Trent Sisley Building Case as Indiana Basketball's King of First Impressions

As the lone in-state scholarship player on Indiana men's basketball's new-look roster, freshman forward Trent Sisley is something of a native son.

Perhaps it's time to add a crown to the Santa Claus, Ind., native's closet — he's becoming the Hoosiers' king of first impressions.

Sisley started the Hoosiers' exhibition trip to Puerto Rico with a team-high 21 points in a 98-47 exhibition win over Universidad de Bayamon. He banked in a shot from a balcony above Five Guys on Oct. 2 during the first-ever Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood.

And on Friday night, in his first game sporting an Indiana jersey inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, he tied with senior forwrd Tucker DeVries for the team lead with 23 points in the Hoosiers' 107-46 exhibition victory over Marian University.

"I love what Trent's doing," Indiana coach Darian DeVries said postgame. "He's really fitting in well. He works hard at it. He puts a lot of time into it. I'm really excited about the things he's doing, and he continues to grow and get better every day.

"He had a great night tonight, and we're looking forward to seeing what he'll continue to grow into."

Sisley went 8-for-10 shooting from the field, including 4 of 4 from beyond the arc, to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Across 26 minutes, he had a plus-minus of plus-48, the second-highest on the team behind Tucker DeVries.

It's only fitting Sisley either matched or fell in line behind DeVries in several categories, as Sisley sought mentorship from DeVries over the summer. Evidently, DeVries' wisdom translated.

"I think it's always great when you get an incoming freshman that has a guy that can work off one another, teach each other a little bit the tricks of the game, if you will, just how to best get yourself open, cutting, that type of stuff," Darian DeVries said. "Trent is one of those guys that absorb learning and teaching and coaching too.

"That's why his upside is really good, because he cares. It's important to him, and he works at it."

Sisley's night had several highlights, perhaps none flashier than an and-one dunk over Marian guard Luke Carroll. Sisley hung on the rim and dangled over Carroll before making the free throw and extending Indiana's lead to 84-27 just over six minutes into the second half.

But it's possible the most telling part about the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Sisley's college readiness wasn't his thunderous dunk or flawless 3-point effort.

Holding a 93-35 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, Sisley held the ball on the left wing and dished a pass to walk-on freshman guard Tryce Grensing on the opposite wing. Sisley extended his arm and pointed to the right block, directing Grensing to send a baseline pass to freshman forward Andrej Acimovic.

When Acimovic left the paint and received the ball in a post-up, Sisley sprinted to the rim. Acimovic whipped the ball to Sisley, who finished with an and-one layup and proceeded to make the free throw.

The play showed Sisley's intellect, and it underscored why Darian DeVries feels Sisley is one of the team's best cutters. Sisley is also a quality rebounder, and DeVries said he put in extensive time this summer improving his catch-and-shoot and shooting-on-the-move efficiency.

The work has enabled Sisley to carry momentum from his high school senior season, when he won MVP at Montverde Academy, into Bloomington — and he's yet to put a foot wrong while living out a childhood dream.

"It's obviously a place I want to be," Sisley said. "I think it's special to be here and play."

Indiana entered Friday short on depth, with four players inactive due to injuries. Sisley played a team-high 26 minutes against Marian, and he's been forced to learn different roles and responsibilities in practice amid the team's health concerns.

But with extended opportunity comes experience, and Sisley feels he's benefitted from the additional on-court time in practice.

Sisley's role during games, however, hasn't changed. He came off the bench Friday night, and DeVries believes the Hoosiers' experience — their entire starting five is comprised of seniors — alleviates pressure from Sisley, who can enter the game relaxed and "do his thing."

To date, Sisley's "thing" has been producing at an efficient clip. Across three games in Puerto Rico, he averaged 11.3 points, three rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 14 for 24 from the field and making 6 of 10 triples.

The moment has never been too big for Sisley, who's validated DeVries' belief time and again since DeVries prioritized Sisley almost immediately after becoming the Hoosiers' head coach March 18.

"I remember he was one of the very first calls right away that night," DeVries said. "Just felt like it was someone, 'Hey, it's a local kid. He wants to be at Indiana, it's important to him and he's a good player. That makes a lot of sense to me. Let's keep that one.' And I know he was excited about it. We were certainly excited about it.

"It's great to have him."

Now, Sisley's challenge becomes turning first-impression success into sustained stardom — and if Friday night is any indication, he's well on his way.