5/9/2021 basketball Edit

2022 Introduction: Vincent Iwuchukwu

Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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Vincent Iwuchukwu is the newest member of the 2022 class to receive an offer from Indiana. (Rivals.com)

Indiana extended a scholarship to one of the highest rated centers in the 2022 class, Vincent Iwuchukwu.

The 7-foot La Lumiere (IN) center is ranked No. 29 in the Rivals150 class of 2022 rankings and the No. 4 center in the class.

Indiana has struggled to land many players from La Lumiere, and other prep schools, in the past. But with the addition of Dane Fife, multiple prep school players have landed on the IU radar now. Fife helped recruit Jaren Jackson Jr to Michigan State, a former La Lumiere standout. Fife has also been successful dealing with many prep schools during his time at Michigan State.

This was Iwuchukwu's first season at La Lumiere after spending the previous few seasons at Cole (TX) high school in San Antonio. He plays for JL3 on the AAU circuit, a program sponsored by former NBA standout John Lucas.

He averaged 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this season. He shot 43 percent from the field and 66 percent from the free throw line.

Iwuchukwu has offers from Baylor, Florida State, Purdue, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech and Arkansas among others.

Since arriving at La Lumiere, he's really developed and is just starting to see the great potential he has on both ends of the floor. Iwuchukwu is a versatile big man who has great length and a good frame. He is a terrific finisher and will look to dunk anything he can. He has good touch around the rim when he isn't dunking the ball and does have the ability to hit a mid-range jumper while facing up a defender.

Iwuchukwu is terrific running the floor. He is always out and running ahead of the defense and gets many easy buckets in transition. Iwuchukwu is a really good athlete, playing other sports including soccer while growing up. His athleticism and really good footwork stands out, whether it is in the open floor or his face up game that seems rather natural.

He actively seeks out the ball on the offensive glass and has really good leaping and second-jump ability. That along with his length and motor makes him a threat for every offensive rebound.

Defensively, his size and length allow him to defend near the rim and impact most shots around the paint. What is one of his bigger improvements has been his defense on the perimeter. Because of his footwork and agility, he is able to defend smaller guards and not give up too much defensively. Overall, his side-to-side movement is very good for his size.

The next step for Iwuchukwu is his consistency. He is only scratching the surface on both ends of the floor and now it's about bringing that level of play every game.