Indiana secured a commitment from one of the top guards in the class of 2022 on Tuesday afternoon.
Jalen Hood-Schifino announced he will play college basketball at IU during a live interview on CBSSports HQ.
The 6-foot-5 Hood-Schifino will come to IU next year from Montverde (Fla.) Academy. According to the 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 23 player in the class of 2022 overall and the No. 3 combo guard. Hood-Schifino’s current rating by that outlet makes him the 11th highest rated player to commit to Indiana in the rankings era. He sits in that spot between current players Tamar Bates and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
“I’ve been building a relationship since coach Kenya (Hunter) since the beginning of my junior year, and when coach (Mike) Woodson got the job there he called me and pretty much told me his vision for me,” Hood-Schifino said. “Just from then on out I’ve been building a great relationship with them and I had a great visit. From talking to my mom and my mentor we definitely felt like this would be the best fit for me.”
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson’s 40 years of experience in the NBA was particularly intriguing to Hood-Schifino.
“Coach Woodson, this is his first year in college, he is a former NBA guy, he’s been at the highest level and that’s where I want to go,” Hood-Schifino said. “I know when I go there he is going to push me everyday and the development is going to be great.”
When asked about his goals over the next two years, Hood-Schifino said he wants to be part of the turnaround of the IU program.
“I want to bring the program back on track for the Indiana fans,” he said. “I want to be a winner and we are going to come in every day and work hard.”
Hood-Schifino is known as a big, physical one or two guard who plays unselfishly and can impose his will while staying under control. He gets most of his points off of dribble-drives, but he is a respectable perimeter shooter. 247Sports national analyst Eric Bossi describes Hood-Schifino’s game this way:
“A physical guard who is capable of playing all three positions on the perimeter, Hood-Schifino is among the best two way players in the country. He makes winning plays as either a scorer or distributor when he has the ball in his hands and on the defensive end his toughness and high basketball IQ allow him to be one of the very best perimeter defenders in the class of 2022.”
The 4-star recruit chose Indiana over Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Memphis. He also had at least one opportunity to play professional basketball with the Overtime Elite league.
Indiana assistant coach Kenya Hunter had a major role in the Hoosiers landing Hood-Schifino, with a relationship that pre-dates his August 2020 arrival at IU. After Hood-Schifino took an official visit to Bloomington in late June, head coach Mike Woodson took on a significant role as well, and at times the full staff was involved. Hunter was also the lead recruiter for Parker Stewart, Tamar Bates and Xavier Johnson as IU continues to transform its backcourt.
Hood-Schifino is the third member of Indiana’s class of 2022. He joins in-state guard C.J. Gunn and Georgia forward Kaleb Banks. Collectively the group is ranked No. 5 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.
See also: Hood-Schifino goes in-depth on his decision with ESPN’s Paul Biancardi.
View this post on Instagram
Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no additional cost to you.\
