Indiana Basketball: Reviewing old scouting reports of Cody Zeller

In this article, we take a look back at what NBA scouts and journalists had to say about the potential of former Indiana basketball star, Cody Zeller.

If there was one player who thrust Indiana basketball back into the limelight and brought the program out of the decimation from the Kelvin Sampson era, it was Cody Zeller. Tom Crean had been bringing the pieces to Bloomington the two years prior to landing Zeller.

He snagged three-star recruits Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey the year prior — a seemingly disappointing haul for Indiana at the time, but as we know now, it was actually fantastic. Two years before Zeller committed, Crean wooed Christian Watford, Derek Elston, and Jordan Hulls to Indiana.

Maurice Creek was also in that recruiting class, but injuries prevented him from being that star IU needed. They were one piece away from something special.

And then, boom. Cody Zeller, an Indiana boy, and 10th in his class commits to Indiana. His first year, the Hoosiers made it to the Sweet Sixteen. His second year was one for the ages. The number one team in the country for over half the season, Zeller helped propel the Hoosiers to a number one seed in the tournament. We won’t talk about what happened next.

This fantastic season gave Cody Zeller a runway to the NBA, and in a weak draft class, there was talk of Zeller and his teammate, Victor Oladipo, potentially going 1-2 in the NBA Draft. However, Oladipo ended up going second overall to the Orlando Magic, and Zeller went fourth overall to the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets).

Before we look at what scouts had to say about Zeller, here are his NBA and college statistics:

NBA: 8.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 52.4% FG.

College: 16.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 59.2% FG. 2011-2012 Big Ten Rookie of the Year. First Team All Big Ten — 2012-2013.