Major transfer portal recruiting weekend begins today in Bloomington

  • 04/12/2024 8:44 am in

The dead period for college basketball recruiting is over and it’s expected to be a major weekend in Bloomington for transfer portal visitors.

The Hoosiers are expected to host several notable transfer portal targets that could bolster the program’s outlook for the 2024-25 season.

Indiana finished last season 19-14 and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in three seasons under Mike Woodson.

The Hoosiers are expected to host Washington State guard Myles Rice, Bradley guard Connor Hickman, Minnesota center Pharrel Payne and Arizona center Oumar Ballo.

The reported date for the Hickman visit is Sunday, April 14. Payne’s visit dates are April 12-13, and Ballo’s visit is slated for April 14-16. As of early Friday morning, no firm date has been confirmed for Rice’s visit, but he will reportedly be on campus this weekend.

Late Thursday night, anonymous college basketball insider Trilly Donovan logged an Indiana prediction for Rice on his Discord.

The Hoosiers currently have six open scholarships for next season but already have a solid core of returnees locked in.

Indiana’s current roster for next season includes Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, Trey Galloway, Gabe Cupps, Anthony Leal, Jakai Newton and newcomer Bryson Tucker.

The Pac-12 freshman of the year last season, the 6-foot-3 Rice averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Cougars.

Hickman, also a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 32.3 minutes per game and was named third-team All-MVC. He can also light it up from the perimeter and connected at a 40.2 percent clip from distance last season.

Ballo, a 7-footer, averaged 12.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots in 25.9 minutes per game last season for the Wildcats.

Payne, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound big man, averaged 10 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocked shots and 1.2 assists last season for the Golden Gophers.

Indiana is also expected to host a pair of players next weekend. Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle and Drexel transfer Amari Williams are expected to visit.

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