Monday Mailbag: 2021 recruiting class, 2022 PG's, IU's season outlook
With just a month to go until the college basketball season gets underway, practice is in full swing, commitments are starting to pick up and expectations are there for Indiana basketball.
In TheHoosier.com's Monday Mailbag, we take a look at Indiana's options at point guard in the class of 2022, Trey Kaufman, Mason Miller and how the rest of the 2021 class ends up and season expectations for Indiana.
Right now Indiana sits at one commitment in the class of 2021 and that is with four-star center Logan Duncomb. Though sitting at one commitment going into the end of October isn't great, it's also not something to worry about. With the early signing period coming up in just a few weeks, Indiana's class will have a lot more clarity in due time.
The big name is Trey Kaufman - who is set to make his college decision on Friday - and the two names that are being connected to him right now are Indiana and Purdue. Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana State make up his top-5, but the two power in-state programs are out in front of the pack.
There has been a lot of Purdue chatter behind the scenes of late, but Indiana has a lot of things on its side and at the end of the day, I think the Hoosiers win out in this race.
After that, Mason Miller would probably be the next name to come off of the board as he is inching closer to a fall decision. Right now it's Indiana and Creighton as the two strongest suitors. I don't think both he and Kaufman will end up in Bloomington, however, so if Kaufman commits to IU, look for Creighton to be in line for a Miller commitment.
For Aminu Mohammed, the five-star guard has had one of the quietest recruitments out of a top-15 prospect. Right now, Indiana, Georgia and Georgetown stand above the rest but I wouldn't count out the G-League route at this point.
Because of the NCAA's decision to allow everyone to essentially have a redshirt season this year, and decision to allow a one-time transfer rule without sitting out almost all but agreed upon, I wouldn't be totally shocked to see Indiana go into the spring with a two-man class. When it's all said and done, I believe the Hoosiers will end up with a transfer or grad transfer and their class will be a strong trio heading into the fall.
Point guard is definitely a point of emphasis in the 2022 class. With Rob Phinisee expected to graduate and Khristian Lander assumed to be a two-and-done type player, that leaves no point guard on the roster.
Right now, IU has five offers out to point guards with two additional offers to combo guards. In addition, there are still about three other point guards the Hoosiers are monitoring.
The names at the top of the list, and the top of our recruiting hot board, are Avery Brown, Bruce Thornton and Rodney Rice. Brown was one of the hotter names earlier this summer and saw a huge jump in the latest overall rankings. Just a three-star guard at this point, he has all of the tools to be a very good high-major starting guard. For Bruce Thornton, the five-star point guard and Georgia native has almost every SEC school after him, but a good relationship with IU assistant Mike Roberts continues to help IU. As for Rodney Rice, he is the latest point guard IU offered with Kenya Hunter's hands all over it.
Right now I would tab Brown or Thornton out of that trio to land in Bloomington. Other names like Trejuan Holloman, Leland Walker and Braden Smith are all guys IU continues to monitor. In the end, it wouldn't shock me to see two point guards in the class, with one being a day-one starter and the other being a role player for the majority of his career.
While Indiana has a deep and talented backcourt, it is still extremely young. One of those guys that has experience now is Armaan Franklin and he will be looked at as one of those 'leaders' of the backcourt.
Last year we saw him have an up-and-down season, mainly just going through those first year growing pains. For Indiana to be successful this year, however, he does need to take a step up, not so much in production, but consistency and confidence. Franklin doesn't need to be a big scorer for the Hoosiers, but his mindset on the offensive end needs to be more of a playmaking mindset than just filling a spot on the floor like he did last year.
He has the ability to play both on and off of the ball, so finding time for him to make a play, for himself or teammates, will be extremely helpful for the IU offense. In the end, he will make his mark on the defensive end and with his ability to knock down shots. He shot the ball well in high school but saw his inconsistencies from three last year.
His presence will be felt more in the toughness category than it will stats, although I do see him upping his points per game to around 6.5 as a sophomore and having some games like Notre Dame last year where he stands out.
In the preseason, Indiana has fallen anywhere from 7-9 in the Big Ten rankings and while I think that is too low, let's remember that just five games separated a three-way tie for first and 11th place last year.
Because of that, there is a point to be made about no fans and how that will or will not impact teams. For Indiana, I think that could be one positive when you look at the road record last year of 2-8. Sure some of that may have nothing to do with fans, but you can't convince me that it didn't have anything to do with it.
On the flip side, IU was 15-4 in Assembly Hall and that had a lot to do with the fans. So while Indiana should win a few more on the road this year because of the expected no fans, it will be interesting to see just how effective the Assembly Hall home court advantage will be.
So, to start the season I would have Indiana fifth in the Big Ten. The front is loaded with national title contenders like Illinois and Iowa, Wisconsin returns all five starters and then you can never bet against Michigan State and Tom Izzo. But again, I fully expect the separation from 1-10 to be very similar to last year.
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