How Did Indiana Basketball's 2013 Recruiting Class Pan Out?

As college basketball works through its offseason, it is interesting to take a step back and look how things have progressed for the various Big Ten schools. In our latest series, BTPowerhouse will look at the impact the 2013 recruiting classes had on each Big Ten program.

Today, we will look at the 2013 recruiting class for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Background

After Indiana finished the season 29-7 in 2012-’13 and were ranked No. 1 overall in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Syracuse in the Sweet 16, the Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo, Jordan Hulls, and Christian Watford era was over in Bloomington and head coach Tom Crean had to rely on a new group of players to continue the program's success.

Even with the departure of those four key pieces, expectations were still high at Indiana as Tom Crean had recruited another stellar recruiting class in 2013 that included four consensus, top 100 players, and six players all together.

Let's take a look at how each of these player's careers went at Indiana.

-Noah Vonleh - Forward (No. 13 ESPN)

Everybody knew the loss of Cody Zeller would leave its negative mark on Indiana, but Hoosier fans felt comfortable with the arrival of five-star freshman forward Noah Vonleh.

In his only season at Indiana before entering the NBA Draft, Vonleh displayed why he was such a highly coveted recruit. Vonleh averaged 11.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 3rd All-Big Ten Team, not too shabby for a freshman.

After his stellar rookie campaign, Vonleh decided to take his talents to the NBA where he was selected 9th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.

-Troy Williams - Small Forward (No. 54 ESPN)

The nephew of AAU coaching legend Boo Williams, Williams came to Indiana as the skinny, lengthy athletic kid who could jump out of the gym.

If you've watched enough Indiana basketball during Williams' three years at Indiana, you'd understand the rollercoaster that is Troy Williams as you could love him one second, then, the next time down the floor, he'll make you want to scream at your TV and pull out your hair.

Overall, no one could complain as Troy averaged 11.3 points per game and 5.9 rebounds over the course of his time at Indiana and made you scratch your head at both his good and bad moments.

Indiana fans were perplexed when Williams' decided to enter his name into the 2016 NBA Draft. Although he ultimately went undrafted, Williams was picked up by the Memphis Grizzlies, earned a roster spot, and now is an occasional contributor for the Houston Rockets.

-Luke Fischer - Center (No. 34 ESPN)

Fischer may have one of the oddest careers in Indiana basketball history. After averaging 2.8 points in 10 minutes per contest during the first half of the 2013-2014 season, Fischer was supposedly homesick and wanted to attend college closer to his home in Germantown, Wisconsin.

After that whole fiasco, Fischer committed to play ball for the Marquette Golden Eagles and became a very productive big man for his new squad. In his three years at Marquette, Fischer averaged 11.3 points per game and shot a little over 60 percent from the field while playing about 30 minutes per game.

-Stanford Robinson - Combo Guard (No. 99 ESPN)

Playing his high schools days at the powerhouse that is Findlay Prep (NV), who has boasted a multitude of solid college players, many believed Stanford Robinson was the sleeper in the 2013 class.

To keep things short, Robinson's game never really fit in well with what Indiana was trying to do. Although he showed flashes of potential in various situations, Robinson decided to transfer out of Indiana after his sophomore season and attend the A10's Rhode Island.

After sitting out the 2015-’16 season for the Rams, Robinson made his return and put together a solid 2016-’17 campaign for Rhode Island as he averaged 6.4 points per game in 18.2 minutes and helped lead his team to an A10 conference championship.

-Devin Davis- Small Forward (3-star ESPN)

An in-state kid, many expected Devin Davis to play his college career at Indiana. In his freshman season, Davis averaged 2.4 points per game but was said to have made great strides and make a bigger impact the next season.

In November of 2014, Davis was involved in a car accident driven by former IU center Emmitt Holt and was hospitalized with severe head injury. Davis eventually went on to be dismissed from the Indiana program in May of 2015, and then went onto star at Odessa Junior College before signing to play with former Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson at Houston.

In his junior season at Houston, Davis averaged 8.3 points per game while the Cougars went 22-9 on the year and earning a berth in the NIT.

-Collin Hartman - Small Forward (3-star ESPN)

Probably the biggest question mark in the 2013 class, no one expected Hartman to make as big of an impact as he'd had on the Indiana program thus far.

Although Hartman's numbers don't jump off the page, his influence on the floor is felt through his hustle, will to win, and his team first mentality. His presence was felt in the 2015-2016 season as he served as a leader on the floor and was a huge reason Indiana captured the Big Ten title that season after a rough start.

After getting hurt before the following season, Hartman made a choice to come back to Bloomington and was awarded a 5th year by the NCAA meaning he can put on the candy stripes for one more season.

Hartman may be the lowest ranked prospect dating back to 2013 when this group was fresh to campus, but his significance is arguably the greatest compared to the rest of these guys.

Overall

There are so many what ifs with this recruiting class. What if Noah Vonleh had decided to stay another year in Bloomington? What if Stan Robinson became what everyone thought he’d become? What if Luke Fischer stayed all four years at Indiana? Would the Hoosiers still have gotten the luxury of Thomas Bryant?

Although only two of these guys played their whole college career in an Indiana uniform, there’s no doubt those two, Williams and Hartman, have made a huge impact on the Indiana program and will represent what Indiana Basketball is about for the rest of their lives.