Written by: TJ Inman
The Indiana Hoosiers are set to clash with Tennessee Tech this evening but they got began the day with a pair of big wins as 2027 prospects Chase Branham and Darius Wabbington officially signed with Darian DeVries’ program.
Wabbington is a 6’11” big man from Phoenix that is the third-highest ranked prospect to sign with Indiana in the 247Sports era. He committed to IU a couple of months ago and chose the Hoosiers over Arizona and Illinois. The Indiana University release is as follows:
Darius Wabbington
Forward | 6-11 | 255
Phoenix, Ariz. | Sunnyslope
No. 12 on ESPN | No. 13 on 247Sports | No. 17 on Rivals
Three-year letterwinner for head coach Ray Portela at Sunnyslope in Phoenix… averaged 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game as a junior… shot 52.3% from the floor, 35.6% from the 3-point line, and 74.3% from the free throw line as a junior with the Vikings… won the 2026 AIA Open Division state title… claimed silver at the U18 FIBA AmeriCup in the summer of 2026… averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in five international games with Team USA… posted 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest for the Compton Magic on the adidas 3SSB circuit during the 2026 season… posted 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per night in 29 games as a sophomore and 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per outing as a freshman… attended USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamps from 2023-26… son of Melissa and Derek Wabbington… has one sister, Draya, and one brother, Daxon… born on Aug. 29, 2008.
DeVries on Wabbington:
“Darius possesses the unique blend of size, mobility, skill, and basketball IQ. He is the true definition of a connector on the floor through his willingness to communicate and uplift his teammates and his on-court vision. He has great range on his jumpshot, an advanced mid-post isolation game, and has shown a great work ethic as he strives to get better. We are extremely excited to add him to our Hoosier family. We know he will be representative of our University both on and off the court.”
Chase Branham is a four-star guard that is from Missouri but is playing his high school senior season at La Lumiere Academy in Indiana. He is considered by many analysts to be one of the best shooters in the country. The release from IU is as follows:
Chase Branham
Guard| 6-4 | 185
Rogersville, Mo. | La Lumiere School (Ind.)
No. 28 on ESPN | No. 25 on 247Sports | No. 38 on Rivals
Three-year letterwinner for head coach John Schaefer at Logan-Rogersville in Missouri… 2026 MaxPreps Small-Town All-American… averaged 21.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 stelas per game as a junior… shot 61.7% from the floor, 41.1% from the 3-point line, and 84.8% from the free throw line as a junior with the Wildcats… won the 2026 Class 4A state title… scored 31 points to upset traditional power Vashon in the semifinal game… transferred to La Lumiere, a prep school in northern Indiana, for his senior season… posted 18.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per contest for KC Run GMC on the Under Armour circuit during the 2026 season… shot 41% from the 3-point line and 94% from the free throw line… named All-UAA First Team… Under Armour Next City Classic MVP… attended USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamps in 2025 and 2026… son of Lori and Nick Branham… has one sister, Brooke, and one brother, Jake… born on Sept. 5, 2008.
DeVries on Branham:
“Chase is a dynamic playmaker that is effective at all three levels. Because of his work ethic and love for the game, he continues to push himself to new levels and has developed multi-dimensional skills. As good of a player that Chase is, he is an even better person and exemplifies all the attributes that we want our program to be about. It is exciting that Chase is officially a Hoosier and we cannot wait for him to get to Bloomington.”
IU hosts the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Thursday night at 6:30.
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