Several class of 2014 prospects being recruited by Indiana will be making official visits this weekend and our latest recruiting notebook takes a look at those campus trips as well as other notes from the first week of the fall recruiting period: · Goodluck Okonoboh, one of IU's top targets in the 2014 class, will make his first official visit this weekend and Bloomington is the destination. The Hoosiers have long been considered one of the favorites to land Okonoboh and getting him on campus is the next logical step in making that happen. It's been well documented, but the relationship between Okonoboh and current IU freshman Noah Vonleh is a very good one and this weekend provides Okonoboh the opportunity for his first up close look at the Indiana campus. · Lourawls Nairn hosted Tom Crean for an in-home visit earlier in the weekend, but the major development for Nairn this week was the addition of Michigan State to his list of three finalists. Nairn had been considering a final three of Indiana, Minnesota and Oklahoma, but the Spartans are making a late push with Tyler Ulis seemingly headed to Kentucky. Nairn will be in East Lansing this weekend and then Indiana will host him for an official visit next weekend.
Aaron Jordan has learned just how long and frustrating the recruiting process can be. A class of 2015 shooting guard from Plainfield, Ill., Jordan has gained major interest from colleges, including Indiana, in recent months as his stock rises. According to the 247 Composite, he is the No. 63 recruit and No. 13 shooting guard in the class. But to him, that heightened level of interest hasn't made his recruitment any easier.
Class of 2014 combo guard Robert Johnson has set a date to announce his college decision. As first reported by Paul Biancardi of ESPN.com, Johnson will pick from one of his four finalists and end his recruitment on Friday, Sept. 20. Johnson confirmed the date of the announcement in a text on Tuesday evening to Inside the Hall. Johnson, who has already taken official visits to Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina, has an official visit to Florida State scheduled for this weekend. According to the Twitter account of the Benedictine (Va.) guard, Tom Crean had an in-home visit with Johnson on Monday and North Carolina coach Roy Williams conducted an in-home visit on Tuesday.
One of Indiana's top recruiting targets in the class of 2014, Goodluck Okonoboh, will take an official visit to Indiana next weekend. It will be the first official visit for Okonoboh, a 6-foot-9 center who plays at Wilbraham and Monson Academy, which is just outside of Springfield, Mass.
Following 2016 Foothills Christian (Calif.) power forward T.J. Leaf's unofficial visit to Indiana on Wednesday, Leaf's father, Brad, spoke with Inside the Hall on Thursday afternoon regarding the family's trip to Bloomington. During the visit, Indiana offered the No. 42 prospect and No. 8 power forward in the 2016 class according to the 247Composite, joining UCLA and San Diego State as other schools that have extended scholarship opportunities. Brad Leaf, who also is T.J.'s high school coach, grew up in Indianapolis and played basketball at Evansville from 1979 to 1982. The family now lives in the San Diego area, and Wednesday's visit was T.J.'s first-ever to Bloomington.
One of the top young players in the class of 2016, Braxton Blackwell, is planning to visit Indiana next month for Hoosier Hysteria. Blackwell, a 6-foot-8, 215 pound forward who plays for former Vanderbilt standout Drew Maddux at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, is rated the No. 19 prospect nationally in the 247Composite. Indiana tracked Blackwell closely this summer as he was a standout playing at the 17-and-under level for the Atlanta Celtics in events like the adidas Invitational in Indianapolis and the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas.
Victor Oladipo was an All-American in his junior season at Indiana and the No. 2 pick in June's NBA Draft. His meteoric rise was one of the stories of college basketball a season ago. So when Oladipo returned to Bloomington a couple of weekends ago to host Tom Crean's Basketball ProCamp, it was perfect timing for Indiana, which was in the midst of a huge recruiting weekend. One of the major guests was Robert Johnson, who was making his first official visit and receiving his first up close look at a program that has pursued him relentlessly for months. Oladipo's message to Johnson, a late riser from Richmond (Va.) in the class of 2014, was straightforward according to his father, Robert Sr. "Victor talked to Robert and I met with him and talked with him," Johnson Sr. told Inside the Hall. "He just told Robert how Indiana is a great school and gave him his blessing that if he decides to go there, he can wear No. 4."
Before 2016 Foothills Christian (Calif.) power forward T.J. Leaf planned his first-ever visit to Indiana University, he heard the hype from his parents. He heard the most about IU from his father, Brad, who grew up in the Indianapolis area and played at Evansville from 1979 to 1982. He heard how beautiful the campus was; how great the lifestyle was. "But once we set the visit, he kind of kept quiet and waited for me to actually go there to experience it," Leaf told Inside the Hall on Wednesday evening after finishing a one-day, unofficial visit to IU earlier in the day. His thoughts after experiencing the IU program for a day?
Tyus Battle has visited Indiana twice already this year, most recently arriving in Bloomington last Tuesday and leaving last Friday afternoon. The Gill St. Bernard's (N.J.) sophomore shooting guard told Inside the Hall after his most recent visit that "They're definitely one of the leaders. Indiana is probably recruiting me the hardest right now, too." But that doesn't mean he is any close to a decision. As his father, Gary, noted, Tyus "is not in a rush to grow up."
Devin Robinson’s rise from fringe top 100 to a five-star prospect nationally was one of the top recruiting stories of the spring and summer. Now, the Christchurch School (Va.) senior forward is ready to begin the next step of his ...
Robert Johnson returned home to Richmond, Va., from his official visit to Indiana late Monday night and on Tuesday afternoon, he provided a brief, but telling, comment on his first official visit. “It was one of the best experiences I ...
When Indy Hoosiers AAU coach Mike Peterson speaks about 2017 guard/forward Kris Wilkes, one of the first words he mentions is “lethal.” No, it is not a direct reference to his game on the court, where Wilkes is a 6-foot-6 ...
It’s already been a busy week recruiting wise for Indiana, and this weekend, it will heat up even more. Former Indiana All-American Victor Oladipo is in town working Tom Crean’s ProCamp and the Hoosiers will have several recruits on campus. ...
As a 25-year veteran of the grassroots basketball scene, Tony Squire has dedicated more than two decades of his life to helping young people achieve their goals both on and off the court. He’s coached future NBA Hall of Famers ...
With the July evaluation periods in the rearview mirror and a major unofficial visitor in Malachi Richardson expected on campus this weekend, Inside the Hall has updated our 2015 Indiana basketball recruiting board. Check out the updated list of prospects ...
Class of 2014 Bel Aire (Kan.) point guard Lourawls Nairn, the 24th best player at his position according to ESPN.com, is down to three finalists. Nairn, who plays at Sunrise Christian Academy, will take official visits to Minnesota (Aug. 29-31), ...