Darian DeVries spent his first year at Indiana learning the hard way what happens when a roster is assembled on the fly. The Hoosiers finished 18-14, missed the NCAA Tournament, and spent too much of the season without enough answers when the three-pointers stopped dropping. Now, with a full year to shape the program, DeVries says the second version of Indiana basketball looks a lot different.
Speaking at Big Ten Media Days, DeVries framed the change in simple terms: comfort, versatility and depth. He said year two carries a very different feel because he now has a year under his belt to prepare the program the way he wants it.
"Year two is just such a different feel," DeVries said. "You have your feet under you.
You've had a full year to prepare and get ready. I love where our team is at from a comfort standpoint of, 'Hey, there's the things we need to compete in this league.'"
That confidence comes from a roster built to function in more than one way. Indiana is no longer leaning so heavily on perimeter shooting to keep the offense afloat. DeVries said the Hoosiers now have more paths to points, including post-up chances, free throws and dribble drives.
"Last year, especially offensively, we were really relying on if we weren't making threes, there weren't a lot of other places we could go to get offense," DeVries admitted. "Now we have some more post-up opportunities, some more ways to get to the free throw line, dribble drives, those type of things. There's just a lot more versatility, a lot more depth, where on one night, it could be one of seven guys to go get 20."
That list starts with Notre Dame transfer point guard Markus Burton, who will be asked to both run the offense and score from the mid-range. DeVries believes Burton can do that at a high level. Burton should also create plenty of clean looks for Villanova transfer Bryce Lindsay, a 6-3, 194-pound shooter who can stretch defenses from the outside.
The biggest shift, though, may be in the frontcourt. Indiana added Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell, listed at 6-11, 255 pounds, and SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu, who stands 7-2 and 265 pounds. Those two give the Hoosiers the kind of size and physical presence DeVries believes is necessary in the Big Ten.
"Defensively, we're the same. We just have more girth, more size, more physicality on the interior at multiple positions," DeVries said. "From the three, four and five, we get very long and very big, very fast."
That size also ties into another part of Indiana’s identity under DeVries: offensive rebounding. He made it clear the Hoosiers want to turn extra possessions into a real strength.
"We want to be good at offensive rebounding...Most second and third opportunities, you score at such a high rate," DeVries explained. "If we can get enough quality shots on our first attempt, but then on the ones we do miss, if we can get second, third opportunities, it has a chance to make us an elite offense."
Indiana’s perimeter group also includes Duke transfer Darren Harris, who has earned complete trust from the staff as an elite shooter. DeVries said Harris’ confidence has taken a major step forward and that there is no hesitation attached to his shot selection.
"He's an elite-level shooter...his confidence over the course of summer and fall has really grown, and there's not a shot that he's afraid to take," DeVries noted. "I've told him in front of the team, he has the ultimate green light. Don't even look over if he shoots a 30-footer."
With a deeper rotation, more size inside and more shooting on the perimeter, Indiana looks like a much more complete team entering DeVries’ second season. The pieces are in place, and the Hoosiers appear built to contend in a way they simply weren’t a year ago.
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The bigger storyline is what all of that asks of a roster that will again feature both new transfers and returning players as DeVries tries to build on last seasons record. With tip times and TV windows now set, Indiana can start mapping out the climb ahead, but the real intrigue is how quickly the group can come together once the games begin and the conference portion starts to tighten the margin for error. [Read more 🡒]