Wilbraham Sniper to Indiana in 2014
Wilbraham & Monson senior forward Max Hoeztel made a verbal commitment to Indiana on Sunday night following an official visit to the University over the weekend.
The six-foot-seven forward plans to sign his National Letter of Intent during next month’s early signing period and join Indiana as part of their 2014 recruiting class.
Hoeztel had gone back and forth in recent weeks about whether or not he was reclassifying. He arrived from California as a true senior, until it was announced earlier this month that he would be moving back to the class of 2015.
Hoeztel picked up a quick offer from St. John’s as a member of the 2015 class, but when the Hoosiers expressed interest in having him this year, he opted to return to his original graduating class of 2014 and head to Indiana next year.
Indiana has spent plenty of time at Wilbraham & Monson this fall but it wasn’t initially for Hoeztel. They recruited Goodluck Okonoboh as hard as anyone, came very close to landing a commitment from him early this fall, and were in it until the bitter end when he ultimately committed to UNLV.
So while the Hoosiers might not have landed an elite level shot-blocker, head coach Tom Crean did pick up an elite level shooter. Hoeztel is a pure marksman from downtown and a fluid enough athlete to be a true swingman at the next level.
Hoeztel joins ESPN 100 SG Robert Johnson to become the second player to commit to Indiana in the 2014 class.
Crean and his staff are now expected to focus their efforts on finding a big man to fill out their 2014 class.
Goodluck Okonoboh
Max Hoeztel