The college basketball transfer portal officially opened up on Monday morning meaning hundreds of players put their names out there looking for a fresh start. For the Indiana basketball program, it is expected to be involved in numerous transfer recruitments.
Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker will be graduating, with the rest of the departures being through the transfer portal or the NBA.
There are always expectations that current players on the roster will also enter the transfer portal.
Indiana basketball sophomore forward Malik Reneau announced he would be returning for his junior season. Indiana earned a commitment from 2024 five-star wing Bryson Tucker.
Indiana basketball currently has six open scholarships.
Here is a breakdown and tracker of who has heard from Indiana basketball, who has committed to the program and which players are leaving. This list will be updated throughout the portal cycle.
Heard From Indiana (19):
SG – Clark Slajchert (Penn)
The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 18.0 points and 2.9 assists this season. He also shot 42.2 percent on 2.6 made 3s per game. He is a career 13.9 point per game scorer and 37.9 percent three-point shooter. He had 17 points against Kentucky and 11 points against Villanova.
He has heard from programs such as UCLA, Penn State, Arkansas, Clemson, FAU and numerous others.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
More scouting info and video here.
SG – Marcus Foster (Furman)
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard averaged 17.0 points 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game this season. He had seven 20+ point scoring games, including two 30-point games. He scored in double-figures in 21 of 24 games. He shot just 29.7 percent from three this past year.
In the previous two years, however, Foster shot 36 percent from three on 1.3 makes per game.
He is an Atlanta native so will likely have some ties with Indiana basketball assistant coach Yasir Rosemond.
Arkansas, Clemson, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Georgia, Florida State, Kansas State and others have reached out.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
More scouting info and video here.
Update: Foster has committed to Xavier
SF – Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine)
At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Ajayi spent just one season at Pepperdine after transferring in from Pierce (Wa.) junior college. This past season, Ajayi was named to the All-WCC First Team after averaging 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He had 15 doubles-doubles on the season.
Some notable performances include 14 points and 14 rebounds against Gonzaga, 16 points and 13 rebounds against New Mexico, 17 points and seven rebounds against Louisville and 25 points against Indiana State.
Kansas, Arizona, Baylor, Ole Miss, Gonzaga, Arkansas and UCLA are among the programs who have reached out.
He has one year of eligibility left.
More scouting info and video here.
Update: Ajayi has committed to Gonzaga
SG – Tre Dinkins (Canisius)
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 15.4 points while shooting 36.5 percent from three. He also added 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game, as well. He made 2.7 3s per game this season. His 85 3s this year would be the most for an IU player since the 2016-17 season. Indiana as a team made just 165 this year.
Miami (FL), Seton Hall, Oklahoma, Richmond, Geroge Washington, Illinois State, FGCU and others have reached out to Dinkins.
He has one year of eligibility left.
More scouting info and video here.
PF – Amari Williams (Drexel)
Williams avearged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game this past season. He was the defensive rating leader in the entire as a junior.
The 6-foot-10 forward had 12 points and 15 rebounds against West Virginia, 12 points against Villanova and had two 20+ point games. In total, he also had eight double-doubles.
Texas, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), St. John’s, Creighton, Xavier, Florida, Notre Dame, Kansas State and others have reached out.
He has one year left of eligibility.
CG – Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s)
Leffew is a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 17.6 pints, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season. He is a career 35.8 percent three-point shooter, averaging 1.8 made 3s per game.
He had 13 20+ point games last season, including 26 against Georgia, 16 against Ole Miss and 14 against Georgetown.
Gonzaga, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, BYU, Clemson, Minnesota and others have reached out.
He has one season remaining of eligibility.
F – Frankie Fidler (Omaha)
Fidler is a 6-foot-7 hybrid forward who averred 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last year while shooting 35.6 percent on 1.6 made 3s per game. He is a career 35.4 percent three-point shooter on 1.2 makes a game.
He scored in double-figures in 31 of his 33 appearances and had 17 20-point games. That also includes four 30 point games. He had 20 points against TCU and 12 points against Texas Tech.
Alabama, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Arizona State, Georgetown and others have reached out.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
CG – Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford)
Carlyle is a former top-60 prospect who played just one season at Stanford. During his freshman season he averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 23 appearances. He missed the first month of the season but made an immediate impact when he returned to the floor. He scored in double-figures 15 times, including two 20-point games and one 31-point outing.
His career high was 31 points against Washington State. He also scored 28 points in his fourth game of the season against Arizona. He was 9-of-13 from three in those two games.
After shooting 44.7 percent on 2.1 made 3s per game in the first 10 games he played, his shot fell off. He shot just 20.8 percent from three on 4.1 attempts for the final 13 games of the season, totaling just 32 percent on the season.
Carlyle is originally from the Atlanta are and was a name that Indiana basketball briefly looked at during his high school recruiting process. It is expected that if Indiana continues to make a push for Carlyle, assistant coach Yasir Rosemond will play heavily in his recruitment this time around.
Gonzaga and Georgia are other programs who have reached out.
More scouting info and video here.
CG – Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont)
Gillespie is yet another high-volume scorer that has entered the portal. The Greeneville, Tennessee native is coming off a phenomenal sophomore season which saw him average 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 25 game appearances (24 starts) this season. He also shot 38.7% from three this season.
The 6-foot-0 combo guard scored in double-figures 24 of the 25 games he appeared in this season which ultimately led him to make the 2023-24 All-MVC Second Team. During his time at Belmont, he has also made the MVC All-Defense and All-Freshman squad, as well.
Gillespie has 38 career double figure scoring games, 19 games of five or more assists, and 15 games of three or more steals.
Along with Indiana basketball, Maryland, Kansas, UCLA, Minnesota, Florida, Alabama, and many others have reached out to Gillespie.
He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Full video highlights of Ja’Kobi Gillespie found here.
Update: Gillespie has committed to Maryland.
PG – Deyton Albury (Queens)
Indiana basketball once again reached out to another guard as they expected to do so during the transfer portal. Deyton Albury, a Nassu, Bahmas native, is the newest guard on the radar of Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers.
Albury is coming off a junior season where he appeared in 28 games, including starting in every one of them, and averaged 17 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 per game. He also scored 23 points vs. Duke earlier this season. He shot 48.2% from the field including 364% from three.
During his junior season at Queens, Albury was named 2023-24 Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the Year as well as making the All-Atlantic Sun Team.
Before coming to Queens, Albury played for Chipola Junior Collage where he appeared in all 34 games, including 28 starts. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game and was ranked No. 56 in the 2023 JUCO Basketball Top 100 Player Rankings.
Along with Indiana basketball, Albury has heard from Kansas State, FAU, UCF, Virginia Tech, and others.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
PG – Leland Walker (Eastern Kentucky)
Indiana basketball has reached out to their first in-state target from the transfer portal, Eastern Kentucky sophomore and Indianapolis native Leland Walker.
Walker has spent two seasons at Eastern Kentucky where he has appeared in 68 total games including 32 starts. He is coming off a sophomore season where averaged 15.4 points on 43.3% shooting which includes 33.3% from three. He also added in 4.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds as well.
Walker attended North Central (IN) High School his first three years before transferring to Hargrave Military Academy during the 2021-22 season. He was the first-ever four-star recruit to sign as a freshman with EKU and ranked as the 39th best point guard in the nation at that time.
He helped lead EKU to winning the ASUN regular season championship with a 12-4 conference record overall. Walker was the second leading scorer for EKU this season.
Walker is one of the fastest on-ball guard that will see at this level. He really takes pride in being explosible on the ball when attacking lanes and will always play with a high motor on both ends of the floor. He also has the ability to create his own shot both on and off the ball as well. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and has a long, athletic build to him.
You can watch his transfer portal highlights here.
More: Leland Walker set to visit Indiana basketball
C – Dishon Jackson (Charlotte)
While Indiana basketball has mostly went after guards and wing, as they should, they also have a few holes to fill in the frontcourt and have reached to a few possible targets. 6-foot-10 Charlotte center Dishon Jackson is latest big man the Hoosiers have reached out to.
Jackson, an Okland (CA) native, spent his first three seasons at Washington State before transferring to Charlotte last season. At Charlotte, Jackson he averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game. He redshirted his junior season at Washington State due to injury before he transferred to Charlotte. He also shot 54.5% from the field and 68.1% from the free throw line this season.
With legit size and strength, Jackson plays more like a tradition big than a more modern day frontcourt player. He is at his best when he can use his size and strength on both ends of the floor behind the basket. He is an experienced big that sticks to what he is comfortable at doing on the floor.
Along with Indiana basketball, LSU, Iowa State, Arkansas, UCF, Xavier, Miami, and others have also reached out to Jackson.
Jackson has two years of eligibility remaining.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
Update: Jackson has committed to Iowa State.
SG – Devonte “Devo” Davis (Arkansas)
Davis is the second power five guard that Indiana basketball has reached out to. Davis is a senior guard out of Arkansas that is looking for a new start to end out his college career.
Davis coming off his worst statistical year as a college basketball player. Before the season, Davis was named a preseason All-SEC second team mention but ended up nowhere close to that honor after a year that saw him average just 5.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He also shot just 24.2% from thee this season while only shooting 2.2 attempts per game.
The lone bright spot for Davis was that he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team due to his play on the defensive end of the floor, which he excels at.
He has appeared in 135 games for Arkansas starting in 85 of them.
Along with Indiana basketball, Davis has heard from schools such as Auburn, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Clemson, Mississippi State, and others.
He has one year of eligibility left.
You can watch full transfer highlights here.
PG – Jordan Sears (UT Martin)
Indiana basketball continues to spread their eggs in the transfer basketball when it comes to guards. The latest guard to hear from Indiana basketball is UT Martin grad transfer Jordan Sears.
This will be the second time Sears will transfer during his college career. He spent his first two years at Gardner Webb before transferring to UT Martin. Sears averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game this season. He has appeared in 64 total games for UT Martin with 62 of those being starts.
Sears is coming off his best performance from behind the arc shooting an outstanding 43.2% on 5.5 attempts per game. He was also named first team All-Ohio Valley Conference for the second straight season. He also led the conference in scoring with his 21.6 points per game.
Along with Indiana basketball, Sears has heard from TCU, Texas Tech, Cal, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and many others.
He has one year of eligibility left.
You can watch full transfer highlights here.
F – Malik Dia (Belmont)
Indiana basketball has reached out to a forward that is starting to become one of the more sought players in the transfer portal as his position. Indiana has been one of the many teams to reached out to 6-foot-9 Belmont forward Malik Dia. According to multiple sources, he will also undergo the 2024 NBA draft process as well.
Along with Indiana basketball, school such as UConn, USC, Texas, Kansas State, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Villanova, Wisconsin, Virginia, and many others have reached out to Dia.
Dia, a Murfreesboro, TN, is coming off a sophomore year that saw him average 16.9 PPG in only 23 mins per game this season. He shots 48.8% from the field whole also adding 5.8 rebounds per game as well. He spent one season at Vanderbilt before transferring to Belmont for his sophomore season.
He was also named to the All-MVC Third Team and MVC All-Newcomer Team.
Dia is a big forward that is a his best in the post but has shown an ability to stretch the floor averaging nearly 4.0 attempts per game, but only shooting 34.1% from three. He is a real physical player on both ends of the floor and willing to take on any contact he gets from the defense.
He has two years of eligibility left.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
G/F – Cade Tyson (Belmont)
Indiana basketball has reached out to another Belmont transfer, 6-foot-7 sophomore guard/forward Cade Tyson. Schools such as Kansas, Oregon, Florida, Auburn, Texas, Wisconsin, and many others have also reached out to Tyson.
Tyson, a Monroe, North Carolina native, is coming off a sophomore season which saw him average 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists this past season. He appeared in 31 games for Belmont, starting in all of them. What stands out the most with Tyson is that he shot an outstanding 49% from the field which includes 47% from three.
His great play this season led him to earning second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference. Tyson has also been named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team, and Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team.
In order to fix Indiana’s shooting problems, Tyson would be a guy that could help the Hoosiers in that area.
He has two years of eligibility left.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
G – Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky)
Indiana basketball continues to reach out to more and more guards. The newest guard to pop on the radar of Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers is Northern Kentucky grad transfer Marques Warrick. He has also declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, as well.
Along with Indiana basketball, Warrick has heard from Arkansas, Missouri, Xavier, Cincinnati, South Carolina, and many others. Warrick is a 6-foot-2 lead guard that is based out of Lexington, Kentucky.
He has played all four years at Northern Kentucky and appeared in a total of 125 games which includes 121 starts. He is coming off his best season yet for NKU averaging 19.9 points on 42.5% shooting. However, he had his worst three-point shooting performance of his career shooting only 29.8% from behind the arc. He is also a career 83.5% shooting from the line, as well.
During his time at NKU, he has become the all-time leading scorer with 2,246 points, Horizon League Freshman of the Year in the 2020-21 season, and is a two-time All-Horizon League Second Team member.
He has one year of eligibility left.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
PG – Tony Perkins (Iowa)
Indiana basketball has reached to their first Big Ten transfer and Indianapolis native Tony Perkins. HoosierIllustrated.com sources state that both Indiana and the former Iowa guard have interest in one-another.
Perkins is a 6-foot-4 lead guard from Lawrence North (Ind.) and was runner-up for Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2020 behind Anthony Leal.
He is coming off of a senior season when he averaged 14.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He started all 34 games he appeared in. His assist (25.3) and steal rate (2.8) were both 10th in the Big Ten.
He had 22 points against Indiana basketball on Jan. 30 this season. It was one of eight 20-point games this season, with a season-high 25 points against Wisconsin.
Perkins is the alpha-type lead guard on both ends of the floor who is proven and experienced at the Big Ten level. He hast started 81 of 126 career games — including all 66 games in the past two seasons.
He has one year of eligibility left.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
More: Indiana expected to be major player for Tony Perkins
G – Connor Hickman (Bradley)
Hickman is the latest in-stat guard to hear from Indiana basketball. Hickman is a Bloomington native and was teammates with senior Indiana basketball guard Anthony Leal at Bloomington South.
He also confirmed to HoosierIllustrated.com that he will be visiting Indiana this weekend.
He is coming off a junior season which saw him lead Bradley in scoring with 14.5 points which ultimately led him to being named to third-team All-Missouri Valley. He also made the Missouri Valley All-Tournament team, as well.
Hickman is also a career-high 40.2% from three on 5.9 attempts per game.
Hickman is a tough-nosed player that plays with an incredibly high motor. He can score in a multitude of ways while also being a great ball handler, as well.
He has one year of eligibility left.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
PF – Pharrel Payne (Minnesota)
Indiana basketball has had contact with one of the best post players in the transfer portal at the moment. Per The Portal Report, the Hoosiers have reached out to Minnesota sophomore forward Pharrel Payne.
Payne has also heard from teams such as Wisconsin, Texas, Texas Tech, Nebraska, SMU, Illinois, Florida, Butler, and many others.
Payne is coming off a season which saw him average 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds during his sophomore year with Golden Gophers. In two years, he has started in 23 of the 62 games he has played for the Gophers. He signed with Minnesota as three-star player in the 2022 class.
Strictly a true post player, Payne is a career 60.2% from the field. He has also averaged 1.2 blocks per game in two season at the college level.
Payne, a 6-9 Cottage Grove (MN), was the teams 4th leading scorer this season.
Payne is one of three Minnesota players that have entered the portal. He arguably the Gophers’ biggest loss as he is player that is continuing to develop made a great leap from freshman-sophomore season.
He has two years of eligibility left.
You can watch his full transfer highlights here.
F – Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)
Indiana basketball has reached out to another forward, with this one being a little more significant. Hoosiers have now reached out to Louisville transfer junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.
Huntley-Hatfield has also set up of an official visit to Indiana basketball in the coming weeks, as well.
The 6-foo-10 junior forward averaged 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season. Averaged 14.7 points in ACC play and was in double-figures in 17 of 20 league games.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield began his college career with Tennessee before playing the last two seasons at Louisville. He has appeared 91 games overall with 66 of those games being a starter. He has a career 51.8% guild goal rate while shooting career 30.8% from three, although only taking 0.6 attempts per game.
He started all 32 games for Louisville this past season and shot 56.7% from the field.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
You can watch full highlights of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield here.
Committed (1):
Bryson Tucker (2024 commit)
Leaving (4):
PF – Payton Sparks — committed to Ball State
SF – Kaleb Banks
SG – CJ Gunn
C – Kel’el Ware — NBA Draft
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