Indiana Women Hosting Two Commits And Two Top Targets This Weekend

An already busy weekend in Bloomington is about to get busier for the Indiana women's basketball coaching staff.

IU is hosting four official visitors from the class of 2017 this weekend in current Indiana commits Alexis Johnson and Linsey Marchese as well as top targets Keyanna Warthen and Bendu Yeaney, TheHoosier.com has learned.

Indiana head coach Teri Moren is riding the momentum of being named the Big Ten's Coach of the Year last season and could cash in on the recruiting trail because of it. What follows is a breakdown of the four visitors this weekend, listed in alphabetical order.

Johnson committed to Indiana last October and is ranked No. 39 at her position nationally by ESPN.

John Lucas recently watched Johnson play at his first girls camp and afterword wrote that she was one of the standouts from her class.

Said Lucas: "This young lady's game continues to improve from the first time I saw her. She came into the John Lucas lab talented but intimidated. Well that's way gone. When on the court, she's the aggressor. She's skilled and can score on you in a variety of ways. Her jumpers are looking much better, and she seems to have tightened up her handles."

Lucas' description of Johnson's game indicates she might slot in as Indiana's small forward spot once in Bloomington. Johnson is the captain of her high school team and is actually listed as a guard on the official roster, a reflection of her versatility.

Moren has talked openly in the past about wanting her guards to play more like post players and her post players to play more like guards. In Johnson, she appears to have a player coming in that is willing to do just that.

Marchese is the longer-tenured of IU's two commits, having pledged to the program back in June 2015.

The Archer High School rising senior averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 0.7 steals and 0.7 assists over 30 games as a junior on a team that went 25-5. Her versatility as a center is evident in the way she scores and rebounds while still being able to pick up the occasional assist.

Marchese's play as a junior earned her a first-team nod on the Georgia Region 8-AAAAAA All-Region team. She also put up a fight for the Player of the Year nod before it eventually went to teammate Autumn Newby, a Vanderbilt commit.

Marchese holds a 3.6 GPA, was named First-Team All County, earned a spot on the Junior All-Star Team and owns 1,000+ points and 500+ rebounds for her career, according to her highlight video, .

On film, Marchese shows off a mid-range jumper to go along with next-level moves in the post. She doesn't seem to have much trouble going right to work off a pass, putting the ball down on the floor quickly and going up strong to finish near the basket with either hand.

She has some cleverness about her game to create her own space, not just relying on her size. That could prove to be a valuable tool when she's facing stronger, bigger competition in Bloomington.

Ranked No. 17 at point guard by ESPN, Warthen would be a critical get for Indiana as it looks to replace Tyra Buss two years down the road.

Buss, on pace to be a four-year starter, would be a senior when Warthen is set to be a freshman.

Warthen Tweeted on Aug. 30 that she had official visits lined up at IU, USF, Southern Miss and Texas Tech. The Hoosiers offered her a scholarship July 21.

Warthen put up video game numbers as a junior, averaging 20.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.8 steals and 4.4 assists per game at Fort Lauderdale High School. That type of production from a point guard at any level is quick to turn heads and clearly caught the Hoosiers' attention.

She's the reigning Class 8A-7A-6A Player of the Year as reported by the Sun Sentinel. She's described as a player who excels when attacking the basket who is still working out her jumpshot.

"It's scary, she's noewhere near scratching the surface and she's still flourishing," her high school coach LaShonda Gaines told the Sun Sentinel. "Her numbers are nowhere near what she's capable of."

If Gaines is right, it's difficult to put a cap on just what type of player Warthen could develop into by the time she gets to college, wherever it may be.

If Moren gets her way, she'll play in Assembly Hall.

Yeaney is yet another highly ranked point guard, rated No. 12 at her position by ESPN.

Back in the middle of August, she released a top-five list that included Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Washington and Oregon State. Of those five, the Hoosiers are the furthest away from home but perhaps offer the most likely chance at early playing time with Buss' impending graduation in two years, as mentioned earlier.

Yeaney was named to the All-USA Oregon Girls Basketball Second-Team after the 2015-16 season along with four seniors on the second team and only three underclassmen listed on the first team.

Yeaney's highlight package shows off her ability to change speeds, finish around the rim and mature passing ability, among other things. She seems to be the type of player who can create her own shot.

When she gets moving toward the basket, she has a variety of tricks up her sleeve to finish whether it be a Euro-step, a general ability to finish through contact or a knack for avoiding the defender all together.

Those are transferable skills at the next level, particularly in the Big Ten where a disparity in style of play ranges from the finesse teams to the tougher ones. It appears Yeaney would play either way, and she may want to do it in Bloomington.