Indiana Basketball’s recruiting plans are in shambles
November has been a rough month for Indiana Basketball recruiting. Trey Kaufman and Mason Miller declined the chance to play for the Hoosiers in favor of Purdue and Creighton respectively. Aminu Mohammed is now the sole target left on Miller’s board.
The class of 2021 was supposed to be Archie Miller’s defining class at Indiana. A superb crop of in-state talent and elite targets made fans believe that this class would return Indiana to its former status as a hub for elite talent. In reality, we are left in the wreckage of many recruiting whiffs. A Mohammed commitment is the only way to somewhat salvage this class.
It is worth noting that Khristian Lander should have been in this class, but was encouraged to reclassify to 2020 to cover for the fact that Miller (despite his strongest efforts) could not fill the last scholarship in that class during the summer of 2019. Dawson Garcia, Matt Cross, R.J. Davis, Andre Curbelo, Hassan Diara, Anthony Harris — these are all names of guys Miller tried to pursue to fill that last scholarship, to no avail.
If Mohammed goes elsewhere, the class of 2021 is an undeniable disaster. In that scenario, the Hoosiers’ sole commitment is Logan Duncomb. Duncomb will be a good player as a freshman with potential for greatness down the line, but he alone is a far cry from what we were expecting. Miller promised a bountiful feast but instead provided a single pizza to feed a party of 10.
The recruiting class that was once considered the turning point for the program now has the Hoosiers flirting with disaster.
Miller could always replace these scholarships with transfers, which is fine and dandy but doesn’t change the fact that the transfer market has never been the path Miller wants to pursue. It is the last resort, not a reliable option. Elite college basketball programs don’t have last resorts. They get done what they need to get done.
The Hoosiers have a real shot at being a top team in the Big Ten this season, but what does the future hold? 2021 appeared to be Indiana’s destiny to return to the top-tier of talent in college basketball. Instead, the future is more uncertain than ever. It is quite possible Hoosiers fans will have to wait several years before they reach the elite status they so desperately crave.