Recruiting

2015 forward Carlton Bragg “very excited” by IU offer

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | May 5th, 2013

050513sbcx Carlton Bragg was one of the top prospects at last October’s John Lucas Midwest Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky and at the time, he had just started to hear from Indiana.

That interest, which had been building through the high school season, culminated in an offer last week after Tom Crean watched Bragg, a 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward, at the adidas Hoop Classic in Wadsworth, Ohio.

At this weekend’s Bill Hensley Spiece Run-N-Slam Classic, Bragg reacted to his latest offer.

“I was kind of glad. I was very excited,” he said in an interview at SportOne in Fort Wayne. “It was another offer. They like my style of play, how I run back on defense and my motor.”

The Hoosiers joined Cleveland State, West Virginia, Illinois and Ohio State as early offers for Bragg, who is ranked the No. 24 prospect in the 2015 class according to ESPN.com. His ESPN profile also lists offers from Cincinnati, Missouri and Texas.

Kentucky, Duke, DePaul and Wisconsin have also expressed interest.

At the Lucas Camp, Bragg was primarily a mid-range and in player, but he added the 3-point shot to repertoire during the high school season at Cleveland Villa Angela St. Joseph.

“I’ve always been an inside player,” Bragg said. “Towards the middle of the (high school) season, that’s when I started. I made two threes in practice, and (my coach) said I should start shooting threes, and that’s when I really focused on it.”

He’s still relatively early in the process, but Bragg said he’s got an idea of what he’s looking for in a school.

Continue reading this post »

Tags: Carlton Bragg

2 Comments »

Emerging 2016 big man Caleb Swanigan talks development, recruiting

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | May 5th, 2013

050513ncs Standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 260 pounds at 16 years old, it’s hard for Caleb Swanigan to blend in on the basketball court.

Swanigan, who plays at Homestead in Fort Wayne and for two Spiece AAU teams, is putting together a fantastic spring. At the 15-and-under level, he’s virtually unstoppable at his size. And at the 17-and-under level, he’s a valuable contributor on one of the top Elite Youth Basketball teams (EYBL) in the country.

This weekend at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam Classic at Spiece Fieldhouse, Swanigan pulled double duty and ran with both clubs.

“Just playing with both teams makes sure I’m in shape,” Swanigan told Inside the Hall. “Cardio is a really important thing. I’m always running, wearing weight vests. It simulates playing more than one game back to back so I’m ready to play.”

Swanigan also plays offensive tackle for Homestead’s football team and has already had inquires from SEC powers like Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi.

His preference in college, however, is to suit up on the hardwood.

“I’m supposed to keep growing. The cutoff is 6-foot-8,” he said. “If I get any taller, I’m not playing football my sophomore year, I’m just going to play basketball. I’m getting recruited for football, but I don’t know how it’s going to go. I prefer basketball.”

His play at the first two EYBL sessions in Los Angeles and Hampton turned heads and his recruiting picture for basketball is beginning to take shape. He said Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue and Georgetown have all expressed interest and Indiana has been in touch via questionnaires.

Swanigan said playing up this summer should help keep his development steady as he matches up against the nation’s elite in the EYBL.

Continue reading this post »

Tags: Caleb Swanigan

6 Comments »

Notebook: Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam Day 1

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | May 4th, 2013

050413ancx FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The 20^th annual Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam Classic tipped off Friday night at Spiece Fieldhouse and Inside the Hall was there to get a look at several prospects, including 2014 commit James Blackmon Jr., Trevon Bluiett, JaQuan Lyle, Eron Gordon, Vijay Blackmon, Caleb Swanigan and Carlton Bragg.

Here are our notes and observations from the first night of Spiece:

Spiece Indy Heat 17′s coast: Based on the teams this group has faced over the past two weekends in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, tonight’s opener for Blackmon Jr., Lyle, Bluiett, Trey Lyles and company probably felt like a scrimmage.

Led by 20 points from Bluiett, Spiece crushed the Michigan Titans, 91-45. Lyle added 18 and Blackmon Jr., who looks noticeable stronger in his upper body and more explosive in transition, had 13.

Lyle said postgame that he plans to take all five official visits and make a decision this fall and Bluiett also mentioned the possibility of five officials, but also noted that he’s been so busy, he hasn’t had time to talk much about recruiting with his father and AAU coach, Reynardo.

With the return of Lyles, Spiece Indy Heat looks like a serious contender to win July’s Peach Jam.

Bragg talks about Indiana offer: Cleveland Villa Angela St Joseph (Oh.) forward Carlton Bragg (pictured) received an Indiana offer on Thursday night and the No. 24 player in the 2015 class according to ESPN.com was productive on Friday, scoring 21 points in a comfortable win for the Ohio Basketball Club 16-and-under team.

Afterward, Bragg talked about his latest offer and what the IU staff likes about his game

“I was very excited,” he said. “They like my style of play, how I run back on defense and my motor.”

Bragg also has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio State, Texas and others. He said he’s looking to show off his versatility this spring and summer, among other things.

“My shooting, dribbling, my defense and guarding guys that are smaller than me. Just playing defense, mostly.”

2016 big man emerging: Caleb Swanigan, a 6-foot-8, 265-pound forward who played both basketball and football at Homestead in Fort Wayne, looks like a legitimate high major post prospect.

Swanigan played with both the 15-and-under and 17-and-under Spiece Indy Heat teams on Friday and was impressive with his ability to make tough catches around the rim and finish plays. Swanigan said the interest he’s received thus far from Indiana has been in the form of questionnaires and also mentioned Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and Georgetown. He’s also being recruited as a football prospect by Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

Continue reading this post »

Tags: Carlton Bragg, James Blackmon Jr., Trevon Bluiett

2 Comments »

Indiana offers 2015 four-star forward Carlton Bragg

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | May 2nd, 2013

050213bcns Indiana began keeping an eye on 2015 Cleveland Villa Angela-Saint Joseph (Oh.) forward Carlton Bragg last fall and the Hoosiers have extended a scholarship offer to the rising junior, according to assistant coach Mike Graves.

The IU staff watched Bragg during his high school season and more recently, Tom Crean was at the adidas Hoop Classic in Wadsworth, Ohio during the second April evaluation to see Bragg play for his travel team, the Ohio Basketball Club.

The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward is a long, versatile forward who excels in transition, can finish at the rim and also step out and shoot.

When Inside the Hall talked to Bragg last fall at the John Lucas Camp in Louisville, his lone scholarship offer was West Virginia.

Since then, he’s picked up offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio State, Texas and others.

Bragg scored 10 points in the Ohio Division 4 state championship game in March as Villa Angela St. Joseph beat Leipsic, 87-63.

He’s rated the No. 23 prospect overall in the 2015 class according to ESPN.com. Bragg and the Ohio Basketball Club will play this weekend in Ft. Wayne at the Bill Hensley Memorial Spiece Run-N-Slam Classic.

Tags: Carlton Bragg

3 Comments »

Indiana “at the top” of 2014 guard Ahmed Hill’s list

by Justin Albers in Recruiting | May 1st, 2013

043013nbcs Indiana was the first school to visit 2014 combo guard Ahmed Hill at Aquinas high school in Augusta, Ga. last September, and the coaching staff has developed a good relationship with Hill ever since then.

The Hoosiers offered the 6-foot-4 guard a scholarship after watching him at last April’s Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, Va., and Indiana remains high on Hill’s list because of his relationship with Tom Crean.

“They are definitely somewhere at the top,” Hill told Inside the Hall on Monday night. “We talk probably twice or three times a week, just texting coach [Steve] McClain, coach Crean and coach [Kenny] Johnson. My interest level in them is very high because me and [Crean] have got a great relationship.”

Hill, who is the No. 25 player in the 2014 class according to ESPN.com, said his conversations with Crean are rarely about basketball but more often about life. He said that’s important to him going forward because he wants to go to a school where the coach serves as a father figure.

“I love the bond that me and coach Crean have,” he said.

Hill has a long list of schools still after him — Kansas, Connecticut, Florida and Marquette are among them — and he said his recruitment is still “wide open” at this point. Hill has not yet taken a visit to Indiana, but he said he’s “planning to.”

“I don’t know any dates yet, though,” Hill said.

Hill’s Southern Stampede AAU team struggled this past weekend at the EYBL event in Hampton, but he did average 14.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. When asked what he’d like to improve the most this summer, Hill listed his defense, ball handling and aggressiveness.

Continue reading this post »

Tags: Ahmed Hill

27 Comments »

2016 Florida forward Juwan Durham attracting high majors

by Alex Bozich in Recruiting | April 30th, 2013

043013shdc Joe Fenlon didn’t have many expectations for the impact Juwan Durham would make as a freshman at Tampa Prep. After winning a state championship in 2011-2012, the plan was to ease Durham into a rotation at what Fenlon called a “nice, leisurely pace.”

Durham had different plans.

The 6-foot-9, 180-pound forward led Tampa Prep in scoring (14.0 points), rebounding (9.0) and blocked shots (2.5) in his first high school season and is picking up interest from several high major schools, including Indiana.

He was named a second team freshman All-American by MaxPreps.com last week.

“We never really threw him the ball,” Fenlon told Inside the Hall on Tuesday afternoon. “He’s got uncanny timing. He’s a great offensive rebounder. He got a lot of points off of stickbacks. He was certainly not our number one option. We let him develop at his pace and didn’t expect a lot out of him. Obviously we expected some things out of him, but we didn’t expect him to come in and score 14 or 15 a game for us as a freshman.

“We thought we’d bring him along at a nice, leisurely pace. As he got comfortable in the system, he just started to take off.”

The Indiana interest started last fall when associate head coach Tim Buckley inquired about Durham and has continued into this spring. Florida, Florida State, Miami, Texas, Butler, Louisville and South Florida have also shown interest.

Given his size and ability to score in a variety of ways, Durham’s national profile should rise even further this spring and summer on the AAU circuit, where he plays 15-and-under with Tampa Ambassadors and 17-and-under with Team Breakdown.

“He’s a kid who is very versatile,” Fenlon said. “He’s not necessarily a back to the basket guy, but he can score inside. He’s a good athlete, has good ball handling ability and a good jump shot. His versatility is what sets him apart from kids his size.”

Continue reading this post »

Tags: Juwan Durham

3 Comments »

2015 guard Prentiss Nixon: Indiana “would be a great program to be in”

by Justin Albers in Recruiting | April 30th, 2013

042913eds Prentiss Nixon tried to ignore Tom Crean on the sideline when he worked out at his Bolingbrook High School in Illinois last week, but it wasn’t easy.

This wasn’t your average college coach.

“It was a great feeling,” Nixon told Inside the Hall on Sunday night. “Sometimes I try to just block out the coaches watching so I just play my game and don’t press, but I know that IU is back on the map. They went from four and 12 win seasons to 30-plus win seasons.

“Coach Crean has really changed this around and it would be a great program to be in.”

Nixon, a 6-foot-1, 160-pound point guard, took an unofficial visit to Bloomington last fall. Colorado State and Southern Methodist are the only schools to have offered Nixon a scholarship at this point, but Indiana is among a list of other schools that have expressed interest.

He listed Michigan, Iowa, Creighton, Southern Miss, UCLA, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Arizona and Oregon State when asked what schools had contacted him.

Nixon plays for the Illinois Wolves 16-under AAU team, and has played well in the first couple of events this spring in front of college coaches.

He had a team-high 18 points in a semifinal win over the LV Prospects on Sunday afternoon in the Jayhawk Invitational in Gardner, Kansas. Two of his AAU teammates, 2015 guards Roosevelt Smart and Jordan Ash, have also drawn interest from Indiana.

Continue reading this post »

Tags: Prentiss Nixon

No Comments »