Indiana freshmen forwards making strong first impression

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Indiana returns one of the top front court duos in the Big Ten, and arguably the entire country with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson.

It also adds two talented forwards with freshmen Malik Reneau and Kaleb Banks.

Summer workouts began last week with the freshmen and already, it’s the new duo making an impression.

Both will have different roles, but Reneau will be expected to play a large role from the start. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, the Montverde Academy product has flashed the five-star potential he has.

“My early impressions of him are that he's a great player. I have not seen a lot of film of him in high school,” Race Thompson said when asked about the five-star freshman. “When he got here, he was bigger and stronger than I had expected him to be.

“Malik is a strong body. He already seems like he's ready to play in the Big Ten, talented big man, handle the ball, shoot the ball, and has a lot of moves in the post. He's really impressed me, especially in the past two days he's been doing really well, and I'm excited to get on the court with him.”

Reneau was the final addition to Indiana’s 2022 class, but also a pivotal one. His versatility on the floor and talent level is the prototypical forward Mike Woodson looks for.

That skill and versatility has already shown on the floor.

“He hit like a little shimmy one-foot fadeaway that was pretty nasty that kind of turned my head a little bit,” Thompson said. ”I would say that's one move that he made in practice the other day. He had a Euro step yesterday on like two people that was really nice. I've been really impressed with him.”

While Reneau headlines the forwards coming in, Kaleb Banks brings an added value of shot making and playmaking.

“Kaleb is a great player, Thompson said. “Again, didn't really see him play in high school, didn't really know what to expect when he got here. He is a very talented, big, big wing that can defend, can really shoot the ball, score the ball at all three levels.

“I think that he'll be a really fun player to watch, and he's going to be really fun to play with because he can make shots and he can make plays for his teammates.”

Banks is a 6-foot-7 and 200-pound forward who will add some additional floor spacing and athleticism when he plays the 4. He also adds length and size if he plays on the wing at the 3.

“Kaleb, he's really impressed me a lot just how comfortable he is,” Thompson said. “How confident he is in himself being able to make plays, so I think he'll be a lot of fun to watch.”

Overall, the entire freshman class is expected to contribute in some way throughout the season and Thompson feels confident in them doing so when their name is called.

“I think that we've got something special with all the freshmen coming in.”

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