Indiana Basketball Recruiting Roundup: A look at early transfer portal options

The Indiana basketball program has been active in the early stages of the offseason reaching out to transfer options. Already, it has been connected to numerous players.

Indiana is likely losing four starters, including consensus First-Team All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jalen Hood Schifino. With the roster losing a lot of the top-heavy talent, there is a major need to bring in numerous transfers and ones that can make a signifiant impact right away.

Here is an early list of some notable players Indiana has been connected to and some where visits are being discussed.

Nick Timberlake (6-4 guard; Towson)

Timberlake is the best shooter on this list and one of the best shooters in the portal. He can score off of the dribble and off of the catch. He averaged 17.7 points per game last season while shooting 41.6 percent on 2.8 made 3s per game. As a junior, he averaged 14.4 points and shot 40.6 percent on 2.3 made 3s per game. Timberlake is a career 37.9 percent three-point shooter. He’s a two-time All-CAA First-Team selection.

Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Butler, Ohio State and others are involved. HoosierIllustrated.com has confirmed there are talks of a visit, but no confirmed visit date has been officially set in stone. Timberlake has had in-home visits with UNC and Ohio State.

He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Chris Ledlum (6-6 forward; Harvard)

Ledlum is a sturdy-built hybrid forward who averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game a season ago as an All-Ivy League selection. He is a career 13.6 point per game scorer while shooting 45 percent from the field but just 29.4 percent from three on 3.5 attempts per game. Ledlum is not someone who will blow you away with extreme athletic ability but has good length and strength. He has great off-ball skills and a high IQ on the offensive end, typically finding the open cutting lane. Ledlum was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and held offers from Florida, Illinois, Penn State, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Seton Hall, TCU and others. He is originally from the New York area but finished high school at Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.)

Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Xavier, UCLA, Nebraska, Florida and LSU are some of the programs involved.

HoosierIllustrated.com has confirmed there are talks of a visit, but no confirmed visit date has been officially set in stone. Ledlum has one year of eligibility remaining.

Graham Ike (6-9 forward; Wyoming)

Ike is a name Indiana fans should know well. He had 17 points and nine rebounds against the Hoosiers in the First Four game in 2022. Ike missed the 2022-23 season due to a foot injury. He has good length and is similar in build to Trayce Jackson-Davis. Last year he averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He’s a terrific rebounder who was third in the MWC in offensive rebound percent at 11.1. Ike is a powerful forward on the block and in the paint, but is no threat from the outside.

Indiana, Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Kansas, Tennessee, Xavier, West Virginia and Georgetown are some of the programs who have reached out.

Ike has three years of eligibility remaining.

Jamison Battle (6-7 wing; Minnesota)

Battle is well known from his two years in the Big Ten. He has good length and size for a perimeter player and has the reputation as a shooter. He struggled a bit this season with the lack of talent on the roster. He averaged 12.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 31.1 percent from three. As a junior he averaged 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent on 2.4 made 3s per game. Battle is someone who can create his own shot off of the dribble, both attacking the rim and on the wing. But, he is best known as a three-point shooter, with 7.1 attempted 3s per game for his career. He played his first two years at George Washington and averaged 13.5 points and shot 36.3 percent from three.

Indiana, Arkansas, Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Clemson, Illinois, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Utah, Wake Forest and Villanova are some of the programs involved.

Battle has one year of eligibility remaining.

Kowacie Reeves (6-6 guard; Florida)

Reeves is a very athletic wing who can play multiple positions on the perimeter. He has a long and lanky frame but is very fluid attacking the rim. He averaged 8.5 points per game and shot 37.7 percent from the floor this year. He’s a shot-happy wing who isn’t super efficient from three. Reeves shoots just 26.2 percent on 4.2 attempts from three a game. He had 13 double-digit scoring games off of the bench.

Indiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Stanford, Maryland, Clemson, Cincinnati, Boston College, Mississippi State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Ole Miss, NC State and Louisville are some of the programs interested. Reeves has had in-home visits with Boston College, Georgia State, Mississippi State and Loyola-Chicago.

Reeves has two years of eligibility remaining.