RaceToTheTop

Achor Achor (6'9" PF, Samford) commits to Kansas State. Put up big numbers last year at Samford considering he played less than 23 minutes/game: 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks. Shot 59/44/71. Made 27 of 62 threes. The reason behind him only getting 23 minutes/game is that he was constantly in foul trouble -- he commits fouls at a rate 20% higher than Malik Reneau. Committed at least 4 fouls in 12 games.

Three commitments so far today, all to P5 schools. Riley Kugel (Florida), 6'5" guard, commits to Mississippi State. Originally had committed to transfer to Kansas but was denied entrance. 247 ranks him as the 115th best transfer. Ansley Almonor (Farleigh Dickinson), 6'7" PF, commits to Kentucky. Stretch 4 who isn't a good rebounder but can shoot. Averaged 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. Mad 93 of 236 threes last season (39%). 247 ranks him as the 317th best transfer. Cameron Sheffield (Rice) 6'6"wing transfers to Duke. Overall pretty meh, averaged 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Likely will be a spot shooter off the bench as he is a decent perimeter shooter. Not listed in 247's top 500 transfers.

I don't see anyone going 17-3 in the Big Ten next year. Since the Big Ten has went to the 20 game conference schedule six years ago, 17-3 has been accomplished only one time. Covid year aside (since teams mostly didn't play the full 20 games), the team winning the Big Ten has went 16-4, 14-6, 15-5, 15-5, and 17-3.

Confirmation on Khalifa redshirting next year at Louisville -- has to rehab from a knee injury. But Louisville does have three scholarships left. They will need to address what they have at center since James Scott is their only post and he was a 5 pt, 3 rebound guy last year at Charleston (albeit shooting 79%.....sounds like it was layups and dunks, shot just 44% from the line). But with three open schollies, they have some wiggle room to get another big or two.

I think Hepburn is an A+ defender but offensively I'm just staying in his grill from the behind the arc because I don't think he finishes well inside the lane. He's best suited to be a defensive stopper and offensive facilitator. They'll probably have to ask a lot defensively from Hepburn when he's in with Johnson because they are both 6'2" and Hepburn is going to guard the better player defensively which could mean he's giving up quite a bit of size. Edwards can probably play the 1, 2, and 3, though.

Seydoure Traore commits to Iowa. Strange player. Has three years of eligibility left. Seen him listed as a guard on the Manhattan roster and a power forward by 247. Cut out the middle man, he's probably a small forward. 6'7". Averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks as a freshman. Very un-Iowa like, good athlete but questionable shooting mechanics. Very slow three point release and was only 23 of 90 from deep. One of those players who could be very successful or completely flop. Solid pickup for TCU -- Trazarien White from UNC-Wilmington. 6'7" forward averaged 19.8 points and 6.8 rebounds last year and put up 27 points and 10 rebounds in a win at Kentucky. Gets to the line as much as anyone in the country -- 232 free throws last season. Shot 49/39/72.

No team will look more different than they did last year -- all 13 players from their team transferred out -- but I'm not sure the even got more talent in than out (although Rooths might make it an even) They'll be better if for no other reason than Payne isn't the coach anymore and there is something to be said in a good coach being able to start with a clear slate with players he thinks fits his system. Players transferring in and their 247 portal ranking: Terrance Edwards Jr, 6'6" CG from James Madison. ranked 81st in the portal Chucky Hepburn, 6'1" PG from Wisconsin. ranked 105th in the portal Koren Johnson, 6'2" CG from Washington. 147th in portal. Ali Khalifa, 6'11" C from BYU. 170th in the portal. I thought I heard that they were going to redshirt him this year. Aboubacar Traore, 6'7" SF from Long Beach State. 188th in the portal J'Vonne Hadley, 6'6" SG from Colorado. 221st in the portal. Reyne Smith, 6'2" SG from Charleston. 276th in the portal. James Scott, 6'10" C from Charleston. 277th in the portal Kasean Pryor, 6'10" CF from South Florida. 286th in the portal. (I think he's tremendously underrated by 247) Kobe Rodgers, 6'3" CG from Charleston. Unranked. Khani Rooths, 6'8" PF, class of 2024. 33rd in class. Players transferring out and their 247 portal ranking: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, 6'10" C. ranked 55th in portal Skyy Clark 6'3" PG. ranked 93rd in portal Mike James, 6'6" SF. 152nd in portal Tre White, 6'7" SF. 157th in portal Kaleb Glenn, 6'6" SF. 166th in portal Dennis Evans, 7'1" C, 168th in portal (health is a concern) Ty-Laur Johnson, 6'0" PG 170th in portal Curtis Williams Jr, 6'5" SF. 193rd in portal J.J. Traynor, 6'8" PF. 198th in portal Emmanuel Okorafor, 6'9" C. 442nd in portal Danillo Javanovich, 6'8" PF. unranked Koron Davis, 6'6" SG. unranked Hercy Miller, 6'3" PG. unranked

Awesome!

Top uncommitted players in the portal, according to On3 and 247. After (assuming) Hatton commits, I would not expect IU to be any kind of player in the following players as we would be down to the 13th scholarship with every single starter and primary backup positions filled. On3 rating first, 247 second. 6. Jamir Watkins, 6'7" SF, Florida State. (247: 10) 8. Chaz Lanier, 6'4" SG, North Florida (247: 11) 14. Cam Christie, 6'5" SG, Minnesota (247: 16) 18. Coleman Hawkins, 6'10" PF, Illinois (I assume he will stay in the draft) (247: 24) 24. Jaylen Wells, 6'8" SF, Washington State (247: 15) 26. JT Toppin, 6'7" PF, New Mexico (247: 28) 38. Wooga Poplar, 6'4" SG, Miami (247: 19) 42. Dillon MItchell, 6'7" SF, Texas (247: 22) 51. DJ Wagner, Jr, 6'3" PG, Kentucky (247: 38) 53. Trevon Brazile, 6'7" PF, Arkansas (247: 41) 84. Ven-Allen Lubin, 6'8" PF, Vanderbilt (not in 247's top 100) 86. Achor Achor, 6'9" PF, Samford (not in 247's top 100) 88. A.J. Hoggard, 6'3" PG, Michigan State (not in 247's top 100) 89. Arthur Kaluma, 6'8" PF, Kansas State (not in 247's top 100) 90. Miles Kelly, 6'6" CG, Georgia Tech (247: 66) 92. Chris Ledlum, 6'6" SF, St. John's (pending lawsuit against NCAA) (247: 75) 94. Riley Kugel, 6'5" SG, Florida (not in 247's top 100) Jaxson Robinson, BYU, SF, is ranked 36th by 247 but does not appear in On3's database.

Two notes: 1. At his age, we should encourage Old Fart for remembering something he did last week. 2. The picture above isn't Old Fart....it's his son.

Other signees today: Syzmon Zapala (Longwood), 7'0", signed with Michigan State. One year of elibility. Averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in just 16.7 minutes at Longwood, but prior to that played three years at Utah State and scored only 53 total points three seasons. Mohamed Wague (Alabama), 6'10", committed to Oklahoma. Third team in three years, played at West Virginia as a freshman and then Alabama last year. Bit player but in the rotation at both places, averaging 9.5 minutes, 3.6 points, and 2.8 rebounds over two seasons. Kasean Pryor (South Florida), 6'10" forward, commits to Louisville. After doing absolutely nothing Boise State for two seasons, went back and played JUCO and then transferred to South Florida and had a breakout year. Good pickup. Averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds. Solid outsider shooter as well, making 37 of 105 threes (35%). Other note -- Ashton Hardaway transferred away from Memphis and his dad and committed to St. Mary's. Played in 30 games at Memphis averaging 8.3 minutes and 2.3 points, mostly as a stretch forward.

He's not. Most say he should go by Pretty Good Osomor and not Great Osomor. He's a solid player but not a guy who should be at the top of NIL. 247 ranked him as the 7th best player in the portal, On3 had him 15th.

I believe that if the head coach departs a program (Pope left for Kentucky) that players on the team have thirty days to enter the portal, so that extended his time.

You make an unmanageably large conference schedule you won’t get rid of the Florida Gulf Coast and Army games that teams schedule. Teams will keep those games on the schedule and remove the difficult non-conference games they are currently playing. AD’s aren’t stupid. They aren’t going to schedule themselves out of an NCAA berth.

No, no, no, no and no.

I believe he sat one semester at IU. His father died in November of 2020 shortly before his junior season was to be begin. He decided against playing that year and transferred to IU to start the second semester, I believe. But that was when Miller was still the coach.

To be fair, Miller IMO wouldn’t have had donors stepping up to fill the coffers for him. Woodson does have some support because of his past ties to Indiana. Miller didn’t have that nor did he have the personality to make up for that.

Plug for my cousin's husband's book: Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss and a Playlist for Life. His name is Matt Hay -- he attended IU and is still a very huge IU basketball fan. It's a biography about his time at IU as he developed neurofibromatosis 2, a condition which caused tumors to grow on the nerves that transmit sound to his brain. It is being optioned into a movie -- when it was first pitched as a movie, Channing Tatum was set to take the role as Matt but it was delayed and the production company decided that it should be released first as a biography and then as a film, so Tatum likely is too old to play the part at this point I would think.

I've been in South Carolina all week for my daughter's wedding so have been in and out of the message board but haven't been reading as much of the posts. Who has had info on a Hatton visit?

But other than the Branham crystal ball, what is the suspicion that he'll be there in the next couple of days if he's not already there based on? At this point we haven't heard of a visit date, only that a date hasn't been worked out.

i do wonder is reaching out to Mohammed is a sign that Hatton isn’t as close to being a Hoosier as was thought. Seems like some radio silence there, although seems to a lot of silence on Hatton in general. I thought he visited Minnesota some time ago but could be wrong, but I know the Gophers signed a different big after I thought Hatton visited.

Maybe, but if minutes on the court were his number one factor he could return to UT Martin or would have already signed with another low major. Guys still in the portal now are likely reevaluating their wants.

I wouldn’t be concerned about the amount that of movement a player with one year of eligibility has had.

30 minutes at UT-Martin and 24 minutes at New Mexico State really doesn’t translate into big minutes at a P5.

Webster’s dictionary says a journeyman is a worker or sports player who is reliable but not outstanding. there are a hell of a lot worse things to be called than reliable.