Sports
Indiana basketball transfer portal rankings of incoming players – IndyStar
Indiana basketball has made four additions in the transfer portal after losing four players (three in the portal, one to the NBA Draft).
Coming in are Oumar Ballo (7-0, one year of eligibility remaining); Kanaan Carlyle (6-3, three years); Myles Rice (6-2, three years) and Luke Goode (6-7, one year).
Kel’el Ware declared for the NBA Draft, where he is a likely first-round pick. Payton Sparks, Kaleb Banks and C.J. Gunn have left the Hoosiers.
IU’s returning players include Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau, Trey Galloway, Gabe Cupps and Anthony Leal.
The Hoosiers are considered a big winner in the transfer season.
Who’s staying, going:Indiana basketball transfer portal roster changes
Ballo is ranked No. 2: A two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection, Ballo has been dominant for the past two seasons. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 boards in 2022-23 and 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds last season. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage.
Carlyle is No. 14: A top-50 recruit coming out of high school, Carlyle averaged 11.5 points for the Cardinal. Had 31 points against Washington State and 28 against Arizona, though he slowed a bit down the stretch.
Rice is No. 15: One of the best freshmen in the country, Rice averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He won Pac-12 freshman of the year and was also named first-team All-Pac-12.
Ballo is No. 9: Ballo’s size (7-foot and 260 pounds) makes him a difficult player for opponents to manage. He averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds in 2023-24 for Arizona on 65.8% shooting. There isn’t much versatility to his game, and Ballo’s free-throw shooting dipped to a career-worst 49.5% this past season. But he’s a productive bruiser with a proven track record at an elite program who will help Indiana replace the production of Kel’el Ware, who is headed to the NBA Draft.
Rice is No. 31: Rice defeated cancer and helped lead Washington State to its first NCAA Tournament since 2008. With coach Kyle Smith off to Stanford, it was no surprise to see Rice hit the portal. The 6-2 guard averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals for the Cougars and should have three seasons of eligibility remaining. He needs to improve his 3-point shot (27.5% on 3.7 attempts per game) and bulk up. But there is a lot to like about his trajectory for an Indiana team that desperately needed to upgrade its backcourt.
Carlyle is No. 33: Carlyle averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game in his freshman season at Stanford after ranking as a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023. His best games came against Arizona and Washington State, which were both NCAA Tournament teams. With three seasons of eligibility remaining and a proven body of work at the high-major level, there is some upside here.
Ranked as the No. 1 incoming class. Ballo is listed as the No. 1 player; Carlyle, 10th; Rice, 19th; Luke Goode, 117th.
Ranked as the No. 2 incoming class to Louisville, but No. 1 in overall transfer activity (improvement between incoming and outgoing transfers). Ballo is listed as the No. 2 player.
Ballou is ranked No. 1, Carlyle No. 9 and Rice No. 27.
