BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball showed off plenty of depth in a 98-64 win over College Jean-de-Brébeuf on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers rotated personnel early and often with coach Darian DeVries hoping to get everyone on the bench quality minutes. They had six players score in double-digits — all nine of IU’s available scholarship players had at least one made field goal — without anyone topping 30 minutes.
That success wouldn’t have been possible without true freshmen Prince-Alexander Moody, Trevor Manhertz and Vaughn Karvala all holding their own.
“I thought for their first time out on the floor tonight, I thought they did a great job,” DeVries said. “They just came in and gave incredible effort. I thought they played with pretty good composure, too. They were very confident in what they were doing. I was really happy with what that group brought.”
It’s why DeVries felt comfortable having them anchor a lineup with walk-ons for an extended stretch in the fourth quarter. Indiana’s bench outscored College Jean-de-Brébeuf, 43-11, with Moody putting up 13 points, all in the second half.
“I thought that last five minutes, they did some really good things,” DeVries said. “Just some effort plays that impact winning and losing. And they’ve really grasped onto that.”
Indiana basketball freshman Prince-Alexander Moody brings smiles to Assembly Hall
Moody showed plenty of swagger in the closing minutes. After knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers, he played to the crowd, even eliciting a smirk from his head coach.
“Prince is what you saw tonight,” DeVries said. “That’s what he does every day in practice. His motor, his talk, so to speak, is nonstop on and off the floor. He’s fun. He loves the game. He loves competing.”
The Indiana fans on hand for the preseason exhibition loved his style as well. They applauded the hustle he showed diving for a loose ball — he had a game-high five steals — and his continued focus on the defensive end in the game’s waning moments with Moody refusing to let anyone get by him on the perimeter.
“What I loved about him, he just plays hard,” DeVries said. “And that’s number one. And that’s what gets you production. That’s what gets you on the floor, and he certainly showed that tonight.”
Moody signed with IU as a four-star guard out of Bishop McNamara High School in Maryland. He was ranked 89th overall in the 2026 signing class.
While Moody got off to a slow shooting start, he didn’t let that slow him down. He set up Karvala for a lob in the first quarter with a steal in the backcourt. Moody eventually got into a groove starting out with a fastbreak dunk at the start of the third quarter.
He didn’t look back after that.
“I thought the last couple of weeks his play has really improved as well,” DeVries said. “He’s getting more confident in what he’s doing and understanding it.”
Indiana basketball’s Trevor Manhertz just scratching the surface
At 6-foot-8, 185-pounds, Manhertz has gains to make in the weight room. Those will come with time, but the coaches have seen enough of him this summer to know that shouldn’t stop him from making immediate contributions.
His performance against College Jean-de-Brébeuf only highlighted the point.
“Maybe on the first week you look at his size and think, well, he’s got to bulk up and stuff, and, sure, he’s got to do that, but I’ll tell you what, he sticks his nose in there,” DeVries said.
Manhertz, a four-star recruit out of North Carolina, had 10 points and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. He shot the ball with confidence from the outside and possesses the kind athleticism that Indiana didn’t have last season.
“And he’s got an incredible feel for the game for such a young player,” DeVries said. “He understands where guys are going to be, the concepts of offense, the concepts of defense.”
That should help Manhertz make significant strides before the season even starts.
“I think you saw flashes of that tonight, why we’re so excited about him and some of the things he’s been doing,” DeVries said. “He’s got great length. Skill set is really good. He’s just scratching the surface, which is awesome.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball’s true freshmen provide ‘incredible effort’ in exhibition win
Reporting by Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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By Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
