Prince-Alexander Moody spent his summer making the kind of impression that sticks. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard from District Heights, Maryland - the first commitment in Indiana’s 2026 recruiting class - got his first real taste of IU basketball with a summer that included an exhibition at Assembly Hall and four games at the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
Before arriving on campus, Moody finished at Bishop McNamara High School and played for Team Takeover on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit. And once he got into the mix with the Hoosiers, he didn’t fade into the background.
His best run came in Peru, where the numbers pointed to a freshman already finding ways to matter. Moody averaged 12.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocked shots across the FISU America Games. He shot 18-for-33 from the field, 11-for-24 from 3-point range and was perfect at the line at 3-for-3.
That production came with a little bit of everything. Against Peru, he scored 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added three rebounds and three assists.
Against the Virgin Islands, he put up 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals while going 4-for-6 from deep. Against Chile, he handed out eight assists and added three steals to go with six points.
In the other matchup with the Virgin Islands, he finished with 12 points, four assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Moody also showed what he could do in the exhibition against Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, finishing with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting, including a 3-for-7 mark on 3s. He added five steals, three rebounds, three assists and two turnovers in 17 minutes.
The early practice notes told a similar story. On June 18, he was described as confident in his shot, vocal on the floor and the most physically developed of the freshmen.
A week later, the notes said he wasn’t backing down, looked like the most advanced of the three freshmen on campus and had the kind of frame and strength to compete right away in the Big Ten. By July 7, the view had sharpened even more: Moody looked like the freshman most ready to contribute next season.
Moody has been open about the adjustment, and he hasn’t tried to dress it up.
“I mean, it’s been tough, but it’s been a journey for sure. I’ve gotten better each day and I just can’t get down on myself about the mistakes that I make and that’s the biggest part of just maturing at the college level. So as long as I keep maturing every day and just getting better, I think I’ll be fine.”
He also made clear what pulled him to Indiana in the first place.
“To be honest, the culture. The culture, the fans, everything about it.
I fell in love as soon as I got here, so it was the peace. I came to peace with IU and this is the best I’ve probably been as a person since I became a basketball player.”
As for what he wants to bring as a freshman, Moody kept it simple: pressure, playmaking and whatever else the staff needs.
“Pick up 94 feet, distribute, just do what I need to do for us to win the games. If I gotta score, I gotta score. If I gotta pass, I gotta make it one more.
“If I gotta pick up 94 feet the whole game and not shoot a jump shot for the rest of the game. I won’t do it, so. I mean, at the end of the day, whatever they want me to do, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
For him, the next step is physical and mental growth.
“Of course, I gotta get stronger. Mentally, I gotta get stronger.
Physically, I gotta get stronger. And I think that’s just gonna be the main part because basketball is 95 percent mental.
So at the end of the day, mentally, if I’m ready, then I think I’ll be on the court.”
That personality shows through, too.
“Yeah, I’m just an outgoing, in real life, I’m just an outgoing person. I smile, and I kinda bring it on the court, too. Because the more I’ve just had fun with it, the better I am as a person on the court and off the court.”
After IU’s exhibition at Assembly Hall on July 15, Darian DeVries echoed plenty of that same theme.
“Prince is what you saw tonight. Like, that’s what he is every day in practice.
His motor, his talk, so to speak, is nonstop on and off the floor. So he’s fun.
He loves the game. He loves competing.
“It was great to see him out there. And I thought he gave us a great spark off the bench.
I thought the last couple of weeks his play has really improved as well. He’s getting more confident in what he’s doing and understanding it.
“What I loved about him, he just plays hard. And that’s number one.
And that’s what gets you production. That’s what gets you on the floor and he certainly showed that tonight.”
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