With the beginning of school basketball season approaching, we’ve moved from our have a look at different Huge Ten applications to our player-by-player previews of the 2024-25 Indiana roster.
As we speak, our participant profiles proceed with senior Langdon Hatton.
Beforehand: Bryson Tucker, Jakai Newton, Myles Rice, Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps, Kanaan Carlyle, Malik Reneau, Oumar Ballo, Dallas James
After enjoying the primary three seasons of his profession outdoors of the Hoosier state, Indiana native Langdon Hatton will end his faculty profession in his dwelling state.
A North Harrison product, the 6-foot-10, 247-pound huge man started his profession at William & Mary. After a freshman season the place he averaged 4.4 factors and a pair of.7 rebounds in 14.7 minutes, Hatton transferred to Bellarmine, about half-hour from his dwelling in Georgetown, Indiana.
As a sophomore for the Knights, Hatton primarily got here off the bench. In 33 video games, he averaged 3.5 factors and a pair of.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes whereas capturing 58 p.c for a workforce that completed 15-18.
Hatton’s position grew considerably as a junior at Bellarmine. He began all 31 video games below Scott Davenport and averaged 10.5 factors, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 blocks in 27.9 minutes. Hatton shot a team-best 48 p.c from the sphere, 33.3 p.c on 3s and 67.5 p.c from the free-throw line.
For his work within the classroom, Hatton was named to the Tutorial All-Atlantic Solar workforce and the CSC educational All-district workforce.
Bellarmine, nonetheless, once more struggled. The Knights completed 8-23 and 316th within the KenPom rankings. Hatton opted to enter the switch portal in April and had curiosity from a protracted checklist of colleges. Among the many notable high-major applications that rapidly contacted Hatton: Indiana, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier and Louisville.
At Indiana’s media day final month, Hatton admitted he wasn’t positive what to anticipate when he entered the portal.
“At first, it was form of, I assume scary truthfully,” Hatton mentioned. “I believed I may play on the highest stage however till you enter the portal and groups attain out, you actually haven’t any clue what’s going to occur. So it was simply form of relieving and groups like Indiana and of this caliber simply began reaching out.”
The Hoosiers rapidly separated themselves in Hatton’s recruitment and he crammed Indiana’s twelfth scholarship on Could 15.
“It was a brilliant simple course of,” he defined. “They didn’t need to persuade me a lot. This was the place I needed to be.”
In his last season of school hoops, Hatton is predicted to be a backup to Oumar Ballo. The Arizona switch has by no means averaged greater than 27.6 minutes per recreation and the Hoosiers will want a gradual contributor to play spot minutes when Ballo is on the bench and Malik Reneau isn’t enjoying the 5.
The hope is that Hatton, who has amassed 594 factors, 378 rebounds, 63 assists and 45 blocked photographs in 94 profession video games, is usually a dependable contributor on the high-major stage.
Hatton had a number of performances in opposition to energy convention groups that counsel he’ll be capable to fill the position requested of him. Final season, he had six factors and 6 rebounds in opposition to Washington on Nov. 6. Simply eight days later, he had 14 factors and 5 rebounds in opposition to Kansas State. And in December, he had 10 factors and 9 rebounds in opposition to Utah.
“Langdon is an skilled, versatile huge man that may assist us with our frontcourt depth,” Mike Woodson mentioned final spring when this system introduced the signing of Hatton. “He’s a giant physique that may work within the put up, get after the glass and step out to knock down a shot. He’s an Indiana child that performs the best approach, and we’re excited to convey him dwelling to the Hoosier state.”
Backside line: Primarily based on his feedback at media day, Hatton is absolutely purchased into his position as a backup in Bloomington. The leap from the Atlantic Solar to the Huge Ten is critical and Hatton must show he’s succesful from a power and athleticism standpoint to be productive in opposition to the nation’s finest competitors. Off the ground, he’ll be a frontrunner within the classroom and his expertise must be useful within the locker room.
Quotable: “I feel first off, I actually don’t care what my position is that this 12 months. I simply need to do no matter I can do to assist the workforce win. I’ve been in faculty lengthy sufficient now that I’m good with… I’ve scored a bunch of factors in some video games, however I need to win. Win a Huge Ten title and a nationwide championship. However I feel I is usually a versatile participant for the workforce, stretch the ground if I must and actually do no matter’s requested of me.”
Media day interviews with Hatton:
(Picture credit score: IU Athletics)
Filed to: 2024-25 season preview, Langdon Hatton
