Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers to benefit from recruiting shakeup for 2020 wing?

With the recent developments in one Indiana basketball target’s recruitment, the Hoosiers could reap the benefits in the long run.

There is still a long way to go for the 2020 recruiting class as only a handful of top 100 recruits have made their pledges, but one Indiana basketball target has seen some shakeup in his recruitment that could benefit the Hoosiers.

Jalen Bridges is currently ranked No. 78 in the 247Sports class of 2020 rankings and has been a big riser throughout the spring and summer.

Early in his recruitment, it looked like Marquette had positioned themselves to be the favorite to land the 6-foot-7 forward, but there are recent developments that may have him going elsewhere, and could be to Bloomington.

With a visit set in August to Marquette, something that had been on the books for a while, the recent departure of assistant coach Brett Nelson and the commitment of top-75 forward Justin Lewis on Wednesday may have Bridges’ recruitment taking a detour.

At one of the Adidas Gauntlet events a couple of weeks ago, Bridges said he intended on making a visit to Indiana this fall. The Hoosiers have been heavily involved with his recruitment since Archie Miller offered him in June and even visited him on Wednesday at the NCAA Basketball Academy event that has been highly scrutinized with many top prospects deciding to skip.

Bridges was originally a class of 2019 recruit but reclassified to 2020, something he said was the right decision for his maturity, both physical and mentally.

"“I just feel like I wouldn’t be able to handle college next year mentally or physically so I think living on my own will be good for me. Also I want to go somewhere and play immediately and not have to redshirt,” Bridges said on reclassifying decision."

Rivals Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi described his versatile style of play here.

"“Bridges is a big wing from West Virginia who was originally in the class of 2019 before deciding to take a year of prep school. He makes shots from the wing, is a physical driver, rebounds and because of his size and strength is capable of both defending the four and playing it on offense which allows coaches some wiggle in how they would use him.”"

It will be interesting to see the fallout, if any, of the recent developments on the Marquette front, but look for Indiana to continue to pick up steam for Bridges, a player they definitely need in the class.