6-Banner Sunday: Five-star forward Malik Reneau joins Indiana’s 2022 recruiting class

  • 04/24/2022 7:59 am in

6-Banner Sunday is Inside the Hall’s weekly newsletter in partnership with The Assembly Call. More than 9,000 Indiana fans receive the newsletter each week. In addition to appearing each week on the site, you can also opt to receive 6-Banner Sunday by email. A form to subscribe via email is available at the bottom of this week’s 6-Banner Sunday.

Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.

Following last week’s news that Race Thompson will return, the Hoosiers got more frontcourt reinforcement with a commitment from a top-ranked player for the fall. More additions to the team may not be far behind as a couple of players in the transfer portal visited IU this week.

Besides the player movement, Hoosier fans got bad news as the conference tournament for basketball is moving to Minneapolis for at least a season. Also, Inside the Hall continued its player and team wrap-up series and had a new Podcast on the Brink. Assembly Call Radio also had a show.

We will as usual conclude with a look at how other Hoosier sports are doing, led by Little 500 which finally had spectators again for the first time since 2019 before COVID came about.

• Malik Reneau commits to IU
• Dexter Dennis and Sean McNeil visit campus
• Big Ten tournament moving to Minneapolis
• Inside the Hall player and team recaps
• Podcast on the Brink and AC Radio
• Hoosier Roundup – Little 500 results

Banner #1 – Malik Reneau commits to IU

IU still does not know if Trayce Jackson-Davis will withdraw from the draft and return to IU. Either way, the Hoosiers are in good shape now in the frontcourt for 2022-2023  with the commitment of forward Malik Reneau which IU confirmed later in the week when he officially signed his letter of intent. With Race Thompson also in the fold for next year, the Hoosiers have at least two starting-level players inside.

Reneau is a teammate and close friend of fellow top-ranked incoming recruit Jalen Hood-Schifino. Per ESPN and Rivals both are top 25 prospects and it gives IU two five-star players in the same class for the first time since 2004 when DJ White and Josh Smith both pledged to the Hoosiers. It should be noted that Smith bypassed college in the end and went straight to the NBA draft and never actually made it to campus.

As part of his commitment, Inside the Hall had several stories. This included highlights from the Geico Nationals and a Q & A with him as well as his associate head coach at Montverde Academy.

Banner #2 – Dexter Dennis and Sean McNeil visit campus

While IU has all their scholarships accounted for now next season unless Jackson-Davis stays in the NBA draft, the Hoosiers are nonetheless heavily pursuing two transfers. Former Wichita State and West Virginia players Dexter Dennis and Sean McNeil took visits to IU this week.

Dennis visited Bloomington last Monday and tweeted out pictures of himself in Cook Hall and what he would look like in a Hoosier uniform if he committed. Dennis has one year of eligibility remaining and is known as a top-level defender while averaging 8.4 points per game last season. He also helped the Shockers beat IU in the NIT in 2019 with a 17-point outburst.

McNeil has two years of eligibility left and visited this weekend during Little 500. He would bring high-level shooting as he is a career 36.8 percent 3-point shooter. He averaged 12.2 points per game for the Mountaineers last season.

Banner #3 – Big Ten Tournament moving to Minneapolis

Hoosier fans have grown accustomed to having the conference tournament in easy to get to places within driving distance.

While the 2023 Men’s tournament will be in Chicago and still give Hoosier supporters a relatively easy venue to get to should they choose to go, the 2024 event, as well as the Women’s tournament in 2023 and 2024, will be in Minneapolis. The Twin Cities are well outside the range of being able to go by car for IU and most other Big Ten fan bases which will mean a lot fewer Hoosier fans than normal at the event.

Banner #4 – Inside the Hall player and team recaps

Inside The Hall continued its That’s A Wrap series this week.

The site had a look back at the seasons of Miller Kopp, Rob Phinisee, Race Thompson, as well as the team offense and defense.

Banner #5 – Inside the Hall player and team recaps

The Malik Reneau commitment was the big topic of discussion on both POTB and AC Radio this week.

Podcast On The Brink had CrimsonCast’s Galen Clavio on to discuss the news. Meanwhile, Assembly Call Radio had both a special episode and their normal weekly radio show devoted to the topic.

Finally Doing The Work had Tyler Harris on who runs Hoosiers For Good which helps IU athletes find NIL deals through charitable causes.

Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup-Little 500 Results

The Little 500 finally got back to normal this year for the first time since the COVID pandemic began. With a full party atmosphere back and spectators allowed to attend, Melanzana Cycling won the women’s race Friday and Phi Delta Theta took home the men’s trophy Saturday.

In other IU news:

• Men’s Soccer played its final spring exhibition game and had a thrilling 1-0 win over Notre Dame. Those with a subscription to the Assembly Call Community can read my story about it. I also interviewed IU coach Todd Yeagley after the match and he provided his thoughts on the contest as well as what he thinks about the upcoming changes to the overtime rules in College soccer.

• Baseball had a rough beginning to the week falling to Rutgers and Miami (OH) before turning it around and running off three straight with a win over Cincinnati and twice against Nebraska.

• Softball has had a hard week against highly ranked competition losing to Penn State, Notre Dame, Louisiana, and twice to Northwestern.

• Women’s Tennis beat Rutgers and lost to Minnesota.

• Men’s Tennis lost to Nebraska and Illinois.

• Wrestling added a recruit.

• Women’s Golf is currently in 13th at the Big Ten Championship.

• Men’s Golf is currently 6th in a tournament at Ohio State.

• Track and Field competed at home with the Indiana Invitational.

• Water Polo lost to UCLA in the first round of the conference tournament.

Thanks for your continued support for The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.

Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor

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