Best Indiana Men’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 14 Luke Goode

At the number 14 spot in the countdown of the best Indiana men’s basketball players of the 2020s so far, we have a player who scored against Indiana as well as for the Hoosiers.

Luke Goode played the majority of his career at Illinois and suited up four times against Indiana. He scored a total of 21 points in those games, including a high of 11 points in a 2024 Fighting Illini victory.

With that triviality out of the way, what’s at issue is Goode’s production as a Hoosier. Goode, a Fort Wayne native, transferred to Indiana for the 2024-25 season.

After a slow start, Goode delivered on what the Hoosiers wanted from him – a dependable 3-point shooter.

In 32 games, Goode converted 39.2% from 3-point range. It wasn’t technically his career-high – he made 42.1% in 2023 for Illinois – but it was his best percentage in a season in which he took part from start to finish. In that 2023 season, Goode played only 10 games for the Illini.

Advanced metrics smiled on Goode’s 2025 contributions, which allowed him to make the list of finalists for the 2020s top 16. He earned 2.8 win shares, which ranked him ninth among all Hoosiers who qualified (one season at 20 minutes per game or 64 games played in the decade) for consideration.

In fact, the only category in which Goode ranked lower than 12th among his 2020s peers was career starts – a product of his lone season in cream and crimson.

None of this seemed very possible when Goode debuted for the Hoosiers in November 2024. He began the season in a frightful 3-point shooting slump. In his first six games, Goode was 5 of 20 from 3-point range. He also had trouble staying on the floor as he averaged 2.5 fouls in just 16.3 minutes played.

Goode had his first good 3-point shooting performance as he converted at a 5-of-7 clip against Sam Houston on Dec. 3. Goode became a starter just before Big Ten play began for good and once it did? He got into a consistent rhythm.

Goode shot 44% from 3-point range in Big Ten games. That placed Goode sixth among all Big Ten shooters in conference games who attempted at least one three per game.

It wasn’t just 3-point production that lifted Goode. He was 85.4% from the free throw line. Goode was also extremely careful with the ball. He had just five total turnovers in Indiana’s final 19 games of the season.

Goode finished the season with a 9.1 scoring average, though he raised that average to 11 points per game in Big Ten play. He also proved to be a decent rebounder for a wing player with 3.1 per game.

It’s no wonder that Goode’s desire to get an extra season of eligibility due to his injury-shortened 2023 season at Illinois in 2023 is supported by new Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries. Goode fits his 3-point-oriented philosophy to a tee.

Goode was sneaky good in 2025. It’s up to the NCAA whether Goode will get a chance to build on his Indiana legacy in 2026.

Previous men's basketball top 16 players of the 2020s

No. 15 - Devonte Green
No. 16 - Anthony Leal