Indiana Basketball: 5 signs Matt Cross will commit to Hoosiers

4. Player Development

Not only has Indiana sent 77 players to the NBA through the draft, and numerous others as undrafted free agents, but the Hoosiers have also invested more than any other program in recruiting and player expenses.

In order to get the best players consistently, you have to have a track record for developing them and producing talent on the court, and that – for the most part – is exactly what Indiana has done, and continues to do.

Look no further than Clif Marshall, the Director of Athletic Performance at IU. He is in his third season and has not only changed the direction of the program much the way Archie Miller is trying to do, but made it extremely appealing for players.

Not only has Marshall trained more than 400 pro football players in his past, but he has brought that type of energy and intense work to Bloomington.

During his short time at IU, he has already seen more than 40 new team records in the weight-room and two all-time NBA Combine records have been broken by Justin Smith (vertical jump) and Freddie McSwain (bench press).

Furthermore, this is what Romeo Langford had to say about Marshalls influence and impact.

"“I trust Coach Clif and I feel as If I had one of the best trainers while working with him at IU. Coach Clif has experience training many pro athletes and helping them become top performers at the combines. As a freshman, he helped me gain 15 pounds of lean muscle mass while increasing my vertical jump. The added muscle allowed me to play 35 minutes per game as a freshmen in the B1G conference and helped me battle with older guys. Coach Clif also helped educate me on the importance of recovery by teaching me about sleep and nutrition. He also encouraged me to grow in mind, body and spirit”"

If Cross has aspirations of playing in the NBA or even at any professional league around the world, getting his body right is the first place to start.