Indiana Basketball: Archie Miller lands trio of Top-100 recruits in less than 24 hours

Indiana basketball head coach Archie Miller has strengthened his program in one night. A trio of top recruits for 2018 has announced their commitment to play in Bloomington.

Indiana basketball has seen its fair share of changes over the course of the past few months. Former head coach Tom Crean was fired, then former-Dayton head coach Archie Miller was hired, and O.G. Anunoby, Thomas Bryant, and James Blackmon Jr. all declared for the NBA draft. After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2017, the Hoosier fan base was looking for a makeover.

Head coach Archie Miller made it known on his very first day as Indiana head coach that recruiting would be one of his top priorities. In the middle of July, only months into the job, it seems that Archie Miller has lived up to that expectation already. The Hoosiers have received commitments from three top-100 recruits in the class of 2018 in a matter of 24 hours.

It started with four-star forward from Race Thompson. Out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Thompson is rated as the #86 recruit in the class of 2018 according to 247 Sports. He made his announcement on Sunday that he would be playing for Coach Miller and the Hoosiers. Thompson also had offers from Minnesota, Northwestern, Marquette, and Baylor.

Hours later, Indiana landed four-star forward Jerome Hunter from Pickerington, Ohio. Hunter is rated as the #60 overall recruit in the class of 2018. This was the biggest surprise for Indiana fans as 247 Sports Crystal Ball projected a 75% chance that he would land at Ohio State and the other 25% to Michigan. He had offers from other schools in the Big Ten including Illinois, Penn State, and Purdue.

https://twitter.com/j_hunter35/status/886987580868358145

Just as all the Indiana fans were trying to process two top-100 recruits in one day, Coach Miller struck again for Hoosier nation. Damezi Anderson is the #91 overall recruit in 2018 and a four-star forward from South Bend, Indiana, who decided to play for Indiana on Wednesday. This was the first recruit inside the state of Indiana that Archie Miller has received a commitment from. Jeff Rabjohns reported that Anderson called four-star recruit Rob Phinisee to convince him to come play in Bloomington after making his commitment.

It looks like Race Thompson might be joining the Hoosiers as early as this fall. According to Inside the Hall, Thompson is going to reclassify to 2017 and arrive in Bloomington and redshirt. Regardless, the class of 2018 looks to be stacked and we have only just begun.

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The first thought after all of these commitments is major kudos to coach Archie Miller. Indiana fans are just as invested in recruiting as they are in the actual basketball being played. It is only the middle of July, but Indiana has moved up to the No. 4 recruiting class for 2018. While it’s still relatively early, none of the Top-10 players in the class of 2018 have declared where they are going yet. Among those players includes Indiana targets Romeo Langford (No. 5) and Darius Garland (No. 8), both which have already received offers from Indiana.

The Indiana coaching staff has worked diligently and aggressively to be competitive in their first year with the Hoosiers. Indiana has struggled during the past few seasons when it comes to making a serious run in the NCAA Tournament. Tom Crean was unable to lead the Hoosiers past the Sweet Sixteen despite multiple tournament appearances. Miller looks to have the vision of revitalizing their powerhouse status and move atop the Big Ten and NCAA.

Another important factor to consider was that coach Archie Miller was able to keep all of the recruits previously committed before Crean’s exit. Justin Smith (#78), Clifton Moore (#147) and Aljami Durham (#269) were important to coach Miller to hold on to. It gives the Hoosiers depth and the ability to develop.

As for what the Hoosiers will look like next season, it remains a mystery. Senior guard Robert Johnson returns after initially entering the NBA Draft and will play a vital role in Indiana’s offense next season. Johnson, along with point guard Josh Newkirk, will hopefully provide leadership for the younger guards in Curtis Jones and Devonte Green.

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De’Ron Davis is coming off a really nice freshman season, more athletic and ready to take over for Thomas Bryant. Davis was a top-100 recruit in 2017 and will also play a major role in how well this team performs. If Indiana can see a fully healthy season from Juwan Morgan, pairing up with Davis will make up for an intriguing front court.