There's no denying that the state of Indiana churns out some of the top high school players in the country on an annual basis. The Hoosier State is a hotbed for elite hoops talent, but that talent doesn't always stay local.
Over the last 15 years, the Indiana basketball program has struggled to bring top in-state talent to Bloomington. Since 2010, only four Indiana Mr. Basketball winners have chosen to play for the Hoosiers.
Here is a look at Indiana's biggest in-state recruiting misses over that span.
Gary Harris (2012)
Playing for Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Gary Harris earned Indiana Mr. Basketball honors in 2012. He was ranked as the No. 11 overall recruit and No. 2 shooting guard in the country by ESPNU100. But with the Hoosiers posting an overall record of 28-66 in the three seasons leading up Harris' decision, he ultimately chose to play for Tom Izzo at Michigan State.
Harris had a successful career with the Spartans, as he averaged 14.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game over two seasons in East Lansing and earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2014. He was then drafted with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and has had an impressive NBA career playing with the Nuggets, Magic, Bucks, and now, the Pistons.
Trey Lyles (2014)
Hoosier fans won't soon forget how the recruitment of prized prospect Trey Lyles ended. Before he had ever played a game for Arsenal Tech High School, Lyles pledged his allegiance to the Hoosiers by committing to Indiana in September 2010. He remained committed to IU for over two years, but things changed dramatically leading up to his junior season when abandoned that commitment.
In brutal fashion, Lyles then chose to play for John Calipari at Kentucky. It was a move that still stings Hoosier basketball fans to this day. He went to win Indiana Mr. Basketball honors in 2014.
When he got to Lexington, Lyles was named to the 2015 All-SEC Freshman Team and helped lead the Wildcats to a 2015 NCAA Final Four appearance in his lone season at UK. He was drafted 12th overall by the Jazz in 2015 and has averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game over 650 NBA contests.
Kyle Guy (2016)
Missing out on Lawrence Central star Kyle Guy was a tough defeat for the Hoosiers. After picking Virginia over Indiana, Guy stated that he just never really clicked with then-IU head coach Tom Crean. The Indiana Mr. Basketball from 2016 then orchestrated a stellar college career in Charlottesville.
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Guy averaged 12.9 points. 3.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 42.5% from three-point range during Virginia career. Hoosier fans then had to watch him win a national title and earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors with UVA in 2019. That only poured salt in the wound.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (2017)
Splitting his high school career between Park Tudor and La Lumiere School, Jaren Jackson Jr. was another in-state 5-star product who chose to play at Michigan State over Indiana. He made an immediate impact in East Lansing, as he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year as well as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. It would have been nice to see Jackson collect those accolades in Bloomington.
After being selected with the 4th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Jackson has become a dominant two-way player in the NBA. A two-time NBA All-Star, Jackson is averaging 18.6 points per game over his 455 professional games, and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
Braylon Mullins (2025)
The most recent name on this list comes in the form of Greenfield-Central star Braylon Mullins. One of the most accomplished high school players in the history of the state, Mullins averaged 32.9 points. 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.7 steals per game while shooting over 47% from beyond the arc during his senior season for the Cougars.
Mullins was a consensus 5-star prospect and was ranked as the No. 12 overall player in the country for the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports. Mullins was heavily recruited by Mark Woodson and his staff at IU, but he ultimately chose the UConn Huskies over the Hoosiers.
Mullins shined as a freshman for the Huskies, as he made 29 starts and averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42.1% from the floor. He etched his name into March Madness history with his dramatic buzzer-beating shot to beat Duke and send UConn to the Final Four. That only continued to put salt in the wound for IU fans. Mullins is poised to have an even better season as a sophomore in Storrs.
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