AMAZING: The key player for the Hoosiers has declared his return…

For the third straight offseason, Indiana’s core group of players who could return will return.

 

Coach Mike Woodson still has plenty to prove, including better roster construction and a higher level of success on the court, but it seems clear the main players who see the floor and experience success under this staff are happy to come back.

 

And in this era of unrestricted player mobility, that’s no small thing.

 

Following the 2021-22 season, reserves Michael Durr, Khristian Lander and Rob Phinisee all transferred. And while he started for a season at IU, Parker Stewart only averaged 6.2 points per game and transferred back to a lower level.

 

Following the 2022-23 campaign, reserves Jordan Geronimo and Logan Duncomb transferred. Tamar Bates was a reserve as well, although his decision to transfer was driven by circumstances — he had a daughter who lived eight hours away. He’s the headline transfer loss during the Woodson era to this point, and an efficient shooting guard certainly would have come in handy this past season. But that still wasn’t about a good player being unhappy in Bloomington.

 

And this year, again the transfers are reserves — C.J. Gunn, Kaleb Banks and Payton Sparks.

 

The transfer portal isn’t the exclusive resource of the players. Coaching staffs can and do nudge people into it. And that’s all we’ll say about that.

 

But when it comes to Indiana’s stars, so far under Woodson, it’s almost exclusively been return to IU, or head to the NBA. And whatever you think about the rest of the Woodson era, that in isolation is pretty healthy sign.