Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries is getting a second chance to make a first impression.
College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein — with an important caveat — believes the Hoosiers should make an impact nationally next season.
“John Wooden once said, ‘Don’t mistake activity for achievement.’ So I don’t want to have a parade for Indiana coming up right now,” Rothstein said in a video posted on social media. “But the Hoosiers have done a fine job restocking their roster in Year 2 under Darian DeVries.”
Entering his second season, DeVries’ transfer portal approach has changed. He is taking less-experienced but impactful players from high majors: Aiden Sherrell (Alabama), Samet Yigitoglu (SMU), Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Darren Harris (Duke), Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech) and Bryce Lindsay (Villanova).
“There’s no guarantees that the pieces on Indiana’s roster are going to mesh, but I look at the talent that’s been brought to Bloomington,” Rothstein said. “Indiana, on paper, has a top-25 team to start next season. … Indiana has drastically upgraded its talent base entering Year 2 under Darian DeVries. And for that alone, that should be considered a major, major win.”
IU’s transfer class is rated the nation’s best by On3 and fourth best by SBNation.
DeVries built his first IU roster primarily with veteran players from mid-major programs, which resulted in an 18-14 record and no postseason. Key players included Lamar Wilkerson (from Sam Houston State), Tayton Conerway (Troy), Reed Bailey (Davidson) and Nick Dorn (Elon).
“A year ago, I was not a fan of the philosophy of bringing in mid-major all-league players as transfers,” Rothstein said.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why this CBS analyst cautions against Indiana basketball, ‘a top-25 team’ after transfer additions
Reporting by Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
