation” and thoughts on the player will be coming both from myself and from recruiting analysts and experts. Where appropriate, a player comparison will be included. Your thoughts and conversation on individual prospects or the class on a whole are very welcomed. For transparency and context purposes, version number one had players ranked as follows: Prince Alexander-Moody (committed), Latrell Allmond, Ethan Taylor, Anthony Thompson, Taylen Kinney, Arafan Diane, Jordan Smith and Aiden Derkack with several others in the “others to know” section. Version number two is being written after the July evaluation periods and the conclusion of the AAU season. We are now entering official visit season! Committed Prince Alexander-Moody Player Vitals: 6’4”/180 pounds from District Heights, MD and Bishop McNamara High School – Team Takeover AAU – 4-star (90) ranked 123rd – Chose IU over Vanderbilt, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State and others Prince Alexander-Moody is the first (and currently only) commit of the 2026 recruiting class. He is listed as a combo guard but IU is expecting him to be a point guard in college. His wingspan appears to be that of roughly a 6’6” individual and once he adds a bit of bulk, he will be a versatile perimeter player that should be a real asset on the defensive end and as a driver. He is often able to beat his defender one-on-one and get into the lane and he finishes with a fairly reliable mid-range jumper or with good wiggle around the basket. I certainly would not call him Alexander-Moody an elite athlete but he’s above-average and has outstanding downhill quickness. His length and quickness make a good defender already and he has the potential to be high-end on that level with the ability to switch three or four positions pretty easily. There are two things that IU will be hoping he can improve upon to really outplay his ranking: consistency as a perimeter shooter and elevating his decision-making as the primary ball-handler. He is only shooting 29.4% in EYBL play for Team Takeover (but he did shoot it better at a recent DMV Live event with his high school team). Analysts like the outstanding Trevor Andershock report that his form looks good and believe he projects out to be a good perimeter shooter in college. That’s very promising. The second point for improvement is critical if Prince Alexander-Moody is to end up being a point guard for the Hoosiers. He is not currently a dynamic passer. If that improves, he could be a really good point guard and primary ball handler. If not, and he remains more of just a distributor, he should still be a very solid secondary ball handler and combo guard that could pair next to true point guards (hypothetically, players like Jason Gardner Jr. or Taylen Kinney). Prince Alexander-Moody is exceptionally bright off and on the court and he appears to have a personality that will be loved by the IU faithful. UPDATE: Prince Alexander-Moody led all players at the Peach Jam in three-point percentage. It’s a small sample size but that is promising for his continued development. Qayden Samuels and Prince Alex Moody WENT OFF in front of 15+ College Coaches!! 📈 Offered Latrell Allmond (still #1 on the offered list) Player Vitals: 6’8”/225 pounds from Richmond, VA, Petersburg High School and Team Loaded AAU – 4-star (93) ranked 42nd nationally – Top Schools include IU, LSU, Oklahoma State, Rutgers and others emerging Latrell Allmond has had a terrific summer and his official visit to IU in mid-June has him right at the top of the targets list. He’s a modern forward or stretch center that would appear to fit into Darian DeVries’ system really well. Allmond has been one of the top players in the EYBL circuit thus far (15 points/7.5 rebounds/47.1% from 3) and he has used his estimated 7’0” wingspan to finish around the rim with ease against most every defender that tries to match up with him. He has what everyone is looking for in a modern big man with good ball-handling skills, great hands and a really good outside shot. Allmond is a good shot-blocker and a developing defender but he shows a lot of promise there thanks to good agility and quickness. Jeff Rabjohns of peegs.com is really darn good at evaluation and projection and he compares Allmond to a college veteran version of Juwan Morgan. For those that don’t remember, that means he’d be a heck of a player. Kenny Johnson was all over Allmond as an assistant at Georgetown and he has IU in a very strong spot in this recruitment. To be blunt, I expect Allmond to be a star in college and I hope it is at IU. UPDATE: Sources indicate that IU is still leading for Allmond and he is hoping to have his recruitment wrapped up by his birthday in October. IU is hoping he makes a choice before much longer because the longer this drags on, the more time there is for something to change. Latrell Allmond - Team Loaded - 2025 Adidas 3SSB Highlights Anthony Thompson (up from #3 to #2) Player Vitals: 6’8”/185 pounds from Lebanon (OH) and Western Reserve Academy – Indiana Elite AAU – 5-star (98) ranked 9th nationally – top schools include Auburn, IU, Kansas and BYU There was a time when Anthony Thompson was considered a heavy lean to Ohio State but the Buckeyes did not close the deal early and Thompson’s stock took off last summer and Jon Diebler did not exactly set the world on fire in his first season as head coach in Columbus. IU’s previous staff was recruiting Thompson but he was not a likely option until Darian DeVries was hired and brought on Drew Adams as an assistant coach. Adams is well-connected to Indiana Elite and the Hoosiers are now a real player in this recruitment. Anthony Thompson has tantalizing potential and the perfect frame of a modern-day wing. He has a 7’2” wingspan but he has the on-ball skills of a guard. He’s already a terrific three-point shooter and he can move really well, particularly in transition. A few interesting tidbits that might end up mattering: Thompson signed a national adidas NIL deal recently (as you know, IU is a marquee school for adidas…but so is Kansas) and he has yet to lock in a date for an official visit to Bloomington. If he does end up visiting IU this summer, as is rumored, IU should have a real shot to land the blue-chip prospect. UPDATE: Thompson was awesome this summer and he’s a Bonafide scorer. Kids today would say: “He’s a bucket”! He averaged 22.5 points per game on the adidas 3SSB circuit (number one) and had a terrific effective field goal percentage of 59.7 percent. IU is one of three schools that I believe are legitimate contenders for Thompson (Kentucky and Michigan are the others). If IU lands Latrell Allmond, I do wonder if it makes it more difficult to land Thompson but I love IU’s chances to land one of them and Allmond would very likely be in college for more than one season, something that cannot be said of Thompson. He looks like a surefire one-and-done. Anthony Thompson - Indiana Elite - 2025 Adidas 3SSB Highlights Taylen Kinney (up from #4 to #3) Player Vitals: 6’1”/185 pounds from Newport, KY and Overtime Elite – Wildcat Select AAU – 5-star (98) ranked 11th nationally – top schools include Kentucky, Louisville, Alabama, IU IU wants at least two guards in this class and they’d love to land a top-end true point guard. Prince Alexander-Moody certainly fills one of those guard spots and Taylen Kinney is one of the potential and preferred options at point guard. Kinney now plays for Overtime Elite but he is a native of Kentucky and many think it will be really tough to get him away from Louisville or Kentucky. He is a dynamic lead guard that is a really good creator and playmaker for his teammates (over five assists per game as a junior) and he’s shown to evaluators that he makes excellent decisions with the ball. Quickness is the name of the game for Kinney. The only non-elite part of his game is his outside shooting. Experts like his form but the results have shown that thus far, he’s an average or below three-point shooter. DeVries was recruiting Kinney when he was at West Virginia and has continued that pursuit at IU. Nothing is scheduled yet but he is expected to visit IU this summer. Ultimately, I don’t think Kinney leaves the Bluegrass State (well, after he comes back from Overtime Elite ha). UPDATE: As expected, Taylen Kinney has now locked in a visit to IU. He’ll be in Bloomington from August 29 to August 31 (opening weekend for IU football). Kentucky and Louisville are considered one-two for the point guard but IU is getting an official visit and that gives the Hoosiers a chance. The Indiana staff definitely wants a top-notch high school point guard in this class. Deron Rippey (up to #4 from Others to Know) Player Vitals: 6’2”/175 pounds from Blairstown, NJ and Blair Academy – New Heights – 5-star (97) ranked 17th nationally and #2 point guard – top schools include Tennessee, IU, Duke, Louisville, Auburn and UConn. UPDATE: I did not think IU had a realistic shot at Deron Rippey Jr. but the coaching staff made him a priority at recent events and earned an official visit. Rippey Jr. will be at IU from October 17 to October 19. That is Homecoming weekend and IU will be hosting Michigan State on the gridiron. He’s a lightning quick guard that can seemingly get to the rim at will. He is really athletic and impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Rippey’s shooting from the perimeter has improved quite a bit over the past several months but it’s still not considered a strength. Deron Rippey Jr. - 2025 NBPA Top 100 Camp Highlights Davion Adkins (up to #5 from unlisted) Player Vitals: 6’9”/205 pounds from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Prolific Prep plus Southern Assault AAU – 4-star (95) ranked 32nd nationally (3rd center) – top schools include Kansas, Houston, IU and Rutgers UPDATE: Yes, Davion Adkins is “only” 6’9” but he has tremendous length and athleticism and that makes him a really good rim-protecting center. His 7’2” wingspan is notable and gives him the ability to consistently challenge shots and defend the interior. After some early struggles in July (analysts that saw him reported that he was trying to do too much on the perimeter and was not sticking to what he does best), Adkins refocused himself and was great during the later weekends of the AAU season. He’s originally from Dallas and that makes Houston an immediate contender and his playing style reminds me right away of the active and long big guys Kelvin Sampson used to win the national title. When he plays with a high-motor and sticks to running the floor, rebounding and blocking shots, he’s a force and would be a really good fit for the Darian DeVries system. Plus, his lack of a perimeter game makes him a very likely multi-year college player. Davion Adkins has now scheduled six official visits and IU is first (September 13). His other visits will be Rutgers, Kansas, Houston, Auburn and UCLA (October 25). Junior County (#6 from unlisted) Player Vitals: 6’4”/180 pounds from Mount Pleasant, UT and Wasatch Academy, Utah Prospects AAU – 4-star (96) ranked 27th nationally – finalists are Purdue, IU, Arizona, Maryland and UConn UPDATE: The mutual interest between IU and Junior County escalated quickly in July and the IU coaching staff made a point to get eyes on him throughout the latter stages of the AAU season. On July 28, County announced his final five and he is setting up dates for official visits to each school. Purdue has been on him the longest and he went to West Lafayette in November. This is a player that is ascending and he’s had a great last 12 months. 247’s Eric Bossi calls him “a wise decision maker with the ball, a projectable frame that will easily carry more weight and when set he has the tools to be one of the better shooters in the class”. He’s considered a really good playmaker for others and projects as a player capable of initiating the offense at the college level as a secondary ball-handler. Ethan Taylor (down from #2 to #7) Player Vitals: 7’0”/230 pounds from Branson, MO and Link Academy, MoKan Elite AAU – 4-star (97) ranked 22nd nationally – top schools include IU, Kansas, Baylor and Houston Ethan Taylor is the prototypical rim-running and shot-blocking center teams are looking for. He’s a legitimate seven-footer with nearly a 7’3” wingspan and he jumped from 73rd to 22nd in the rankings thanks to his great play in the Nike EYBL this summer. He projects as a high-level rebounder and shot-blocker on defense. On offense, he’s a really good screen and roll diver that can effectively catch and finish at the rim (typically with a dunk). If you appreciate big men that don’t try to be something they are not, Ethan Taylor is your guy. He will not try to stretch the floor as a perimeter shooter and he will not demand post-ups and try to dazzle with moves in the paint. IU assistant Rod Clark has connections to the MoKan Elite program and got the Hoosiers in the door and IU is in really good shape. UPDATE: Ethan Taylor’s numbers are not going to impress but he split time all AAU season and actually impressed with his play down the stretch. He’s efficient and showed good vision as a passer from the high-post and perimeter. He’s from Kansas and if the Jayhawks push, I do think they’ll be tough to beat. That’s the main reason for his slide. Kansas is in on a number of good center prospects so if they take someone like Toni Bryant first or don’t prioritize Taylor, that may change the equation for Taylor. Arafan Diane (down from #6 to #8) Player Vitals: 7’1”/260 pounds from Norfolk, Iowa and Iowa United Prep – Iowa United AAU – 4-star (97) ranked 15th nationally and #1 center on 247Sports. Top schools include Arkansas, Arizona, IU, Creighton, BYU and several others Of the prospects on this list, no one is more physically intimidating and impressive than Arafan Diane (of course, all of them are quite physically impressive to this aging little man). He’s 7’1” and built like a brickhouse. He was relatively unknown until this summer before dominating a number of matchups against four and five-star big men. Those performances catapulted him up the rankings. Diane has a true shooting percentage of 79.9 while averaging 16.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Diane is a shot blocker on defense, as one would expect. On offense, he finishes really well around the rim and is showing a pretty good shooting touch. It’s a small sample size but he is making 60 percent of his three-point attempts on the adidas 3SSB circuit this summer. Indiana is trying really hard to get an official visit from Diane but he’s going to be really hard to reel in. UPDATE: Diane is still the top-ranked center in the class of 2026 because he’s such a force with the ball in his hands in the paint. I don’t think he’s necessarily an ideal fit for the Darian DeVries system but it could certainly work if he can be protected a bit in ball screen coverage on defense. IU is expected to eventually get an official visit from the big man. Arafan Diane - 2025 NBPA Top 100 Camp Highlights Jordan Smith Jr. (down from #7 to #9) Player Vitals: 6’2”/200 pounds from Fairfax, VA and Paul VI Catholic – Team Takeover AAU – 5-star (98) ranked 2nd in the country and the top guard Jordan Smith is one of the more coveted prospects in the country and he’ll be incredibly difficult to land but IU is absolutely trying. Drew Adams went to Switzerland to watch him play for Team USA in a U19 competition in late June and the Hoosiers have had a consistent presence at every Team Takeover game this summer. His AAU teammate, Prince Alexander-Moody, is already committed and Kenny Johnson’s DMV/Team Takeover connections have IU feeling like they can get a visit. Jordan Smith is a terrific competitor and he’s a power driver with a rare combination of strength and length. Smaller guards aren’t strong enough for him and bigger players are rarely quick enough for him and if Jordan Smith wants to get to the basket, he tends to get what he wants. I’ve never seen anyone at the high school level drive the ball with quite the ferocity Eric Gordon did for Indy Heat and North Central High School but Smith packs a similar punch when he attacks. Jordan Smith is not a good outside shooter right now and there are concerns that he might never be (his free throw percentage suggests the shooting concern is legitimate). He has to at least improve as a free throw shooter because he lives at the line. He projects as a plus-player right away on both ends of the floor., particularly as a menacing perimeter defender. It’s going to be very difficult to win his recruitment over elite Nike schools (looking at you Duke). UPDATE: IU continues to stay in the fight for Jordan Smith and Kenny Johnson gives the Hoosiers a chance but Duke really wants Jordan Smith and they rarely lose a prospect that they really, really want. Jordan Smith Jr. Paul VI Highlights Cole Cloer (up from Others to Know to #10) Player Vitals: 6’7”/185 pounds, originally from North Carolina and now at IMG Academy, Team CP3 for AAU, four-star (96) and ranked 24th nationally, finalists include Alabama, IU, Louisville, Florida, NC State, UNC, UK UPDATE: The Indiana coaching staff made it clear to Cole Cloer that they really wanted a visit from the 6’7” wing. Cloer has always been known as a strong shooter but his game has taken another step forward thanks to his ability to create for others as a passer and driver. Over 20 EYBL games, Cloer shot 34.1 percent from three on 6.5 attempts per game (per Trevor Andershock of peegs.com). He’s an above average defender and pretty good rebounder as a wing. If his shooting can improve a tick, along with the other things he does well, Cloer becomes a very positive-impact wing player in college. He has visits already scheduled to Florida, Louisville and Alabama and Kentucky just offered on July 21. Cloer says he wants to visit IU and if he does, he might move up this list but until then, he’s at #10. Sayon Keita (unlisted to #11) Player Vitals: 6’11”, native of Bamako, Mali and currently plays for FC Barcelona in Spain, considered the top international prospect UPDATE: Sayon Keita has a visit scheduled with Indiana on July 29 as he hits a list of blue bloods on a whirlwind US tour. Other visits are scheduled for Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and UConn with the Huskies getting the final visit on August 2. Keita has great length and showed out at the NBPA Top 100 Camp thanks to his defensive ability. 247Sports’ Travis Branham called him a game-changing defender that could anchor a defense thanks to mobility, length and rim protection. IU is getting a visit so he makes the cut but Keita’s camp is looking for the best path to the NBA and it’s hard to envision beating out Duke and UConn for an international center wanting to get to the NBA after one season. Getting a visit is impressive for Drew Adams and the new staff as IU continues to break into the international market. Sayon Keita - 2025 NBPA Top 100 Camp Highlights - YouTube Aiden Derkack (down from #7 to #12) Player Vitals: 6’5”/160 pounds from Colonia, New Jersey and Colonia High School – Team Final AAU – four-star (92) ranked 48th nationally and the 5th ranked shooting guard Aiden Derkack is the younger brother of former Rutgers guard Jordan Derkack. He is a top 50 prospect that played really well at the Pangos All-American Camp and piqued the interest of the Hoosiers’ staff. Rod Clark watched all of Derkack’s games recently at an even called Philly Live and earned an offer from IU. It’s early in this recruitment and unclear how serious Derkack is going to be about IU. He is known as a major competitor that does whatever it takes to win and that is exemplified with the highest Performance Index Rating (overall impact analytic) on his AAU team. I will make a prediction that IU ends up appealing to Derkack and I think he’ll ultimately visit Bloomington. If that does occur, he skyrockets up this list. UPDATE: Derkack put up numbers during the AAU season but he really struggled to shoot the ball and the IU coaches did not make him a priority at all. That leads me to believe the Hoosiers are not going to push for a visit and he does not appear to be a player they are interested in. Others to Know Luigi Suigo (international prospect, already visited IU but there does not appear to be much traction), #14 Mikka Muurinen (IU is a finalist but this one seems highly unlikely right now, it’s tough to gauge because he did not play AAU this summer), #85 Marcius Ponder (IU is a finalist but have not really pushed thus far) Subscribe to get access Read more of this content when you subscribe today. Log in

2026 IU Basketball Recruiting Hot Board – Version 2

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2026 IU Basketball Recruiting Hot Board – Version 2

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