BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As the calendar has flipped to October and the high school basketball season draws nearer, Indiana basketball's recruiting calendar is entering into a crucial phase with regards to inking commitments in their prospective 2024 class.
Closing time.
The Hoosiers' pursuit throughout the class of 2024 has them with their eyes set toward pledges from the sought-after talents of some of America's best high school basketball players – the likes of Liam McNeeley, Derik Queen and Boogie Fland.
In the latest Rivals150 refresh from Monday, Fland is the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 1 point guard in the class. McNeeley is the No. 13 overall player in the class, and Queen is the No. 15 player in the class.
All three prospects are in the five-star category. The early signing period begins November 8th, and Indiana is still in pursuit of their first verbal in the 2024 class.
Here's the latest we know on where Indiana stands with their three targets of priority.
Indiana's pursuit of Fland enters full court press
The White Plains, N.Y. and Archbishop Stepinac product recently cut his list final list of schools from eight down to three: Indiana, Kentucky and Alabama.
A race that has long been perceived as Kentucky's to lose has had a tone shift around it as of late, with sources indicating that the one-thought-of gap is not as large as it seems between the Wildcats and the chasing pack. In the coming days since, Fland has since picked up two FutureCasts from different publishers at Rivals to end up at Indiana.
Fland had been visited by both Alabama's Nate Oats and Kentucky's John Calipari last week. On Wednesday, however, Indiana's full staff is expected in to see the five-star point guard.
Indiana's pursuit has lately required a lot of invested resources and time toward Fland, but the Hoosiers feel they have a shot with the New York guard.
Should Fland pick the Hoosiers, that would be a significant recruiting win for Indiana.
We're likely to know whether that comes to fruition by the time the calendar flips to November.
Hoosiers still the perceived leader for McNeeley
Indiana finds themselves once again entrenched in a recruiting battle with Kansas, hoping for the same result that fellow five-star Mackenzie Mgbako's recruitment did this most previous month of May.
Although Bill Self is undoubtedly the top recruiter in college basketball right now, McNeeley still gives off the impression that he could be the first domino to fall in the class of 2024 for Indiana.
A growing consensus leads many to believe Woodson and company are still the leaders in his recruitment, as McNeeley has seven separate FutureCasts placed on him committing to Indiana from Rivals publishers and six of them coming in the second half of September or later.
Now, following the trip to New York on Wednesday morning, Indiana's entire staff will be at Montverde on Wednesday to see McNeeley and Queen in hopes of closing the deal with the 6-foot-8 wing.
But, the longer it drags out, it's never reasonable to count out Self and his Jayhawk program until the clock strikes midnight and a decision is made. Self had an in-home visit with McNeeley last week, but Woodson was in at Montverde last week as well on his own.
Rivals' Rob Cassidy says McNeeley expects to make his decision in the next couple of weeks.
Derik Queen still on the board for Indiana
Queen's recruitment process is likely to take the longest of the three priority targets Indiana is after, as Queen's list of potential suitors still includes the likes of Maryland, Houston, LSU and Kansas aside from the Hoosiers.
Indiana had McNeeley and Queen on campus in September with Curtis Givens III, but Givens is no longer considering the Hoosiers in his recruitment. However, Queen is still on the board and going through visits – he's also been to Kansas and LSU this fall and is scheduled to be in at Houston and Maryland still in the coming weekends.
Yet, that hasn't stopped the push from Woodson and his staff. Each time they're at Montverde to see McNeeley, they also see Queen. Indiana's Wednesday visit to Florida is as much about Queen as it is about McNeeley.
Queen visits the Cougars this weekend and the Terrapins the following weekend, and then is expected to go into decision mode.
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