Last week we updated you on the Indiana coaching staff’s activities around various class of 2019 targets. After a brief respite for the NCAA recruiting dead period, the Indiana coaching staff is expected to be back out on the road this weekend and into next week, with plans to conduct in-home visits with several high profile class of 2019 targets.
Here are the players that we are aware of that the Hoosier staff will be visiting:
MATTHEW HURT
This one is going to be a challenge. At 6-9 and 200 lbs, Hurt is ranked as a top-5 player nationally. He averaged 34 points per game during his 2017-18 season at Rochester John Marshall High School in Minnesota. He had in-home visits last week from Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina.
Reports have Indiana visiting the 5-star this weekend. According to Adam Zagoria, the in-home visit will take place on Friday. UCLA and Memphis are also expected to visit Hurt in the coming days.
While the competition is stiff, there is at least one factor that Hoosier fans can cling to for hope. IU redshirt freshman Race Thompson was a former AAU teammate of Hurt’s, and the two seem to have a close relationship.
So proud of my guy! Me and him has built a bond that no one can break ❤️ best front court in the nation‼️ watch out for us in July 😈 https://t.co/HXJDJJr9KT
— Matthew Hurt (@HurtMatthew) July 17, 2017
Hurt previously visited Indiana and by all accounts that went well. As a side note, Hurt’s brother Michael plays for Minnesota and saw considerable action against IU in Bloomington back in February.
D.J. CARTON
Indiana is in the mix for several high profile forwards in the 2019 class. As a 6-3 point guard, D.J. Carton appears to be one of the primary back court targets for Indiana in the class. Carton is a top 50 caliber player that is gaining momentum on the national level. Indiana is believed to be visiting Carton at his home over the next few days.
Marquette, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State have all either had or are scheduled to have in-home visits as well. Carton is from Bettendorf, Iowa and is the Hawkeyes’ top target for 2019.
Carton took a 2-day unofficial visit to Indiana in January. The visit included the Purdue game, so he was able to experience an IU game day environment at its best. You can watch him discuss that visit here.
ARMAAN FRANKLIN
Armaan Franklin hails from Indianapolis Cathedral High School. He is a 6-4 combo guard that had a strong junior season and has been gaining more attention nationally. Multiple reports have Indiana visiting him in-home on Friday.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Franklin averaged 23.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game and shot 54 percent from the field during his junior season at Cathedral.
He has offers from Butler, Louisville, Purdue, Ohio State, Xavier and others.
CLASS OF 2018 NEWS
We previously featured Evansville graduate transfer Ryan Taylor as a potential 2018 addition to the Indiana roster. Taylor announced earlier in the week that he will be attending Northwestern.
You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
Photo credit – Gary Brockman / VictoryViews