IU BASKETBALL PREVIEW | THE HERALD-TIMES | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2017 | F17
30
24
Vijay Blackmon
25
Race Thompson
Class: Sophomore. Position: Guard. Height: 6-2. Weight: 175. High school (hometown): Marion (Marion, Ind.). Key stats: Averaged 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds in 22 games at St. Francis last season. Outlook: Another Blackmon has joined the Indiana program. Vijay Blackmon is the younger brother of former Hoosier sharpshooter James Blackmon Jr. After playing more than half of last season at St. Francis, Blackmon left the team in late January. He walked on at IU this summer and will be ineligible for the upcoming season, per NCAA transfer rules. At Marion, Blackmon scored 1,500 career points and received all-state honorable mention honors from the Associated Press as a senior.
Class: Freshman. Position: Forward. Height: 6-8. Weight: 220. High school (hometown): Armstrong (Plymouth, Minn.). Key stats: Averaged 19.6 points and 8.9 rebounds as a high school junior. Outlook: The first IU commit during the Archie Miller era, Thompson chose to forgo his senior year of high school to enroll at Indiana a year early and redshirt the upcoming basketball season. It will allow him a chance to get a head start on preparations for next season. At the time of his commitment on July 16, Thompson was considered the No. 86 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings. Thompson can move effectively in the open floor and shows a knack for drawing fouls. Last winter, he attempted an Armstrong High School-record 101 free throws. Thompson was also a 45 percent shooter from 3-point range as a junior. His father, Darrell, is the all-time leading rusher at the University of Minnesota.
Collin Hartman
Class: Graduate student. Position: Forward. Height: 6-7. Weight: 220. High school (hometown): Cathedral (Indianapolis) Key stats: Averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds during the 2015-16 season. Outlook: Hartman is back for one more go after suffering a season-ending knee injury in September 2016. The Hoosiers dearly missed his leadership on the court last season, and hope the veteran forward can provide a boost this winter. Hartman is another Hoosier who seems like a good fit for Miller and his system. The IU coach was successful at Dayton with versatile players like Hartman, who has proven reliable on both ends of the floor during his time in Bloomington. The Hoosiers will need Hartman to defend in the post and add scoring from the perimeter. He’s a career 40 percent 3-pointer shooter who will need to bring an offensive presence to a team that could be challenged to score. Hartman has been hobbled with a minor ankle injury during preseason practices, but expects to be a reliable factor once the Hoosiers begin navigating their way through the season. It all sets up for an important grand finale for Hartman, the program’s seasoned veteran, and hope for an auspicious start to the Miller era.
35
Tim Priller
Class: Senior. Position: Forward. Height: 6-9. Weight: 225. High school (hometown): Richland (North Richland, Texas). Key stats: Scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in nine games last season. Outlook: Priller, a favorite among students, has an opportunity to find a role during his final year of eligibility. Given IU’s size concerns, the little-used forward could be pressed into action off the bench. He performed admirably in last year’s loss at Purdue, scoring six points in five minutes as a reserve. Priller has logged 67 minutes in three seasons.