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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Mike Woodson has once again revamped Indiana's roster over the offseason.
Woodson and the Hoosiers hit the transfer portal hard this offseason, brining in one of the top incoming classes of transfers in the nation.
Two weeks ago, Bellarmine transfer center Langdon Hatton committed to Indiana, claiming the Hoosiers' penultimate scholarship spot ahead of the 2024 campaign. Indiana still has one more scholarship spot left to fill before the season begins.
Between jumping back into the transfer portal, landing a late commitment from a high school recruit, or simply leaving the scholarship open, the Hoosiers have a number of options available to them.
With all those options, what should Indiana actually do with its 13th and final scholarship spot for the 2024 season? Here's a look at the Hoosiers' potential options.
The Hoosiers could look to the transfer portal once again
The most obvious avenue through which Indiana could fill its final scholarship spot is via the transfer portal.
The Hoosiers have been active in the portal so far this offseason, bringing in five new players to compliment a slew of impactful returners.
Following the commitment of Hatton, Indiana's list of potential targets is quite slim. UT-Martin transfer forward Issa Muhammad is the only player with his name still in the portal that the Hoosiers have reportedly been connected with.
That's not to say somebody not currently on Indiana's radar could pop up out of nowhere to fill the 13th scholarship spot, but Indiana has been quiet on the transfer front as of late.
Whether it's a young player whom the staff can develop, an experienced veteran voice for the locker room, or a lethal shooter from deep, the Hoosiers could go a number of different directions to find value in their final scholarship spot.
Indiana could try and land a commitment from a high school recruit late in the recruiting cycle
Over the first three years of Woodson's time with the Hoosiers, he's excelled at securing commitments from high schoolers late in the recruiting cycle.
The first recruit Woodson landed back in April of 2021 was Tamar Bates. The four-star guard decommitted from Texas late in the recruiting process and Woodson came in and scooped him up.
The following offseason, Woodson did it again with Malik Reneau. When Mike White left Florida to be the next head coach at Georgia, Reneau reopened his recruitment and teamed up with fellow Montverde (Fl.) product Jalen Hood-Schifino in Bloomington.
Then, just a summer ago, Woodson beat out Kansas for five-star recruit Mackenzie Mgbako following Mgbako's late decommitment from Duke.
Woodson and the Hoosiers hosted 2024 prospect Diamant Blazi on a visit back in late March, but everything has been quiet on that front over the last month or so. There's still time for other movement in late in the 2024 cycle though, and it's something to keep an eye on for Indiana.
If Indiana does end up filling that final scholarship spot, a late commitment from a 2024 high school recruit is for sure on the table for Woodson and the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers could keep the spot open
The Hoosiers still have a while until summer practice begins ahead of the 2024 season to try and find someone to fill the final roster spot.
However, one option for Indiana is to simply leave the 13th and final roster scholarship spot open.
That's exactly what the Hoosiers did this past season. Indiana left a scholarship spot open throughout the entirety of its 2023-24 campaign and it would make sense for the Hoosiers to do so again heading into the upcoming season.
There's a legitimate case for each of the 12 players already on Indiana's roster to get minutes this year.
With so much talent and depth on the roster entering this upcoming season, it may not make sense for Indiana to add a 13th player who's just going to ride the bench all season.
Of course, if a player was willing to come to Bloomington and take a small role on the team, it also couldn't hurt.
Taking into account that the Hoosiers have five players running out of eligibility at the end of the season and more could leave to for the NBA Draft, maybe filling that final scholarship spot does make sense for the Hoosiers.
Nonetheless, leaving that final spot vacant is always an option for the Hoosiers.
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