Hoosier Men's Hoops: Who is Falling?
Prior to the loss to Kansas, Trey Galloway would have slotted in comfortably as the most underwhelming Hoosier through 9 games. After a seemingly out of nowhere 28 point masterpiece in which he was unstoppable from buzzer to buzzer against the Jayhawks, Galloway gets a pass from this list. His showing on Saturday was enormous, as Bill Self simply had no answer for the Hoosier senior. Perhaps he would have been included on the list of the Hoosiers currently hooping if that would have been drafted a day later.
Today's list is on the other side of the spectrum, as there have been a few guys on the Indiana University men's basketball team who have not played up to par thus far.
KALEB BANKS
A product of Georgia, Banks was a top 100 recruit in the class of 2022. In his freshman campaign, he did not receive much opportunity to showcase his abilities. In an age of easy transfer access, some wondered if he would explore the idea of entering the transfer portal. Banks himself admitted to struggling at times with impatience, but was happy to be coming back for another year with Indiana.
Reflecting on the team's first 10 contests in 2023-2024 does not yield a ton of hype for his future. In 12.8 minutes per game, Banks has strung together nightly numbers of just 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.9 stocks (steals plus blocks). He has also shot a frigid 42.9% from the field (12-28), 30% from 3 (3-10), and an atrocious 28.6 from the free throw line (2-7). At 6'8" with lanky arms and a lot of athleticism, he still has a ton of potential to pop. However, it would not be shocking to see him check into the transfer portal if he cannot find a rhythm this season.
ANTHONY LEAL
Leal has only been an active participant in 3 games this season. He received another DNP - Coaches Decision against Kansas, which was not a shocker by any means. With such a lack of depth in the backcourt, Leal was certainly a candidate for increased court time in 2023-2024. That has simply not been the case, with his first (and only) points of the season coming from the free throw line in the loss to Auburn.