@thehoosierhuddle To piggyback on this...it seems like it is Kansas and IU for Taylor and if KU gets Davion Adkins, perhaps IU becomes the favorite for the nation's #2 center.
Deron Rippey cancelled his IU visit (he also cancelled Kansas). That recruitment was an extreme long shot and we can now cross it off altogether. IU began the live period with an active day.
Drew Adams is still in Europe to see Miika Muurinen. Darian DeVries and the other assistants stayed in the US and saw Anthony Thompson, Arafan Diane and Ethan Taylor from the 2026 class and Davion Thompson and Chase Branham from the 2027 class.
Aggressive recruiting is certainly the medicine for IUBB. We were aggressive under Crean but his results were peaks and valleys and turned into a real dud with Hoosier state talent.
Crean offered anyone with a pulse.
It’s looking more likely our lead PG next year is from the portal. That’s fine.
Crean offered anyone with a pulse.
he managed the roster like one would draft for a fantasy football team. Grab a bunch of high upside players and hope someone pops. Put no thought into future years.
@tammany That seems increasingly likely, yes. I think the 2027 class should see IU land one of Chase Branham/Jason Gardner Jr./Davion Thompson but yeah, it will probably be a portal point guard after Conerway and Enright exit.
This is a shot in the dark right now but pre-visits, I'll guess IU ends up with a class of Prince Alexander-Moody/Latrell Allmond/Ethan Taylor and then goes portal shopping for an impact guard or two.
@tjinman1987 hypothetically if you're right...
Guards that could return + Frosh... Drake, Miles, Dorn, Ritsic, Alexander-Moody
Wing/Bigs that could return + Frosh... Harris, Sisley, Amisovic, Allmond, Taylor
3 slots left. Definitely would need a lead guard, or 2. And probably an experienced portal big of some sort.
Highly unlikely all 7 of the guys than could return, will return though. I'm gonna guess 5 of them return, we bring in 4 frosh and 4 portal/foreigners.
Another live evaluation period is open and it is going to be a very busy one for IU coaches. They are splitting time between multiple locations. The primary ones are Rock Hill and North Augusta. This staff and head coach are putting in the work and it's a time that can really tell you which prospects they are zeroing in on to build the 2026 class while continuing to evaluate and prioritize some 2027 prospects.
Some information from the first couple of days (I am not in attendance and don't want to pretend like I am...honesty is the best policy): as I have written here previously, I am confident IU is the school to beat for Latrell Allmond (top 50 6'8" forward, outstanding prospect). Three coaches (including Darian DeVries) watched Allmond yesterday in a matchup with fellow IU target Arafan Diane. Diane is a gigantic young man and the Hoosiers do have connections that make him a legitimate option to land (along with fellow 2026 center Ethan Taylor).
IU also watched Aiden Derkack and I think it is becoming very likely that he ends up visiting IU. That would make the Hoosiers a contender for him and he'd make a lot of sense in a class that features a center, Prince Alexander-Moody and Latrell Allmond.
I'll keep an eye on who the coaches monitor today but I expect them to grab a look at Anthony Thompson. He was fantastic yesterday in a 102-100 win for Indiana Elite.
I would love that class. I know we say this about a lot of recruits coming in.....but Alexander-Moody looks underrated on the national lists. I like his game a lot.
What's going on with the Anthony Brown offer? Does the coaching staff believe they will miss out on the higher ranked high school point guards for the 2026 class? Brown is ranked outside the top 100 high school recruits. He's 6'1" and from Archbishop Carroll in Washington, DC. Smells like a Kenny Johnson connection and a strong possibility the Hoosiers may be searching for an experienced point guard via the portal after the 2025/26 season concludes.
The Brown offer confirms what has been written on Hoosier Huddle regarding IU most likely not signing one of the higher ranked point guards from the 2026 class.
@bigmike I saw that offer for Anthony Brown (and yes, Kenny Johnson knows him) and I don't know what to make of it just yet. If IU gets a visit scheduled for Anthony Brown, I'll take it seriously because there is a connection to Kenny Johnson and that will matter if IU pushes for him.
Chase Branham, a 2027 guard that IU is in a really good spot for, MIGHT reclassify to 2026. There are rumors of that. To be clear, he has not done so and is in the 2027 class right now. A month or so ago, I wrote that I did not think IU would land any of the top guards they were pursuing for 2026 and I still believe that...probably more so today than I did a month ago even. Really good position for Allmond, really good position for Ethan Taylor, probably getting a visit from Muurinen and we'll see where it goes from there, legitimate chance for Anthony Thompson...can IU get 2 of those 4 to pair with Prince Alexander-Moody plus one to be determined guard (Anthony Brown, Chase Branham, an international prospect we don't know about yet)? I think so.
@tjinman1987 Thanks for the info! Based on your posts I feel fairly good about the direction of the high school recruiting.
@tjinman1987 That Anthony Brown interest by IU appears to be heating up. Not sure when it takes place but I understand Anthony is in the process of scheduling a trip out to Bloomington.
A couple of updates worth mentioning:
1. As previously mentioned, Anthony Brown was recently offered by IU. He's a pretty dynamic scoring point guard that had a strong summer. The only real knocks on him is that he's undersized and a bit streaky as a perimeter shooter. The update...Brown is scheduling a visit to IU. Kenny Johnson has a connection to Brown and IU now appears serious about pursuing him. Those two factors make IU an immediate contender for his services. He might very well end up being the answer to the question of "which point guard does IU land for the 2026 class?".
2. Indiana is seeing 2026 five-star wing Anthony Thompson again today in Ohio. He is a very clear priority for the staff and the prime contenders are considered Ohio State, Michigan and IU. Of note, Michigan just got a commitment from Quinn Costello, a top 40 wing recruit that would seemingly occupy the same space on the floor as Thompson would. Could they play together? Sure. Does it potentially complicate things for Michigan in their efforts to land Thompson? I think it does.
There are dominoes to this...Latrell Allmond is still planning on announcing his commitment around October 13. Anthony Thompson wants to have his recruitment wrapped up by November. IU is a serious player for both but they very likely won't commit to the same school. I think Indiana lands one of them and Thompson really does seem like a legitimate option.
It's decision-time for a number of key 2026 prospects. By the end of this month, we could have decisions from four of the major targets for the Hoosiers:
-Latrell Allmond - Forward - It appears to be between IU, Tennessee and Oklahoma State for Allmond and he is announcing his decision on October 13. Allmond is really tough, he produces on a consistent basis and he has a versatile skillset that should translate really well to college. I've thought for a long time that IU is going to end up with Allmond and I am not changing my "prediction" now.
-Anthony Thompson - Wing - Thompson is a 5-star talent that has all of the makings of a true one-and-done. He has everything you want in a modern wing and he should be an instant impact collegiate player. Thompson looks like he's down to Ohio State and IU. Does the home-state team win out or do concerns about Jon Diebler's offensive system (or lack thereof) plus commitments Michigan landed steer him to IU? If IU lands Allmond before Thompson makes a decision, does Thompson eliminate the Hoosiers? I think the two could play together quite well (along with Trent Sisley) but I don't know if Thompson feels the same way.
-Ethan Taylor - Center - the second-ranked center in the 2026 class looks like he's down to IU and Michigan State while the possibility for a gigantic offer from someone like Kentucky could prolong his recruitment. Kansas was a possibility but they landed Davion Adkins and I doubt Taylor joins him in that class. My guess after his recent visit to MSU would be that Michigan State wins out.
-Arafan Diane - Center - Diane is a massive individual and a true center that made massive improvements between 2024 and 2025. Houston has long been considered to be the slight lean but he has not pulled the trigger yet and an upcoming official visit, combined with maybe missing out on Taylor could push the Hoosiers into the forefront with him.
Bottom line, IU really needs to get at least one of Allmond and Thompson. Landing both of them would be a major accomplishment. I am leaning towards both Taylor and Diane ending up elsewhere and that puts the Hoosiers into the portal next offseason for both a point guard and a center that can play immediately in 2026 and then turning their attention to a 2027 post presence.