Darian DeVries 'excited about the jump' Indiana forward Trent Sisley is expected to make for sophomore season

Indiana basketball entered this offseason facing another rebuild. With six seniors graduating and the expected departure of multiple players through the transfer portal, Darian DeVries and his staff were once again tasked with assembling an entirely new roster.

Yes, there were some players from last year’s team that had eligibility remaining who could have returned for the Hoosiers however, there one player the staff made a clear priority to retain from last year’s team.

That player was Indiana native and returning sophomore forward Trent Sisley.

When looking at the roster from a year ago, Sisley was arguably the player with the highest upside. Not only was he the highest-rated freshman on Indiana’s roster last season, but he is also an in-state product who better understands what it means to wear the Indiana jersey.

Of course, when evaluating his overall performance last season, it was a bit of a mixed bag. He began the year with a steady bench role, averaging 7.1 points in 18.9 minutes per game over the first 14 contests. However, his role decreased in the second half of the season, where he averaged just 8.4 minutes and 1.6 points per game across his final 16 appearances.

Like most freshmen, it was a transition year from the high school level to the college game that provided both learning experiences and growing pains. Still, there were flashes of what the Santa Claus, IN native can bring long-term, which is why he was viewed as the No. 1 priority among returning players from last year’s roster.

“Yeah, I’m excited for Trent,” said Indiana basketball head coach Darian DeVries last week. I think Trent’s going to have a great summer. He’s already had a great spring post-season here. So, you know, he’s putting a lot of time into it.

“He’s one of those guys that I think, you know, as he continues to get stronger, his shooting is really coming a long ways, even since the season’s, you know, been done. I think he’s just going to be older. He’s just going to be better. You know, he’s going to be bigger. He’s going to be strong. He’s going to be more confident in what he’s doing.”

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Obviously, when you have a player like Sisley who is playing for his dream school and wants to be in the program, it is almost a must to retain him from a culture standpoint. From a talent perspective, Sisley is a player with the versatility to succeed in a Darian DeVries system.

Sisley is a versatile, hybrid forward who can play in multiple spots on the floor. While he is naturally more of an athletic power forward, he also has long-term potential to develop into a consistent stretch-four type of wing.

He shot 36.4 percent from three in the first eight games before seeing a significant drop-off, going just 5-of-26 (19.2 percent) over the final 22 games he appeared in.

Of course, his production declined as his minutes became more limited, but the flashes of him being a true versatile offensive threat were still there.

“His versatility is going to be good,” said Darian DeVries. “He certainly showed plenty of flashes, you know, early in the season as well. So I’m excited about the jump I think he’s going to take here this offseason.”

Sisley’s role on next year’s Indiana basketball team is expected to be similar but with a bigger jump in opportunity on the floor. He expected to be one of the main frontcourt rotational players behind both projected starters Aiden Sherell and Samet Yigitoglu, while also getting time to play that versatile, floor spacing wing.

He will undoubtedly be one of the key players off the bench for this new Indiana team and with more consistent chances on the floor, his progression as a player will continue to trend in the right direction as his Indiana basketball career continues.

“I think it’s re-embedding the principles,” Trent Sisley told TheHoosier.com in the locker room following the season-ending loss in the Big Ten Tournament. “You know, it’s always one piece, it’s not an add-in. I mean, offensively, keep shooting the ball and consistently. I’m trying to progress that in my game. And I’m a guy that can put the ball on the ground and attack the rim too.

“It’s (playing at Indiana) everything I dreamed of. I think overall it was a pretty successful season (last year), for myself. It’s just a great honor. Looking forward to next season.”

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