Indiana men’s basketball is out of the recruitment of Deron Rippey Jr, a 5-star point guard in the class of 2026 out of Blair Academy in Brooklyn, New York, according to Joe Tipton of Rivals/On3:
Rippey Jr also cut Kansas from his list, as Tipton notes, so the Hoosiers at least aren’t alone in getting
cut. Indiana was the lone Big Ten program in on Rippey Jr’s recruitment, but local rivals Louisville and Kentucky remain in.
It’s a blow for the Hoosiers’ recruiting efforts, but there’s benefits to getting cut this early in the calendar such as refocusing efforts elsewhere. Indiana already has combo guard Prince-Alexander Moody committed and just played host for Taylen Kinney, another top point guard in the class of 2026, this past weekend.
Indiana has been much more aggressive in pursuing a shooting guard for next season, extending a flurry of offers in the past several months. The program will host 4-star Junior County for a visit this weekend.
