Overview: Abell is a 6-3 freshman combo guard out of Louisville, Ky. As a senior, Abell earned first team All-State honors after leading Eastern High School to a 33-3 record and No. 1 ranking in the state of Kentucky. Abell averaged 16.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Originally having committed to Bradley, Abell asked to be released from his letter of intent following the firing of the head coach. Abell's commitment to IU makes him the first Kentuckian to play for the Hoosiers since Tom Boone in 1969-70.
Best case: Abell fills the defensive void left by Jeremiah Rivers. With the injury to Maurice Creek, Abell moves up a slot in the IU lineup and becomes Tom Crean's shutdown defender off the bench. Abell gives IU quality minutes as an on-ball defender and is able to physically match up against some of the bigger guards in the conference. Offensively, he jump starts the IU offense off the bench with his ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He plays all three guard positions and doesn't allow the Hoosiers to miss a beat when Jordan Hulls or Verdell Jones needs a breather.
Worst case: Instead of being the man with many positions, Abell is the man without a position. Defensively, he struggles to stay with speedier ball handlers and his 6-3 frame proves to a be a mismatch for bigger guards that can shoot over him. Abell struggles to establish any offensive presence making him invisible on the floor. Other guards off the bench like Matt Roth, Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey emerge in Creek's absence, leaving Abell out of Crean's rotation.
Outlook: The news of Creek's injury presents Abell with an ideal opportunity to get minutes early on. Crean is not likely to call on Abell over Oladipo or Sheehey off the bench. However, Abell has drawn more praise than either of those two on the defensive end, which could be his foot in the door. Abell was never known as much of a scorer in high school, so to expect offensive outbursts from him would be unrealistic. But don't be surprised if Abell is getting five or six minutes of playing time as a defensive specialist by season's end.
