Hoetzel commits to IU men's basketball team

After visiting Bloomington this weekend and attending the Hoosiers’ first exhibition game of the season, 2014 forward Max Hoetzel secured his commitment to the IU men’s basketball team Sunday evening.

“#YUNGHOOSIER,” Hoetzel tweeted Sunday night.

ESPN’s Paul Biancardi was the first to report the news on Twitter.

“Just got off the phone with the latest Indiana commit 6’7” Max Hoetzel. Gr8 shooter! ...”
Hoetzel joins 2014 shooting guard Robert Johnson as the second member of the Hoosiers’ next recruiting class.

The power forward from Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Mass., also had interest from Cal Poly, Loyola Marymount, Pacific and San Deigo, all much lower-profile schools than IU.

But as several have mentioned on Twitter, few schools were looking at either former Hoosier Victor Oladipo or current senior forward Will Sheehey, and both have turned out to be solid role players — and one a top five draft pick.

Hoetzel’s commitment fills all the scholarships spots for 2014 since Sheehey and graduate student Evan Gordon will be leaving after the season.

 — Nathan Brown