My Two Cents: No Need to Get Upset About Indiana Losing Players in Transfer Portal

Indiana has lost three players in the transfer portal, but Tamar Bates, Jordan Geronimo and Logan Duncomb can be easily replaced in the portal. Duncomb was never healthy in his two years, but Geronimo and Bates had a lot of chances to help win games, and they didn't perform as expected. Indiana can do better in the portal.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It was no surprise to me that Indiana sophomore Logan Duncomb entered the transfer portal last week. He's only played in 18 games in two years, and scored 32 career points. He's dealt with injuries and struggled mightily defensively — both in games and during practice and workouts — never really earning any quality minutes.

It was a little more of a surprise that sophomore guard Tamar Bates and junior forward followed him out the door and into the transfer portal this week. They both had some magical moments during their Indiana careers, but there's also this.

There weren't nearly enough of them. Not even close. 

That's why it's really no big deal to me that the three of them are leaving. And just to be clear, all three are gone. They will not be invited back to Indiana. They've entered the portal now, so Indiana does not have to keep their scholarships waiting for them. All three will be playing elsewhere next winter.

And I'm good with that.

This is nothing personal, of course. I've gotten to know Geromino and Bates fairly well these past couple of years, and Duncomb not so much. They are great kids. But if the goal is to win Big Ten and national titles, Indiana was never going to do that with those three playing meaningful minutes. And never is not too strong of a word.

Duncomb, a 6-foot-10 Cincinnati kid who committed to Archie Miller and Indiana in the heat of COVID, never got any footing at Indiana. He made shots in garbage time, but was never going to see quality minutes playing behind All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and several other big men at center. He's been an end-of-roster kid both years. A fresh start elsewhere will do him some good.

Geronimo and Bates are different stories, because Indiana was really counting on them to be important pieces this season — and they failed during this 23-12 season that produced no championships of any kind despite being preseason Big Ten favorites. 

There was plenty of conversation in the offseason that Geronimo would push Race Thompson — and maybe even Miller Kopp — for extended minutes and maybe even a starting spot. 

That never happened.

Geronimo averaged just 4.2 points per game, and a lot of that came in garbage time, too. He did start six games when Thompson was out with a knee injury in January. He had some moments, scoring 12 points in a win over Wisconsin and 13 at Illinois on Jan. 18. But the rest of the year, he scored a total of 11 points in and out of a calf injury, playing just 56 minutes. 

He was healthy when the postseason began, but he only played three minutes in the Big Ten Tournament and just four minutes over two NCAA Tournament games. Race Thompson and Malik. Reneau got all the minutes at the power forward spot.

I've always said that Geronimo was a great ''vertical'' athlete. He could jump through the roof, which made him a really good offensive rebounder. But he wasn't a ''horizontal'' athlete at all. He wasn't a very good defender against dribble penetration, and his first step wasn't very quick, which was surprising considering how athletic he is.

That's also why he could never be that guy who played on the perimeter at the small forward spot. He struggled to guard quick guys, and wasn't a good ball-handler at all. He was just a 26 percent shooter from three-point range this season, and was a career 52.3 percent free throw shooter.

So my point is that I think Indiana can find better wing players in the transfer portal, guys who can shoot better and/or defend better. To improve from Geronimo shouldn't be an issue.

I really struggle with Bates leaving, mostly because I really expected big things from him but it didn't happen. He had seven or eight nice games this year, but he also had 15-20 stinkers. 

He was Mike Woodson's first recruit, coming to Indiana just a few weeks after Woodson was hired after he de-committed from Texas. He had an up-and-down freshman year, having to deal with a lot of off-the-court things with a baby on the way. That's a lot for anyone to go through, let alone a 19-year-old kid several hundred miles away from home.

That's why this year was supposed to be a really big year for him. Players and coaches alike raved all summer long about how his game had grown. Big things were expected of him in that perimeter mix with Xavier Johnson, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trey Galloway.

But it never happened on a consistent basis. He wasn't a great on-ball defender either, and his shooting was a mess in most games. Our last memories of him are going to be the two games in the NCAA Tournament where he was 0-for-6 in the first game against Kent State and 0-for-7 in the season-ending loss to Miami. 

The Hoosiers really needed Bates to have a big day against Miami's guard-oriented team, and he couldn't help. That hurt. Hurt bad. It ended Indiana's season at least a week too early. 

Outside of the Penn State semifinal loss in the Big Ten Tournament, where he scored 14 points, the end to his season was brutal. In his last 10 games, he was 5-for-38 from the field, a mere 13.1 percent. He was 3-for-17 from three and just 2-for-19 inside the arc.

For someone who was supposed to be a scorer, those numbers are head-shaking, Certainly, there are plenty of guards in the portal who can do better.

The kid is going through a lot in life, which I get, and maybe Indiana just isn't the right place for him right now. It's too bad, because he's easy to like, and the outpouring of emotion on social media after his transfer announcement has been touching.

Sometimes change is good, and I'd like to think this is what's going on at Indiana. They are working the transfer portal hard right now, and already have Duncomb's replacement in Payton Sparks, who's played well during his two seasons at Ball State.

Indiana basketball will look completely different next year. And, to me, that's totally OK.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• SPARKS COMMITS TO INDIANA: Indiana's first addition through the transfer portal is 6-foot-9 center Payton Sparks, who averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for Ball State this season. CLICK HERE
• TAMAR BATES TRANSFERRING: Indiana sophomore guard Tamar Bates entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. He averaged 6.1 points and shot 37.4 percent from 3-point range. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA VISITS WITH JAMISON BATTLE: Jamison Battle, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 15.1 points across two seasons at Minnesota. Indiana coaches Mike Woodson and Brian Walsh have an in-home visit scheduled with Battle on Tuesday. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA MEETS WITH KADIN SHEDRICK: Indiana basketball is scheduled to meet with Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick, who averaged 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks this year. CLICK HERE
• PAYTON SPARKS VISITS INDIANA: 6-foot-9 center Payton Sparks averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for Ball State, but he entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season. CLICK HERE
• LOGAN DUNCOMB ENTERS TRANSFER PORTAL: After playing in 18 games across two seasons, Indiana center Logan Duncomb entered the transfer portal on Thursday. CLICK HERE
• IU MEETS WITH CHRIS LEDLUM: After averaging 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds this season, Harvard Chris Ledlum is planning to meet with Indiana on Thursday. CLICK HERE
• IU MEETS WITH NICK TIMBERLAKE: After averaging 17.7 points on 41.6 percent 3-point shooting this season, Towson guard transfer Nick Timberlake plans to meet with Indiana coach Mike Woodson on Thursday. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: Welcome to our Big Ten men's basketball transfer portal tracker, where we'll keep you updated on the latest incoming and outgoing transfer news for all 14 Big Ten teams this offseason. CLICK HERE
• MAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED FOR IU: With graduating seniors, NBA Draft potential and the transfer portal, Indiana's roster will look much different in year three under coach Mike Woodson. CLICK HERE