7/16/2017 basketball Edit

Rivals150 Forward Race Thompson Commits To Indiana For 2017

2018 forward Race Thompson has been a top target for IU. (Jordan Wells/TheHoosier.com)

Jordan Wells • TheHoosier

Staff

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The first commitment of the Archie Miller era is in.

Plymouth (Minn.) Armstrong forward Race Thompson has committed to Indiana and will reclassify to the class of 2017, he tells TheHoosier.com. The plan is to arrive on campus in August after he's finished with some summer courses.

"Just relationships I built with the coaches," he said on why he committed to IU. "I think it's just a perfect opportunity for me as a player and taking my game to the highest level.

"The staff is super excited about it, and excited to get me on campus."

The idea of reclassifying came up about a month ago, Thompson noted. The current plan is to redshirt his freshman season and get his body to 100 percent - he noted he's been "banged up" for the past year and a half - while further developing his game.

"I just wanted to take my game to the next level as fast as possible," he said. "Going earlier, I think it'd be better for me."

Thompson chose Indiana over Iowa State and Minnesota, and also held earlier offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas State, Nebraska, Northwestern and Providence among others.

He averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest for D1 Minnesota through eight games in the two spring live periods, then posted 9.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest in three games in Spartanburg, S.C., while fighting through a toe injury to open July.

He took an official visit to IU in June with his family. That trip was the only official one he used.

Associate head coach Tom Ostrom played a key role in Thompson's recruitment. A Minnesota graduate, Ostrom holds a proven track record recruiting the D1 Minnesota program - 2017 three-star guard McKinley Wright played for that squad and originally signed with Miller and Ostrom at Dayton before the staff moved to IU.

“It was really good," he said of the trip. "I got to get to know the coaches and got to hang out with the players a little bit.

"I definitely got a better feel for the campus. Then we went through what I would do if I was at Indiana – what offense we run, what we do on defense, and just my role overall. I’ll be able to play inside and out. I’ll get a rebound and be able to push it as a point guard and lead the break. That’s one of the main things.

“My parents liked it a lot too. They got a feel for the coaches instead of just talking on the phone – they know it’s real, when you get to talk face-to-face.”

Indiana is also recruiting 2019 five-star forward Matthew Hurt from D1 Minnesota. The 6-9, 200-pound forward from Rochester (Minn.) John Marshall is ranked as the No. 7 player nationally in 2019.