The Transfer Portal in NCAA men’s basketball has barely been open for long, and coach Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers are already hard at work, trying to fill seven scholarships before it’s time to get ready for next season. Woodson has realized that the Hoosiers need guards, shooting, and leadership to get them to the next level. Even though there are occasional wings and centers on his shopping list, the backcourt has clearly drawn the bulk of his attention. This is good, as numerous teams around the Big Ten–most notably archrival Purdue, but also the women’s team on his own campus–have shown that Woodson’s “inside-out” philosophy is going to require some modification to get Indiana anywhere near the promised land again.
The Hoosiers don’t need to look to far to find what they’re looking for. Guys who can handle, shoot, and pass. Guys who can bring the ball up the floor on offense, and go with the opponent’s best scorers on defense. Perhaps most importantly, however, is that element that so many past Hoosiers squads have had: a genuine sense of pride for the name on the front of the uniform. Amongst the numerous portal entrants are players from the state of Indiana who just so happen to meet Woodson’s on-court qualifications as well as off. These are the players that should be an absolute priority as IU tries to re-establish itself in the Big Ten.
A few examples:
Jalen Blackmon-This is a name all Hoosiers fans are probably already familiar with. Blackmon is a legacy; father James Sr. is a Marion, IN native, brother James Jr. played for Indiana and quickly gained a reputation as an outstanding shooter. Jalen himself has blossomed into exactly the type of player the Indiana faithful is looking for at Stetson University, a 22 point per game scorer and 36% three-point shooter as the Hatters’ vocal leader on their run to an Atlantic Sun Conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth this season. His toughness and three-level scoring capabilities alone make him a must-get, but with the departure of Xavier Johnson to graduation this year, Blackmon is an outstanding candidate to fill the void Johnson left behind in the locker room as well.
Leland Walker-Staying in the Atlantic Sun, Eastern Kentucky’s Walker hails from Indianapolis and fits the mold of a distributor and offensive initiator that the Hoosiers didn’t fully have outside of Gabe Cupps and, towards the end of the year, Trey Galloway. Circling back to the Purdue comparison mentioned earlier, one of the reasons they appear on the precipice of taking the next step of success this year is the evolution of Braden Smith into a top-flight point guard. Indiana needs its own version of that in order to stay organized, focused, and steeled towards the end of games.
Connor Hickman-This is a particularly interesting name to keep an eye on. Hickman, who has already scheduled an upcoming visit to Indiana, is a Bloomington native, and high school teammate of current Hoosiers guard Anthony Leal. His game and Leal’s are very similar; Hickman is a 37% long-range shooter and 85% free throw shooter who faced some of the Missouri Valley Conference’s best scorers against the likes of Indiana State and Drake. The Indiana ties don’t stop with Leal; two years ago, Hickman shared the Bradley backcourt with New Albany native and former state champion Sean East II. This one seems almost too easy for the Hoosiers to miss on.
Javon Small-In terms of raw talent, this may be the biggest potential get for Woodson and the Hoosiers. Small started at East Carolina, eventually making his way to Oklahoma State, and has gotten consistently better in all areas each year, most notably as a scorer on all levels. The South Bend native is a big, tough defender who has seen Power Five conference basketball and isn’t afraid of it. With 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game last year for Oklahoma State, Small came up huge when it counted, and it’s not hard to picture what bringing him back to his home state could do for his confidence.
Tony Perkins-A surprising recent Portal entry, Perkins has spent the last four years at Iowa taking advantage of the Hoosiers every time the two teams have met. The Indianapolis native seems to save his best shooting and scoring performances for when he plays Indiana, so it’s not a leap to think that playing AT Indiana might turn him into an even better player. Like Small, Perkins is a shooting guard with size and tenacity that makes him the perfect cover for a hot scorer, while being capable of flipping the switch himself.
The Portal waters are brackish and treacherous, but Woodson needn’t stray too far from home to navigate them to the levels of success the Hoosiers are hoping to achieve under his guidance.
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