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BB RECRUITING

Indiana Basketball: AAU Live Period II – Live blog

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EYBL Session 2 (Phoenix, Arizona) - Kyler Staley 4/28 - HoosierIllustrated.com

The AAU season is in full swing and this is the second live evaluation period of the season and the Indiana basketball staff is on the road.

Some of the major events this weekend include Nike EYBL in Phoenix, AZ, Adidas 3SSB in Bryan, TX and Under Armor in Rock Hill, SC.

The expectation is that Indiana basketball assistant coaches Kenya Hunter, Yasir Rosemond and Brian Walsh will all be on the road. Team and Recruiting Coordinator Jordan Hulls is expected to take head coach Mike Woodson’s spot on the road as he recovers from knee surgery.

Brian Walsh is at EYBL while Yasir Rosemond is at 3SSB. No word on Kenya Hunter as of yet.

HoosierIllustrated.com’s Kyler Staley will be in Phoenix, AZ for Nike EYBL Session 2 checking out the Indiana targets on that circuit.

Some key EYBL prospects include: 2024s Liam McNeeley (Florida Rebels), Marcus Allen (Florida Rebels), Dylan Harper (NY Rens), Tyler Betsey (NY Rens), Caleb Williams (Team Takeover), Curtis Givens (MoKan Elite) Jaeden Mustaf (Boo Williams), Austin Swartz (Boo Williams) and 2025s Jalen Haralson (Indy Heat), Trent Sisley (Indy Heat), Jasper Johnson (Team Thad), Meleek Thomas (NH Lightning), Trey McKenney (Meanstreets),  Jacob Wilkins (The Skill Factory), and others.

Key Indiana targets in 3SSB include: 2024s Flory Bidunga (Indiana Elite), Travis Perry (Indiana Elite), VJ Edgecombe (SE Elite), Rakease Passmore (Garner Road), Annor Boateng (Arkansas Hawks) and 2025s Malachi Moreno (Indiana Elite), Mikel Brown (SE Elite) and others.

Games for EYBL begin later this afternoon.

Below are live updates of some of the key games and notable Indiana basketball targets.

Saturday

8:00 am – 17u New York Rens (Dylan Harper, Tyler Betsey) vs Team Takeover (Caleb Williams)

First game of the evening will be Indiana targets Dylan Harper and Tyler Betsey taking on fellow Indiana target Caleb Williams. Williams will once again come off the bench for Takeover.

Harper starting off real aggressive here. Attacking the basket and it up to 4 points. Much more active than the first game last night.

Williams missed his first shot attempt of the game. Had an open look on the corner but couldn’t convert. However, he did follow it up a few plays later with an aggressive attack to the rim and got fouled. He went 2-of-2 at the line. He has also looked really sharp on the defensive end guarding former Indiana target Nassir Cunningham.

Man, offensively Williams is about what you would expect not being extremely active but defensively he has been spectacular.

At the half: Takeover 28, NY Rens 20. Harper is up to 9 points while Betsey and Williams have just 2.

Williams would continue to be great on the defensive end in the second half holding Cunningham to zero points. Williams himself had 4 points.

Dylan Harper would explode to 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Tyler Betsey was held to just 2 points he got at the line and was 0-of-6 from the field. Was a much different player than his great game from last night.

Final: Team Takeover 60, NY Rens 39

9:30 am – 17u Florida Rebels (Liam McNeeley, Marcus Allen) vs Team Thad (Derrion Reid, Jasper Johnson)

Reminder: Liam McNeeley is out for the weekend due to a a sickness. He did not travel with the team.

Finally able to get a good look at one of the newest Indiana targets, 2024 forward Marcus Allen. Real athletic player. Allen got on the board with a really smooth pick and pop jumper.

Jasper Johnson is also another intriguing prospect with his length as a lead guard. Has really good court vision and can be a play maker. His first point of the game comes from a DEEP pull-up, back-to-back threes.

Derrion Reid has not had good start thus far. Missed his first three shot attempts but did just get a tough offensive rebound which resulted in him getting to the line but hit just one 1-of-2.

At the half: Team Thad 36, Florida Rebels 27. Jasper Johnson and Marcus Allen both have 6 points while Reid is at 4 points.

Allen starts off the half with a great move past the defender that resulted in a foul on his jumper. Really quick with the ball and can be a playmaker with his explosiveness.

Becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Johnson s the game goes on. Has been solid on the defensive end and uses his lane to cause problems in the passing lane. He is not overly quick right now but his ball-handles for his long arms are really impressive. If he can get more explosive, watch out. Up to 11 points after knocking down his third three.

Allen has a great ability to draw contact. Would like to see him be a little more aggressive in doing so.

Jasper Johnson led all Indiana targets with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Also added 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Marcus Allen finished with an 11 point, 10 rebound double-double.

Final: Team Thad 77, Florida Rebels 66

11:00 am – 17u Indy Heat (Trent Sisley, Jalen Haralson) vs PSA Cardinals

Tuning into the second half of this game. Indy Heat leads 29-27 at the half. Jalen Haralson has 5 points on 1-of-3 shooting while Trent Sisley is scoreless missing his 4 attempts.

Haralson has been on the bench for the majority of the second half with four fouls. Sisley has not been able to find anything at the moment. Still scoreless at the end of the 3Q. Tied at 41.

Haralson checked back near the beginning of the 4Q. Almost immediately got to the line and went 1-of-2. Haralson is by far one of the better guards at drawing foul that I have seen.

After a tight game, PSA has extended the lead to 54-44 with 3:30 left.

Jalen Haralson finished with 7 points on 1-of-5 shooting while Trent Sisley ended with 2 points, which he got from the free throw line.

Final: PSA 61, Indy Heat 49. 

12:30 pm – 17u Boo Williams (Jaeden Mustaf, Austin Swartz) vs Expressions

Checking out the electric backcourt of Jaeden Mustafa and Austin Swartz.

First impression of Swartz is he has a nice feel for the game. Really flows well with what the offense is giving him and can get a shot off with any amount of space.

Mustafa gets on the board with hitting 1-of-2 attempts at the line. Real athletic player that can get physical at times. Real bouncy too.

Jumpers not falling for both Mustafa and Swartz. They are doing a good job of creating their own looks but shots just aren’t falling. One thing is for sure about Swartz, he is not afraid to shoot as he is already at 10 attempts with 3:40 left to go in the first half.

At the half: Expressions 35, Boo Williams 31. Swartz with 7 points on 3-of-12 shooting and Mustaf up to 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Mustaf playing a little more not he ball to start off the half where he seems a bit more natural at. He is able to create better and proved that with getting a bucket. Swartz was def given the green light this game, just has not gotten a ton to fall however.

Friday

4:00 pm – 17U MoKan Elite (Curtis Givens) vs LIVON

Brian Walsh is here to watch Givens.

Givens is an athletic built guard that knows how to space the floor. Started off real hot knocking down his first two threes. Has a real nice side-step jumper.

Really controls the pace. More on ball than off.

Givens started off the second half with a corner three. Really cannot give him much open space if you are a defender. He is lights out.

Through three quarters, Givens is up to 13 points. Has just been really efficient.

Givens finished with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

5:30 pm – 17U Meanstreets (Trey McKenney) vs JL3

Brian Walsh is watching both Trey McKenney and Meleek Thomas.

At the half, McKeeney has really struggled. Just 2 points on 1-of-9 shooting. Taking really poor jumpers and is lacking some intensity.

5:30 pm – 17U NY Rens (Dylan Harper, Tyler Betsey) vs NJ Scholars 

Betsey has looked really sharp to start off here. Up to 6 points. Real strong, athletic build.

Brian Walsh is also watching Dylan Harper and Tyler Betsey. Harper has been pretty quiet thus far.

5:30 pm – 17U NH Lightning (2025 Meleek Thomas) vs Nightrydas Elite

Brian Walsh is watching both Trey McKenney and Meleek Thomas.

Thomas has been a little inconsistent in the first half. Up to 4 points so far.

Thomas ended with 9 points. Wasn’t the best shooting performance but his ability to carve up the defense to the get to the rim was real impressive.

7:00 pm – 17U Georgia Stars (2025 Caleb Wilson) vs The Family 

Wilson has been VERY impressive to start off here. Up to 4 points and is using his elite athletic ability. Very good ball handles for his size and is slowly starting to create his own shots.

At the half, Wilson is already up to 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. His jumper has been real solid but his passing ability it another standout for him. Would like to see him attack a little more.

Wilson finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Motor is an issue right now but the skill and athletic ability is there.

7:00 pm – 17U Florida Rebels (Liam McNeeley, Marcus Allen) vs City Rocks

Liam McNeeley is not playing this weekend due to a sickness.

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated on Twitter @Indiana_FRN and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. 

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Indiana basketball extends offer to 2025 in-state guard Azavier Robinson

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Azavier Robinson, Indiana basketball
The Indiana basketball program extended a scholarship offer to 2025 guard Azavier Robinson following an unofficial visit. 

The Indiana basketball program extended a scholarship offer to 2025 Lawrence North (Ind.) guard Azavier Robinson on Saturday following an unofficial visit.

Robinson was one of three 2025 prospects to visit Indiana on Saturday. Four-star forward Trent Sisley and four-star wing Aleks Alston were also on visits to Indiana.

Indiana joins other programs such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. John’s, Oklahoma State, TCU, Butler, East Tennessee State and Indiana State among others who have offered Robinson.

Robinson has taken a few visits to Indiana over the last year.

As a sophomore at Lawrence North, Robinson averaged 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game. This season, he expected to lead Lawrence North as one of the favorites to win the Class 4A State Championship.

Robinson is a lightening quick guard that can score at all three levels of the floor. When it comes to getting past the defender and getting to the basket, Robinson’s speed and on-ball skills are a major advantage of his. He is a  highly athletic player and is so explosive off the dribble and just overall has elite playmaking ability right now.

Robinson is ranked the No. 134 player in the 2025 247Sports Composite Rankings.

SEE ALSO: Down to Indiana basketball & Kansas, five-star Liam McNeeley goes into decision mode

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

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Indiana Basketball Recruiting Visit Primer: Trent Sisley, Aleks Alston, Azavier Robinson

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2025 four-star forward Trent Sisley from an unofficial visit to Indiana. (Photo Credit: Trent Sisley Instagram)

Indiana basketball continues it’s busy month of recruiting visits with over 10 total confirmed prospects expected to be on campus, both officially and unofficially, in the month of September.

Mike Woodson and Indiana basketball have already had three big recruiting weekends in September starting with 2025 prospects Jalen Haralson (five-star) Darius Adams (five-star), Malachi Moreno (four-star)….followed by the 2024 Montverde Academy trio of Liam McNeeley (five-star), Derik Queen (five-star), Curtis Givens (four-star)….and most recently 2025 in-state guard Braylon Mullins (four-star).

This weekend, the Indiana basketball staff welcomes key 2025, in-state forward target Trent Sisley (four-star) as well as Aleks Alston (four-star) and in-star guard Azavier Robinson (three-star).

All three are expected to be in attendance for Indiana football’s week four matchup vs Akron.

More: Down to Indiana basketball & Kansas, five-star Liam McNeeley goes into decision mode

This continues to be key month for Indiana basketball in terms of recruiting with them looking to build their 2024 and 2025 classes, which currently has zero names committed to the program as of yet.

Below is a breakdown of each player.

Trent Sisley

Out of the three 2025 prospects that are visiting this weekend, 6-foot-7 forward Trent Sisley is a player that Indiana fans know most about as he has already made numerous unofficial visits to Indiana in the past year.

2025 four-star forward Trent Sisley is ranked as the No. 53 player in the 2025 247Sports Composite Rankings. He averaged 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game playing up for Indy Heat 17U on the Nike EYBL circuit this past spring/summer. He shot an outstanding 58.0% (91-of-157) from the field which included 44.7% (21-of-47) from three.

Sisley recently announced that he will be playing for Indiana Elite as part of the Adidas 3SSB Circuit next AAU season with fellow 2025 Indiana basketball targets Dezmon BrisoceMalachi Moreno and Braylon Mullins.

Mike Woodson and the Indiana basketball staffed extended an offer to Trent Sisley, as well fellow 2025 target Jalen Haralson, before he even played a single high school game. Sisley, who attends Heritage Hills High School (Lincoln City, IN), has built a strong relationship with the Indiana basketball program ever since. Assistant coach Brian Walsh has been the leader of this recruitment for awhile now.

“Yeah it’s good,” Sisley told HoosierIllustrated.com earlier this summer. “Talk to my guy B-Walsh (Brian Walsh) a lot so that’s good. See all the assistants out on the circuit too a lot.”

Sisley is an extremely versatile power forward that can play both the wing and post very consistently. He is very good about knocking down the outside jumper while also having the ability to take his defender off the dribble and score through contact. This past high school season, Sisley proved to be one of the top scorers in the state which translated well into this past AAU season. He has proven that he can be a threat both in the post and at the wing on both offense and defense.

The Indiana basketball staff has been on the road the past couple of weeks with both Mike Woodson and Brian Walsh making in-home visit to see Sisley. As of right now, schools such Purdue, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Iowa seem to be the most involved with the elite, versatile forward.

Watch: 2025 Forward Trent Sisley Spring Highlights

Aleks Alston

Alston is the newest player on Indiana basketball’s recruiting radar out of three prospects that are visiting this weekend as the Hoosiers offered him just this past April. Alston, a 6-foot-9 power forward, attends Kenwood Academy in Chicago, Illinois.

Along with Indiana basketball, schools such as Tennessee, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, Oregon, New Mexico State, Western Illinois, Bradley, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Loyola-Chicago, Arizona State, Tulsa, California, and others are involved with the four-star forward.

Alston played for Mac Irvin Fire 16U as part of the Nike EYBL circuit this past AAU season where averaged 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He also shot 32.3% from the field.

“Alston is one of those guys that could really be a number of positions, but we see him as a new age four man that can handle the ball on the perimeter, pass it as well as any guard in the class, and also shoot spot up threes at a high rate,” Prep Hoops Senior Scouting Director Scott Burgess said. “His value comes in his size and skill combination which are very impressive for a young prospect.”

In the 2025 247Sports Composite Rankings, Alston was slotted at No. 74 overall.

Azavier Robinson

Even though there has not been an official offer that has been extended, Azavier Robinson has been one the Indiana basketball radar for awhile now. His return unofficial visit will be the second reported visit he has taken to Indiana. Brian Walsh is the leader of this recruitment and recently made an in-home visit to see Robinson this past week.

He is ranked as a three-star prospect and No. 131 in the 2025 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Robinson attends Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, which is the same school that current Indiana basketball shooting guard CJ Gunn went to. As a sophomore at Lawrence North, Robinson averaged 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game. This season, he expected to lead Lawrence North as one of the favorites to win the Class 4A State Championship.

He is a lightening quick guard that can score at all three levels of the floor. When it comes to getting past the defender and getting to the basket, Robinson’s speed and on-ball skills are a major advantage of his. He is a highly athletic player and is so explosive off the dribble and just overall has elite playmaking ability right now.

Along with Indiana, other schools involved with Robinson include Kansas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Louisville, Texas, Wake Forest, NC State, Oklahoma, West Virginia TCU, UCF, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Butler, St. Johns and among many others.

SEE ALSO: Down to Indiana basketball & Kansas, five-star Liam McNeeley goes into decision mode

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

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Indiana Basketball: Mike Woodson spends Tuesday at OTE Pro day as one recruiting target stands out

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Tyler Jackson, Indiana basketball
2025 Indiana basketball target Tyler Jackson was among the standouts at the OTE Pro Day on Tuesday as Mike Woodson watched on.

With the open recruiting calendar, the Indiana basketball staff has been on the road for the majority of the last week. That continued on Tuesday as Mike Woodson and his staff were at a signifiant recruiting event, according to reports.

Overtime Elite hosted its Pro Day on Tuesday, containing scouts from nearly every NBA team as well as a handful of high-major college coaches. 27 players were part of the event and took place in drills and scrimmages.

Among the Indiana basketball targets who play for Overtime Elite are 2025 five-star prospects Tyler Jackson, Mikel Brown Jr and Bryson Tiller.

Jackson and Brown are entering their first season with OTE.

Among the standouts by numerous recruiting analysts was Jackson. The five-star guard has emerged as one of the best playmakers in the 2025 class over the last few months.

Jackson played for Team Thrill in the 16U division and helped lead the program to a title on the Under Armor Circuit. He was terrific down the stretch, scoring 39, 36 and 31 points in that order en route to the championship. He averaged 24.0 points per game in the final session (seven games) and shot 42 percent from the floor. He played one event up with the 17U level, playing alongside current 2024 Indiana basketball target, five-star Derik Queen.

In his one session on the Nike EYBL circuit, Jackson averaged 30.0 points per game and shot 50.6 percent from the field and 50 percent (17-of-34) from three. He scored 30+ points in three of his four games, having scoring totals of 30, 36 and 39 points.

Jackson received an offer from the Indiana basketball program last week. He is ranked the No. 16 overall prospect in the 2025 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Jackson continued that playmaking and scoring ability on Tuesday as numerous national scouts came away impressed with his performance.

Here’s what a few of them had to say:

ESPN National Recruiting Analyst Paul Biancardi: “Best playmaker. Pushes the pace. Knows how to create and find others. Passes well in open floor or tight spaces.”

On3.com National Analyst Jamie Shaw: “There is a flair that comes with Jackson’s game. He plays with a lot of confidence, able to get to any spot on the floor and rise up for a jumper. When he is at his best, he can be a true three-level scorer.”

The Athletic Analyst Tobias Bass: “Very poised and can get anywhere on the floor when he wants. He was the most consistent player in the gym.”

SEE ALSO: Down to Indiana basketball & Kansas, five-star Liam McNeeley goes into decision mode

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

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