IU Basketball transfer portal spotlight: Tayton Conerway

IU basketball has added 10 players this spring from the transfer portal. Player by player, we’ll take a look at each addition in our “transfer portal spotlight” series.

Today: Tayton Conerway

Previously: Tucker DeVries, Conor Enright, Reed Bailey, Lamar Wilkerson, Jasai Miles

Bio: 6-foot-3, 186-pound senior guard from Burleson, Texas

Previous schools: Grayson College (2020-21 season), Ranger College (2021-23, two seasons), Troy (2023-25, two seasons)

Career stats: 13.0 points, 3.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 25.3 minutes per game. Conerway is a career 47.3 percent shooter from the field, a career 29.2 percent 3-point shooter and a 68.9 percent free-throw shooter.

Career accolades: Sun Belt player of the year (2024-25), All-Sun Belt first team (2024-25), Sun Belt sixth man of the year (2023-24), Texas Association of basketball coaches JUCO player of the year (2022-23), NJCAA Division I All-American first team (2022-23)

Recruitment background

Indiana won a competitive recruitment against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt for Conerway, who helped lead Troy to the 2025 NCAA tournament.

He announced his commitment to the Hoosiers late in the evening on Wednesday, April 16, becoming the sixth portal addition of the spring for Darian DeVries and the coaching staff.

Notes on his game

Conerway is a steady veteran who worked his way through the college basketball ranks to arrive in Bloomington. A class of 2020 recruit, he played at two junior colleges before arriving at Troy in the 2023-24 season, where he broke out.

After winning the Sun Belt sixth man of the year award in the 2023-24 campaign, Conerway took his game to another level last season. He was named the Sun Belt player of the year after stuffing the stat sheet and leading the Trojans to a 23-11 mark and a 13-5 record in league play.

Conerway ranked third in the country in steal percentage, according to KenPom.com, and finished third in the country with 98 steals in 34 games. In 30.3 minutes per game last season, Conerway averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals.

In addition to his defensive prowess, Conerway was an elite distributor. He ranked 20th in the country in assist rate, according to KenPom.com, at 36.8 percent. While perimeter shooting isn’t a strength for Conerway, he does a great job getting paint touches with the ball in his hands, where he can finish plays or find open teammates for easy looks or kick-outs to the perimeter.

Scouting report

“Conerway plays with an edge and has the instincts to move up to the high-major level. The Sun Belt Player of the Year ranked third nationally in steals per game (2.9) and has quick hands. He’s a below-average shooter (29.2 percent from 3 in two years at Troy) and is at his best attacking the rim. He has blow-by speed and works well out of ball screens, then is fearless when he attacks the basket. He’d work well as more of a setup man who can be disruptive defensively, attack the paint on offense and be more picky with the jumpers he takes. If he’s willing to see his usage decrease, he’ll be a good fit just about anywhere.” – C.J. Moore, The Athletic

“Extremely fast going north and south, and a very good finisher. He never gets sped up. His passing and ability to create shots for his teammates make him special. He is a little high risk, high reward. 3-point shooting was streaky. Has cat-quick reflexes defensively which allow him to finish among the top in the country in steals. Gets a ton of deflections. He is higher risk defensively. He will be as fast as anyone going north and south. Laterally, not elite. Jumping, he shows glimpses of elite athleticism.” – Anonymous coach via Jeff Goodman on X.

Tayton Conerway highlights

Category: Commentary

Filed to: Tayton Conerway