Indiana’s roster for 2026-27 has been rebuilt around new faces, and the transfer class will grab plenty of attention. Darian DeVries brought in seven players through the portal this offseason, and with rising sophomore Trent Sisley the lone returnee from last year’s team, there’s no shortage of fresh names in Bloomington.
Still, the freshman group deserves a closer look. One newcomer has already turned heads in a big way: Prince-Alexander Moody.
Indiana’s first exhibition game of the summer gave Moody a chance to show what he can do, and he made the most of it. The Hoosiers rolled past Canada’s Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, 98-64, at Assembly Hall, but the freshman guard was one of the clearest takeaways from the night.
Moody arrived in Bloomington as a 4-star recruit, ranked by Rivals as the No. 109 overall player and the No. 26 shooting guard in the country. He played at Bishop McNamara in Baltimore and was listed as the No. 5 player in Maryland in the 2026 recruiting class.
At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Moody looked right at home in his first run with Indiana. He logged 17:29 and worked as IU’s No. 2 point guard behind Notre Dame transfer Markus Burton.
What stood out was the way he played the position: with energy, confidence, and control. He pushed the pace, attacked with athleticism, and handled the ball with poise.
The numbers backed it up. Moody finished with 13 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds while going 5-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from deep. He also showed a strong feel for playing with the other freshmen, connecting on several transition plays with Vaughn Karvala and Trevor Manhertz.
His biggest imprint may have come on defense. Moody was active in the backcourt, hounding the ball and coming away with a team-high 5 steals.
A number of those takeaways turned directly into fast-break chances for Indiana. For a first exhibition outing, it was the kind of performance that makes people take notice.
Burton is expected to open the season as Indiana’s starting point guard after three seasons at Notre Dame, where he was one of the ACC’s most dependable scorers. DeVries values that kind of experience, and Burton should have a major role for the Hoosiers.
But Moody already looks like the natural option behind him. His athleticism and versatility give Indiana another guard who can create from different spots on the floor.
It’s still early, and the jump from high school to college basketball is never seamless. There will be adjustments. There will be rough patches.
Even so, Moody’s upside is obvious. If his debut is any indication, Indiana may have found a freshman who can make an immediate impact.
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