There has been a lot going on in the recruiting world in the last couple of weeks in Indiana. Surprises have been common and more anticipated events are on the horizon. This has been an exciting month and it is only going to get more intense as we head into November.
Anticipation is raging out of control in Cody Zeller's recruitment. Butler, Indiana, and North Carolina all believe they have a great chance at winning the Zeller sweepstakes. It is rare that a recruit keeps this many programs on edge without revealing who is the leader. This is nothing new for the Zeller's though. The family has been through this two times before and both times were similar to this. They don't let things out to the media until they have made a choice. Zeller will visit IU this weekend, the last of his three official visits. Roy Williams flew in to see Cody after his official visit to UNC during a time he could only observe open gym and not talk to Zeller personally. All programs have made Zeller a top priority. It will be fascinating to see what program he choses.
Dylan Langkabel leaving St. Benedict's of New Jersey was the first surprise for me. When I first heard of him returning to Morristown, the shock was the timing. Basketball season had yet to start so it couldn't have been a basketball related move. As most know, home sickness is worst when you aren't in your sport's season. I have seen where he is expected to be fully eligible for Morristown immediately. That is surprising to me since he clearly transferred to St. Benedict's for basketball.
Last weekend, Xavier struck again in Indiana. This time they scored two Indianapolis recruits in two days. First, D'vauntes Smith-Rivera gave his verbal pledge to Coach Chris Mack and staff after Musketeer Madness. DSR has been a highly rated player nationally since he was in middle school. I have seen him rated as high as No. 25 by national scouting services. Then Sunday, Michael Chandler, 6'11 center from Lawrence North, gave his verbal commitment to Xavier. Chandler was previously committed to Louisville who he verballed to as a freshmen playing exclusively on the junior varsity team at LN. I had speculated that Providence was in the lead for Chandler before he committed to Xavier.
Other anticipated events include the ruling on Jared Drew's eligibility. Drew is a highly rated player who transferred from Lawrence Central to Cathedral in August. Drew has offers from Indiana State, IUPUI, SIU-E, and Green Bay. Cathedral will be a force if they have the services of Drew. The decision is expected before practice starts November 8th.
I have not heard any developments with the Bowman Academy transfers. Stephan Hawkins transferred from River Forest to Bowman while Carlos McCormick transferred from Michigan City to Bowman. I am a big fan of Hawkins potential. He has a good fundamental base with the potential to be a great player with his size and athleticism. Both are juniors that would contribute for Bowman.
There have been a couple of other commitments lately. Jared Smoot, the Crown Point big man, verbally committed to the United States Naval Academy. Smoot is very raw, but is well built and finishes well inside. I liked how he played for SYF this spring/summer. It seemed like he was progressing at a pretty good pace. Region neighbor of Smoot's, Ricky Carbajal of Munster gave his pledge to Quincy University. Carbajal is an athletic power forward that is relentless on the boards. He is a good pick up for the D2 program in Illinois. Most recently, Matt Schauss of Centerville committed to Bethel College. Schauss is a big time shooter that has good length and the ability to run the point.