Indiana Still Not Done with 2014 Recruiting Class?

This recent development has seemingly come out of nowhere, but it is moving quickly. Indiana is in heavily and now considered to be a favorite for landing the services of 6-9 PF Ray Kasongo. Kasongo first popped up on Indiana's radar a couple years ago when they were in the preliminary process of checking out the 2014 class. If my memory serves right, Crean and company looked but never seriously pursued Kasongo. They were always in the periphery but never offered.

Kasongo ultimately pulled the trigger for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks. However, we found out in the past month that Kasongo was going to not qualify at Oregon. The reasons have been vague and untold to this point, but one program's non-qualifier is another's life jacket. The Hoosiers and many other programs are still desperate for some post depth and Kasongo is a prospect that has the ability to come in as a freshman and log quality time.

So much so, that upon his non-qualifying many of the nations top programs jumped into the pond. Kasongo just finished up a campus visit with Kansas and is expected to be seeing Indiana when they return from Canada along with Michigan State. However, after his visit with Kansas this weekend it sounds like Kansas is no longer going to be in the picture.

That means that Indiana is now sitting 1a for his services. In the limited knowledge I have of Kasongo he reminds me a bit of Hanner Perea. He's a bit undersized for a post player, but his explosive athleticism allows him to defend the rim and score well in the post. Last summer he went toe to toe with Cliff Alexander and Jahlil Okafor and walked away with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks. Though he doesn't currently have the ability to consistently do that against elite talent, he is capable of it.

That's key for Indiana. They're going to have a light 2015 class as things currently stand. Kasongo is as good as anything they have going with post prospects in 2015. He's worth the scholarship and would provide a little more post certainty going forward. If Crean and the Hoosiers can land Kasongo along with Milton and Morgan in 2015, then the Hoosiers should be set going into what looks to be an elite and very important 2016 class.

Don't be surprised to see this one move quickly. Indiana appears to be the favorites today. Kasongo could be in the fold in as little as a week or he could be in East Lansing tomorrow. This one is moving quick as the fall semester starts soon. Hold on tight it is going to be a wild ride.