Before we officially kickoff the 2017-18 season let’s dream a little and think about 2018-19. To do that let’s first look back to 8 months ago when Tom Crean was fired. The immediate concern was defections, perhaps mass defections — of both the current players and the recruiting class. Could it be 2008 all over again? In relatively short order we got the great news that all of the players and recruits would be returning, with the exception of OG Anunoby, Thomas Bryant and James Blackmon, Jr. declaring for the NBA. Except for those guys going pro, which we suspect had nothing to do with the coaching change, the outcome was just about the best case scenario.
Since then things have only gotten better. Archie Miller’s “inside out” strategy to focus on and win the in-state recruiting battles has gained traction. The Hoosiers have gained commitments from two in state players ranked within the top 100 nationally, along with 2 other players. That those 2 Indiana players are from northern Indiana, which has in recent history been dominated by Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State, is even more impressive. Collectively the 4 give Indiana a top 20 class for 2018. But wait, there’s more! In a fairly stunning turn of events, Indiana is apparently in the lead or at least a legitimate contender with two 5 star players: in-state shooting guard Romeo Langford and the nation’s number one point guard Darius Garland. This is stunning because 8 months ago Indiana wasn’t really on either player’s radar apart from perhaps some token interest.
It is now the first full week of November. Darius Garland has told us that he expects to make a decision this month. It is time to dream a little. Take a look at this potential 2018-19 roster. Yes, we know that there are only 13 scholarships, but we’ll let you decide on how that would shake out. The point here is to just stop and admire the depth, length and talent here. We’ll know soon enough whether any of this will become a reality, but for now we invite you to just dream a little:
- Curtis Jones, 6-4, Junior Guard
- Al Durham Jr., 6-4 Sophomore Guard
- Devonte Green, 6-3 Junior Guard
- Robert Phinisee, 6-0 Freshman Guard
- Romeo Langford, 6-5 Freshman Guard
- Darius Garland, 6-0 Freshman Guard
- Juwan Morgan, 6-8 Senior Forward
- Justin Smith, 6-7 Sophomore Forward
- De’Ron Davis, 6-10 Junior Forward
- Clifton Moore, 6-10 Sophomore Forward
- Race Thompson, 6-8 RS Freshman Forward
- Jerome Hunter, 6-7 Freshman Forward
- Damezi Anderson, 6-6 Freshman Forward
- Jake Forrester, 6-8 Freshman Forward
Photo credit – indianasportscoverage.com