More than a month has passed since Foothills Christian (Calif.) forward T.J. Leaf visited Indiana for the first time. The class of 2016 prospect was in Bloomington in early September and received a scholarship offer from the Hoosiers on the visit. Now that Leaf has had more time to think about it, it's clear the Indiana option continues to resonate with him. Inside the Hall spoke with Leaf by phone from the USA Basketball national developmental team mini-camp in Colorado Springs earlier this month. "It was a really good experience being able to go to a great program like that historically and recently," he said. "It seems like I would fit really well in their system. I like coach Crean and I like all of the coaches and what they're doing there. I was just really impressed." The No. 25 prospect in the 247Composite, Leaf averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds as a freshman last season. One of his primary goals during the offseason while playing with the Compton Magic was to make himself more perimeter oriented.
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.
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?