2026 national top-20 point guard Deron Rippey, Jr. has been one of the best players on the travel circuit this spring and summer.
He’s got a list of finalists involved in his recruitment to match his elite performance.
The 6-foot-2 product of New York included IU Tuesday in his list of 12 schools he’s still considering, along with Alabama, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Texas.
Rippey also has an ambitious list of nine scheduled visits over the next three-plus months. As we reported last week, Indiana is getting a visit in October. Here’s his full schedule:
- Kentucky (Aug. 1-3)
- Miami (Aug. 27-29)
- North Carolina (Aug. 31-Sept. 2)
- Alabama (Sept. 12-14)
- Texas (Sept. 19-21)
- Syracuse (Sept. 26-28)
- Indiana (Oct. 17-19)
- Tennessee (Oct. 25-26)
- Kansas (Nov. 2-4)
He previously visited Louisville and thus far has not announced dates for N.C. State and Duke.
His Indiana visit aligns with homecoming weekend in Bloomington. That will likely be the weekend of Hoosier Hysteria, along with a Saturday football game against Michigan State.
It isn’t uncommon for a long list of planned visits to be modified as circumstances change. So that’s something to keep an eye on here.
Rippey is the No. 17 overall player in the 2026 class according to the national average of the recruiting sites. He’s right on the 4-star/5-star line, and has a 5-star rating from ESPN.
Rippey told TDH last week he started hearing from the IU staff last month after a standout performance at the NBPA top-100 Camp. He said the IU staff has sent him tape of Javon Small, a first-team All-Big 12 performer last year for West Virginia under coach Darian DeVries.
In addition to being intrigued by how DeVries utilizes his guards, Rippey has noticed the IU program and its fans.
“It’s definitely an underrated blue blood that not a lot of people know about, and the Indiana fans, from the Pacers to the Hoosiers, they definitely love basketball over there,” Rippey told TDH.
For a complete look at all of Indiana’s 2026 targets and beyond, with rankings, highlights and more, GO HERE.
For all of our IU basketball recruiting coverage, GO HERE.
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