It has been rare for recent vintage Indiana basketball to have multiple players 6-foot-11 or taller in the starting lineup, or even in the main rotation.
Both as a senior and when he was a sophomore, 6-foot-9 Trayce Jackson-Davis was the tallest player on Indiana’s team. And he never really had an elite, athletic big man to compete against in Bloomington.
7-footer Kel’el Ware had no one above 6-foot-9 on the roster in his lone year at IU, and 7-foot Oumar Ballo had no one above 6-foot-10 who was in any kind of position to push him in practice.
A lack of Big Ten size at Indiana has been a theme for more than a decade.
After Cody Zeller’s last season in Bloomington (2012-13), IU has only had three players listed 6-foot-11 or taller who were consistent starters — Ware, Ballo and Joey Brunk. That’s just three in 13 seasons if you don’t count the brief stay by Luke Fischer, who transferred out mid-season in 2013-14.
In fact IU went six straight seasons without a starter above 6-foot-10 — 2014 to 2019 — if you don’t count Fischer. Following the 2019-20 season with Brunk, IU then went three straight years without a starter above 6-foot-9 until Ware arrived in 2023.
Current IU coach Darian DeVries quickly realized in his first season at IU, a lack of Big Ten size was derailing his team, and could ultimately derail his tenure in Bloomington.
While he was attempting to start his 6-foot-7 son Tucker DeVries at power forward along with 6-foot-9 center Sam Alexis, national champion Michigan’s starting frontcourt went 7-foot-3, 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-9, Michigan State’s four/five starters went 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-9, and Purdue’s were 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-9
And DeVries literally went to opposite ends of the planet to find a solution.
Detroit, Michigan meet Istanbul, Turkey.
With 6-foot-11 Aiden Sherrell and 7-foot-2 Samet Yigitoglu set to start for IU in 2026-27, the Hoosiers will have what appears to be their tallest power forward-center combination ever. The Turkish Yigitoglu is Indiana’s tallest player ever, or at least tied for that distinction with Uwe Blab.
And along with 7-foot freshman Clemens Sokolov and 6-foot-10 walk-on Ben Winker, having Sherrell and Yigitoglu together at practice helps them prepare for the length they’ll see when the season begins.
“It’s super valuable for sure. Me and Samet, we battle in practice,” Sherrell told The Daily Hoosier following practice last week. “He only makes me better. Sometimes being on his team, sometimes going against him, it’s a great experience for sure.”
Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, Sherrell a basketball lifer from a big midwestern city, Yigitoglu has only been playing for nine years and was an avid snow skier before that. But there is the potential for real synergy with this IU odd couple.
Although Sherrell is listed three inches shorter than Yigitoglu, he’s a taller and more complete player than anyone Yigitoglu faced in practice last season at SMU.
“He’s pushing me to get better,” Yigitoglu said of Sherrell. In the Big Ten there’s a lot of 7-footers so I’m just getting used to it.”
Yigitoglu will bring the traits of a classic big man. He was 44th nationally last season at SMU with a 14.4% offensive rebounding rate. That leads to a lot of put backs, and he was No. 48 among all players with a 62.8% effective field goal percentage. And his rim protection is respectable with a 5.5% block rate (No. 155).
Sherrell wasn’t quite as impactful on the offensive glass (10.4%, No. 216), but he’s a force as a shot blocker, with the No. 36 block rate in the nation (8.5%). In fact, Sherrell’s block rate last season was better than Ballo in 2024-25 and Ware in 2023-24, and just a tick below Jackson-Davis’ 9% rate in 2022-23.
The pair should also be complimentary on the court because Sherrell brings added offensive versatility. He shot 33.8% from three on 80 attempts last year. He has DeVries singing his praises this summer, while Yigitoglu gains valuable experience going against him at times.
“He’s a great player, he can pick-and-pop, he can make some shots. He can put the ball on the floor. He’s so tough to guard,” Yigitoglu told TDH of Sherrell.
Yigitoglu will spend plenty of time on the perimeter setting screens and passing from his elevated vantage point.
Will he have the green light to shoot as well to add another threat to the offense?
“I’m working with coach Kenny (Johnson) and coach Thomas (Carr) on my shot. I’m just trying to get better with my range as much as I can. That’s a coach question.”
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