O.G. Anunoby knows opponents will be gunning for him this season.
But that doesn't bother the Jefferson City senior.
"I'm going to have a target on me, but I'm used to it," Anunoby said. "There was last year, too. I like that."
Anunoby became an official member of the recruiting class at the University of Indiana on Monday afternoon after signing a national letter of intent to play for the Hoosiers next season.
Blair Thompson said it is natural for opponents to take away any team's strength, but the Jefferson City head coach is confident his star player will be up to the challenge.
"The way O.G. has played throughout his career, he draws a lot of attention from a game-planning standpoint from the opponent," Thompson said. "You throw the Indiana tag on him, and it just ups the ante on him that much more."
Anunoby narrowed his college decision to eight schools - Kansas State, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Iowa, Georgia, Indiana, Wichita State and Gonzaga - in August.
But one team stood out, and Indiana was the one left standing when Anunoby verbally committed last month to the Hoosiers.
"I just felt comfortable there," he said. "It's like another home."
The 6-foot-8 forward had been to Bloomington, Ind., previously to visit family prior to the recruiting process, but never toured the campus. While he liked the city, that didn't factor into his ultimate decision of becoming a Hoosier. "How they develop their players and their vision for me" was Anunoby's biggest reason to play at Indiana under head coach Tom Crean.
During the past three years, 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 and ended the year with a 64-54 loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament.
Crean has had eight former Indiana players sign professional contractions. 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, Victor Oladipo was selected second in the draft by the Orlando Magic and Cody Zeller was picked fourth by the Charlotte Bobcats.
Anunoby, who is expected transition into a shooting guard at Indiana, hopes to get to the professional ranks some day. That could be a possibility based on his upside, according to numerous recruiting services.
"That's my goal and I think Indiana will be the best place for me to reach that," he said.
Anunoby, a three-star recruit ranked 186th nationally by 247Sports.com, averaged 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game for the Jays, who went 15-12 last season after ended their year with a loss to Hickman, the eventual state runner-up, in the Class 5 District 9 championship game.
The versatile and athletic Anunoby will be the key leader for Jefferson City this season after the Jays graduated four starters from last year.
"He'll see a lot of different looks, defensively, all year," Thompson said. "But I think the thing that makes him the player that he is - he's unselfish. He's not scared to get his teammates involved and move around the basketball."
While he has the foundation and possesses all the attributes needed to play at the NCAA Division I level - height, athleticism, and an inside-outside game - Thompson acknowledged one other factor separates Anunoby from other talented ballplayers.
"He's put in the work in the gym, he's fundamentally sound and understands the whole game from a mental standpoint," Thompson said. "With all those things said, he's made himself into the player that he is through hard work, and I think it's a good example for younger kids looking up to him."