Indiana has made the final seven of 7-foot class of 2026 center Marcis Ponder. He posted the news to his Instagram page. Ponder is also still considering Cincinnati, Florida State, Illinois, Miami, Providence, and Texas. A product of Miami, Fla., Ponder attends Gillion Academy in Virginia. He is typically described in the neighborhood of 7-feet and 320 pounds. He goes by the nickname ‘The Big Show’ and has been called ‘Baby Shaq.’ In the average of the national rankings, Ponder is a 4-star, the No. 71 overall player in the 2026 class, and the No. 8 center. MaxPreps lists him…
Author: Mike Schumann
Luke Goode’s request for a fifth-year has been denied, bringing an end to his college basketball career. The Fort Wayne, Ind. product made an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon signaling the result of his waiver request. “Thank you God for the journey through highs and lows,” he wrote. “Can’t wait for what’s next!” Goode confirmed with The Daily Hoosier his request was denied. In March following Indiana’s loss to Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament, he said the wheels were in motion to try to get one more year in Bloomington. “I love this place and grew up dreaming to…
2026 national top-20 point guard Deron Rippey, Jr. has been one of the best players on the travel circuit this spring and summer. He’s got a list of finalists involved in his recruitment to match his elite performance. The 6-foot-2 product of New York included IU Tuesday in his list of 12 schools he’s still considering, along with Alabama, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Texas. Rippey also has an ambitious list of nine scheduled visits over the next three-plus months. As we reported last week, Indiana is getting a visit in October. Here’s…
Former Hoosiers Yogi Ferrell, Juwan Morgan and Race Thompson will be in Indianapolis this weekend as teammates for Assembly Ball in The Basketball Tournament. They’ll be doing so with the comfort of knowing they’ve got their next contract signed overseas for the 2025-26 season. KK Buducnost has re-signed both Ferrell and Morgan, who were teammates for a year at IU, and teamed up again this past season in Montenegro. In 37 ABA League games, the 32-year-old Ferrell recorded 11.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He also played 18 games in Eurocup where he averaged 12.4 points, 2.4…
Incoming IU freshman Aleksa Ristic led all scorers with 22 points as Serbia defeated France 84-65 to complete a perfect 3-0 run through pool play at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket Monday. Ristic made 8-of-13 shots from the field including a perfect 6-of-6 from two. He also dished out eight assists. Through three games at the event, Ristic is averaging 13.7 points and 6.3 assists. He has shot 72.2% from two, 11.8% from three (2 of 17), and 81.8% from the free throw line. His assist average is the second-highest of any player in the event, and he’s done that with…
“I just think it’s a higher caliber of guy,” was IU football coach Curt Cignetti’s assessment when asked in late May what a successful 2024 season has meant in terms of who the Hoosiers are landing on the recruiting trail in 2025. “Last year’s class was put together on promises, hopes, vision,” he said. “This year’s class is being put together on something tangible — what we put out there on the field, and the publicity and the exposure that we received.” The latest rankings update at the now merged Rivals/On3 national outlet drives home what Cignetti is saying. Indiana…
Indiana wasn’t included in 2026 5-star point guard Tay Kinney’s final 15 schools announced last winter, effectively ending their involvement. But Tennessee was. That ended up playing a major role in IU going from completely out of the picture to landing an official visit next month from the Newport, Ky. product. New IU basketball assistant coach Rod Clark is giving the Hoosiers a fighting chance in a very crowded and competitive recruitment. “Coach Rod, who came from Tennessee, he was recruiting me at Tennessee, and that’s my guy,” Kinney told TDH at the Adidas 3SSB stop in Rock Hill, S.C. …
Just weeks after Miami gave the ultimate public vote of confidence in Kel’el Ware, head coach Erik Spoelstra voiced some criticism. The 7-foot former IU basketball player and 2024 first round NBA Draft pick has been inconsistent during summer league play after a strong finish to his rookie campaign. His head coach aired the club’s grievances. “A big part of this is he has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day,” Spoelstra told the assembled media. “He has to get better with that. It’s learning how to become a pro. I understand that…
Former IU baseball pitcher Andrew Saalfrank made his long-awaited return to the big leagues this weekend. The Arizona Diamondbacks reliever threw two shutout relief innings on Saturday. He struck out two and gave up two hits. He was one of four players who served one-year suspensions through June 5 for betting on baseball. Saalfrank had not appeared in a game since April of 2024. The players violated Major League Rule 21, which is posted in every clubhouse. They were handed mandatory one-year suspensions for betting on games in which they did not participate. Saalfrank was recalled Wednesday from Triple-A Reno. …
The potential of Ohio-based 2026 wing Anthony Thompson somehow seems even greater after a year away from home at prep school. The 6-foot-8 and 205-pound Thompson gained 18 pounds over the last year at Western Reserve. With a 7-foot-3 and-a-half wingspan and perimeter skills, he checks all the boxes of a potential pro and the attention of several prominent high major college programs. Thompson is currently a 5-star, ranked No. 12 overall in the 2026 class, and the No. 5 small forward according to the average of the national outlets. The prior Indiana staff offered Thompson in February of 2024,…