A look at how former Hoosiers are performing at their new schools
Three players from Indiana’s 2023-24 roster entered the transfer portal last spring after playing limited roles for the Hoosiers last season.
Here’s a detailed look at how each of the three players – CJ Gunn, Kaleb Banks and Payton Sparks – are performing at their new schools this season:
CJ Gunn, DePaul Blue Demons
The Indianapolis native missed the first two games for the Blue Demons due to injury but has played for first-year coach Chris Holtmann in the last nine games.
Gunn has come off the bench at DePaul, which is 8-3 but has yet to beat a team inside the top 100 of the KenPom. The most notable for DePaul came last Saturday against Wichita State. Gunn had 22 points in 14 minutes in a 91-72 win against the Shockers. He was 5-for-6 on 2s and 4-for-6 on 3s.
For the season, Gunn is shooting 14-for-40 (35 percent) on 3s and 20-for-36 (55.6 percent) on 2s. He’s also limited his turnovers and has committed just six on the season.
Overall, Gunn is averaging 9.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. All of those numbers are career-highs for the Lawrence North product.
Kaleb Banks, Tulane Green Wave
Wins have been difficult for Banks to come by at Tulane, which is 5-7 under coach Ron Hunter. The Green Wave have yet to beat a team ranked better than 282nd in the KenPom rankings and lost at home to New Orleans, which is ranked 346th.
After appearing in just 21 games and averaging only 10.7 minutes last season in Bloomington, Banks has taken on a significant role at Tulane.
The Hampton, Georgia native leads the Green Wave in scoring, rebounding and blocks. The 6-foot-7 forward averages 17.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots in 32.3 minutes per game.
In Tulane’s most recent game, Banks exploded for 33 points and 16 rebounds in a 77-64 loss at Florida State.
He’s shooting 50 percent from the field, 41.2 percent on 3s and 82.5 percent from the free throw line. Banks has committed just four turnovers all season while using 21.2 percent of Tulane’s possessions.
Payton Sparks, Ball State Cardinals
After beginning his career at Ball State, Sparks transferred to Indiana last season for his junior campaign. After a limited role for the Hoosiers, the Winchester native transferred back to Muncie for his final season.
Sparks has nine of Ball State’s 10 games and has scored in double figures five times. His season-high thus far is 17 points against Franklin College on Nov. 8.
He also scored in double figures against Bellarmine (12 points), Eastern Kentucky (12 points), Detroit Mercy (10 points) and Indiana State (16 points).
As of Tuesday, the Cardinals are just 4-6 and No. 293 in the KenPom rankings.
Sparks averages 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 18 minutes per game, which are lower numbers than his first two seasons at Ball State. He’s shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 59 percent from the free-throw line.
(Photo credit: Tulane Athletics)
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