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Recruiting Roundup: A lot of things happening, and also nothing at all

Indiana has only one commit for next year. Not only is the sky not falling in Bloomington, but it's an ideal spot to be in for the class of 2017.

By David_Siegel
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a little while since we've delved into the nitty gritty of Indiana's recruiting efforts, and while mostly that's due to my laziness, that's not entirely the case. Around this time of year when the only news is recruiting news, pretty much everything you hear from a "BREAKING NEWS" article is that a recruit is "interested in School X" and/or  "plan to take a visit to School Y in the future". While that *may* be true, it's really not something to get your hopes up for because every high-major recruit has dropped that same line about at least 10 schools. Many of these kids are just giving lip service to reporters because they really just want to go home after very long days at AAU tournaments.

Anyway, there's been enough new names on the horizon and movement within the ranks that it's probably a good time to recap where Indiana stands in the class of 2017. Tom Crean and co. have been courting a whole slew of new faces, so even with a huge name going off the board last week in Michael Porter's commitment to Washington, the Hoosiers are still in prime position with not only the top in-state talent, but big names across the country.

The familiar names

Paul Scruggs

Seems like it's a two-horse race between Indiana and Xavier for Scruggs at this point. The four-star guard out of Indianapolis remains a top target for the Hoosiers, but as I've harped over and over again, the lure of a top prospect staying home for his state school just isn't nearly as important as it used to be in the age of AAU. Let's hope Scruggs is old school.

Kris Wilkes

The unquestioned top prospect in the state. Every high major wants him. Will be a game-changer from day one. These are the facts. As far as his recruitment, Wilkes has played it close to his chest, not giving any real indication of where he is leaning. Expect him to take his time, because, well, he can do things like you see in the video below, so teams will wait.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

The five-star big man out of Indianapolis will play his senior year at La Lumiere instead of Park Tudor, which probably has alot to do with Park Tudor being mired in their horrible scandal for most of last year. On the recruiting front, not much has changed here, with Indiana heavily involved, but Maryland seemingly leading the pack.

Malik Williams

Indiana has been involved from the very start for the Fort Wayne product. That commitment has shown with most people in the know pegging IU as the school to beat out for Williams' services. However, Louisville has come on very strong recently with Rick Pitino front and center at many of his AAU games. Michigan State, Iowa, and Purdue are also very interested in Williams.

Al Durham

The lone commit for the Hoosiers thus far, Al Durham is solidly in IU's camp, despite receiving calls from multiple schools asking if he was interested in re-opening his recruitment. Super awesome fun fact about Durham - he began the July evaluation period in Victor Oladipo's camp (in which Oladipo made some waves at).


Names you kinda sorta know

Justin Smith

Nothing concrete, but there seems to be some positive momentum with the idea of Indiana and the 4-star Smith. A former high school teammate of Villanova PG Jalen Brunson, Smith has taken over lead dog responsibilities very nicely for Stevenson HS in the Chicagoland area.

David Beatty

While the consensus seems to be that it will take a lot to get Beatty off the East Coast, don't underestimate the IU coaching staff, as they have heard that many times before (Vonleh, Bryant, Williams, etc.). The four-star guard will be in town this August to get a first-hand look at Bloomington.

Trevon Duval

Indiana's recruitment of Duval definitely falls into the "shoot for the stars" category. Last year, Duval went out of his way to announce that he was cutting his list to 36 schools, and just last week said he's "thinking about cutting his list to 10 by August". Most people can't get away with saying those things with a straight face, but when you are as completely dominant on the floor as Duval (#5 Overall, #1 ranked PG) is, societal restrictions ease up a bit.

Names I just learned so I'm guessing you don't know them either

Tremont Waters

A new name on the Indiana front, Waters had long been considered a lock for Duke or Kentucky. However, with those schools prioritizing different players, new schools (including IU) have gotten involved. Waters recently spoke very, very highly of Indiana at the Top 100 Camp, and it would seem that the Hoosiers should get an Official Visit from the #40 overall (#10 PG) ranked player in the class of 2017.

Daniel Mading

Mading, a 6'9" PF out of New Jersey, committed to Arizona State back in December, but recently reopened his recruitment in late June. Indiana is reportedly one of the schools that has reached out to the 3-star prospect, but there is no word on the level of interest or how quickly Mading is looking to make a decision.

As always, keep up to date with our ever-changing recruiting board.

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