Indy Star: Where IU basketball stands in race for blue-blood darling Matthew Hurt
Whenever five-star forward Matthew Hurt watched Indiana games last year, he’d pay special attention to Hoosiers forward Juwan Morgan.
The consensus top-10 prospect noted how Morgan could shoot and dribble — could do a little bit of everything, really. He saw how IU coach Archie Miller utilized Morgan and allowed him to get out in transition and spearhead fast breaks.
If Hurt commits to the Hoosiers, that’s the role he wants to fill.
“Try to impact on both ends of the floor. Shoot it,” Hurt told IndyStar. “I’d be a mismatch nightmare for the inside bigs and I’d be able to defend. I like to play defense and I like to guard multiple positions.”
Right now, there’s a one-in-eight chance that mismatch nightmare becomes a reality for the Hoosiers’ 2019 opponents. Hurt said he’s considering IU, Minnesota, Kentucky, Duke, Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas and UCLA.
He’s going on a vacation next week, during which he’ll sit down with his family and try to narrow down his choices. Then, he’ll go about scheduling visits. He said he hopes to commit by his senior season, but he’ll extend his recruitment until April if necessary.
On Minnesota …
“My brother (Michael Hurt) goes there and he’s loving it up there. He’s just telling me good things about their campus and what they do with their freshmen — because I’m pretty close with their freshmen. (Coach Richard Pitino) talks to me a lot.”
On North Carolina …
“I played with Coby White with Team USA and me and him were talking. But I think the program is great. They always try to find a way to win. In March, they’re always at the top or the Final Four, winning the ACC championship. All they do is win.”
On Kentucky …
“They do great with one-and-done players, those type of players. They use them really well in their system. They work out with them pretty well, and it pays off for all of them to get drafted.”
On Duke …
“Coach K is one of the best recruiters in the nation, I think. He’s got three top-five players in (the 2018 class). Who knows who they’re going to hit with in our grade. I think the same thing: They do really well with one-and-done players. All they do is win, too.”
On UCLA …
“I went over there on a visit last August and it was a great visit, great campus, beautiful. They tell me they’ve got NBA coaches there at every practice. So if you’re not getting in the game, they can see you in practice — and that’s worked pretty well.”
On Memphis …
“I was close with (assistant coach) Mike Miller before he got the job. Me and him have been friends ever since I worked out with him last summer. Their coaching staff — Penny (Hardaway), (Tony Madlock), (Sam) Mitchell and Mike — I think they can get a lot of top-10 players, top-100 players. They’re doing great so far. I think they’re just going to keep rising.”
On Kansas …
“Playing for Coach (Bill) Self would be pretty cool. He did a great job with all of us (on the U18 National Team), especially because we had to buy in as one. Instead of 12 individuals, we bonded as one. I think that’s why we were so successful.”
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...y-duke-minnesota-memphis-ucla-2019/848660002/
Go Gophers!!
