Indiana has 'a very intriguing base' as the roster approaches final shape

A little over a month ago it was announced that Indiana had hired Darian DeVries as their next head coach. 

Since the moment it was announced DeVries has been on a mission. 

Tasked with rebuilding the roster, constructing his coaching staff, and regenerating some of the excitement that has been missing from the program, DeVries has been busy this spring.

Completely rebuilding a roster is a monster task and DeVries has made it look effortless so far. 

The roster is still not done, but one month later we have a pretty clear idea of what it will look like with 11 of the 13 available scholarships filled. 

“Right now what they have is a very intriguing base of a roster,” On3 National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw said during his appearance on Indiana Sports Beat Radio with Jim Coyle. 

DeVries has built a roster that screams versatility. 

Indiana has several guys who can shoot the ball at a high level.

There are many playmakers across the board who can create off-the-dribble for themselves and others. 

“You have five guys on the court who you can put the ball in their hand, they can make a read, they can make a pass, they can make a shot, they can dribble and get to their spots in the half court as well,” Shaw said. 

“There’s a lot of positional fluidity going on within this team that could allow some very fun, quick-hitting motion type of offense.”

From top to bottom, Indiana has guys who are capable of playing multiple positions. Of the 11 guys currently on the roster, seven are 6-foot-6 or taller.

The Hoosiers don’t just have size and length across the board, they also have guys capable of doing several things on the floor.

“There’s a lot of variations on this offense. There’s a lot of continuity. There’s a lot of fluidity that you can have within this offense of bigs playing out, forwards playing inside, guys being able to shoot and interchangeability with it,” Shaw said.

The versatility on the roster should allow the Hoosiers to play an exciting brand of basketball on both ends of the court. 

Not only is the roster versatile, but it’s also deep. Indiana has depth in a lot of areas, but especially at the guard spot. 

Tayton Conerway is expected to be the point guard with Lamar Wilkerson likely to start at shooting guard. Behind them, the Hoosiers have Jason Drake and Conor Enright. While also having guys like Tucker DeVries, Nick Dorn, and Jasai Miles who are capable of playing as a guard or wing.

“When you add [Jason Drake] with someone like [Lamar] Wilkerson you’re getting shooting, you’re getting spacing,“ Shaw said.

Last season Drake shot 39.6% from deep on over three attempts per game. Wilkerson shot 44.5% from beyond the arc on nearly eight attempts per game.

The Hoosiers have lacked both shooting and spacing in the past and DeVries has made a concerted effort to make them a strength on the roster.

While there are still some holes in the frontcourt, Indiana has a solid group of forwards capable of contributing. 

Earlier this week North Florida transfer forward Josh Harris committed to the Hoosiers.

“He’s made his mark this year at North Florida 15-10 feet and in. He moves great off the ball. He’s an off-ball cutter and gets to his spots. He’s able to finish through contact,” Shaw said about Harris. 

“His consistent movement gets him in a lot of positive positions. Great length. He’s very strong. He’s got good size, and a little bit of pop in him athletically. His instincts are kind of where he found his production.”

As a freshman Harris averaged 13.4 points and 7.1 rebounds for North Florida last season. At 6-foot-8 220 pounds, Harris is not a center but is strong enough to potentially play the five at times for Indiana.

With an abundance of shooting and playmaking around him, Harris will have plenty of room to work around the rim.

In addition to Harris, DeVries added Reed Bailey, who at 6-foot-9 currently stands as the tallest member of the roster.

“You’re not going to see [Bailey] do what Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey did. What you are going to be able to see is him create a mismatch,” Shaw said. “He’s gonna be able to drag an opposing guy out to the perimeter and make a play.”

Bailey averaged 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game a season ago for Davidson. He also shot a career-best 41.5% from three on 1.2 attempts per game.

Indiana also added 6-foot-8 forward Sam Alexis from Florida who is expected to contribute in the front court.

Alexis played just one minute in the NCAA Tournament but averaged 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds while playing 11.9 minutes per game in 24 appearances on the season.

The trio of Bailey, Harris, and Alexis should play a big role for Indiana, but it seems likely DeVries will use one of the final two scholarship spots to add a true center to the roster.

Shaw shared that the center position is scarce right now, but adding a bruiser could take Indiana over the top.

While most of the roster has just one year of eligibility left, DeVries has recently added a few guys who could be foundational pieces for the future. 

“You have a nice mixture of older and younger guys, too. So you have the younger guys like [Josh] Harris, Nick Dorn, you have Jasai Miles that have multiple years in there but then you have [Tayton] Conerway, [Tucker] DeVries, [Reed] Bailey that are coming in with one year left,” Shaw said. 

“So you have a potential 10-man rotation of fluid players that are both for the now and for the future of being able to truly build a program.” 

In addition to the 10 transfer portal additions, DeVries held onto the commitment of instate forward Trent Sisley. At 6-7, Sisley is another guy who has the versatility to play multiple positions, something Indiana has targeted. 

It’s uncertain how much of a role Sisley will have as a freshman, but he is another guy who will be critical to the program moving forward. 

With two open scholarships left, there is still some work left for DeVries to do between now and the start of the season, but he has built a strong core which should create some excitement for next season.

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