Indiana’s frontcourt picture for 2026-27 is being rebuilt around transfers, but Trent Sisley still matters.
Darian DeVries has brought in seven transfers this offseason, and most of that group is expected to play a major role this year. That leaves Indiana’s only returning player from last season, sophomore Trent Sisley, in a spot where his next leap could mean a lot for the Hoosiers.
Sisley’s freshman year had some real highs and some equally clear lows. The Santa Claus, IN native finished with averages of 4.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 13.1 minutes per game, but the numbers only tell part of the story.
He opened the season with promise, scoring in double figures in four of his first seven games and averaging 20 minutes per contest over the first 12 games. After that, though, his role shrank as the season wore on.
Since Dec. 20, Sisley averaged just 8.5 minutes and 1.6 points per game, and his year ended with only one minute of action in Indiana’s Big Ten Tournament game against Northwestern on March 11.
Now the focus is on whether he can steady things in year two. Sisley said he added 15 pounds this offseason and has been working to stay ready for whatever role comes his way.
“Obviously, up and down as the freshman season,” Sisley said when speaking to the media last week. “I think that’s what happens to a lot of people.
So I didn’t change my attitude or anything, just stayed ready. And then, obviously, my role went down a little bit towards the end of the season, but I didn’t let it bother me.”
He also said the biggest change for him right now is comfort.
"I’ve been here for a year now,” Sisley said. “I’m just more comfortable doing what coach wants...So I’m just able to do what he wants and then I think it helps me as a player because I’m not as indecisive and stuff like that.”
Sisley can line up at any of the 3-5 spots, and he’s expected to begin the season as part of Indiana’s frontcourt rotation. Aiden Sherrell, the Alabama transfer, and Samet Yigitoglu, who came over from SMU, are expected to handle the biggest minutes up front. Still, Sisley’s development could be a key piece for a new-look frontcourt that Indiana badly lacked last season.
More minutes would obviously help his growth, but he’ll have to earn them. If the offseason progress keeps showing up once the season starts, Sisley could end up with a much bigger role than the one he finished with a year ago.
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