3* Forward O.G. Anunoby Commits to Indiana

Indiana landed another 6'8" commit today in the form of three star forward O.G. Anunoby. The Hoosiers previously landed 6'8 PF Juwan Morgan and all the sudden seem to have some height entering Bloomington next season. Anunoby is from Jefferson City, Missouri and is currently ranked #241 in the 247Sports Composite Index. He chose Indiana over Iowa and Georgia. While his ranking seems pretty low for someone being recruited by Indiana - he has been a late bloomer with many comparisons being made to former Indiana superstar Victor Oladipo. Oladipo was also a three star and a very late bloomer in his own right. Here was the scene earlier this evening when Anunoby made the announcement to join Hoosier Nation:

This commitment is going to be controversial to some, but at the end of the day - Indiana has added a lot of versatility and athleticism. Indiana coaches have clearly told O.G. that he will likely play on the wing at Indiana rather than down low which is what he was more interested in doing. When you watch videos of Anunoby, like the one below, you can tell he has all the athleticism in the world. He is ranked lower mainly because he missed the majority of his junior year with an injury which actually crept into the beginning of this AAU season as well. Once he was back though, he had a stellar summer which led to the high major offers such as Indiana, Iowa, and Georgia. There is no doubt that he will be moving up the rankings as they are updated throughout the school year.

It unfairly raises expectations to compare someone to former Hoosier great Victor Oladipo - and Anunoby is much taller than Oladipo - but there are some similarities here. No one really knew who Oladipo was when he committed and I believe he actually only had one high major offer which was obviously Indiana. Anunoby has a few more high major offers, but all those have come late in the game due to his stellar summer. When you watch this video, it will be clear that the athleticism is on par with that of Victor. It is also clear that Anunoby needs to get a lot stronger to handle the rigors of the B1G Conference and that is another area where Oladipo had to come in and improve. When all is said and done, I think Anunoby will likely be a much different type of player than Oladipo was, but for now the comparisons are going to be made at a fast pace.

Where does this now leave Indiana? The Hoosiers are now over signed by two in the 2015 class, and 4* target Shake Milton will be deciding tomorrow between Indiana, Oklahoma, and SMU. All signs are pointing towards SMU or Oklahoma right now there, but there is still a possibility he could end up at Indiana as well. In addition, 4* PF Thomas Bryant is visiting this weekend and would also be a member of the 2015 class if he were to commit. Clearly Coach Crean thinks there will be some turnover at the end of this season whether that is to the NBA or transferring to other programs. How many more will the Hoosiers try to sign?