Jefferson City Jays coach Blair Thompson knew O.G. Anunoby had a chance to play Division I basketball at a high level after watching him during his sophomore season.
The 6-foot-6 forward lived up to that potential.
After receiving interest from numerous top-tier universities, Anunoby verbally committed Tuesday to the program he thought fit him best.
"I'd like to further my education at Indiana University," Anunoby said while raising a red T-shirt that read "Hoosier Nation" in front of a handful of media members at Fleming Fieldhouse.
Anunoby, who averaged 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a junior last season, had narrowed down his choices to Mississippi, Georgia, Iowa and Indiana in the last few weeks.
But one program stood out to the soft-spoken Anunoby.
"I felt most comfortable at Indiana and they recruited me the hardest," he said.
The history of Indiana basketball and the Hoosiers' success in more recent years also factored into the decision-making process.
During the past three years, Indiana head coach Tom Crean has led Indiana to a 73-31 record, two trips to the Sweet 16 and a Big Ten title in 2013. Indiana went 17-15 last season after falling to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament.
"I like coach Crean a lot," Anunoby said. "He's a very passionate guy. I think he'll get me a lot better."
Thompson thinks Indiana will be a nice fit for his leading scorer and rebounder, who has continued to make strides and gain bulk during the high school and AAU seasons.
"O.G. is very, very unique in the way of his versatility," he said. "He's 6-8, has very long arms, he can handle (the ball), can score a lot of different ways and creates a lot of matchup problems for people. As his body matures, I think that will hold true even at that level for him."
Anunoby had been leaning toward Indiana for a while, but didn't finalize the decision, which was not made public, until Sunday.
He admits it was a tough decision after receiving interest from other schools during the last three years.
"I liked Iowa a lot," Anunoby said. "I liked Georgia a lot - Ole Miss, I liked them a lot. You develop really good relationships with them. It's hard to lose it."
Thompson agreed the recruitment process - especially a high-profile one like the one Anunoby was faced with - can be a stressful situation and can even create destractions for a player entering his senior year.
"It's hard for a 17-year-old kid to be recruited at that level," he said. "You get to establish relationships with many different coaches and at the end of the day, you have to tell all of them no - except for one. For a good-hearted kid, very humble, a kid who appreciates peoples' time, it was hard for him and very stressful.
"I was glad for him (Tuesday) to have that weight off his chest and just get on with his senior year here."
And that is Anunoby's only focus now.
"I'll feel a lot more relieved," Anunoby said, noting he wants to win a state championship with the Jays this season.
But he does have other long-term goals - like having a successful college career and later playing in the NBA.
"That's my goal and I think Indiana will be the best place for me to reach that," Anunoby said.
Crean has seen eight of his former Indiana players sign professional contracts. When Noah Vonleh was selected ninth in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, it gave the Hoosiers a national-best three lottery picks in the past two seasons.
In 2013, Victory Oladipo was selected second in the draft by the Orlando Magic and Cody Zeller was picked fourth by the Charlotte Bobcats.
In the meantime, Anunoby is just focused on having a strong finish with the Jays. And given the personel the they have coming back he believes the sky's the limit for Jefferson City this season.
"His immediate goals for his senior year are the most important thing for him right now," Thompson said. "He's got a big senior year and he wants to get the most out of it while he's here. I think it will also be fun for our Jays fans to have a future Indiana Hoosier out there."
Indiana first showed interest in July after watching Anunoby play in Atlanta in the UnderArmour Finals with Team Thad, an AAU team based out of Memphis, Tenn.
"They stumbled on him, more or less on accident," Thompson said. "I think they went to watch another player O.G. was playing with and happened to see O.G. and instantly fell in love with him."
Thompson received a phone call the day after the UnderArmour Finals, where a member of the Indiana coaching staff asked him for game film and to inquire about Anunoby's character.
He passed with flying colors.
"We took care of all that and it was game on at that point," Thompson said. "They had to have him. They came after him and apparently did a good enough job to get him."
It didn't take Indiana long to make an official offer.
"After the first time they saw me (play), they called me right after and we just kept talking," Anunoby said. "They kept telling me to visit and the first time I could visit, they offered me right there."