The transfer portal has officially closed — as of 11:59 pm on Wednesday night. That means no new names can enter the transfer portal, so the remaining names available are the only ones that will remain moving forward. So, for the Indiana basketball program that still has two available scholarships, there will be no new names that pop up on the radar.
Indiana entered this offseason with seven scholarships available after the departures of Kel’el Ware to the NBA, graduation of Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker, and then the transfers of GJ Dunn, Kaleb Banks and Payton Sparks. Indiana already had one open scholarship from the year prior.
So, to say there was work needing to be done was an understatement. Indiana finished last season 19-14 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Mike Woodson’s three years.
As the portal closes, Indiana holds the No. 1 overall portal class with four commitments. Here’s a look at where they rank in the final player rankings.
Oumar Ball0 (Senior; Arizona, C)
Ranking: No. 2
When Ballo entered the transfer portal, he immediately became one of the top available players and Indiana moved quickly on the talented big man. Needing to replace Kel’el Ware, Ballo slides into the starting center spot after averaging 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game a season ago. He shot 65.8 percent from the floor and had 20 double-doubles.
The 7-foot, 260-pound center is a terrific rebounder and defender. He is best on the offensive glass as he led the Pac-12 in offensive rebound rate (15.1) and first in total rebound rate (21.1). Defensively, his block rate (5.0) was fifth in the Pac-12. He also led the league in defensive rating (92.7).
He was a two-time All-Pac-12 First Team selection as well as All-Pac-12 Defensive Team twice.
“Oumar is a dominating post presence on both ends of the floor with a winning background,” Woodson said of Ballo. “His experience playing at the highest level will elevate our program. He is a big fella with soft touch around the rim, good hands, and solid footwork. He is very physical and is a perfect fit in our system and our league. We are really happy to welcome Oumar and his family to Bloomington.”
Kannan Carlyle (Sophomore; Stanford, SG)
Ranking: No. 17
After Kanaan Carlyle entered the transfer portal, a fit with Indiana was almost immediate. His connection to assistant coach Yasir Rosemond allowed Indiana to jump into the top of the list.
Carlyle was a top-60 recruit who averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game as a freshman at Stanford. He scored in double figures in 15 of the 23 games played and had 20+ points in three outings.
His career high was 31 points against Washington State. He also scored 28 points in his fourth game of the season against Arizona. He was 9-of-13 from three in those two games.
Carlyle is a dynamic athlete and scorer, however. He has good size at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds and does a terrific job getting to the rim. He shot 77.6 percent from the foul line while attempting 3.7 free throws per game.
“Kanaan is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands with the length and skillset to create scoring chances for himself and others,” Woodson said of Carlyle. “His ability off the bounce pairs nicely with his shooting stroke. His length, quickness, and mentality give him the capability to be a high-impact defender for our ballclub. We are really excited to welcome him and his family to IU.”
Myles Rice (Sophomore; Washington State; PG)
Ranking: No. 26
Like Carlyle, when Myles Rice hit the transfer portal, Indiana was almost immediately identifies as a suitor. And like Carlyle, the connection to Yasir Rosemond paid dividends.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game this past season. He shot 43.9 percent from the floor, 27.5 percent from three and 81.1 percent from the foul line.
While Rice’s three-point percentage is sub-30 percent, he had 10 games with at least two made 3s and four with at least three 3s. And, it wasn’t as much of an issue as the final numbers show. He shot 33 percent in the first 26 games of the season on 1.3 makes per game before he went 0-of-22 in the final seven Pac-12 games.
Rice is a terrific scoring guard who had six 20+ point games last year, including a 35-point performance against Stanford. He was in double-figures in 27-of-35 games this past year.
“Myles is a savvy, downhill guard that really succeeds in pick-and-roll situations,” Woodson said of Rice. “He is a three-level scorer that makes the right play consistently, whether that is getting to the rim or finding the open man. He is going to be a huge help for our ballclub, and we are very excited to welcome him and his family to Bloomington.”
Luke Goode (Senior; Illinois, Wing)
Ranking: No. 135
The 6-foot-7 shooter had his most successful season at Illinois this past year, averaging 5.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and shooting 38.9 percent from three in 20.1 minutes per game. He led Illinois in three-point percentage and was second in made 3s with 61. He averaged 1.6 made 3s per game. Goode had 29 games with at least one made three and 17 games with at least two 3s.
His 61 made 3s ranked 15th in the Big Ten this season.
Goode is exactly what Indiana basketball needed — a true knockdown shooter on the wing.
He ranked in the 77th percentile this year with a 56 percent effective field goal rate on catch and shoot 3s. He also ranked in the 83rd percentile in off the dribble shooting, with a 58 percent effective field goal rate.
“Luke is a knockdown 3-point shooter that provides length and rebounding ability from the wing position,” Woodson said of Goode. “He comes from a very athletic background with deep family ties to this University. He has competed at the highest level of the Big Ten and is a player we will count on to help us stretch the floor. We are excited to bring his family back to Hoosier Nation.”
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