Late portal addition Ithiel Horton offers intriguing skillset Indiana basketball needs

Shooting. Indiana basketball is midway through June and is still lacking a legit knockdown shooter on its roster. A proven one that is.

The Hoosiers have done a terrific job checking off boxes they need from the transfer portal. The front court is in shape and with the return of Xavier Johnson due to his medical waiver, the point guard position is solidified. But, a knockdown shooter on the perimeter is still something that is missing — with one scholarship remaining.

IU head coach Mike Woodson said he wasn’t going to use a scholarship to use it — rather it had to be a great fit, for both sides.

There is now an expected late addition to the transfer portal. Central Florida guard Ithiel Horton announced his intention to transfer last week, becoming one of the best, if not the best, available transfer. At the latest, UCF has until Wednesday to officially enter him in the transfer database, per sources.

Horton will be on his fourth program in college, however. He started his career at Delaware, playing one season before transferring to Pitt. He spent three years at Pitt — including his one redshirt season — and then spent his final year at UCF.

Horton is best known for his shooting. In 102 career games, Horton is a 37.6 percent three-point shooter on 2.2 made 3s per game. For his career he has made 225 3s.

Last year, Horton averaged 12.3 points per game and shot 34.8 percent from three on 2.3 made 3s per game. He was 78-of-224 from three. He had a 30-point game against Memphis and 28-point performance against USF.

More: Indiana basketball leaning on ‘untapped potential’ next year. But, there’s an excitement that comes with.

In two seasons on the floor for Pitt, Horton averaged 9.2 points per game and shot 37.4 percent from three on 1.9 made 3s per game.

Back in 2018-19 as a freshman at Delaware, Horton averaged 13.2 points and shot 40.9 percent from three on 2.4 made 3s a game.

At 6-foot-5, Horton has good size playing as an off-ball guard. He has a terrific ability to get his shot off. Horton is effective both on and off of the ball when looking for his shot. He has a quick and high release that makes it harder on the defender to contest. While Horton isn’t a terrific ball handler, he utilizes a smooth two-dribble or three-dribble pull-up from three.

Horton has the ability to finish at the rim or in the mid-range but he’s clearly more comfortable beyond the three-point line. For his career, 56.7 percent of his shot attempts are from three and 53.7 percent of his made field goals are 3s.

Horton has a 58 percent eFG rate in catch-and-shoot opportunities. That is ranked in the 83rd percentile.

Horton is a good two-way player when used as a help defender. He has a career average of 1.0 steals per game, including 1.4 steals a game last season, mainly coming as a secondary defender.

How does that translate to fitting in with Indiana?

Indiana shot 36.8 percent from three this season but ranked 353rd nationally in attempted 3s per game (15.5) and 334th in made 3s per game (5.7). Those numbers translated into the fourth best percentage in the Big Ten, but the least amount of made 3s on the season.

To no surprise NIL will be a factor, sources told HoosierIllustrated. But relationships also bring added context to a potential Horton – Indiana basketball match.

Ithiel Horton played at Pitt alongside Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson for two seasons. Horton also played at UCF this season with former Indiana big man Michael Durr.

Horton is originally from New Jersey and played for Roselle Catholic in high school — the same program as current five-star freshman Mackenzie Mgbako for the Hoosiers.

Horton was unranked coming out of high school in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is rated as a three-star transfer.

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball ushering in a new, versatile style of play starting next season

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