Photo Credit: 247Sports
The Class of 2021 may be one of the most historic in recent history for the state of Indiana, and potentially for Indiana University. There continues to be an vast depth of talent and potential targets for the Hoosiers that Archie will continue to pursue while keeping his previous “Inside-Out” approach to recruiting. Undeniably, Archie will have a monumental task keeping top targets in-state, but he has done a great job thus far in his limited time at the university.
Let’s take a look at the current Indiana targets, and some others that are in the top 150 that Archie may still try to recruit from within the borders of Indiana.
Khristian Lander from Evansville has been an early 2021 target for the Hoosiers and will continue to be a top priority for building the future Hoosier roster. He is the likely 2021 Indiana Mr. Basketball front-runner at this point. He has continued to perform well in recent contests including the Nike underclassmen event in St. Louis and the Charlie Hughes Shootout. His shooting ability and decision making have shown substantial improvement recently which will complement his ability to drive down the lane.
Trey Kaufman was a more recent offer by Archie Miller, but he is another essential target for the 2021 Hoosiers. He averaged nearly a double-double on the season and showing no signs of stopping his climb to becoming a 5-star recruit. He was one of the biggest movers on the board, moving up 35 spots to No. 31 in the nation. It is undeniable that he will start to acquire more big time offers in the coming months now that he is playing at 100% and showing big steps in improving his game. Check out our interview with Trey himself.
Caleb Furst was another early recruiting target for the Hoosiers who extended an offer last fall. He has been seen at SSAH multiple times, attended the IU v Ohio State game in February, and has been heavily recruited by the Hoosiers. He has averaged over a double-double this last season (19.3 ppg, 10.3 rebounds) and led his team to the Class 1A state championship and won.
Terrence Clarke has been a reach, lofty-goal target for the Hoosiers ever since an offer was extended to him. He has been in-and-out of being the No. 1 recruit in the nation and many will make the argument that he is still the top prospect in the nation. He did take an unofficial visit back last September to Bloomington, IN, but don’t be surprised if this is the last time he sets foot in Bloomington, especially if he ends up going to Kentucky as most predictions indicate at this point. To make matters more interesting, he is also considering reclassifying into the Class of 2020. More updates are bound to happen for Clarke within the next few weeks.
Max Christie fell out of the top-10 in the Class of 2021 rankings but continues to be one of the top prospects in the country. He was named to the final U16 roster in May. Most predictions show him committing to Duke despite not having received an offer yet. He is a big fan of the Blue Devils and appears to be holding out until he receives his golden ticket to join their team. He will be another long shot for the Hoosier team.
To those that follow Bryce Hopkins, his quick rise into the top 100 of the rankings comes as no surprise. He has consistently dominated throughout his sophomore year with 22 ppg, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. He is a legitimate target for the Hoosiers and is starting to show more interest among top-tier Division I schools.
Trey Patterson has tumbled out of the top-15 on 247, but still is a top prospect in the nation. Not much is known about where he will land and what his school goals are at this point. He will continue to be a top, reasonable target for the 2021 Hoosier squad.
Blake Wesley has not received an offer or visited Indiana as of yet and there are no signs of his interest in the school. With Archie’s focus on “Inside-Out,” don’t be surprised if the interest changes over the coming months. Blake does hold a few offers from MAC schools and his father played for Ball State in the 80’s.
Luke Goode is an interesting potential target for the Hoosiers. He comes from a cream and crimson bloodline with his family having played guard for the Hoosiers and his uncle Trent Green being a star quarterback for the Hoosiers and Kansas City Chiefs. He has multiple Big Ten offers at this point, but none from either Purdue or Indiana. If he does receive an offer from the Hoosiers, it would be surprising if he does not accept it.
Jalen Blackmon is the third in the line of Blackmon’s that could potentially attend Indiana University. He is starting to get some looks from big schools and has an offer from Houston. It will take a while longer before he starts to get other big offers from schools (such as Indiana) and will be dependent on how he progresses defensively.
J.R. Konieczny is another newcomer to the top 150 list and another small forward from Indiana. He is starting to get on the radar of Big Ten schools with an offer from Iowa. He did take an unofficial visit to Bloomington where he met the coaching staff and did a photoshoot decked out in Hoosier apparel. It would be surprising if he did not receive an offer from Indiana at this point, but ultimately it may be dependent on the decisions of the other small forwards from inside the borders of Indiana.
Pierce Thomas holds a sole offer from Butler, but offers another small forward option for the Hoosiers depending on the decisions for the other in-state players. He does not hold an offer from either Indiana or Purdue at this point. He is a true athlete that won the state long jump competition in May with a 23’11 1/2 distance. Many scouts are continuing to watch him and his development closely.
Quimari Peterson from Gary West Side is on the same team as one of the top 2022 prospects Jalen Washington (5-star) which makes people overlook his talent. He has developed immensely as a point guard that is learning how to play with the goal of making his teammates, rather than himself, better. Per Peterson, he is starting to hear from schools such as Miami (OH), Southern Illinois, FAU, and Bradley. He has yet to receive an official offer.
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How about a new coach? seems like we can only get to the NiT every year.; I paid into IU for years and finally stopped until something is done.