After Missing Transfer Targets, Where Might Indiana Look Next?

After landing transfers Kel'el Ware and Payton Sparks, Indiana missed on a few of its biggest transfer portal targets over the last week. Here are a few potential options as Indiana looks to complete its roster.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana made an early splash in the transfer portal, but has since missed a few of its priority targets in recent weeks.

Coach Mike Woodson was quick to supplement a decimated front court by landing Payton Sparks, a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds at Ball State last season. That continued with the addition of Kel'el Ware, a 7-footer with a McDonald's All-American pedigree who was widely considered one of the top available transfers.

But since those commitments, Indiana has failed to fill the needs of a roster that lost seven players to the NBA, transfer portal or graduation this offseason, and has a point guard who's medical hardship waiver remains unresolved. Indiana still needs 3-point shooters and wings, and it has three scholarships available.

Indiana's biggest miss came on Wednesday when Harvard forward Chris Ledlum chose to play for coach Rick Barnes at Tennessee. The 6-foot-6 Ledlum averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and shot 29.4 percent from three for Harvard in 2022-23. He visited Indiana on April 6, the same time as Oregon transfer Kel'el Ware, who committed to Indiana on April 10.

Dalton Knecht followed Ledlum to Tennessee on Friday, taking a 6-foot-6, 38.1 percent 3-point shooter who averaged 20.2 points at Northern Colorado last season, off the board. Knecht never visited Indiana's campus, but he met with Indiana's coaching staff on Zoom. Knecht, as well as Cormac Ryan, who transferred from Notre Dame to North Carolina, would have filled definite needs.

Players are still hopping in the transfer portal by the dozen each day ahead of May 11th's entry deadline, so Indiana has time and options to complete its offseason roster rebuild. But now, Indiana has to adapt.

With three available scholarships at Indiana, here are five players in the transfer portal that could fit the Hoosiers' needs.

Tyrin Lawrence

Lawrence had a breakout season for Vanderbilt, raising his points per game from 3.8 to 13.1 from his sophomore to junior season. The 6-foot-4 guard played 29.0 minutes per game across 34 starts, contributing 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals. He shot 36 percent from 3-point range on 100 attempts, along with a 74.3 free throw percentage. Lawrence had an especially strong end of the season, averaging 18.4 points on 51.4 percent 3-point shooting in his final 10 games.

Lawrence ranked in the 75th percentile in catch-and-shoot situations and 85th percentile in points per possession on ball screens. This means he can excel both on and off the ball, which makes for a reasonable fit alongside Xavier Johnson, if he's able to return. Lawrence is originally from Morgan County High School in Madison, Ga., but he attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas before committing to Vanderbilt.

Tre White

Indiana reportedly reached out to White shortly after he entered the transfer portal last week. White, a 6-foot-7 guard/wing, showed a knack for driving to the basket as a freshman at USC in 2022-23. 43 percent of White's shots came at the rim, where he shot an efficient 63 percent. He averaged 9.0 points and 5.1 rebounds, earning a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. White was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 31 in the ESPN Top 100 out of Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif. 

The 3-point line is an area of necessary improvement for White, who shot just 26.5 percent on 49 attempts. While he might not currently be the knockdown 3-point shooter Indiana needs, White is the kind of athletic slasher with positional versatility that Indiana has lacked in recent years. Keep in mind, players like Trey Galloway and Tamar Bates made significant 3-point shooting improvements at Indiana, with Galloway jumping from 21.4 to 46.2 percent and Bates improving from 29.8 to 37.4 percent with increased attempts. White is a talented, young player who could make similar shooting improvements across his three years of remaining eligibility.

Hunter Sallis

Sallis was Gonzaga's third-highest ranked recruit in program history, behind current NBA players Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs, but his career never quite panned out under coach Mark Few. Sallis, a 2021 McDonald's All-American, came off the bench in 69 games across two seasons, averaging 4.4 points in 15.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 50.9 percent overall, 25.8 percent on 62 3-point attempts and 75.4 percent from the free throw line.

Indiana extended a scholarship offer to Sallis out of Millard North High School in Omaha, Neb., where he attracted offers from some of the top programs in the country. While Archie Miller was the head coach when Indiana offered Sallis, current Indiana co-associate head coach Kenya Hunter was the main recruiter at the time. Hunter's connection to Sallis traces back to Hunter's time as an assistant at Nebraska from 2013-18.

Ali Ali

A versatile 6-foot-8 forward, Ali played three seasons at Akron before spending the 2022-23 season at Butler under coach Thad Matta. He led Akron with 13.9 points per game in 2021-22, then contributed 6.5 points in his lone season at Butler, playing 27.4 minutes per game. Ali was limited to 12 starts and 18 total games at Butler due to a concussion. Ali shot 40.7 percent on 118 3-point attempts in his final season at Akron, but those numbers dropped to 25.5 percent on 51 attempts at Butler.

Three of Indiana's recent transfer portal misses, Ledlum, Knecht and Ryan, all have one year of remaining eligibility, and Ali is the same. Indiana solidified its front court by adding Ware and Sparks in the portal, but Malik Reneau is the only other forward on the roster. With three available scholarships, Indiana could use one on a player like Ali, who can play on the wing or as a small-ball power forward, similar to Kaleb Banks. Ali was an Indiana All-Star at East Noble High School in Kendallville, Ind.

Myron Gardner

Indiana is familiar with Gardner from its Nov. 23 matchup against Little Rock this past season. Indiana won by 19, but Gardner scored 14 points with nine rebounds and six assists. At 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, Gardner did a bit of everything for Little Rock in 2022-23, averaging 13.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals. He shot 36.5 percent from 3-point range on 148 attempts across two seasons at Little Rock, earning second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors.

Gardner began his college at Georgetown, where he appeared in just eight games. He transferred to South Plains College in Levelland, Tex. and averaged 13.8 points before joining Little Rock. Little Rock coach Darrell Walker was an assistant for Woodson from 2012-14 with the New York Knicks.