Joey Brunk won’t be playing his sixth season at IU, but he will be playing against the Hoosiers in the Big Ten for the 2021-22 season.
The Indianapolis, Ind. native announced on Saturday evening he intends to play his final season of college basketball at Ohio State. Brunk broke the news on his Twitter page.
Embrace your journey #gobucks pic.twitter.com/fctSouTBxN
— Joey Brunk (@JoeyBrunk) April 18, 2021
The move to Columbus reunites Brunk with his former Butler head coach Chris Holtmann.
Brunk committed to Butler in 2015 when Holtmann was the head coach at the Indianapolis based school. Holtmann left Butler for Ohio State in 2017 when Thad Matta stepped down. Matta is now on the basketball administrative staff at IU.
The 6-foot-11 Brunk did not participate in Indiana’s senior day and was widely expected at the time to return to Bloomington after a back injury and subsequent surgery cost him the entire 2020-21 season. But Brunk announced earlier this week that he would be pursuing his sixth season elsewhere.
“I’m incredibly grateful for Indiana University,” Brunk wrote on his Twitter page. “I have been able to get my Master’s Degree and am thankful to have been able to continue my education. I’ve decided to pursue my final year elsewhere. Thank you Indiana.”
Brunk transferred from Butler to Indiana following the 2018-19 campaign. In one season with IU, the Indianapolis native averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds over 19.6 minutes per game.
With Indiana transitioning to a more wide open four-in, one-out offense under new head coach Mike Woodson, it wasn’t clear how Brunk would fit into the IU rotation going forward. More mobile options are expected to play the center position. All-American sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis is expected to primarily man the middle along with redshirt junior Race Thompson and freshman Logan Duncomb.
Brunk is the second IU senior to choose to play his final season elsewhere. Al Durham, a senior guard who did participate in IU’s senior day, is headed to Providence for his fifth season.
IU has two available scholarships for the 2021-22 season.
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