Friday, Indiana missed out on another top tier recruit as Lester Quinones decided to play for the University of Memphis over the Hoosiers.
Quinones, a 4-star guard from IMG Academy in Florida, was someone that IU desperately needed. Here are the three main reasons why I believe he chose Memphis over Indiana.
- TALENT
One thing that Memphis certainly has is talent. With the addition of Quinones, this gave Memphis another building block. James Wiseman, who is the number one overall recruit in the country, has led a charge for a super team. They also have added D.J. Jeffries, who is ranked N0. 48 in the class of 2019, according to 247 Sports. As of right now, Memphis has four top 100 players inked for this upcoming season and will look to add more as they await decisions from R.J. Hampton and Rejean Ellis.
- Coaching
Memphis flat out has a more respected coach in Penny Hardaway. Hardaway, an NBA All-Star from 1995-1998, will certainly garner respect. In addition, former sharpshooter and two-time NBA champion Mike Miller joined the staff as an assistant coach this off-season. I believe having former NBA players on your staff is important in the college game. In today's college landscape, players have their sights set on going straight to the league instead of graduating. Hardaway could get these guys to the NBA quickly.
- Lack of Recent Success at Indiana
Archie Miller might be a great college coach, but as of now has not developed his players past college. Take former 5-star Romeo Langford, who was projected as a top five pick in the draft, as an example. Langford did put up 18 points a game, but Hoosier fans know that there were games that he did not get enough touches. That’s a problem. Players are not going to be in awe with speeches on recruiting visits. Instead, they want to watch what your program is doing. All the Hoosiers have been able to provide is a 35-31 record since Miller’s arrival. Results will get more recruits interested. It is not about history anymore like it once was.
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