9/4 Big Ten Morning Power Bar: Indiana One Step Closer to Landing 5-Star Guard Romeo Langford

Every week, BTPowerhouse’s Big Ten Morning Power Bar will detail what’s going on across the league on the recruiting trail.

While college football embarks on it’s first week of the 2017 season, it was an eventful week for Big Ten basketball and the top 50 in the 2018 class. Indiana, Maryland, Purdue, and Ohio State all made waves with some marquee prospects.

Let’s take a look at this week’s recruiting headlines.

5-Star Guard Romeo Langford List Indiana in his Final 7

After years of molding quality players found under floorboards and trash heaps at Dayton, Archie Miller has used his newfound Hoosier platform to assert his national relevance on the recruiting landscape. In addition to keeping 4-star Justin Smith and 3-star Clifton Moore, Miller has landed 4-star players in Jerome Hunter, Damezi Anderson, Race Thompson, and Robert Phinisee.

All since the mid-point of July.

But just like the swarming defenses he employs on the court, Miller does not let up on the recruiting trail. With the best player in Indiana still on the board, the Hoosier onslaught continues. This time the target is 2018 5-star guard Romeo Langford.

Monday, Langford’s father announced his son had cut his list of suitors to 7. Packed inside a group of prominent heavy hitters that includes Kentucky, Louisville, UCLA, Kansas, Vanderbilt, and North Carolina are the Indiana Hoosiers.

By the start of his junior season, Langford was already a shoe in for Mr. Basketball in Indiana. In his sophomore year the guard averaged an eye popping 29.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 1.8 steals. The statistical absurdity was capped with a state championship. The follow up? A 28.7 point, 8.9 rebound and 3.4 assist per game season.

Langfords stellar play earned him a spot amongst the nation’s best with Team USA this summer. There he, like so many others, got a first-row seat to the John Calipari show.

“I’ll bring back memories of just everything — working out with the guys, traveling, being coached by Coach Calipari and all of that,” Langford told IndyStar. “Playing for Team USA is something I wouldn’t mind doing again.”

Just how much that experience impacted his recruiting remains to be seen. According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions, not much. Louisville sits alone at the top, followed closely by Indiana and Duke.

Langford is currently the top ranked player in Indiana, the top ranked shooting guard in the 2018 class, and the 5^th best prospect overall in 2018, per 247Sports.

4-Star Forward Louis King Considering Maryland, Purdue

2018 forward Louis King announced his final 8 on Tuesday, and included among them were the Maryland Terrapins and the Purdue Boilermakers. They join Syracuse, Kansas, NC State, Oregon, Seton Hall and UConn.

Within his 6-foot-6 frame, King exhibits a strong blend of athleticism and physicality. Though his ability to score at all three levels doesn’t set him apart from other top players in the class, watching as he effortlessly attacks the rim does.

King is currently the 4^th ranked small forward in the 2018 class, as well as 14^th overall. The 247Sports composite rankings have King listed a 4-star, though their own rankings slate the forward as a 5-star prospect.

Ohio State Among 4-Star Guard Elijiah Weaver’s Final 4

Now down to just 4, 4-star 2018 guard Elijiah Weaver included Ohio State in his list of Florida, Oklahoma State, and USC. Weaver is the 35^th ranked prospect overall in the 2018 class, and the 8^th ranked point guard.

This weekend Weaver heads to USC for an official visit. He will follow that up with a trip to Columbus next weekend.

Weaver brings a calm and methodical demeanor to the court. He keeps his eyes up, makes smart passes, takes smart shots and has a strong grasp of floor spacing. Defensively, Weaver hounds ball handlers with activity and pestilence.