6-Banner Sunday: 2024-25 schedule and recruiting updates
Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
While there was not one attention-grabbing headline, a wide variety of topics did make some news in Hoosier Nation. These updates involved the upcoming schedule, recruiting, and former IU players now in the NBA.
Besides this, jersey numbers were revealed, Bart Torvik updated his team rankings for 2024-2025, and Bracketology. We will, as usual, conclude with weekly shows and a look at other Indiana sports led by the swimming qualifications up in Indianapolis for the Paris Olympics.
Here is what’s in this week’s edition:
• Indiana to reportedly host Chattanooga
• Class of 2025 recruiting updates
• Hoosiers in the NBA
• Jersey numbers set for 2024-25 roster
• Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup
IU men’s basketball will play several games this upcoming season on Peacock and the women will play a few as well, making the streaming service essential for IU basketball fans. Sign up for Peacock using Inside the Hall’s link to help support the site and enjoy Big Ten hoops all season long! (The link is an Inside the Hall affiliate link, so a commission will be paid to ITH if you click and subscribe to Peacock.)
Banner #1 – Indiana to reportedly host Chattanooga
A few games on the IU schedule had already been revealed previously. This includes a trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving and early season home contests with Eastern Illinois and South Carolina.
Now, it has been reported that the Hoosiers will host one of the better mid-majors in Assembly Hall. While the date is unknown, the Chattanooga Mocs will reportedly come to Bloomington for a non-conference showdown after being ranked a solid 140 in KenPom last season.
In another update that affects not just Indiana but all squads, the NCAA reportedly will announce changes to exhibition contests and scrimmages. This modification allows two off-campus showdowns that can now be ticketed and publicized. Also, the current exhibition games against a lower level of competition could now be against fellow division one peers.
Banner #2 – Class of 2025 recruiting updates
As summer arrives, the college sports season, especially IU basketball, has entered a recruiting phase. With the 2024 roster likely set, the Hoosiers have turned their attention to 2025 and beyond.
The 2025 class in Indiana is one of the best in recent memory and has several top prospects. One of these is Trent Sisley, who narrowed his choices down to five schools, and as expected, the Hoosiers were included on his list. Another top target is Jalen Haralson, who has set an official visit to Bloomington on August 31. 247Sports released new rankings for this group of players, with Haralson coming in at 14 and Sisley at 74, with several others in the top 100.
Finally, the Hoosiers extended two additional scholarship offers for 2025. This was to out-of-state prospects in No. 33 Davis Fogle and No. 34 Acaden Lewis.
Banner #3 – Hoosiers in the NBA
The one major contributor for IU who departed the team is star center Kel’el Ware. After a phenomenal season in Bloomington, Ware played himself into a relatively high draft pick. Picks will be announced this week on Wednesday (first round) and Thursday (second round).
New NBA mock drafts were recently released. All of them have Ware going no later than No. 23 while several have him up in the lottery as high as No. 10. One longtime NBA scout Ryan Blake said he could indeed go in the late lottery. As a result of these projections, Ware was invited to the green room with other top draft prospects.
As for the seven former Hoosiers already in the NBA, all but rookies Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis could well hit free agency. The player set to cash in the most is O.G. Anunoby, who will get a lucrative deal. Longtime veteran Eric Gordon could also be an attractive option off the bench somewhere despite being 35 years old.
As for the remaining three, their outlook is less certain. Thomas Bryant has a player option to remain in Miami despite limited playing time. Finally, Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller’s future is very much up in the air after being high picks in the 2013 draft.
Banner #4 – Jersey numbers set for 2024-25 roster
A few other nuggets happened in Hoosier Nation this week. The most significant sign that the upcoming season is getting closer is the fact that uniform numbers for the entire roster were announced.
As for expectations, they continue to be very high with all the roster additions this spring. Bart Torvik put out new rankings and has Indiana at No. 23 nationally, the fourth highest in the Big Ten. Updated Bracketology from Joe Lunardi has IU in the same range as a four-seed for March Madness in 2025.
Banner #5 – Back Home Network shows
The Back Home Network had several new shows this week. Doing The Work had Austin Render on to discuss the offseason. Render is the primary radio announcer for baseball and women’s basketball at IU and he started his own show on BHN called The Dribble Drive. The first episode was released last Monday.
Also, Right Up Meridian had a couple of new shows about the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. Finally, Crimson Cast was on-air one time.
Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup
• Multiple athletes with IU connections are competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis with several qualifying for the squad in Paris.
• Track and field also has several Hoosiers attempting to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics. They also had four of their competitors honored as Academic-All District.
• USA Women’s Basketball’s U18 Team continues to dominate under current Indiana head coach Teri Moren.
• Softball added an additional freshman and transfer for next spring.
• Baseball has six players invited to the MLB Draft Combine.
• Field hockey named their team captains for the upcoming fall season.
Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.
Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor
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