NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of Lester Quinones final 4 teams
By Josh Stevens
No. 2 Indiana
I will just start this by saying that Quinones even stated when he announced his top 4 that Indiana was definitely a clear top-2. That could help or hurt the Hoosiers though, as they may become complacent with their push for Lester.
Indiana just like almost every other major program in the country is suffering from not knowing what players are going to return next season. Guards Aljami Durham and Devonte Green both entered their names into the draft but could return. Romeo Langford is going to be a top pick so he will not return and Juwan Morgan their star forward from last season graduated. The good thing for Archie Miller is that he has one of the best young teams in the country.
Their issue is shooting from the outside as other than Devonte Green who shot 41% no one shot well at all. Enter the Lester Quinones effect. Green will be the primary ball handler most likely next season which would allow Quinones to roam behind the arc and find the open spot. Last year for AAU he shot 34.1% from behind the arc but looked confident.
The downside for Indiana is that he will be competing for a starting spot rather than coming in and starting from day one. With Devonte Green and Aljami Durham both likely to return, and Rob Phinisee also most likely to get consistent minutes it could create a cluster just like with Maryland. He would also be going up north quite a bit. That is something most southern recruits typically only do for top-tier programs. Indiana is a very storied program, but in recent years they have struggled. I think they are in second, but I think No. 1 is leaps and bounds ahead of them right now.