Big wing Kaleb Banks might be the wild card of Indiana's 2022 recruiting class

Race Thompson nodded and his eyebrows raised, seemingly involuntarily, as if to imply the reporters on the other end of his Zoom call might be surprised with what he was about to say.

Kaleb Banks, a four-star freshman wing from Georgia and the No. 86 player in the Class of 2022, has attracted less hype since IU drew commitments from five-stars Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau, both from two-time GEICO national champion Montverde Academy in Florida. But the sixth-year senior Thompson made it clear when asked about the freshmen that Banks should not be forgotten about.

'Kaleb is a great player," Thompson said. "Again, didn't really see him play in high school, didn't really know what to expect when he got here. He is very talented, big, big wing that can defend, can really shoot the ball, score the ball at all three levels. I think that he'll be a really fun player to watch, and he's going to be really fun to play with because he can make shots and he can make plays for his teammates."

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There's a sense in which Banks is the most intriguing member of IU's top-10 ranked 2022 recruiting class, and it can be argued he has the highest ceiling of the group.

Hood-Schifino and Reneau both seem to be virtual can't-miss prospects and it's a near certainty they'll both be part IU's rotation as freshmen. Hood-Schifino is one of just two point guards on the roster, so the worst-case scenario for him is he'll be Xavier Johnson's backup if he doesn't start alongside or even above the fifth-year senior. Reneau doesn't have a clear path to a starting job with Thompson, senior Trayce Jackson-Davis and junior forward Jordan Geronimo returning, but he seems to be the best suited man on the roster to be Jackson-Davis' backup at center and his heir when he moves on.

Banks could find himself lost in the shuffle amid a lot of bodies and talent at the wing positions, but it's not impossible to imagine him rising up above all of that competition, as he arguably fits the mold of the modern wing better than anyone else on IU's roster.

Banks is 6-8 and 215 pounds. Those dimensions work for a stretch power forward, but he's always functioned as a perimeter player and at this point, that's how IU intends to use him. Banks said he's played as a small forward in workouts so far, a position that operates as a third guard in Mike Woodson's offense.

That matches his skillset exactly.

"Kaleb, I think he's more like a big guard," fellow freshman CJ Gunn said.

"He can get his shot off and create his shot whenever he wants to."

At Fayette County High School in Georgia, that made him nearly impossible to stop. He finished his career as a 2,000-point scorer with 23.0 points per game as a senior and 23.5 per game as a junior. As a senior he shot 63% from the floor and hit 40 3-pointers, showing long-range shooting skills but also ability to get to the rim or to his mid-range jumper off the dribble. He didn't always bring the ball up the floor, but proved he could create for others as well as himself. He also showed he could rebound and defend, grabbing 10 boards and 1.4 steals per game as a senior.

One of the things he didn't fully grasp, his former coaches said, was just how good he was and could be. When he was a sophomore, he didn't even expect to get recruited. By the time he graduated, he was still learning how to exert his will and use all of his considerable gifts against opponents. He admits that's something he's still figuring out now.

"I'm still learning how good I am," Banks said. "I still think I've got a lot of potential for me to reach."

What that means in practice is that there are moves Banks can make with the ball in his hand to get get past or overpower defenders, but he doesn't fully trust those moves yet. There are times he avoids taking chances because he still thinks the odds of failure are much higher than they actually are.

"He's a tremendous talent," Fayette County coach Andre Flynn said. "He can do some things, and we're like, 'Kaleb, go ahead, do that.' He may be worried he's going to mess up or not look good. But once he figures it out and it comes natural, that's how it's going to get a lot better."

As far as Flynn can tell, there isn't much offensively that Banks is incapable of doing. The freshman's 3-point stroke is going to surprise some people, Flynn said, but so will his offensive repertoire inside the arc.

"There are things I don't think he understands he can do," Flynn said. "He can get on the block. He can fadeaway. He's got a good touch. He shot close to 70 percent from 2-point. He wasn't always dunking the ball. His mid-range game is unbelievable."

Reaching Banks' potential means constant refinement of his skill set, keeping his handle tight and his jumper locked in. And it also means physical development. He's already developed a close personal relationship with strength and conditioning coach Clif Marshall — outside of the weight room, they've gone fishing and to the Monroe County Fair together — and his work with him has led to 15 pounds of muscle. That's important, he said, because he's found pick-up games and workouts more physically challenging than anything he dealt with in Georgia.

"Basically the physicality and the speed of the game," Banks said when asked what the biggest adjustment has been for him. "I had to really adjust from that going from high school to Indiana."

The muscle has helped Banks on the defensive end, which has been an adjustment in and of itself, as he's found himself having to deal with a lot more size and speed, keep opponents in front of him and also adhere to coach Mike Woodson's defensive scheme.

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More muscle and better defense could help in a competition for time at small forward that could go in a number of directions. Fifth-year senior Miller Kopp returns as the starter at the position and his 39 3-pointers were the most among returners last season, but his hold on the position is tenuous as he averaged just 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, scoring in double figures just five times all season and twice in Big Ten play.

The Hoosiers could go small at the position and opt for guards Trey Galloway or Tamar Bates. Junior Anthony Leal and Gunn could also be part of the discussion. They could also decide to go big with Geronimo, who has game-changing athleticism but has struggled to get on the floor behind Thompson at power forward.

The reason the Hoosiers haven't made that move with Geronimo already, however, is he has not proven to have the perimeter skills that Banks has already. Without experience, Banks can't be considered the favorite to win the job, but he can't be ruled out as a possibility either.

"I can't wait to see his ceiling," Flynn said. "I don't think he's even touched it yet."

Follow Herald-Times IU insider Dustin Dopirak on Twitter @DustinDopirak or e-mail him at ddopirak@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU basketball: Freshman Kaleb Banks has an outside shot at starting