Hoosier Men’s Hoops Progress Reports: Focusing on the Forwards
Within the composition of a basketball team, there are several departments responsible for doing their respective parts. Off the court, you have the coaching staff. On the court, you have the guards, the wings, and the bigs.
Through six games, IU’s guard play has been less than stellar. The underperformance from the members of the backcourt has caused an over reliance on the other groups to make ends meet. While the hope is that the guards will progressively improve as the season goes on, the frontcourt members have picked up much of the slack in the team’s collective pursuit of victories. The wings/forwards group has done a nice job of digging into their duties, but there is always room for improvement.
Here is a look at how the 2023-2024 Hoosier forwards within the rotation have fared to begin the season.
Anthony Walker | GRADE: B | 6 GP/0 GS | 12.7 MPG | 5.7 PPG | 2.7 RPG | 0.2 APG | 45.5/0/77.8%
In his first season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Miami, Walker has been solid off the bench through six games. He has never been a dominant scorer, but has always possessed the athleticism to make his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Prior to Mackenzie Mgbako’s commitment, Walker probably had a much larger role carved out for him this season.
Despite receiving less playing time than he surely was hoping for, he has made the most of his time on the floor. His interior presence has been solid down low for the Hoosiers, and his energy has been evident on the boards. As the season goes along, Walker should remain a key depth piece for Mike Woodson to turn to when needed.
Payton Sparks | GRADE: B- | 5 GP/0 GS | 8.6 MPG | 2.4 PPG | 1.6 RPG | 0.2 APG | 62.5/0/20%
Another of the team’s transfer wire pick-ups this offseason, Sparks has not exuded the same interior dominance that he showcased in his first two seasons at Ball State. Nonetheless, he has had his moments. In particular, he was instrumental in the Hoosiers recent victory over Louisville. He followed that impressive performance up with a silent act in the win over Harvard, but it was still a great building block for Sparks to look back on as he continues acclimating to his new team.
Malik Reneau | GRADE: A- | 6 GP/6 GS | 28.2 MPG | 15.3 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 3.3 APG | 61/0/71.4%
Most Hoosier fans would probably paint Kel’el Ware as the team’s top player thus far, but Malik Reneau has arguably had the strongest impact from an overall perspective. Not only has he maintained the bruising style of play he exhibited as a freshman, but he looks much more confident with the ball in his hands in year two. The increased scoring average should have been no big surprise, but Reneau leading the team in assists per game was probably not on anyone’s list of preseason predictions.
Woodson has run the offense through the lefty quite a bit to begin the season, and the southpaw has rewarded him for his trust. The team will continue to lean on Reneau heavily as time goes by, and he should only continue to improve with increased repetitions and court time with his new teammates.
He may not be a blue chip prospect at this time, but if he can continue to fortify his skills and expand his game than he will become more and more attractive to NBA scouts. He has already come a long way in his young collegiate career in Bloomington.
Kaleb Banks | GRADE: B | 6 GP/0 GS | 11.5 MPG | 2.8 PPG | 2.8 RPG | 0.7 APG | 54.5/50/28.6%
Banks has not taken any drastic leaps in his sophomore season with the Hoosiers, but has been yet another big body option for the coaching staff. He has seen the floor in each of the team’s first six games, but was largely invisible through the first four of those. However, he stuffed the stat sheet in the win against Louisville and then knocked down a couple of big 3’s against Harvard.
He does not have to do anything major for his contributions to make a big difference, he simply needs to continue to do the little things. If he can continue riding this wave of momentum, fans should be excited for his future in Bloom.
Mack Mgbako | GRADE: C- | 6 GP/6 GS | 20 MPG | 7.2 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 1.3 APG 39.5/11.1/100%
When the number 9 ranked prospect in an incoming freshman class chooses your program over the likes of Kansas, it is safe to expect big things from him right from the jump. Unfortunately for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American, things have not quite gone according to plan early on.
It was largely assumed that Mackenzie Mgbako would be a one-and-done for the Hoosiers, with a lot of scouts and NBA insiders projecting him as a 2024 1st round pick. Currently, he might not even be projected to be drafted in upcoming draft. His shots are not falling, and he has not done much else to make up for his lack of scoring punch.
With those things being said, he notched career-highs in scoring (18) and rebounding (8) in the W over Harvard. His outside shots were still not dropping (1-5 from 3), but the game was surely a confidence boost for him as we look ahead.
Compared to the expectations cast upon him prior to the season, his output has been poor to this point. Luckily, he still has a lot of time to resurrect his reputation. And if you have already written him off, take the following into consideration.
"Interesting statistical note:• Through his first six games as a Hoosier (5 v sub-230 teams), Jalen Hood-Schifino averaged 7.8 ppg.• Through his first six games as a Hoosier (4 v teams ranked 158 or better), Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 7.2 ppg.— Assembly Call (⚪,🔴) (@AssemblyCall) November 27, 2023Interesting statistical note:• Through his first six games as a Hoosier (5 v sub-230 teams), Jalen Hood-Schifino averaged 7.8 ppg.• Through his first six games as a Hoosier (4 v teams ranked 158 or better), Mackenzie Mgbako is averaging 7.2 ppg.— Assembly Call (⚪,🔴) (@AssemblyCall) November 27, 2023"