We mentioned the very real possibility of getting a commitment from Juwan Morgan two weeks ago and how that would be a huge boost to the 2015 basketball class. However, what was only mentioned off hand is how huge it would likely be if we got Morgan. Mainly, because Indiana is putting a lot of chickens in the basket of his teammate Shake Milton as well. Milton is a guard out of Owasso, Oklahoma. Sitting at #63 in Rivals and #75 in 247 Sports composite ranking, the Oklahoma guard looks to be pegged pretty well in the rankings scheme.
He's a player that doesn't look to create too much for himself, but is capable. What he does do well is share the basketball when he draws defenders. His length allows him to get some passes off that many others wouldn't. When I've watched a couple of games online he reminds me a ton of Stan Robinson (though a better shooter). His drives are slow and methodical and there are times where you find yourself wondering how he was able to get into the paint and convert. Ultimately his size and strength are a real weapon for him.
Probably most importantly for Shake and his prospects at Indiana is that he could play some point guard as well. In fact, even though pretty much every site in the basketball universe lists him as a shooting guard, it sounds like Indiana is recruiting him to be an heir to at least some of Yogi Ferrell's ball handling duties. If Shake is capable of playing point, it would be huge for modern Indiana Hoosiers basketball. Why? Because we haven't had a big point guard in what feels like a decade. At 6-5, with Milton at the point, we could be a very large team in 2015 and beyond. That's something that has really peaked my interests since Syracuse ran us out of the tournament with their shortest player in the starting 5 being 6-6. It's a very appetizing thought.
Milton along with his AAU teammate Juwan Morgan have already scheduled official visits to IU and they'll be in town for the Maryland - Indiana football game. Obviously a good choice on their part, because that game is likely to decide a lot in the conference standings this year. Hopefully, late September Bloomington doesn't let us down. As these two guys would be 1a and 1b on the want list for the Hoosiers. Outside of finding a big guy to man the post, 2015's focus should come down to landing these two.
In other recruiting news, what seems most certain is that the Hoosiers will be recruiting someone with the last name starting with "M". Morgan and Milton are just the tip of the iceberg. They're also heavily recruiting Nick Marshall, Matt McQuaid, Terrance Mann, Donovan Mitchell and Doral Moore. Though the latter seems like it is not going to happen as the mutual interest isn't there.
Now that the July recruiting period is over, the real talk starts. Many top recruits are going on officials and will be pulling the triggers any day now. Though don't expect Indiana to be a part of the early trigger pulling process. Most of their interested guys are going to be closer to early signing day commits. Look for more action and the possibility of commits coming in early October. That seems to be the most common timeline for the guys that Indiana is pursuing.