Homegrown boys to play for Hoosiers, Boilermakers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “It was a weird ending. But, I think the unique thing is we’ll never know who the best team was. We can all always fight over that,” Trey Galloway said.

On March 19, the Indiana High School Athletic Association canceled its Boys Basketball State Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lack of bragging rights for the Class of 2020 high school hoops could lead to some healthy competition in the years to come because the trio of top-recruits in Indiana are all staying home in Indiana to play at the next level.

“Just recruiting kids from Indiana is going to give you an automatic edge because everyone that grows up in Indiana knows what the program is about,” said senior Anthony Leal. “So, when you recruit in that way- the inside out format, you can get guys that build a strong base.”

Leal, the reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball, is the definition of a homegrown Hoosier. The Bloomington South High School senior is joining Archie Miller and company, alongside Culver Academies’ shooting guard Trey Galloway.

“We all grew up together and have seen each other throughout the whole basketball through AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and school ball.  It’s just really cool to say we’ve all made it to the same level,” Galloway said.

Indiana University’s incoming in-state pair has dreamed of being a part of one of the best college basketball rivalries — Indiana vs. Purdue — since they were old enough to remember.  To make the stakes a little higher, they’ll face the top-ranked recruit in their senior class, Jaden Ivey, who chose to become a Boilermaker.

“Back in fourth-grade, we played in tournaments together. It’s going to be so much fun every time we play one another. I can’t wait to play IU,” Ivey said.

While this trio has garnered plenty of attention here in Indiana, it’s not the same at the national level. For the first time in a while, Indiana doesn’t have a senior ranked in the country’s top-50.

“We’re not really a class that people look at with five-star recruits or high, noticeable people or people getting all of this attention nationally, but something people are going to learn in the future that we know how to win,” Leal said. “In college, as our roles keep improving, that our class is a bunch of winners, especially when our colleges start winning.”

So, basketball fans, sit back, relax: The stars of our state are here to stay.