Recruiting Roundup: Hoosier commits racking up honors in their Senior seasons

News, notes, and any other tidbits involving Hoosier recruits and targets

2017 commit updates

Justin Smith earned MVP honors with a 19 point, 9 rebound, 4 dunk performance in his team’s 75-43 win over Peoria at the Highland Shootout last week. Smith has continued to emerge as not only a highlight reel waiting to happen, but also as an extremely productive and versatile tool that continues to dominate even at the forefront of every opposing team’s gameplan. Enjoy below a few clips of Smith’s dominance below.

• Speaking of commits who have taken a step forward this year, Al Durham is shaping into the prospect Tom Crean foresaw when Durham committed to Indiana in October of 2015 as a relative unknown. In the Roundball Classic in GA last week, the Berkmar HS senior took home MVP honors as he averaged 16.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG.
• Clifton Moore updates are few and far between, but the Hatboro-Horsham (PA) product is well on his way to a very productive season, and continues to turn heads of those who missed out. In a 62-30 win over Upper Dublin, Moore had 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Then, in a loss against PA powerhouse Plymouth Whitemarsh, Moore was a standout for H-H with 17 points, even as he was almost exclusively focused on by the Whitemarsh defense.

2017 target updates

• While it’s not exactly new news, Jordan Tucker elaborated on what stands out between his two finalists, Indiana and Villanova. For Indiana:

Tucker has reiterated that he plans to make a decision soon - sometime in the next month or two if everything goes according to plan.

The “Not great, Bob!” section

• Hamidou Diallo, the 2017 version of Thon Maker, took a different, less drawn out approach than his predecessor, and committed to Kentucky over the weekend. Diallo, a 5-star guard who had Indiana in his final five, will be an instant force *if* he suits up for the Cats next year, as the possibility of him jumping to the NBA is still a distinct possibility despite the commitment.
• One of the most promising prospects in the class of 2018, PG Darius Garland updated his recruitment with Scout’s Evan Daniels, and as an Indiana fan, Garland’s words left a lot to be desired. Asked who was showing the most interest, the top-rated PG in the class of 2018 listed a top 5 that conspicuously did not include Indiana, after a long period of time in which Garland was closely tied with the Hoosiers. To make matters worse, Garland wants to make a decision in the very near future. With the momentum for Indiana at an all-time low with Garland, it may be safe to close the book on the Brentwood, TN product as Indiana’s PG of the future.

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