Ball State's Payton Sparks shoots past Kent State's defense during their game at Worthen Arena Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 (Jordan Kartholl / The Star Press-USA TODAY NETWORK)
Ball State transfer forward Payton Sparks is set to visit the Indiana basketball program on Monday afternoon. It was first reported by Inside The Hall and later confirmed by Sparks to HoosierIllustrated.com.
Payton Sparks is a 6-foot-9, 240-pound center who spend two years at Ball State. He averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds this season. He ranked second in the MAC in offensive rebound rate (12.9) and fourth in the league in total rebound rate (17.3).
His first year at Ball State, Sparks was named the MAC Freshman of the Year. He averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. He has started all 62 games in his career. He has 22 career double-doubles.
The Winchester, Indiana native has been a hot commodity in the transfer portal thus far. He has received interested from programs like Illinois, Florida, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Arkansas, Purdue, Virginia, Butler and others.
“I know they have been in the mix for winning in the big ten for a long time,” Sparks previously told HoosierIllustrated. “Great school and just great academics too. Lots of history and you just feel loved from the fans and their support.”
Indiana is looking to replace the production lost by consensus First-Team All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and sixth-year forward Race Thompson. The two players combined for 29.3 points and 16.0 rebounds per game this past season.
Right now, the Indiana basketball program has two scholarship spots to fill for the 2023-24 season.
Payton Sparks has two years of eligibility remaining.
Alec Lasley is the owner of Hoosier Illustrated, a comprehensive site covering news, updates and recruiting for Indiana University athletics. Alec has covered Indiana for six years and is a credentialed media member. He has previously worked for both Rivals and 247Sports.
