Left to right: Trevon Bluiett, Bryant McIntosh, James Blackmon Jr., Caleb Swanigan and JaQuan Lyle.
Scan the rosters of Division I men’s basketball players and you’ll find more than 150 players from Indiana — those who either list an Indiana city as hometown or played high school basketball in the state. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Basketball is still king here. Take a look at this year’s crop of the top made-in-Indiana players.
And be sure to check out our searchable database, where you can find all of the players from the state on D-I rosters.
FIRST TEAM
G – Bryant McIntosh, Northwestern (Greensburg), Jr.
Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh
An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection a year ago, McIntosh set a school record with 213 assists, and his 6.7 assists per game were ninth-best in the nation. He averaged 13.8 points a game and will be without a doubt the biggest key if Northwestern finally reaches the NCAA tournament.
G – James Blackmon Jr., Indiana (Marion), Jr.
IU’s James Blackmon (Marion).
A knee injury derailed Blackmon’s sophomore season, and for all the criticism of his defense, he’s still an All-Big Ten caliber guard. He’ll be counted on to handle the ball more without Yogi Ferrell around, but don’t kid yourself, Blackmon will have the green light for the 3-point-happy Hoosiers.
G – JaQuan Lyle, Ohio State (Huntington Prep, W.Va./Evansville Bosse), So.
Ohio State’s JaQuan Lyle (Evansville Bosse)
Lyle averaged 11.2 points and 4.7 rebounds a game and led the Buckeyes in assists (147) as a freshman. He showed a glimpse of his potential in a three-day stretch in January. Against his home state Hoosiers, Lyle scored a career-high 29 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Two days later against Rutgers, he recorded just the fifth triple-double in Ohio State history.
F – Trevon Bluiett, Xavier (Park Tudor), Jr.
Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett (Park Tudor)
It’s no surprise to those who watched his polished game help Park Tudor to three state championships. In 2015-16, Bluiett led the Musketeers in scoring (15.1 ppg) and added more than six rebounds a game on his way to a first-team All-Big East season. He tested the new NBA draft process, but came back and has a chance to further his national profile – he’s on preseason All-American lists and the Naismith Trophy watch list.
F – Caleb Swanigan, Purdue (Homestead), So.
Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan (Homestead)
Swanigan flirted with the NBA draft but chose to return to West Lafayette. As a freshman, Swanigan became the first Boilermaker to lead the Big Ten in rebounding (8.3) since at least 1990-91. The 2015 IndyStar Mr. Basketball averaged 10.2 points per game and is just the second Purdue freshman with 300 points, 200 rebounds and 50 assists, joining Robbie Hummel.
SECOND TEAM
Michigan’s Zak Irvin (right, Hamilton Southeastern)
G – Zak Irvin, Michigan (Hamilton Southeastern), Sr. – An All-Big Ten honorable mention a season ago, Irvin has already surpassed the career 1,000-point mark. Michigan’s team MVP each of the past two years, the 2013 IndyStar Mr. Basketball more than doubled his assist output from his sophomore to junior year (49 to 107), but he’ll be looking to improve after an off year from behind the arc (29 percent).
Notre Dame’s V.J. Beachem (New Haven)
G – V.J. Beachem, Notre Dame (New Haven), Sr. – A deadly 3-point shooter – 44 percent (88-of-198) from behind the arc last season – Beachem is thrust into a leadership role with the departures of Zach Auguste and Demetrius Jackson. Notre Dame’s leading returning scorer (12.0 ppg) seems up to the task. Beachem is coming off an impressive showing in the NCAA tournament, earning East Region All-Tournament honors, averaging 17.5 ppg in the Irish’s run to the Elite Eight.
Indiana State’s Brenton Scott (Fort Wayne Northrop)
G – Brenton Scott, Indiana State (Fort Wayne Northrop), Jr. – The Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2015, Scott followed that up with a second-team All-MVC sophomore campaign. He averaged 14.9 ppg last season, sixth-best in the MVC. A threat from deep, Scott’s 76 3-pointers made last season were the third-most in program history.
Marshall’s Ryan Taylor (Lawrence North)
F – Ryan Taylor, Marshall (Lawrence North), Sr. – The sixth player in school history with at least 1,300 points and 700 rebounds in a career, Taylor averaged 14.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game last season. He scored in double figures in 24 of 33 games and his 55.4 field goal percentage led the Thundering Herd.
Georgia State’s Jeremy Hollowell (right, Lawrence Central)
F – Jeremy Hollowell, Georgia State (Lawrence Central), Sr. – A transfer from IU, Hollowell hit the ground running for the Panthers after sitting out the 2014-15 season per NCAA rules, He started all 30 games, and in his Georgia State debut went for 25 points. He averaged a team-high 14.8 points (10th-best in the Sun Belt Conference) and 4.9 rebounds a game and is a preseason second-team All-Sun Belt pick.
THIRD TEAM
Northern Colorado ‘s Anthony Johnson (Decatur Central)
G – Anthony Johnson, Northern Kentucky (Decatur Central), Sr. – An All-Big Sky honorable mention pick a season ago, Johnson improved his scoring from 3.5 points per game as a sophomore to a team-high 15.8 points last season. His 490 points were the third-most scored in a season by a Northern Colorado player since the program moved to Division I. He had seven games of 20 points or more and reached double figures in 28 of 31 games.
Evansville’s Jaylon Brown (Fishers)
G – Jaylon Brown, Evansville (Fishers), Sr. – One of the Missouri Valley’s most improved players, Brown averaged 10.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds a game last season. He’s the only Purple Aces returnee to average double figures, and with the graduation of D.J. Balentine, more responsibility falls on Brown’s shoulders.
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (Cathedral)
G – Jalen Coleman-Lands, Illinois (LaLumiere/Cathedral), So. – Started 24 of 34 games as a freshman and finished the season third on the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game. Coleman-Lands set a school freshman record for 3-pointers made (87) and his 2.6 3s a game were fourth-best in the Big Ten.
Ball State’s Franko House (Concord)
F – Franko House, Ball State (Concord), Sr. – The Cardinals’ leading scorer a year ago (12.2 ppg), House was also second in rebounding (5.8 rpg) on his way to second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection. He was the only MAC player selected to the all-conference and all-defensive team and was one of only three players in the MAC to rank first or second on his team in points (427), rebounds (202), assists (75) and blocks (19).
Morehead State’s DeJuan Marrero (right, Bowman Academy)
F – DeJuan Marrero, Morehead State (Bowman Academy), Sr. – Marrero averaged 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds (fifth in Ohio Valley Conference) in his first season with Morehead State. A junior college transfer via DePaul, Marrero started 25 times and posted six double-doubles.
HONORABLE MENTION
G Ronnie Johnson, Auburn (North Central); F Kenny Jones, Austin Peay (South Bend Clay); G Sean Sellers, Ball State (Greensburg); G Tayler Persons, Ball State (Kokomo); F Ryan Weber, Ball State (Roncalli); F Tyler Wideman, Butler (Lake Central); F Mo Evans, Fort Wayne (Cathedral); G Charles Cooper, Green Bay (Gary Wallace); G Tony Willis, Illinois State (Ben Davis); F Collin Hartman, Indiana (Cathedral); F Matt O’Leary, IUPUI (Terre Haute North); G Kellon Thomas, IUPUI (Southport); G Ron Patterson, IUPUI (Broad Ripple); G Eron Harris, Michigan State (Lawrence North); G K.J. Walton, Missouri (Brownsburg); G Cole Murray, Northern Kentucky (Delphi); C Trevor Thompson, Ohio State (Ben Davis); F Zoran Talley, Old Dominion (Merrillville); G Devin Cannady, Princeton (Mishawaka Marian); G P.J. Thompson, Purdue (Brebeuf Jesuit); G Mike Crawford, Saint Louis (Tipton); F Ryan Welage, San Jose State (Greensburg); G Jaelan Sanford, Toledo (Evansville Reitz); G Ernie Duncan, Vermont (Evansville Harrison); G Dre Wills, Vermont (Ben Davis); G Bryce Moore, Western Michigan (Park Tudor).
• Find more players from Indiana in Division I: Check out our database.
