IU basketball freshman Trevor Manhertz focused on building confidence ahead of first season

Trevor Manhertz attempts a shot.

A 6-foot-8 lefty with a smooth shooting stroke, it’s not hard to see why Trevor Manhertz was a coveted prospect nationally.

A product of the Christ School in Cary, North Carolina, Manhertz took official visits to three schools – Duke, Indiana and Louisville – before choosing the Hoosiers in late January.

Now more than a month into his work on campus in Bloomington as a member of the 2026-27 IU basketball roster, Manhertz is adjusting to the rigors of the college game.

“I think it’s been really, really good,” Manhertz said last week following an IU practice at Cook Hall. “Coming in, I didn’t know what to expect other than it’s gonna be hard. So I think us having practices that are hard but not like draining is really good for me just to get into college shape, college physicality.”

Listed at 185 pounds on IU’s official roster, strength and physicality appear to be the biggest challenges for Manhertz as he prepares for his first season as a Hoosier.

In the three practices open to the media, he’s been most effective as a spot-up shooter who can provide floor spacing.

This week’s exhibition game at Assembly Hall, as well as IU’s upcoming trip to Lima, Peru, for the FISU America Games, should provide Manhertz with some game experience that most freshmen don’t get in the summer before their first season.

“I think the trip overall is going to be really good,” Manhertz said. “And the game on the 15th, I think, will be a good first little dip into the first home game. I think just playing all those games with a whole new team, you can’t get much better than that.”

Manhertz, who is rooming with freshmen Prince-Alexander Moody and Vaughn Karvala, said he’s been leaning on IU’s lone returnee, Trent Sisley, for advice, along with point guard Markus Burton. Upon his arrival in Bloomington, Burton attended his early workouts and provided helpful feedback.

As he works to earn a role as a freshman, Manhertz said the biggest thing he’s working on right now is building his confidence.

“Right now, new team, I feel like I’m getting to know everyone,” he explained. “But I’m not as confident as I was last year (in high school), so I think just getting my confidence back up and I’ll be there.”

Manhertz cited his strong relationship with the coaching staff – assistant coach Rod Clark was his primary recruiter – as the reason he chose Indiana.

Now that he’s on campus, he said the staff is helping him become more comfortable as the days and weeks go by.

“They’ve been very helpful,” Manhertz said of the IU coaching staff. “They tell me to shoot the ball, they tell me when I make a good play and when I make a bad play. They tell me to do it again but just make the right read out of it so I think just encouraging me to do the right things always helps me.”

In addition to working on his confidence ahead of the 2026-27 season, Manhertz is also working to forge bonds with his teammates.

The extended practice time in June and July, as the team prepares for Peru, has helped develop those relationships.

“I think it’s gone really well,” Manhertz said. “Some people are more outgoing than others. That brings the shyer people like myself just more into each other. When that happens, we’re a lot more connected and I think that’s been what’s happening. We’ve got a lot of connection the past couple weeks.”

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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