Mike Woodson was busy rebuilding his IU basketball roster via the transfer portal this offseason, making a number of high-profile additions.
To clear room for the likes of Oumar Ballo, Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle and Luke Goode some players had to go. Plus, the nature of today’s college basketball, you can expect at least two players to leave each season.
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So how are former IU players faring this season at their new homes? Pretty good. Take a look.
(We included Liam McNeeley, who signed with the Hoosiers before opting for UConn instead.)
Kaleb Banks, Tulane
A change of scenery has done Banks a world of good. At IU, he showed great athleticism but a raw offensive game and was eventually phased out of the rotation by the end of his sophomore year.
At Tulane, Banks’ game is flourishing. He’s fourth in the American Athletic Conference in scoring (17.5), third in rebounding (8.5), fourth in field goal percentage (48.9%) and eighth in blocks (1.3). He’s a legit AAC Player of the Year candidate if not for the Green Wave‘s 6-7 record so far. He’s scored at least 20 points five times, including a 33-point night vs. Florida State.
You want more surprises? He’s hit 22 3-pointers this season (38.6%). That’s more than any IU player this season (Mackenzie Mgbako has 21).
Tamar Bates, Missouri
A top-30 recruit and late signee to Mike Woodson’s first IU roster, Bates played plenty for the Hoosiers, he just struggled with consistency. He averaged 6.1 points in 20.4 minutes a game as an IU sophomore, but shot just 37% from the field as a Hoosier.
A Kansas City kid, Bates transferred back home to Missouri and has been a fixture in Dennis Gates’ starting lineup ever since. He averaged 13.5 points and 3.0 rebounds a game last season for the Tigers, who went 0-18 in the SEC. Missouri is much better this season (10-2), and Bates played a major role in the signature moment, scoring 29 points and grabbing five steals in an upset win over then-No. 1 Kansas. He was named SEC Player of the Week for becoming the third player in 50 years to have 25 points and five steals in a win vs. the No. 1 team (UCLA’s Reggie Miller in 1986 and West Virginia’s Jaysean Paige in 2016).
Bates is averaging 12.7 points and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 36% from 3 and 97% from the free throw line.
Logan Duncomb, Winthrop
A sparingly-used bench big from Cincinnati, Duncomb never found a role in Bloomington while battling injuries. He played just 18 times over two seasons for IU and decided to transfer back home to Xavier.
Duncomb never played for the Musketeers in a regular-season game, leaving the team in October citing health reasons.
He landed at Winthrop, coached by Mark Prosser (son of former Xavier coach Skip Prosser). Duncomb returned to Assembly Hall on Sunday in the Eagles’ 77-68 loss to the Hoosiers. He played seven minutes, finishing with two points and two rebounds, pretty much matching his season averages (2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg).
Jordan Geronimo, Maryland
The super-bouncy forward always tantalized with his potential but never put it together in three years with the Hoosiers (averaged 3.8 points in 82 games). He transferred to Maryland after the 2022-23 season and started 26 of 31 games last year, though his production wasn’t much better (5.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 17% 3-point shooting). He’s gone from playing 23 minutes a game last season to just 10 this year (3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg), struggling with a hamstring injury.
CJ Gunn, DePaul
Gunn left IU after two frustrating seasons, never really nailing down a role in Mike Woodson’s rotation. The former Lawrence North standout connected with former Butler coach Chris Holtmann at DePaul, and so far, so good. The Blue Demons started 7-0 (now 9-4) and Gunn is playing 18.2 minutes a game.
He’s averaging a career-best 9.7 points (his previous high was 3.9 last season for IU) and shooting 33% from behind the arc. He started for the first time in DePaul’s 84-65 win over Loyola (Md.) on Dec. 28. Gunn has scored in double figures in six of 11 games, including a career-high 22 points in the Blue Demons’ win over Wichita State on Dec. 14. He reached double figures just four times in 49 games as a Hoosier.
“He’s a talented kid and he’s grown as a player,” Holtmann told Fox 32 Chicago. “He’s embraced playing a certain way, and a byproduct is he’s really been able to help our team.”
Khristian Lander, Western Kentucky
In his fifth and final college season, Lander is having his best year yet.
Lander, who reclassified up a year to join Archie Miller’s last Hoosiers team, never started a game for Indiana, and played just 13 times as a sophomore for Mike Woodson before entering the portal.
Now in his third year in Bowling Green, Lander stayed at WKU — where his dad played football — despite a coaching change (Steve Lutz replaced Rick Stansbury), making it four head coaches in four seasons.
This year, the former 5-star prospect out of Evansville Reitz finally has some stability in Lutz’s second season and is averaging 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the 9-4 Hilltoppers, who made the NCAA tournament last March.
Lander started three games in a row (all wins) and played a career-high 37 minutes in a Dec. 14 win over Murray State but has missed the past three games with a foot injury.
Liam McNeeley, UConn
McNeeley de-committed from IU in March and pledged to the two-time defending national champs. He’s made an instant impact for the Huskies, winning Big East freshman of the week three times already this season.
“I’m having the time of my life right now,” McNeeley told John Fanta. “… The dynamic of the whole program (makes UConn special). Everybody’s good. You gotta know how to play with good players. It’s not just all iso ball. It’s a real team and a real coach. That’s why I chose to come here.”
McNeeley, a projected NBA lottery pick, is averaging 13.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 38% from behind the arc (his 23 3s would lead IU this season). He’s hit multiple 3s in seven games this year and scored a career-high 26 points in UConn’s win over Gonzaga on Dec. 14.
“Just to have someone like him, just his maturity, his personality and just being a confident killer out there, especially as a freshman, it’s unbelievable,” UConn veteran Alex Karaban said after the Huskies’ win over Butler on Dec. 21. “It’s something you don’t really see often. He’s been a big-time player for us this year, and he will continue to be that player for us. He steps up in big time moments.”
Payton Sparks, Ball State
He was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2022 and second-team All-MAC in 2023 for the Cardinals before transferring to Bloomington.
He played just 176 minutes for the Hoosiers, averaging 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and shot 42% from the free-throw line, limiting his effectiveness.
Sparks transferred back to Muncie and has started nine of 11 games, averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.
“It felt great to see the fans there, see my family,” Sparks said after scoring 17 points in his return to Worthen Arena vs. Franklin. “Just putting on the jersey, the number five back on, it was a great feeling.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How are players who transferred from IU basketball doing this year?
