When Jalen Hood-Schifino committed to play for Indiana men’s basketball and Mike Woodson back in 2021, he did so wearing a No. 8 Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers jersey.
Then, with the 17th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, those same callers called his number. He’s the highest pick for Los Angeles since 2019 and the first Hoosier to be selected in the first round since Romeo Langford in 2019.
Here’s what it all means:
For Indiana men’s basketball...
It certainly helps Indiana that the first player to be recruited, developed and ultimately drafted out of the program by Mike Woodson went to one of the most high-profile franchises in all of sport.