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BB RECRUITING

Indiana Basketball: Recruiting target takeaways from Run N Slam

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4 weeks ago

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Hoosier Illustrated Headshot: 2024 Guard Travis Perry from IndyBall Shootout - Noblesville, IN (Kyler Staley, 4/16)

The 2023 Bill Hensley Memorial Run N Slam weekend has come and gone and while it was not an official live period weekend, this was a good chance to see most of the local Indiana targets in action in or around the state.

The Bill Hensley Memorial Run N Slam is one of the top in-state events of the AAU season with local teams from EYBL, 3SSB, UAA, and many more all participating and make for matchups we don’t normally see throughout the spring/summer.

While most of the local Indiana targets were in attendance, one big omission from this past weekend was 2025 guard Jalen Haralson, who was not able to play this weekend due to his brother’s gradation.

There was a ton of great action over the weekend, which you can read more about from our Run N Slam Live Blog from Saturday.

HoosierIllustrated.com’s Kyler Staley was in Fort Wayne, IN all of Saturday checking out the Indiana targets Flory Bidunga (2024), Travis Perry (2024), Jonathan Powell (2024), and Trent Sisley (2025).

Below are the takeaways and notes of how each Indiana target did over the weekend.

Flory Bidunga (Indiana Elite 2024)

The 6-foot-9, five-star center Flory Bidugna was doing Flory Bidunga things that we have come to know he does on Saturday. Like it is every game he plays in, his motor was mostly always at 100% and he was running hard down the floor to get in position on both offense and defense.

His true rim protecting and shot blocking skills are going to be near the top of what makes him so impressive and he had a few huge blocks that came out of nowhere that you tell really amazed people. For his size, he is so light on his feet and just has nearly perfect timing on when to go up and contest the shot.

Offensively, he continued to show his improvements putting the ball on the floor and making moves face up towards the basket. Other than that, it was your typical score after score around the rim.

In the two games on Saturday, Bidunga finished with a total of 44 points and was as impressive as always doing so.

Travis Perry (Indiana Elite 2024)

The 6-foot-2, four-star guard out of Eddyville, Kentucky is another major part of what makes this Indiana Elite 2024 team so great. With Perry paired with Bidunga, the duo makes for one of the best 1-2 punches not only this past weekend, but on the entire Adidas 3SSB circuit.

What makes Perry such a special player, is his ability to score in so many ways. He is one of the better high school prospects out there at creating his own look and scoring at a high level both on and off the ball.

What stood out mostly to me on the offensive end was not only his ability to create, but how great he did off the dribble and finishing through multiple defenders as well finding an open spot to get an easy shot off. He also was extremely tough on both ends of the floor throughout the day.

In two games, Perry had a total of 30 points.

Jonathan Powell (Midwest Basketball Club 2024)

This was the first time that we had been able to see four-star guard Jonathan Powell since he included Indiana as part of his final six, which also includes Ohio State, Xavier, Michigan State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.

Out of all the Indiana prospects that I saw over the weekend, I can easily say that Powell was the smoothest. He came off the bench for Midwest Basketball Club, who is coached by 2023 Indiana signee Gabe Cupps’ dad, and you can tell he really excels in that role. He was so good about getting to his spot in transition which was often in the left corner.

He did most of his scoring from the outside but there were times he would get real aggressive and attack the rim and finish with a two handed slam. With as cool and calm he is on the floor, you sometimes forget how athletic he can be and that was the case here.

Defensively, his length and athletic build make him very sharp on that end and can cause some problems for the offense.

He overall had a really good showing on Saturday and finished with an unofficial total of 25 points. Only time will tell to see if Indiana can seal the deal and land this talented guard.

Trent Sisley (Indy Heat 17U)

In my opinion, this was the best that the 6-foot-7, four star forward out of Heritage Hills (IN) has looked since the start of the of the AAU season. He was very energetic the whole time and was aggressive about taking over when he needed to.

With both 2024 Purdue signee Kanon Catchings and 2025 Indiana target Jalen Haralson not playing this weekend, Sisley was able to do much more on offense and open up his game. His versatility on the offensive end was on full display as he was attacking on the drive very hard and was also knocking down a ton of open looks from the wing.

While Indy Heat 17U has really struggled on the EYBL circuit thus far, this was the best display of basketball that I have seen from Sisley and squad and it looked as through their passing and overall chemistry was much more improved.

Sisley has recently seen a surge in offers since the last two live period have taken place with schools such as Wisconsin, West Virginia, UCF, and others getting in the mix with the talent forward. HoosierIllustrated.com was able to confirm that Sisley will be taking an unofficial visit to Notre Dame in early June.

In both games on Saturday, Sisley had a total of 33 points.

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball offers 2024 four-star big man Patrick Ngongba

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

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BB RECRUITING

2024 top-25 wing Tyler Betsey sets Indiana basketball visit

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2 days ago

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June 2, 2023

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2024 top-25 wing Tyler Betsey has set an official visit date with the Indiana basketball program. (@EliteHSscouting / Twitter)

Top-25 wing in the 2024 class Tyler Betsey of St. Thomas More (CT) has set an official visit with the Indiana basketball program.

Betsey will be on campus from June 14-16, he confirms with HoosierIllustrated.com. 247Sports had the initial report. Betsey will be on campus alongside 2024 five-star guard Boogie Fland, who has officially set his Indiana basketball visit for June 13-15.

Betsey is a 6-foot-8 wing who is ranked No. 22 in the 247Sports composite rankings for the 2024 class. He is rated as the No. 8 small forward.

At 6-foot-8, Betsey is a versatile wing who is known as a shooter. He is a high-volume shooter who is very good off of the catch. He’s improving off of the dribble as well and has shown more of an ability to create plays for himself.

Playing for NY Rens on the Nike EYBL circuit and is averaging 11.6 points this summer in 16 games. He’s shooting 35.1 percent from three on 2.5 made 3s per game. He’s 40-of-114 this summer from three. He’s had four games with at least four made 3s. Betsey plays alongside current Indiana basketball target and five-star guard Dylan Harper on NY Rens as well. Harper visited Indiana in the fall.

247Sports National Recruiting Director Eric Bossi broke down Betsey’s game from earlier this summer.

“At nearly 6-foot-8 with smooth athleticism and a good-looking jumper, it was pretty clear that he has all of the tools to make a move towards the top of the class and he’s one of those kids who seems like he could end up ranked as high as he decides he wants to be.”

Currently, Betsey has offers from Indiana, Duke, Alabama, Kansas, UConn, Cincinnati, Auburn, Rutgers, Michigan State, Providence and others.

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball recruiting beginning to click on all cylinders: ‘I wanted to be able to sit at the table with the best players’

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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BB RECRUITING

Indiana basketball extends offer to 2025 top-30 prospect Jasper Johnson

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2 days ago

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June 2, 2023

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National top-30 2025 guard Jasper Johnson received a scholarship offer from the Indiana basketball program. (Jasper Johnson - @BruhJasperJ / Twitter)

The Indiana basketball program has extended a scholarship offer to 2025 top-30 guard Jasper Johnson of Woodford County (Ky).

Johnson is ranked No. 23 in the 247Sports composite rankings for the class of 2025. He is also the No. 3 combo guard in the class.

Part of Team Thad on the Nike EYBL circuit, Johnson is playing two divisions up in the 17U division. Through 16 games this spring and summer, Johnson is averaging 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the floor and 40.3 percent from three (27-of-67).

Johnson had his best game of the summer last weekend in Memphis — scoring 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-6 from three. He was 12-of-21 from three in four games last weekend.

Travis Branham of 247Sports broke down Johnson’s performance.

“In a three-minute span, Johnson scored a dozen points including three triples and a dunk in transition that took a three-or-four point lead and stretching it to double figures.,” Branham wrote. “Johnson has continued to grow as a player this spring. His confidence and aggressiveness are continuing to elevate along with his improving handle and jumper to create offense for himself and others.”

Johnson and the Indiana basketball program had a relationship prior to this offer. Johnson has mentioned to HoosierIllustrated.com that the NBA pedigree of head coach Mike Woodson is appealing.

He visited Indiana twice during this past season. He was in Bloomington when Trayce Jackson-Davis had a triple-double. Johnson has also visited Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Tennessee and Xavier in addition to others.

The 6-foot-2 guard has offers from Kentucky, Arizona State, Cal, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Louisville, Ohio State, Memphis, Xavier and others.

SEE ALSO: 2024 five-star point guard Boogie Fland eyeing Indiana basketball visit

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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BB RECRUITING

IU basketball recruiting beginning to click on all cylinders: ‘I wanted to be able to sit at the table with the best players’

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3 days ago

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June 1, 2023

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Mike Woodson won't 'accept no for an answer' when it comes to recruiting and building his IU basketball roster. (Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times-USA TODAY NETWORK)

When Mike Woodson took the job as the head coach of the IU basketball program two years ago — his message was clear. He wanted to get Indiana back into the national conversation by competing for Big Ten and National Championships.

The only way to do that was to bring in high-level talent. Not just local, but from around the country.

The message has always been that Indiana has the best talent in the country — but recently, that hasn’t been the case. The previous staff did a good job of recruiting the state but failed to land top talent from outside of Indiana — or even the midwest — on a regular basis. That resulted in IU basketball failing to make an NCAA Tournament for six years.

So, when Woodson stepped back on campus on day one, it was about getting the best talent in the country — no matter where — to come to Bloomington.

“When I took the job, I made it clear to my coaches that we deserved to sit at the table with the best players,” Woodson told reporters on Wednesday. “We kind of squabbled a little bit early on because they didn’t think we were in that position to be able to do that.

“Well, back in the day, it was always that way.”

Last year saw four scholarship players from Indiana. The year before was five.

Next season will be quite different. There will only be two players from the state of Indiana on scholarship.

A main reason for that is because of what Woodson stressed — and knowing what he wanted for his roster.

“I thought we were based on Indiana basketball and the history of it,” Woodson said. “So, I didn’t accept no for an answer and I told ’em (my staff) that I wanted to be able to sit at the table with the best players and compete with the Kentucky’s, the Kansas’, the Duke’s, teams like that.”

While Woodson just wanted a seat at the table, he’s done more than just sit there.

In the last two years, Woodson has landed four five-star prospects either from high school or through the transfer portal. It resulted in having two McDonald’s All-American’s on the roster this upcoming season for the first time since 2016.

In addition to the two five-star commitments in the past two months, the IU basketball program has also seen a one-and-done five-star prospect move his way into a projected lottery-pick in the upcoming NBA Draft in Jalen Hood-Schifino. That is notable to recruits — and Woodson knows it.

“It’s done a lot, you know,” Woodson said on Hood-Schifino’s development. ” … Not to say he was a one-and-done, but he put himself in that position and was able to do a lot of nice things for our ball club and you know, our program benefited from it.”

A large reason for the (recent) uptick in the national relevancy for IU basketball in the recruiting world is because of Woodson and his NBA pedigree — yes. But, it’s the entire staff that he’s put together that has built their reputations on relationships and honesty — something hard to come by in today’s recruiting world.

“I got a wonderful staff and, you know, we are beating the phones down and when guys come available, we are trying to get in front of their parents and whoever’s their representative and we are doing all the necessary things to get ’em to campus and close the deal,” Woodson said. “And this has been a great, great summer for us in terms of recruiting and, again, I give a lot of credit to my staff and them getting me in front of the people that we’re trying to recruit, the player and we’re starting to pay off. It’s starting to pay off for us.”

And in recruiting, in order to get a yes, you’re going to get a lot of no’s. But, that’s okay and what’s needed in order to reach the next level as a program.

“All they (recruits) can do is tell us no, but we gotta get there and we’ve been able to get there some, so it’s kind of nice.”

SEE ALSO: IU basketball senior guard Xavier Johnson gives update on his health: ‘I’m 100 (percent)’

ake 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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