The final live recruiting period of July always brings a flurry of recruiting updates from around the country.
Class of 2023 recruitments are beginning to wind down, and schools are showing their hand with respect to their priority targets in 2024 and beyond.
The Daily Hoosier was at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in South Carolina and Georgia, and we’ll have plenty of updates in the coming days beyond our first stories on 2023 forward T.J. Power and 2024 forward Liam McNeeley.
Below are a few noteworthy updates from other national reports.
Mustaf Eyeing IU Visit
After he finished with 25-points, going 10 of 15 from the free-throw line, class of 2024 guard Jaeden Mustaf was named MVP of the Adidas 3SSB Championship game a couple weeks ago in South Carolina.
The accomplishment was especially eye-opening, as the 6-foot-5 New World AAU product is playing up a year. His father is 6-foot-10 Jerrod Mustaf, who was a first round NBA Draft choice in 1990. The younger Mustaf was one of the better athletes we saw at the Adidas event. If he grows several more inches, look out.
Originally from the Washington D.C. area, Mustaf will be playing for Matthews (N.C.) Carmel Christian School for the upcoming season.
Mustaf told Travis Branham of 247Sports that Indiana is a school he is looking to visit, with Maryland, Miami and Virginia some of the others.
“They (Indiana) text me after every game, before the games, they’re at all of the games and they show me a lot of support, the fanbase too,” Mustaf told Branham. “I get a lot of texts and stuff on social media talking about coming to Indiana.”
Mustaf is currently ranked No. 40 overall in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite.
More from T.J. Power
We gave you Power’s latest thoughts on Indiana and what’s next in his recruitment on Friday, but in another report by Branham he made some more comments we found interesting.
A 2023 top-65 forward, Power discussed Indiana in Branham’s report:
“They’re still involved, I haven’t cut anyone out yet,” Power said. “When I get back is when I will start thinning things out but I have a great relationship with that staff and all the way through from top-to-bottom they have great dudes so that’s one I will be looking really hard at.”
Before his recruitment blew up over the last month, it seemed like Indiana was a near lock to get a visit. That’s why I found this comment noteworthy. It seems like Power may be including one or two of original top schools in his plans and not displacing them with the recent rush of blue bloods.
“My plan was one or two but with all of these new schools probably like three or four because I got a couple more on my plate I want to look at,” he said.
The list that Power is narrowing down from likely includes Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Indiana, Notre Dame and Iowa at the top. Perhaps Virginia as well.
A wild card: Academics are typically overrated in high-stakes recruitments, but they matters in Power’s case.
Jamie Kaiser names a top-five prior to IU visit
Things have been coming at 2023 wing Jamie Kaiser fast and furious. That’s why he already has had to back off an original plan to commit by June 30 and added schools to his recruitment after naming a top-nine.
In a another report by Branham, Maryland, UCLA, Miami and Virginia are in his current top-five along with IU.
“They’re pushing really hard. I talk to them multiple times a day and it’s just awesome to hear from them,” said of his conversations with Indiana.
A 6-foot-6 Virginia product, Kaiser comes to Bloomington for an official visit later this week. Maryland might be the favorite prior to that visit and a stop at UCLA. We don’t expect him to drag things out into the fall.
(A couple Sunday afternoon updates on Kaiser. He is transferring to national prep school powerhouse IMG Academy for his senior year, and he also received an offer from Oregon.)
Where’s Woody?
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson traversed the country during the final live period.
At the Peach Jam he prioritized Power and along with 6-foot-4 D.C. area 2023 guard DeShawn Harris-Smith, and a host of 2024 and 2025 prospects.
Next Woodson went out to the West Coast for an Adidas event where he prioritized Kaiser, 2023 commit Gabe Cupps, and several younger prospects.
On Saturday and Sunday Woodson was seen in Milwaukee where he watched 2023 Indianapolis forward Xavier Booker, who plans to announce a top schools list on Monday.
Busy week of visits
Indiana is expecting to host each of Kaiser, Harris-Smith and 2023 forward Arrinten Page on official visits over the next week. Page was injured and did not play at the Peach Jam.
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