Woodson Impressed With Malik Reneau's Skills on Both Ends of the Floor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's 2022 recruiting class was already pretty good, but adding a cherry on top like 6-foot-8 forward Malik Reneau in late April is something special.
How special?
His signing this week took Indiana from a top-20 class to top-5, just like that. For the first time ever, Indiana has two five-star players in the same class, and what's even more ironic is that Reneau and point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino come from the same school, Montverde Academy in Florida, which just won its second straight national championship.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson wants winners in his program, and that's what he's getting with these two.
"Me and Fino, we go way back,'' Reneau told peegs.com after committing to Indiana. "We’ve been at Montverde the past two years, building a great relationship together. It’s great because Fino is a pass-first point guard. He knows how to win, and that’s what I love, guys who know how to win and love to compete.”
“(At Indiana, I want to) develop my game, be able to help my teammates out, win the Big Ten and win a national championship.”
Indiana announced Reneau's signing on Thursday, and Woodson is thrilled that Reneau, a consensus top-30 player, will be a force on both ends of the floor. He was listed at No. 28 on Sports Illustrated's final SI99 rankings. (Hood-Schifino was No. 26.)
Woodson also loves that he knows how to win, and that will carry over to Indiana.
“Malik has enjoyed success at the highest level in high school and brings a competitive and winning presence to our program,'' Woodson said. "He’s an outstanding offensive player who continues to expand his game. He has great touch and tremendous footwork and he uses his quickness to his advantage.''
Reneau has played with and against a roster full of Division I talent for two years running now, so making the adjustment to college basketball should be easy. Reneau is smart, and has a great feel for the game.
"He has a great Basketball IQ and is an unselfish teammate who has benefitted from working with and against some very talented players on a daily basis,'' Woodson said. "Defensively, he is well suited to today’s game. He keeps his man in front of him and can step out in pick and roll situations and hold his own. We are excited to welcome him and his family to Hoosier Nation.”
Last summer, he played for the Nightrydas Elite grassroots program on the Nike EYBL circuit, averaging 17.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 12 games. He shot 61.8% inside the arc.
Reneau, a native of Miami, is ranked as the 22nd best player in the recruiting class by ESPN.com, 25th by Rivals.com and 28th by 247Sports.com.
Reneau joins guard Hood-Schifino (No. 21, 247Sports), Georgia Class 4A Player of the Year forward Kaleb Banks (No. 74 on 247Sports, No. 85 on SI99) from Fayette County (Ga.) High School and Indiana All-State guard C.J. Gunn (No. 141, 247Sports) from Lawrence North High School.
The quartet gives IU the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports, its highest ranking since 2013 when it boasted the fourth-best class in the country. The class is ranked eighth by ESPN.com and 13th by Rivals.com.
He is the son of Patrick and Melanie Reneau.
Indiana's Class of 2022
- KALEB BANKS, Forward: Banks is a 6-foot-8, 215-pound wing player. He averaged 23.0 points, 10.0 boards and 1.4 steals per game during his senior season of high school. He scored over 2,000 career points and was the Georgia Class 4A Player of the Year in 2022
C.J. GUNN, Guard: Gunn is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound guard. He averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals per game as a senior while shooting 46.8% from the field and 37.4% from deep. He is an Indiana All-Star, and an IBCA Supreme 15 All-State selection.
JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO: Hood-Schifino is a 6-foot-5, 185-pound point guard. He is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., is the highest rated incoming recruit in the Big Ten (247Sports) and led his Monteverde (Fla.) Academy team to its sixth GEICO High School national championship. He scored 14 points and hit three triples in the Jordan Brand Classic.
MALIK RENEAU: Renau is 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, and is a Miami, Fla., native. He averaged 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the GEICO High School Nationals event. He was an honorable mention All-American and just played in the Jordan Brand Classic in Chicago last week alongside Hood-Schifino.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- THREE HOOSIERS HONORED: Three Indiana basketball signees made the final list of Sports Illustrated's top 99 players this week. Jalen Hood-Schifino, Malik Reneau and Kaleb Banks are were on the ''SI99'' list. CLICK HERE
- RENEAU COMMITS TO INDIANA: Indiana signee Jalen Hood-Schifino wore a different hat this weekend, as chief recruiter for Montverde Academy teammate Malik Reneau, who was on his official visit to Bloomington. It worked. Reneau committed to Indiana Monday afternoon. CLICK HERE
- PORTAL UPDATES: Dexter Dennis visits Indiana and former Hoosier Rob Phinisee commits to Cincinnati. Here's the latest comings and goings in the transfer portal as it relates to Indiana. CLICK HERE
- THOMPSON RETURNS: Indiana forward Race Thompson, who has started 62 consecutive games at Indiana, announced Thursday night that he is returning to Bloomington for a sixth season. It's a big get for coach Mike Woodson, who doesn't have much depth along the front line on his roster right now. CLICK HERE
