3/20/2017 basketball Edit

IU Signee Clifton Moore Asks For NLI Release

Clifton Moore signed with Indiana during the fall signing period. (Jordan Wells/TheHoosier.com)

Jordan Wells • TheHoosier

Staff

Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Click here to get your 30-day free trial!

One of Indiana's signees from the class of 2017 is prepared to explore other options.

Horsham (Pa.) Hatboro Horsham senior Clifton Moore has asked Indiana for a release from his national letter-of-intent, according to his AAU coach Jonathan Michels.

Moore's recruitment with Indiana progressed rather quickly. The Hoosiers extended a scholarship in September, and he took an official visit to the school over the Sept. 30 weekend before committing at the end of his trip.

One of his main reasons he initially chose the Hoosiers was former head coach Tom Crean's reputation for developing "underrated" recruits into NBA prospects.

With Crean now gone, though, and no long-standing attachment to the school itself, it makes sense for Moore to consider any potential options. And that certainly could still include Indiana - depending on who the eventual hire is.

The Hoosiers do not have to give Moore a release if they choose not to. When a head coach departs the program, usually a new head coach is hired and they then talk with the signees before any additional steps like granting a release are taken.

If IU grants Moore a complete release from his NLI, the penalty of sitting out a year of competition is waived. If they do not grant the release, he can still transfer schools, but he would have to sit out a year and would lose a season of eligibility.

While a signee is bound to a NLI, other schools are not allowed to recruit them. So asking for a release can be an effort to reopen a recruitment.

IU has 30 days to respond to the request. They can grant Moore a release, not grant him a release, or simply remove the recruiting ban to allow him to be recruited.

Moore committed to the Hoosiers over offers from Ole Miss, St. Joseph's, St. John's, Temple and Northwestern, plus interest from Villanova among others.