Looking at Indiana Basketball's Top Priorities for 2021 Class
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After losing out on Trey Kaufman to Purdue last week, and losing interest in Blake Wesley as well, the Indiana Hoosiers still have some priorities for the class of 2021.
Currently, Logan Duncomb is the only commit for that class so far.
Indiana has seen a number of players come and go for this class, but the Hoosiers still have their eyes set on a couple talented players that can drastically improve their 2021 class.
Aminu Mohammed
Indiana is likely putting all its chips on the table for Aminu Mohammed now.
Currently, Mohammed's crystal ball points to 100 percent Indiana. This was the case for Trey Kaufman as well up until his decision day, so those don't always prove to be accurate.
Indiana's main competition for Mohammed right now is Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas State, Georgia and Oklahoma State.
Mohammed is a 5-star small forward from Washington D.C., but he plays for Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, Mo.
He's 6-foot-4 and ranked No. 14 nationally in the class of 2021.
Indiana first offered Mohammed in July 2019, so the Hoosiers have been recruiting him for over a year now. Mohammed attended Indiana's home game against Maryland this past season, and he has been talking to Archie Miller and his staff over Zoom since quarantine started.
Mohammed was dominant in his junior season, averaging 34.8 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 blocks per game as his team went 26-4.
Aminu Mohammed, of Greenwood, puts up the shot during the Blue Jays' quarterfinal game against Hartville at Republic High School on Saturday, March 7, 2020.
Andrew Jansen/USA TODAY Sports
Mason Miller
The next top prospect for the Hoosiers in the class of 2021 is Mason Miller.
Miller is the son of former NBA player Mike Miller, and he's a 4-star power forward that plays for Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee.
Some of Indiana's top competition that are recruiting Miller is Ohio State, Creighton, Florida and Memphis.
During the last two years, Miller's father was an assistant coach under Penny Hardaway at Memphis. Now, his dad coaches his high school team.
Indiana associate head coach Tom Ostrom has history with Miller's dad. Ostrom worked at Florida as an administrative assistant and video coordinator while Mike Miller was a player for the Gators.
Miller is the No. 58 player overall for the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Unlike Mohammed, Miller has not yet taken an official visit to Indiana.
Arlington's Madison Peaster (11) tries to block Houston's Mason Miller (13) as he goes up at the net Monday, March 9, 2020, during the Division I Class AAA substate game at Arlington High School.
Max Gersh/USA TODAY Sports
Transfer
The Hoosiers currently only have one commit in the class of 2021, which is Logan Duncomb.
If Indiana doesn't land Mohammed or Miller, or they only land one of the two, Archie Miller and his staff could certainly turn toward a transfer to bring in for 2021.
The last time Indiana got a transfer, it was Joey Brunk from Butler, and that has paid off well for the Hoosiers.
There's obviously no predicting who could show up in the transfer portal after this season, but if Indiana struggles to find more pieces to fill that 2021 class, this could definitely be a possible route.
Players maintain eligibility
In the middle of October, the NCAA DI Council announced that all winter sport athletes who compete this season will be given an extra year of eligibility.
That includes basketball, so this makes recruiting classes, roster spots and scholarships all the more complicated for the 2021-22 season.
Al Durham and Joey Brunk are the two seniors on Indiana's roster, so if they choose to do so, they can maintain that eligibility and come back for an extra season.
The 2020 college basketball season hasn't even started yet, so there's no telling what Durham and Brunk are thinking about doing. But, once again, if Indiana struggles to fill that 2021 class, the seniors returning could help the team.
Their decisions could even hinder on how Indiana can fill that recruiting class because Indiana is expecting to have Durham and Brunk's scholarships available for 2021, so it will be interesting to see how the Hoosiers' ability to recruit this class affects their decisions.
Either way, Indiana will continue to heavily pursue both Mohammed and Miller in hopes of signing both of them for the class of 2021.
Sports Illustrated Indiana will continue to provide updates on Indiana recruiting.
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