Indiana Gets Commitment from 6-8 Forward Kaleb Banks

Mike Woodson and his Indiana coaching staff added its second commitment in the class of 2022 on Friday, getting the nod from 6-foot-8 forward Kaleb Banks from suburban Atlanta.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kaleb Banks, a talented 6-foot-8 forward from Fayetteville, Ga. who's been having a great AAU summer, committed to Mike Woodson and Indiana on Friday.

The Hoosiers beat out Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Alabama and others for his commitment. Indiana offered Banks in late April after all of Woodson's staff of assistants was put together, and they've pushed hard to get him ever since. All that hard work came to fruition on Friday.

Banks has played with the Atlanta Celtics AAU team, and he's had a great summer with them, turning a lot of heads. He averaged 23.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game last season for Fayette County High School. He shot 63 percent from the field and hit 40 3-pointers in 29 games last season. 

Indiana assistant Yasir Rosemond — who is an Atlanta native that's recruited throughout the South for years – played a key role in his recruiting, but Indiana's entire staff has also seen him play this summer and he has been a priority target since before the offer. 

Banks came to Indiana for a visit the weekend of June 10. He has spent time with Woodson, Rosemond and fellow assistants Kenya Hunter and Dane Fife.

Banks is the second commit in the 2022 class for Indiana. Lawrence North guard C.J. Gunn was the first, committing to Archie Miller last winter and re-confirming his commitment to the school after Woodson took over.

Banks is a four-star recruit on some sites, and a three-star on others. He is generally considered a top-100 player with a lot of upside as his body fills out. He is 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds.

“He’s got an ability to score the ball at all three levels,'' his AAU coach, Greg Robinson, told the Daily Hoosier earlier this spring. "Create his own shot and be able to flow athletically. His handle is really a work in progress. He started developing it last summer and throughout the school year, he got so comfortable with it. 

"We put a lot of responsibility on him as a creator for our team this summer. He’s really flourishing in that role. We like his progress for sure. I think he’s better at being patient. Last year he was really quick. Now we’re getting him to slow down, use his talents and a little more of his IQ.”

Kaleb Banks, a 6-foot-8 forward from Fayetteville, Ga., committed to Indiana on Friday

Banks loves everything about Indiana's coaching staff, starting with Woodson, who's spent nearly four decades in the NBA as a player and coach, and has come home to Indiana to coach college ball for the first time.

“I like Coach Woodson and his NBA background,” Banks said. “I like Indiana as a whole. I like the fans. I like the tradition. It’s just a good basketball school. I feel like it fits me well. At the rate the game is going, with the versatility I bring to the table, it seems like what this guy is looking for.”

This story will be updated.

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