Mike Woodson Tells Stories of Recruiting Jalen Hood-Schifino, Malik Reneau
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau are the highest-ranked incoming freshman in the Big Ten this season, but it wasn't always a sure thing that the Montverde Academy teammates would join forces in college.
On Monday night, Indiana coach Mike Woodson spoke to play-by-play announcer Don Fischer at his weekly coach's show, Inside Indiana Basketball, and told a few stories on how he recruited Hood-Schifino and Reneau to Indiana.
Woodson liked everything about Hood-Schifino on film, so he made the trip to Montverde Academy, near Orlando, Fla., alongside Indiana associate head coach Kenya Hunter. Woodson was intrigued by 6-foot-6 guard's game, but another player stood out among the slew of five-star recruits at powerhouse Montverde.
"Well, hell, who is that, too?" Woodson asked Hunter.
"Well, you can't get him because he's going to Florida,'" Hunter responded, referring to Reneau, who was committed to play for Gators coach Mike White at the time.
Woodson refocused his attention to Hood-Schifino, but without making it too obvious. At an AAU tournament later on, Woodson remembers sitting next to Larry Brown, who he considers a mentor after working as an assistant on Brown's coaching staff for the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons.
Brown asked his former assistant, Woodson, "Who are you watching?"
"Oh, I'm watching No. 8," Woodson said, turning Brown's attention away from Hood-Schifino, who was wearing the No. 4 jersey. Woodson knew Brown – now a special advisor for Memphis basketball and coach Penny Hardaway – wanted Hood-Schifino, too.
Memphis and Indiana both made Hood-Schifino's final-five list, but on Aug. 24, 2022, he committed to Woodson and the Hoosiers.
“I chose Indiana because when you know, you know,” Hood-Schifino told Joe Tipton of On3News at the time. “Coach Woodson was successful at the NBA level, and I think it’ll translate to the collegiate level. He recruited me as a point guard and wants me to run his team. I think he and I can turn this program back around.”
After the news broke, Woodson received a phone call from Brown.
"You lied to me man," Brown said. "You were watching Schifino all the time."
"Yeah, I was," Woodson said with a laugh. "But you've got to blame Kenya [Hunter] and Ya [Rosemond] for that. They told me when I get on the recruiting trips, I've got to lie."
Some questioned whether Woodson would be able to recruit at the college level after spending his entire coaching career in the NBA, but he was off to an impressive start. Just three weeks after taking the Indiana job, Woodson landed top-30 guard Tamar Bates, who decommitted from Texas when coach Shaka Smart left for Marquette.
And now, he secured the Big Ten's top recruit. Hood-Schifino gives Indiana another playmaker next to veteran point guard Xavier Johnson in the backcourt, and one that Woodson envisions playing at the next level.
"[Hood-Schifino] kind of fit the realm of some players that I've coached and seen run up and down the floor in the NBA," Woodson said. "So it was big time for us, this program, to get him. I just can't help but think, man, if he just continues to grow and do all the right things, which he's done, he's going to really help us in a major way."
Indiana's 2022 recruiting class would have been among the Big Ten's best with Hood-Schifino and four-star prospects Kaleb Banks and CJ Gunn. It certainly would have been respectable for Woodson's first recruiting cycle.
But when Woodson's phone rang while on vacation in Jupiter, Fla., he jumped at the chance to make another splash.
"Hey man, Malik is back on the streets," Hunter told Woodson. "He's available."
Georgia fired former Indiana coach Tom Crean on March 10, 2022, which triggered a string of events with significant consequences throughout college basketball. White left the Florida Gators to replace Crean at Georgia, and Reneau, who caught Woodson's eye on his trip to see Hood-Schifino at Montverde, reopened his recruitment.
"Man, get me on the phone with him," Woodson said to Hunter, eager to speak with Reneau.
Woodson called Reneau, a top-30 recruit, and asked him for a personal workout. Reneau agreed, and Woodson interrupted his vacation to drive to Orlando to watch Reneau. After seeing the 6-foot-9 prospect's versatility for an hour and a half, Woodson just wanted a chance to take Indiana's freshman class over the top.
"Hey man, listen, before you make a decision, just give me an opportunity to recruit you," Woodson told Reneau. "Come to Bloomington, bring your parents. Just give me the opportunity."
Hood-Schifino, Reneau's teammate on Montverde's back-to-back GEICO National Championship teams, came to Bloomington for Reneau's visit on April 16 to help Woodson's efforts.
"And once [Reneau] got here, he never left." Woodson said. "We were able to close the deal. That was huge."
Hood-Schifino and Reneau played their first games in Indiana uniforms during the Hoosiers' 78-42 exhibition win over Marian on Saturday, which featured plenty of impressive moments.
Reneau led Indiana with 14 points and 11 rebounds, displaying crafty moves in the paint and even handling the ball on the perimeter. Hood-Schifino impacted the game in a variety of ways, scoring 11 points with four assists, three rebounds and one steal. He showed off a smooth mid-range jump shot, floor vision and Big Ten-ready size to complement Johnson in the backcourt.
Indiana is viewed as the Big Ten favorite by many because of what it returns – preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Johnson, to name a few – but the addition of Hood-Schifino and Reneau is what could separate the 2022-23 Hoosiers from the rest.
"I just thought I filled spots that I thought we needed for this upcoming season," Woodson said. "Only time is going to tell in terms of how these freshmen are going to pan out, man, but I like everything about them. I really do."
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- HOOD-SCHIFINO, RENEAU SHINE IN EXHIBITION GAME: Former high school teammates Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau had dazzling debuts in their first game at Indiana, leading the Hoosiers to a 78-42 exhibition game victory over Marian on Saturday at Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
- MALIK RENEAU VALUABLE PIECE TO IU FRONTCOURT: Malik Reneau joined his teammate Jalen Hood-Schifino on the journey from Montverde Academy to Indiana, and he'll play a significant role after an offseason of learning from Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson. CLICK HERE
- HOOD-SCHIFINO READY FOR FRESHMAN YEAR: Indiana freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino is well prepared to be a college star after two years at national prep champion Montverde Academy, and even though he considers himself a true point guard, he's looking forward to playing alongside current Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson. "I think we both compliment each other's games very well,'' he said. CLICK HERE
