Thomas Bryant to Indiana: Hoosiers Land 4-Star PF Prospect

Thomas Bryant, a star power forward out of Huntington Prep School in West Virginia, has announced he will be playing college basketball at Indiana.

Alex Bozich of Inside the Hall provided comments from Bryant, who spoke about his decision:

"

I just wanted to come here and be on TV and say that I’m committing to Indiana to play college basketball next year. I’m very excited. I’ve been thinking about this long and hard, I’ve been talking it over with my mom and coaches. We just felt like being at Indiana was the best decision for me.

"

Bryant is regarded as one of the best power forwards in the 2015 recruiting class. The 6'9 ½" 17-year-old is listed as a 4-star prospect and the 27th-best prep player in the country by 247Sports. 

It's also not a surprise that Bryant attracted all sorts of attention from many of the nation's top programs during this recruiting season. He had Syracuse, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky on his short list. 

The 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections had Syracuse as the favorite to land Bryant at 50 percent. That's not a surprise given he's from New York and coach Jim Boeheim's resume. 

Bryant's mother Linda told Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com in November that her son had narrowed his list down considerably: "Really it's down to two. Syracuse and Indiana. And it might be down to one soon. Thomas has always told me that Syracuse was the leader."

However, Bryant held off on making any official announcements as he continued on the recruiting trail. Kentucky coach John Calipari got a look at Bryant on a good night in January, per Steve Jones of The Courier Journal:

Photo credit: 247Sports

Bryant joins an Indiana team that relied largely on its backcourt and wing play in 2014. That made them vulnerable against strong interior teams, but Bryant should help to alleviate some of those concerns when he takes the floor. The trio of Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon Jr. and Troy Williams should only benefit from having an interior presence in the paint to draw attention.

Finding size is always a top priority for college teams, as we've seen the difference players such as Aaron Gordon and Jahlil Okafor have made for their teams in recent years. 

Bryant may not have that kind of upside, but he's going to be a strong presence at his new home immediately. 

Recruit star ratings and rankings via 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.