Nike Peach Jam: Storylines to follow for Indiana basketball targets

This week begins the final stretch of the Nike EYBL circuit — Peach Jam. It is the ‘National Championship’ for the EYBL season and numerous Indiana basketball prospects are in action.

It’s also a live recruiting event, meaning college coaches will be out starting Thursday.

Indiana has been heavily involved with a number of high-profile prospects and this week will show us a lot about who will start to become a main priority and who may jump on the radar.

A full schedule of the week can be found here.

Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines and under-the-radar targets to follow for Indiana basketball targets this week.

Five-star point guard Boogie Fland returns to action

One of the biggest developments this summer has been Indiana’s involvement with 2024 five-star point guard Boogie Fland. Fland took a visit to Indiana in June and the result immediately put IU in a good spot for the top-10 prospect. Fland has been very good this summer for the PSA Cardinals, averaging 15.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Fland missed a few non-AAU events the last few weeks but returns to action this week. He is a terrific scorer and overall shot-creator on the offensive end. His ability to score at all three levels, in addition to his quickness is what sets him apart from other players at his position.

Indiana, Michigan and North Carolina have all received official visits from Fland. At this point, Indiana is very much in the thick of it when it comes to potentially landing Fland.

Can Austin Swartz cap off his terrific summer?

Boo Williams guard Austin Swartz was one of the biggest risers this summer. He went from a top-135 prospect to a top-45 prospect after a terrific spring — which included landing on Indiana basketball offer. Swartz is averaging 21.0 points this season — third most on the 17U EYBL circuit. His best asset is shooting the ball. He is a true knockdown shooter who can take — and make — in high volumes. He’s shooting 37.2 percent from three this summer, with 11 games of 3+ made 3s. The Hoosiers are looking to land a visit from Swartz later this summer or fall and it’s something that will likely happen at this moment.

Swartz has offers from Indiana, Clemson, UConn, Illinois, Miami, Florida State, Georgia, Virginia Tech, St. John’s, Maryland and others. He’s taken one visit to Clemson.

Will anything more develop with Patrick Ngbongo? 

One of the bigger storylines heading into the final part of the summer is where Indiana stands with Ngbongo and what happens next. IU offered Ngbongo earlier this summer but hasn’t pushed super hard up to this point. Duke was the perceived favorite for Ngbongo but with the development surrounding Duke and where it stands for top-5 prospect Flory Bidunga, things are up in the air with Ngbongo. Indiana is starting to push more for Ngbongo and a visit is being discussed. This week — and how heavy a presence Indiana makes for Ngbongo — could go a long way in showing what happens next in the Hoosiers’ recruitment of the 6-foot-10 Team Takeover forward.

How much of a presence will the Indiana basketball staff have with Darius Acuff?

Acuff is a 2025 guard who has been phenomenal this summer in just about every event he’s played in. Right now he is averaging 20.1 points per game for Team Takeover on the 17U circuit in addition to 3.8 assists per game. Acuff is a tremendous scoring threat from any spot on the floor. He’s an aggressive driver whose game goes to an entirely different level when he’s hitting 3s. He’s shooting 35.9 percent from three this summer but is still inconsistent with his game-by-game percentages.

Acuff is a top-20 player in the class and has offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, LSU, Houston and numerous other programs. Indiana is heavily involved with a handful of five-star point guards in the 2025 class, so it will be interesting to see how much IU pushes with Acuff or if it lets his recruitment play out a bit more before jumping in with two feet.

It’s officially time for prospects to trim their lists and set more visits — who’s next for Indiana?

Typically most prospects don’t want to focus on their recruitments until after Peach Jam. With so many live recruiting periods and other national events throughout April, May and June, Peach Jam is the end of a long two-three month stretch of nonstop action. Because of that, it signals the next phase for a lot of prospects when they start to get serious about setting visits and narrowing their recruitments.

Indiana had a strong June with three high-profile visits. As of now, there are numerous prospects in conversations with the Indiana basketball staff about setting up visits. The recruiting calendar changes from ‘junior year’ to ‘senior year’ official visits on Aug. 1, and with just five official visits allowed for both years, there will be numerous players trying to squeeze in a few final ‘junior year’ official visits before August.

Other Notes:

Liam McNeeley will continue to be the top target for Indiana in the 2024 class. Expect numerous members of the IU staff to be courtside for McNeeley throughout his entire week. As of now, McNeeley is trying to set up a return visit to Indiana this fall.

Jaeden Mustaf and Austin Swartz of Boo Williams are one of the more exciting backcourt tandems on the EYBL circuit. Both are key Indiana basketball targets and have been tremendous all season long. Look for a heavy IU presence at all of their games.

Tyler Betsey remains a key target for Indiana. He has been a bit inconsistent this season for NY Rens but has been very good in his last few games. At 6-foot-8, he’s a tremendous shooting wing and has a skillset Indiana needs and wants. He plays alongside No. 1 overall prospect Dylan Harper, an IU target as well.

2025’s Jalen Haralson and Trent Sisley lead 17U Indy Heat into this week after a bit of a disappointing season for the team this summer. Both IU targets have had a terrific season individually.

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