Oregon center Kel'el Ware dunks the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the No. 7 UCLA Bruins Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard-USA TODAY NETWORK)
The owner of HoosierIllustrated.com, Alec Lasley, joined Indiana Sports Beat Radio on Friday morning to discuss a lot of topics related to the Indiana basketball program.
Among the topics was a deep dive into the current top transfer portal options for the Indiana basketball program. The Hoosiers are involved with numerous transfer options at the moment.
Some of the notable transfer targets include: Kel’el Ware (Oregon), Chris Ledlum (Harvard), Kadin Shedrick (Virginia), Jalen Deloach (VCU) and others. Oregon center Kel’el Ware and Harvard forward Chris Ledlum are taking visits to Indiana April 6-7.
There are currently four available scholarships for the 2023-24 season. That does not include the potential return for Xavier Johnson who is applying for a medical hardship waiver.
The big emphasis for IU currently is around the front court. Next, needs to be surrounding those players with shooters — and high-volume shooters.
“A lot of that is going to be an emphasis to get shooters,” Alec said. “I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s not that difficult to get a couple of guys who are going to be okay shooting the ball from the perimeter. You need volume shooters to play in this day and age. Indiana does not have that.
“When you look at what the pieces are now … with Malik Reneau, the potential for Chris Ledlum or Kel’el Ware, you have some pieces to build around and an easy pitch to a shooter,” Alec continued. “With a big emphasis on Xavier Johnson driving into the lane and kicking out or a lot of double-teams with potentially two five-stars in your front court with the potential of Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau. Or a hybrid forward who can take someone off of the dribble in Chris Ledlum, and break down the defense. That’s when they need those high-volume shooters (to spread the floor).”
Below is the full video and discussion from Alec on Indiana Sports Beat.
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.
