Transfer Portal w IU Interest

[RaceToTheTop]

42 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

That would be three of what will end being top 100 players in the portal. Too much gloom for me to say I'd be surprised if we do that well on P4 players?

Forget top 100, those 3 are all currently rated in the top 30 (Burton hasn't been rated as a transfer by 247 yet, but he will be ranked very high.

If Fru is asking for $3 million, I' look elsewhere.

[Hoosierfanyuh]

1 minute ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Forget top 100, those 3 are all currently rated in the top 30 (Burton hasn't been rated as a transfer by 247 yet, but he will be ranked very high.

If Fru is asking for $3 million, I' look elsewhere.

3M is pretty much going to be the minimum for a quality starting center, for what it’s worth.

[Brass Cannon]

13 minutes ago, Hoosierfanyuh said:

3M is pretty much going to be the minimum for a quality starting center, for what it’s worth.

That and PG are what we desperately need and hardest to pay.  We should pay as much for our PG and C as the rest of the roster if not more 

[Uspshoosier]

1 hour ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

But the rest of the college basketball world and the fans will analyze the roster put together and project how good or bad it is. 

You worried about the optics of what the rest of college basketball thinks of IUs roster?   

[HoosierHoopster]

3 hours ago, Kentuckysucks said:

Gemini says anything short of a 2 seed next year will be an epic fail with around $13M 

With **$13M in NIL**, Indiana would be wielding one of the largest war chests in the history of college basketball. To put that in perspective, top-tier "Buy-a-Final-Four" rosters in 2024–2025 were estimated to cost between **$4M and $8M**.

With $13M, you aren't just building a tournament team; you are essentially building an **NBA G-League All-Star roster** capable of being a preseason #1.

Here is the caliber of team IU could assemble with that budget, keeping **Trent Sisley** and **Nick Dorn** as your "retention" foundation alongside three incoming freshmen.

## 1. The Roster Construction (The "$13M Blueprint")

Since you are only keeping two guys and bringing in three freshmen, you have **8 scholarship spots** to fill via the Transfer Portal. With $13M, you can afford the "best in class" at every single position.

### The Starting Five (Portal Heavy)

 ***PG: Elite Tier-1 Transfer ($2M - $2.5M):** You go after a multi-year starter from a Power 4 school or a mid-major superstar (think the next Mark Sears or Tyler Kolek). This is a "First Team All-American" caliber floor general.

 ***SG: Nick Dorn (Retained):** Dorn provides elite spacing. In this $13M lineup, he’s your "specialist" starter or high-minute 6th man.

 ***SF: Blue-Chip Wing Transfer ($2M):** A 6'7" NBA prospect who can create his own shot.

 ***PF: Trent Sisley (Retained):** After a developmental freshman year, Sisley slots in as a versatile, high-IQ "stretch 4."

 ***C: Elite Rim Protector ($2.5M - $3M):** You outbid everyone for the best center in the portal—someone who changes the geometry of the defense and averages a double-double.

### The Bench (The "Luxury" Depth)

 **The 3 Freshmen:** You likely have high-four-star or five-star talent here. They provide the energy and future-proofing, but they don't *have* to carry the load immediately.

  **3 Premium Portal Vets ($3M total):** You spend $1M each on a backup point guard, a defensive stopper, and a backup "big." Most teams' *starters* cost $1M; yours are coming off the bench.

## 2. What This Caliber Team Achieves

With this level of spending, anything less than a **Top 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament** would be considered a massive failure of ROI.

 **Preseason Ranking:** Consensus Top 5.

 **Big Ten Outlook:** Clear favorites to win the regular-season title.

 **NBA Talent:** You would likely have 3–4 players on this roster who will be drafted within two years.

 **The "Fear Factor":** At $13M, you are effectively "out-portal-ing" Kentucky, Kansas, and Arkansas. You are buying the most efficient players in the country based on advanced analytics (KenPom/EvanMiya).

## 3. The "Sisley & Dorn" Factor

Keeping these two is smart for **program culture**. In the age of $13M NIL, rosters often feel like "mercenary groups." Having Sisley (the local Indiana kid with high upside) and Dorn (the proven shooter) provides the continuity fans need to stay connected to the team while the "hired guns" handle the heavy lifting.

**The Reality Check:** While $13M is a staggering number, the biggest challenge isn't the money—it's the **chemistry**. Managing the egos of five different transfers who are all being paid like CEOs requires an elite bench coach.

 

That all sounds nice, but I was just asking for the $12 Million ;)

[RaceToTheTop]

55 minutes ago, Hoosierfanyuh said:

3M is pretty much going to be the minimum for a quality starting center, for what it’s worth.

I doubt that.

[go iu bb]

6 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

Sadly agree. I don’t see this one happening. I’d love to watch him in Candy Stripes. He’s seems to be a money driven dude, but he plays hard. I absolutely don’t forecast him as a Hoosier, with this staff. With Woody?  No brainer, lol. 

Cory Bazinga already passed on playing for Woody.

[Stuhoo]

2 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

You really think DeVries is capable of that based on what you’ve seen from him?  He needs talent, just like most coaches. Doesn’t have to be blockbuster names but generally the best players generate names for themselves.  

I am heartened by scheme assessments from guys with more knowledge than me like Tony Adragna, from Devries' accomplishments pre-IU, and from the offensive actions and defensive adjustments he made last year.

But as a summary conclusion do I think he's capable of making good talent look like an outstanding team? 

Hell; that's an easy one. I don't know yet!

[AH1971]

Sounding like Fru and Burton are takes. Not over the moon, but clear upgrades in positional talent. Really want Singleton as the 4. Already has the body of an upperclassmen with a clear trajectory of growth. Defensively, the front court would immediately upgrade from a position of weakness to a position of strength. Getting Singleton likely gets you Cooper, probably at a discount, who could play a key rotational piece with a chance at an expanded role as an upperclassmen. Still need two starting caliber guards, preferably one a knock down shooter and the other an athletic two way player. Also need a backup big.

[IUCrazy2]

3 hours ago, Pagoda said:

Oh, I agree with you.  My post was piggybacking off the point you made -- I think we're doing a pretty good job with MBB NIL given what's going on with FB and MBB's struggles.

I didn't make it clear.  My bad.

Maybe a comprehension problem on my end too.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

2 hours ago, Uspshoosier said:

You worried about the optics of what the rest of college basketball thinks of IUs roster?   

It’s all part of it.  For one, with advanced metrics it’s becoming more predictable and accurate. If Indiana builds a strong roster it’s good on multiple fronts. We’ve had this discussion before. Program momentum and swagger is a real thing and will impact recruiting to an extent. Also fan involvement. The more casual fan. This year very few fans bought in. Wasn’t much belief or confidence. Wait and see approach led to lackluster crowds and ultimately a lackluster season with very few high points. 
 

so do I care?  Yes, being in that conversation of teams that have a shot and have some respect helps on and off the court and is good for the program. Plus the accuracy is much improved so, it means a little more. 
 

The counter is always Woody’s year with offseason hype.  True we ended up equal to what we had this year. But at least there was some hope for the fans for a short while (most knew already Woodson would blow it). It ultimately came down to terrible misses on projections for Rice and Carlyle and Galloway not becoming the shooter we needed.  That team with a better coach would have made an impact.  Woodson sunk the ship. 
 

But that season can’t be fairly the reason to never want a highly touted team again. The reality is you want a highly touted season every year. Odds and odds and stacking talent will pay off before trying to build some unheralded masterpiece. 

[WayneFleekHoosier]

38 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

Sounding like Fru and Burton are takes. Not over the moon, but clear upgrades in positional talent. Really want Singleton as the 4. Already has the body of an upperclassmen with a clear trajectory of growth. Defensively, the front court would immediately upgrade from a position of weakness to a position of strength. Getting Singleton likely gets you Cooper, probably at a discount, who could play a key rotational piece with a chance at an expanded role as an upperclassmen. Still need two starting caliber guards, preferably one a knock down shooter and the other an athletic two way player. Also need a backup big.

Was our “commit” that Lettice “leaked” Fru?  
 

He fits all the criteria.  Power 5 big that would be projected to make an impact.  Some thought Kwame Evans at first. But Fru makes much more sense and saddens me a bit. I guess I’ll have to get over that I don’t love our starting 5 right out of the gate. 
 

Im going to hold onto hope until the hope is completely gone though.  

[Hoosierfanyuh]

For those who don’t like Fru, who would you suggest other than him, besides Flory?

[Stuhoo]

3 minutes ago, Hoosierfanyuh said:

For those who don’t like Fru, who would you suggest other than him, besides Flory?

If Flory can be Kory, then Fru should be:

[Herotime]

4 minutes ago, Hoosierfanyuh said:

For those who don’t like Fru, who would you suggest other than him, besides Flory?

I’m on the fence with Fru, BUT having the UofL assistant now on staff I’d feel more confident if we ended up with him (assuming the $ isn’t too steep).

[Unexpectedflash]

You need two centers anyways. I don’t think Fru would last an entire big ten season as the only big. I’m fine with Fru being one of them. I don’t think Devries wants a big lumbering center

[WayneFleekHoosier]

5 minutes ago, Unexpectedflash said:

You need two centers anyways. I don’t think Fru would last an entire big ten season as the only big. I’m fine with Fru being one of them. I don’t think Devries wants a big lumbering center

If we are spending 2.5 on him the back up will be chopped cheese.  lol. Now I’m just joking around, but really.  

[JimmerNoe]

I think you have to be at least a bit optimistic if your hyper-super-ultra-early projecting/forecasting is:

PG: M. Burton (P4 with production)

SG: ???

SF: J. Haralson (P4 with production)

PF: ???

C: S. Fru (P4, at least some production)

Bench: Sisley, Prince-Alexander, Karvala

 

At minimum, that is a significant upgrade from where we were building from last year 

[Unexpectedflash]

Ok i also agree 2.5 million for fru is crazy. I’m willing to wait and see if that’s actually the price 

[tyappleg]

I'm not going to pretend to know much about Fru, but I am just not sure how many other realistic options there are out there.  The "Big" market is going to be insane this off-season, and almost every team is going to have to "overpay" to an extent.  IU needs at least 2 centers, and it seems like Fru is a very solid option to take one of those spots.