Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers to lose Smith to transfer

The Indiana basketball team got some surprising news on Friday when Justin Smith decided to graduate and transfer out of IU.

The beginning of the offseason was fairly quiet for the Hoosiers on the basketball front, but the last few weeks have gotten busier. It was even more so on Friday when Justin Smith decided to graduate and become a grad transfer and finish his college career somewhere else.

Smith had previously entered his name into the early entry list for the NBA draft. Even though most people thought he would return it gave him the opportunity to talk with NBA executives and get feedback on what he needed to improve.

It does come as a surprise though that he is deciding to transfer out of the program. He follows Demazi Anderson as Hoosiers that have decided to try to play elsewhere. Anderson is transferring to Loyola, Chicago. It is still unclear where Smith is looking to finish his career.

Smith was third on the team averaging 10.4 points per game and tied for second with 5.2 rebounds per game. He will be a big loss for the Hoosiers, but they do have help on the way.

Indiana basketball: who picks up Smith’s minutes

Incoming freshman Jordan Geronimo and Trey Galloway could eat up some of the minutes left behind. Returning players in Race Thompson and Jerome Hunter also could benefit from Smith’s departure.

Smith will be missed because of his scoring ability but he wasn’t a great outside shooter and for a team needing to improve that area, he might have lost some time anyway. He will have one year left of eligibility for whatever school he chooses. Since he is a grad transfer he will be able to play right away also.

The Hoosiers will look to the younger players to pick up the slack by Smith leaving, but still should be in great shape to compete in the Big Ten.