Recruiting Notebook: Langford, Garland talk recruiting at USA Junior National team mini-camp

  • 10/09/2017 3:15 pm in

Indiana’s top two remaining class of 2018 recruiting targets – Romeo Langford and Darius Garland – were participants in USA Basketball’s Junior National team mini-camp over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Both players did several interviews at the camp and we’ve compiled some of the most interesting notes from those conversations as well some scouting notes from the weekend.

The most pertinent update with Langford comes via Zagsblog, who reports that the New Albany star is planning to trim his list to three schools in November, but isn’t planning to sign early.

Langford has already completed official visits to Vanderbilt and UCLA and still has trips scheduled to North Carolina, Indiana and Kansas. The Indiana trip will be on Hoosier Hysteria weekend.

Here’s what Langford told Zagsblog about Indiana:

“I like the way Archie Miller shows me the way he plays and coaches guards. I feel like I fit real well in with his system and just Indiana in general, since I’m from Indiana and the history they have.”

In addition, Langford spoke with Evan Daniels from Scout.com about his timeframe for a decision:

“I will probably be making my decision after the season, but after my official visits if I feel like something hits to me then I might make it earlier.”

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN.com were also in attendance for the mini-camp and ranked Langford as the fourth best NBA prospect in attendance in this ESPN Insider piece ($):

Langford had a strong camp, confirming his status as one of the most talented prospects in the 2018 class. He has prototypical measurements for a wing at 6-6 in shoes with a 6-10 wingspan and a strong 201-pound frame. He is an outstanding athlete on top of that, blessed with excellent fluidity, body control and explosiveness. Langford is the type of player for whom everything comes easily, especially putting the ball in the basket. He has good footwork, the ability to get to the rim smoothly without a ball screen, and plays the game low to the ground. He shows some potential with his ability to knock down jumpers from beyond the arc, particularly when he can step into them in rhythm on the hop. He doesn’t always shoot the ball the same way, though, especially off the dribble, and is still figuring out how to play with the same level of aggressiveness and intensity on every possession.

Garland, meanwhile, sat down with Krysten Peek of Rivals.com for a video interview, which you can watch below:

The Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) has a list of four schools remaining – Vanderbilt, Indiana, Kentucky and UCLA. Garland has taken one official visit so far (Vanderbilt) and told Daniels that he hopes to commit in November.

The five-star point guard also received a mention in the roundup from Schmitz and Givony:

Darius Garland did not have a great camp, struggling with his jumper while not being able to use his age and experience to his advantage, but he does seem to have grown, which is a positive sign for his pro prospects. He now stands 6-0½ barefoot, ample size for a point guard, with a 175-pound frame — up 17 pounds since last year — with a long 6-5 wingspan. His measurements closely resemble those of Tyus Jones according to our database.

Both Langford and Garland are scheduled to be on campus for Hoosier Hysteria, which takes place on Saturday, October 21 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

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