The Hoosiers have zero commitments in the upcoming high school class.
It is March 2024. Indiana men’s basketball, effectively, has zero players signed in the class of 2024.
The Hoosiers’ rollercoaster week began a few hours before tipoff of the game at Minnesota when it was leaked that head coach Mike Woodson would return for the 2024-25 season. Liam McNeeley, the program’s sole commitment in the class of 2024, decommitted the next day.
McNeeley is going to be a very, very good player and filled the void Indiana has needed for about eight years now. A knockdown threat from the 3-point line that could create his own shot with enough offensive versatility to be a go-to kind of guy on that side of the court.
Now the class has zero members. Indiana has two for-sure seniors in Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker, two potential departures in Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal and a roster full of guys with the transfer portal opening in a matter of days.
Oh and that open scholarship spot. That too.
I tried to find the last time a Big Ten team had no incoming freshmen, should that hold, and the 247Sports database stopped loading at about 2010. It wouldn’t surprise me if Indiana added a late signee here, but it’s a harder sell than its been given that signee would double as, like McNeeley before them, the only one.
There’s no other way to put this than an absolute disaster. Indiana focused its efforts on three prospects: McNeeley, point guard Boogie Fland and center Derik Queen.
McNeeley was the first domino to fall, using his announcement to call out for Fland to join him in Bloomington. Fland had a few crystal balls for Indiana, and then Kentucky seemingly swooped in and got his commitment.
No biggie, all three was something of a longshot and it’s hard to get that many elite recruits. The next, and last, was Queen. Teammates and good friends with McNeeley, he had a built-in reason to consider the Hoosiers. But Maryland was home and, after a drawn-out recruiting process, he eventually made the choice to join the Terps not too long ago.
Indiana put just about all of its efforts and resources into three players and landed one. That one is now gone. The Hoosiers have a lost recruiting class and a future that looks almost less certain than it did before Wednesday’s leak.
There’s words to be written about the transfer portal, but let’s stick with the high school realm here.
Indiana, with the resources it has, having zero high school signees in March can only be called a colossal failure. We do not know why McNeeley has opted out, and that is not his fault. Speculation will do nobody any favors here.
He’s a kid making the biggest decision of his life up to this point. Basketball is a part of his life. If he and his camp no longer believe Indiana is the best option for him, it’s their right to make that choice. This decision means far, far more for him and his future than that of Indiana basketball.
But back to Indiana. You can afford to take big swings like that these days with the portal in mind but there has to be a contingency plan if you keep on missing. Prospects you keep in mind when spots are filled.
Mike Woodson was asked about recruiting on Friday. There’s rules about this, coaches can’t just talk about an uncommitted player, but there’s nothing that says you can’t discuss your approach, how you operate.
The question and Woodson’s answer are below:
Q. “I know you guys as a program put a lot of time and effort into the recruiting. How concerned are you at this point in terms of how 2024, the class has turned out to this point?”
MIKE WOODSON: “Again, I’m not going to talk about recruiting with you guys. I’m just not. It’s something we got to do and this is going to be a big summer for us. We got to go out and get feel players. You can lose players. You just never know. That’s what the portal presents.”
“That’s just how I feel about it at this point.”
I do not believe in scrutinizing each and every quote of Woodson’s. Many have been taken out of context to blast him. That’s why I’m providing the full question and answer here.
But this is a special case. Indiana’s fanbase is frustrated and confused, left searching for answers. They’ve turned to insiders in droves seeking them, and Thursday’s news appeared to blindside just about everyone.
Woodson was given an opportunity to address those concerns here. He’s not talking about recruiting with the media, it’s a chance to send a message to the fanbase. Instead, he points to the future and his answer doesn’t detail his approach at all.
It’s topical because Purdue coach Matt Painter was asked about this the other day too.
Matt Painter says it’s hard to balance recruiting during the season, but if you don’t, “you’re not gonna like” your program’s future
He also said it’s important for him to continue traveling to see recruits play in person pic.twitter.com/2ii0I9NWkS
— Exponent Sports Desk (@Exponent_Sports) March 8, 2024
Painter simply details his approach here. He understands what his presence means to a recruit and knows what the question is about, the chance to speak to the fanbase.
There’s no way of knowing Indiana’s approach other than observing the moves they’ve made: swinging for the fences on high caliber talent. After that? Well, we’re about to find out.
The Hoosiers are a year removed from sending a point guard to the first round of the NBA Draft and a center currently making key plays as a reserve for the Warriors. It felt as though the program had some momentum in recruiting for the first time since the first Archie Miller class, but that looks like a squandered opportunity right now.
It’s just not that difficult to pitch Indiana. World-class facilities, NIL resources, a spotlight, private workout in front of NBA scouts and a coach who just about everyone at the professional level has something good to say about.
But something went bad, and now the Hoosiers have to deal with the fallout.