Going against the best of the best on a big stage, playing up a year on the Nike EYBL Circuit can be a challenge for anyone.
Trent Sisley certainly could have taken the easier path and played another year at the 16u level this spring and summer. But he chose instead to play up a second straight AAU season with the Indy Heat, and there were some early bumps in the road in April as he got acclimated to the speed and physicality of going against the premier high school talent in the country.
But the 6-foot-7 Heritage Hills H.S. (Lincoln City, Ind.) forward is in a groove now.
Sisley averaged 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in just over 25 minutes per contest during the most recent four game Nike EYBL stop in Texas. He shot an efficient 65.3 percent from the field over those games, including a highly impressive 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from three.
And that came right after an equally impressive weekend in Fort Wayne at the annual Bill Hensley Run-N-Slam.
Overall, the IU priority in-state class of 2025 target is fitting right in at the 17u level, averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds through 12 EYBL games, while shooting 60 percent from the field overall and 46.7 percent from three.
Because he’s tall when playing for his school, Sisley plays the five for Heritage Hills. So there’s an added challenge when he pivots to spring basketball. His goal is to be more of a wing player in college, a small forward or stretch-four. Navigating that transition from posting up to playing on the perimeter adds complexity to what he’s trying to do with the Indy Heat.
But Sisley is taking the long view when it comes to his development.
“It’s getting there,” Sisley told The Daily Hoosier of moving his game to the wing.
“It’s obviously not just going to happen overnight. I’m just going to keep working on my jumper and things like that. I still like posting up a little bit and playing in the mid-post.”
A national top-50 prospect, Sisley is obviously being a bit humble about his perimeter ability. With his shooting skills and athleticism, it’s easy to see a clear path to playing outside the paint in college. He said he’s focused on shooting off the dribble and creating for others to continue his progression to the wing.
IU offered Sisley before he played his first high school game back in November of 2021. They’ve been a mainstay in his recruitment with assistant coach Brian Walsh leading a team effort. He says he talks to IU at least once a week. And Sisley has reciprocated the interest with an unofficial visit to Bloomington, and attendance at Hoosier Hysteria and several high profile games during the 2022-23 season.
Sisley already has two siblings who attend Indiana, and it’s no secret they are an IU household. But they are also a savvy basketball family. His father and brother both played in college.
So when it comes to recruiting, basketball fit will take precedent over fandom, and after his strong play this spring, Sisley’s recruitment is only growing right now.
Notre Dame, Northwestern, West Virginia, UCF and Wisconsin have all jumped in with offers over this last month, joining a long list of suitors with a heavy Midwest flavor. IU, Purdue, and Michigan State have been around the longest, and those are the schools Sisley says he’s been hearing from the most, along with Notre Dame.
Still two years away from stepping on a college campus, Sisley says he’s in no rush to narrow things down or make any decisions.
“I’m just going to play this summer out and see who else gets involved, and see who stays involved,” Sisley said. “I’m really just feeling things out the rest of the summer.”
Although it seems like this is a recruitment that has been going for a long time since IU offered so early, college coaches can only start reaching out directly to Sisley beginning on June 15. So in some respects anyway, things are just getting started.
Sisley says he has a Notre Dame unofficial visit planned and will likely visit some of the other newer schools involved this summer.
When the recruiting calendar turns to his junior year, an official visit to IU at some point won’t be a surprise either.
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