May evaluation period roundup: IU coaches hit the road for lone evaluation period

  • 05/21/2024 2:01 pm in

Changes to the recruiting calendar this year moved the spring evaluation period for high school recruiting to the middle of May.

The Indiana coaching staff was out over the weekend evaluating prospects at events in Westfield, Bryan (Texas) and Cincinnati. The Nike EYBL was in Westfield, adidas 3SSB was in Texas with the Under Armour Circuit in Cincinnati.

Here are some of the notable storylines to emerge from an IU recruiting perspective from the May evaluation period:

Greenfield Central’s Braylon Mullins raises national profile

If Braylon Mullins was still a secret nationally to some college coaches entering the weekend, that’s no longer the case.

Mullins, a 6-foot-5 guard and core Indiana junior All-Star, has long held a scholarship offer from the IU coaching staff. But with his stellar play over the weekend, Mullins added new offers from North Carolina and Purdue and two-time defending national champion UConn is now recruiting him.

Here is what Mullins told 247Sports about his plans for another visit to Bloomington:

“I am going to visit Bloomington with Malachi Moreno and Trent Sisley. We all do different things for our team. I want to set it for early fall during the football games. That is what it is looking like right now. Coach Walsh and Coach Woodson are great people. They recruit me hard and they want me there. That is a big thing for me when a coach tells me that I should be in their program. They have a great culture and I feel Coach Woodson would get me prepared to play at the next level.”

He was also named a top performer from the weekend in Texas by 247Sports:

Mullins saw offers from North Carolina and Purdue come his way and it was for great reason. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Mullins shot lights out from deep with an extremely quick release. He projects well as a movement shooter and brings added value with his ability to get off the floor. UConn is rumored to be on the verge of offering as Dan Hurley was present for a couple of his games this weekend.

Led by Mullins, Trent Sisley and Malachi Moreno, Indiana Elite continues to shine

The Indiana Elite 2025 group has been one of the nation’s top grassroots teams this spring and their performance over the weekend in Texas only solidified that standing.

Indiana Elite remains unbeaten this spring as college coaches from across the country, including the IU staff, tracked this group diligently over the weekend.

Like Mullins, Moreno added a scholarship offer from North Carolina with his stellar play over the weekend while Sisley was watched closely by programs like IU, Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Purdue.

Five-star guard Jalen Haralson eyeing visits

Five-star guard Jalen Haralson, who began his high school career at Fishers before transferring to La Lumiere, is considering Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State, Missouri and Notre Dame.

Haralson announced that list of schools in late March, but the next step is setting up visits before getting into decision making mode.

“I plan on finishing the recruiting process by the end of the summer,” Haralson told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi in March. “Then I can concentrate on my senior season, win a Chipotle National championship and help build a team at my future school.”

Haralson told Travis Branham of 247Sports over the weekend in Westfield that he plans to visit four schools in the coming months. Those four schools are Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Missouri.

It’s important that note that Haralson has already taken multiple visits to Indiana and those four trips would be getting a first look at schools in his final nine.

Indiana gets a look at Kiyan Anthony

Kiyan Anthony, the son of Carmelo Anthony, was one of the bigger risers of the weekend according to this writeup over at CBSSports:

Kiyan Anthony’s ascension has been one of the storylines of this spring and it was plain to see this weekend, writes Adam Finkelstein. After opening the weekend with 25 points against the PSA Cardinals and 18 against ProSkills, Anthony exploded for 28 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals on Saturday afternoon against Team Final. He scored 25 of those points in the first three quarters of the game, accounting for more than half his team’s points at that point. Most impressive, was that he did so while playing in the flow and not dominating the ball, yet still being aggressive.

His pull-up game was especially potent. He was able to get to it in a number of ways, whether he was punishing defenders for not having their hands up, finding the open space in transition, or putting defenders in jail when operating in ball-screens. He also mixed in some impressive footwork off the catch, lay-up making ability around the paint, and even the ability to take smaller guards into the post.

Mike Woodson, of course, has strong ties to Anthony as he coached Carmelo with the New York Knicks. Anthony is a priority recruit for Syracuse, where Carmelo starred and won a national championship in 2003.

Indiana watched Anthony in Westfield and he gave a strong endorsement of the program in an interview with On3:

“I talk with Coach Ya (assistant coach Yasir Rosemond) often and Coach Woody (Mike Woodson) calls me every now and again. I’m looking to set up an official visit with them. I’m waiting until after USA Camp and after EYBL slows down, like in July. (Coach Woodson) is like my Godfather. I had the opportunity to train with him a lot when I was younger. He showed me the path to make it to the highest level possible. Now that he is at Indiana, and I have the opportunity to play with him, it’s all just a blessing.”

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