Indiana Basketball: What does the commitment of Romeo Langford mean?
Indiana basketball received some tremendous news in form of Romeo Langford’s commitment to join the program. What does this mean moving forward?
With May nearly upon us, 2018 recruiting classes are solidified pretty much across the board. There are some teams here and there looking to add another three-star prospect to the future of their team but very few programs can still “make a splash” this late in the game. Yet, Archie Miller and Indiana basketball did just that by nailing the commitment of guard Romeo Langford. An Indiana native, Langford made his announcement public on April 30th in front of a crowd of cheering Hoosiers at New Albany High School.
Langford is a five-star recruit across all services and ranks No. 6 in the class according to the 247Sports Composite scale. He was by far and away the best uncommitted high school player in the country prior to his announcement. This is a remarkable commitment for Indiana basketball as he launched their now five-man recruiting class into the top-10 of the country, No. 9 to be exact.
What will Langford bring to IU?
Even though he has only been the head coach for one season, Archie Miller is clearly building something big in Bloomington. Landing in-state recruits can go a long way, especially in the case of basketball-rich Indiana, and Miller did just that by reaching into his backyard to snag this highly-touted guard. At 6’5″ and 191 pounds, Langford has a college-ready body that can instantly transform IU’s roster for next season.
As a high school senior this past season, Langford stuffed the stat sheet with averages of 35.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. From an efficiency standpoint, he shot 56% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. He was an offensive leader on the floor all season long and he will take on that role for the Hoosiers next season as well. Indiana is losing a fair amount of talent this offseason and Langford will help in making up for it.
In the aftermath of his high school season, Langford competed in two top-notch events. While dropping in 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting, he was named the Player of the Game in the McDonald’s All-American game. In addition, he had a solid performance in the Jordan Classic, posting 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
Langford’s role on the roster
In addition to Langford, there are a few solid returning pieces in Bloomington. Most notably, Juwan Morgan is currently declared for the NBA Draft without an agent. He averaged 16.5 points an 7.4 rebounds per game last season and would once again be a top option should he come back for his senior season. In addition, De’Ron Davis will be coming back from injury and some other youngsters will move into more important roles.
Of course, Indiana is also bringing in five top-150 recruits in the country, including Langford. Jake Forrester (No. 137) and Langford make up the incoming backcourt while freshmen Jerome Hunter (No. 54), Damezi Anderson (No. 114), and Robert Phinesee (No. 125) join the roster on the wing and in the frontcourt. All of these players should immediately make impacts next season and bring the team to a new level.
The Hoosiers will obviously be extremely young next season with this influx of talent but it is clear who the leader of the team will be. Even if Morgan returns, Langford will be expected to take charge in his first (and possibly only) season on campus. Nobody should be surprised when he steps in as the leading scorer and the one with the ball in his hands during crunch time.
Next: 2018 Big Ten recruiting classes
In the end, this is a major addition for Coach Miller and the Indiana Hoosiers. He is going to instantly become the go-to player in Bloomington and he will be the ray of hope that could lead the team to the NCAA Tournament. With Langford now in tow, expectations will be sky high for the program to reach the Big Dance.