IU Basketball Recruiting: Class of 2021 Names to Know — Forward Kuluel Mading

Despite being from Indiana and playing college basketball there, the hiring of assistant coach Mike Roberts brought IU greater relationships in another hoops hotbed — North Carolina.

Roberts, a Terre Haute, Ind. native, was an assistant at UNC Greensboro for eight seasons prior to joining Archie Miller’s coaching staff in 2019. One player in the Tar Heel state that Roberts has kept in contact with since transitioning to IU is High Point, N.C. power forward Kuluel Mading.

Jake Lieberman was the first to report on Indiana’s interest in Mading last week.

Just spoke to junior Kuluel Mading. (@kmading7) The big man has started to receive interest from Iowa, Indiana, VCU, Providence, and Cincinnati. He already has offers from Clemson, UNCW, UNCG, Elon, Western Carolina, and Radford. Lots of potential for him. @PrepHoopsNC

— jake lieberman (@jakelieberman2) April 29, 2020

Mading hails from The Burlington School and he averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds as a junior. He told The Daily Hoosier that he has been hearing from Roberts since the IU assistant took the job in Bloomington last summer.

Indiana’s message to Mading right now is that they hope to be able to see him play in the coming months. If AAU action returns this summer Mading will play with Steph Curry’s Team Curry (Under Armour) organization.

The 6-foot-10 Mading also told The Daily Hoosier that he would like to come up for a visit when recruiting opens backs up.

Mading’s strengths are running the floor and making his presence felt at the rim on both ends of the court. But he also has some emerging perimeter skills. Despite his height, Mading is not a traditional back to the basket big man. He has an ability to handle the ball and knock down jump shots.

247Sports’ Evan Daniels gave this assessment after Mading impressed at the John Wall Holiday Tournament in late December.

“Mading impressed with his quickness, speed and athleticism. He impacted the game with his length and rim protection, plus raced end to end to finish plays in transition. Mading took pride in his role and was active and aggressive throughout. He used his athleticism to impact the game both offensively and defensively.”

Mading was originally a 2020 prospect, but reclassified to 2021 earlier this year. He made that decision to be a more college ready player from an overall skill and strength perspective. While he has good length, Mading will need to work to add more muscle to his frame.

The reclassification is paying off with increased attention from high major programs in recent months.

Mading has offers from Clemson, Elon, Radford, UNC Greensboro, and Western Carolina among others. Iowa, Virginia Tech, VCU, and Providence are among the other schools showing interest in Mading beyond IU.