Indiana has a lot of unresolved feelings from last year when its season was cut short unexpectedly. What was even more difficult to swallow was that the season ended on a high note, with the win against Nebraska.
With only two players expected to leave after the season, the Hoosiers were looking to bring back nearly 80 percent of its scoring as well as the entire starting lineup. Add in another talented recruiting class and Indiana was looking at high expectations for 2020. But, in just the last few weeks, Archie Miller has had more roster turnover than some programs have in an entire offseason. Despite that, Miller thinks this group of players can be special.
"I am very excited and I think our fans will like this group," Miller said in an interview with Don Fischer. "It's going to be an easy group to like."
A three-man recruiting class that turned into four, Khristian Lander put the cherry on top of the class of 2020 by making his reclassification official two weeks ago. That idea of bringing in Lander a year early happened long before Miller even had a commitment from the five-star guard and some 1,000 miles away from Bloomington.
"I didn't see very many guys, if any, in Colorado that I would trade him [Lander] for," Miller said of watching his new 2020 signee back at USA Basketball mini-camp. "I thought he was going to be absolutely terrific.
"I watched his work ethic in their practices and drills and I watched him compete in that environment and I said to myself, 'he's ready right now. We should try to get him right now'," Miller added. "That got the conversations started."
The 6-foot-2 guard is expected to be a do-it-all player for Indiana before his time is up in Bloomington and while those expectations are high for someone who should still be a senior in high school, Miller knows he is capable.
"Not many guys are equipped to do that, but I really think he is," Miller said. "I think he adds a lot of skill at the guard spot for us.
"He's going to add a lot of speed and versatility on the court. Great playmaker. Can also score. He's going to have to be physically ready though and that'll be a big challenge for him," Miller added. "But mentally, he wanted this challenge. That's something to be said about him."
While Lander headlines the class, which is ranked No. 11 in the country, Miller expects Jordan Geronimo, Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway to make major impacts at IU throughout their careers.
"All three guys have a chance to be terrific players while they're at Indiana," Miller emphasized. "All of them bring size and strength and skills at different levels but they're all three physical bodies that are all ready."
Each of the freshmen will play a different role to begin their Indiana careers but all four are ready to get to Bloomington and add more firepower to an already hungry roster.
"The addition of the three fall signees are all ready to roll, and Khristian just recently ready to join us. I'm very excited," Miller said. "[The freshmen] Already are chomping at the bit to get there and compete."
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