Trent Sisley came into the summer as the lone returnee in Bloomington, and that made him a natural reference point for everything IU basketball was trying to build.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Santa Claus, Indiana, is back for his sophomore season after averaging 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game during the 2025-26 campaign. This summer, he got a chance to show what a year in the program has done for him, first in an exhibition in Assembly Hall and then in four games at the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
His summer production was steady and efficient. Against Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Sisley scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting and added four rebounds, three steals and an assist in 14 minutes.
In the FISU opener against Peru, he posted 11 points and six rebounds while going 5-for-5 from the field. He followed that with eight points and five rebounds against the Virgin Islands, then put up 13 points and five rebounds against Chile.
In the second meeting with the Virgin Islands, he finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Across the FISU America Games, Sisley averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocked shots. He shot 17-for-22 from the field, good for 77.3 percent, and 3-for-5 at the free-throw line.
The summer also backed up what coaches and observers had been seeing in open practices. On June 18, practice notes said Sisley had added bulk to his upper body since the end of the season, was playing with confidence and welcoming physicality, and would be better with a year of experience behind him.
A June 25 note said he appeared to have put on 15 pounds since last season, something that should help on defense after he was often overpowered as a freshman, and that he should be firmly in the rotation next season. By July 7, the focus had shifted to his defense and the role it would play in determining how big his minutes become, while also noting the added upper-body strength and the fact that Vaughn Karvala and Trevor Manhertz had both said they look to him for advice.
Sisley also talked openly about what the offseason has meant for him. On being the vocal one as the only returning player, he said: “I think I have to, because I was the only one here, so I kind of know offensively, defensively, what we’re trying to do on a lot of stuff.
So just if people have questions, they’ll come to me, and then I’ll try to go help people out if I see some stuff on the court that’s going on. And I was the only one, so I’m trying to talk as much as I can.”
On what last season taught him, he said: “Yeah, I think, obviously, up and down as the freshman season, 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. Obviously, you want to play.
“But just coming back in the offseason, having the same work ethic, and then just being ready to go this summer, and then, obviously, going into the season.”
He said the biggest areas of focus since the end of last season have been “my body. I’m in the weight room and on the court, my shot and then my quickness a little bit for defense.”
Asked if strength played a part in his uneven minutes last year, Sisley said: “Yeah, probably, I would say, defensively. Obviously, I was lacking a little bit last year, and then just strength-wise, stuff like that, maybe inexperience. So just trying to, obviously, have a little bit more experience to go into this year, so I think that would be huge for me.”
And when comparing this offseason to his first one in Bloomington, Sisley said: “I think you’re just more comfortable doing stuff, especially me, because I’ve been here for a year now. I’m just more comfortable doing what coach wants.
I know what coach wants, stuff like that. 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.”
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The case centers on Garls claim that he was pushed out because of age discrimination, turning a routine personnel matter into a much larger look at how Indiana handled one of its most established staff members. Indiana has said the decision was tied to performance issues, while Garls filing argues the move was about making way for a new direction. For a program that has long traded on continuity and tradition, the dispute leaves an uncomfortable question hanging over one of its most respected names. [Read more 🡒]