Trent Sisley Stars in Indiana Basketball Debut After ‘Really Good’ Summer

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Trent Sisley jogged from the right block to the top of the key. Indiana’s freshman forward took one dribble, elevated and buried his third 3-pointer of the game.

No vibrant reaction. No celebration. Sisley, with a confident pep in his step, merely backpedaled to take his place on defense. He ultimately finished with 21 points to lead all scorers in the Hoosiers’ 98-47 exhibition win over Universidad de Bayamon on Wednesday night.

You’d have never known he battled nerves when he entered the game for the first time midway through the first quarter, which Sisley acknowledged postgame.

Yet through his first eight weeks with the Hoosiers, Sisley has hardly looked overwhelmed.

“Trent's done a really good job this summer,” Indiana coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “He's like a lot of freshmen: You come in, you got a lot to learn, a lot to grow into. But I think his adjustment to college basketball has been really good.”

Indiana’s first of three exhibition games in Puerto Rico marked another important step for Sisley: His first live action as a college player, facing new opponents in a new gym.

Sisley’s night started with a reach-in foul on defense, one of only a few blemishes on an otherwise clean sheet. He finished it with a layup, capping an efficient 9-for-12 shooting performance in which he buried all three of his 3-point attempts.

“I think once I got settled in, I played pretty well,” Sisley said postgame. “Our team was sharing it good — had a lot of assists tonight. The whole team played pretty well when we got settled in, so that was a good start.”

The Santa Claus, Ind., native scored in a variety of ways Wednesday night. He made a catch-and-shoot triple from the corner, hit a dribble pull-up jumper, had a putback dunk and often finished around the rim.

As his shots fell, his confidence grew — and Indiana’s offense, which amassed 32 assists on 41 field goals and pleased DeVries with its selflessness, created several quality looks. Sisley capitalized.

“Once that first one goes in, obviously you’ve got to keep shooting,” Sisley said. “Keep shooting the good ones, stuff like that. And coach is big on sharing the ball, so everyone kept on sharing it. We kept on getting open looks. I got a little bit of open looks, too, so it was good.”

Sisley also impressed during Indiana’s open-to-media practice July 30. He often connected with his smooth right-handed jumper, had success when he put the ball on the floor and drove to the rim, and held his own defensively.

DeVries said after the practice that Sisley didn’t play like a freshman when he arrived. He adapted quickly to the speed of the college game, and he impressed DeVries with his on-court skill and off-court processing.

Sisley demonstrated Wednesday he’s more than a practice warrior.

“He's done a nice job of continuing to grow and get better and better,” DeVries said. “And I think that's something he's going to continue to do. He puts a lot of time and work into it. And what you saw today has been kind of a product of all the work he's put in this summer.”

Indiana outclassed UDB with its size, length, athleticism and sheer talent. Wednesday’s exhibition was more about seeing where the Hoosiers stood — and how their collective parts fit together — than anything else.

Against inferior competition, Sisley offered a glimpse of what he can ultimately become. Scoring aside, he grabbed three offensive rebounds, dished two assists to only one turnover, blocked a shot and stole a pass.

The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Sisley did a bit of everything in his strong Hoosier debut, which could serve as a springboard to his freshman season.

“Now you set the bar pretty high, and all expectations are getting set really up there,” DeVries said, laughing. “No, it was good. I think anytime you're a young player and you can have success early, it's always good for your confidence to know, ‘Hey, I've been doing some things in practice, I've been working hard,’ and then to get rewarded for it in the game.

“I think that's always a good thing.”

During Sisley’s second 3-pointer, the ball bounced off the front of the rim and fell into the net. He stared at Indiana’s bench, smiling and chuckling as he walked back to play defense.

It was that kind of night for Sisley — and he’s eager to create many more just like it.

“It was good to get this first one out the way,” Sisley said. “We’ve got two more this week, and then obviously the whole season in front of us. So, we've just got to keep building and getting better.”