Top 2024 prospect and Indiana basketball target expected to land elsewhere in Big Ten

The Indiana basketball program is involved with numerous five-star prospects in the 2024 class. With so many irons in the fire, there are going to be certain targets that the Hoosiers miss out on.

It looks like we’ve finally come to the end of the recruitment of the top overall prospect in the 2024 class, Dylan Harper. Harper has a formal list of finalists that includes Rutgers, Duke, Auburn and Kansas in addition to the Indiana basketball program. But, sources have been consistent in telling HoosierIllustrated.com that Rutgers and Duke are the top schools, with Indiana on a second level.

With a decision looming, it looks like a favorite has emerged. That team is Rutgers.

According to college basketball insider Trilly Donovan of the Full Ride Network, Rutgers is likely to land the top prospect in the class.

Harper also has two Crystal Ball predictions from Duke 247Sports reporters to land at Rutgers.

Dylan Harper is the son of NBA standout Ron Harper and the brother of former Rutgers star forward Ron Harper Jr. He is a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Don Bosco Prep (NJ) and ranked No. 1 overall in the 2024 class.

He averaged 23.4 points per game for Don Bosco this past season

While Indiana will likely miss out on Dylan Harper, there are still numerous players that the Hoosiers are heavily involved with.

Because of that, the Indiana basketball program still has the potential to land a top-5 class by the end of the 2024 recruiting cycle.

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 is with the top talent from around the entire country. It’s a message he’s emphasizing and taking head on.

“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 this summer. “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.

“I thought we were based on Indiana basketball and the history of it. 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.”

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball labeled ‘team to beat’ for 2024 top-10 prospect

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