IU basketball summer in review: Vaughn Karvala
- Alex Bozich
- 2h ago
Welcome to IU basketball “summer in review,” where we will recap the summer that was for the program’s 2026-27 roster.
The Hoosiers, representing the United States, played an exhibition game in Assembly Hall in July and four games in the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
Next up: Vaughn Karvala
Previously: Prince-Alexander Moody
A 6-foot-7, 190-pound wing from Oregon, Wisconsin, Karvala was the second player to commit to the Hoosiers in the 2026 recruiting class.
The Wisconsin native graduated from Bella Vista Prep in Arizona and played for Team Herro on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit.
You can read our summer feature on Karvala from June 27 at this link.
Game-by-game statistics for Karvala this summer
• Exhibition vs. Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf: Six points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field. He was 0-for-3 on 3-pointers. Karvala added two rebounds, a steal, a blocked shot and a turnovers in 15 minutes.
• FISU America Games vs. Peru: 13 points and seven rebounds.
• FISU America Games vs. Virgin Islands: 32 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists. Karvala shot 11-for-14 from the field, including 7-for-10 on 3-pointers and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
• FISU America Games vs. Chile: 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field to go along with two rebounds.
• FISU America Games vs Virgin Islands: Four points and two rebounds.
• Final Averages at the FISU America Games: Karvala averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocked shots. He shot 25-for-35 from the field (71.4 percent), 11-for-19 on 3-pointers (57.9 percent) and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line (80.0 percent).
Notes on Karvala from open practices
• June 18 practice notes: “Like Manhertz, it will take time for Karvala to get his body to be Big Ten ready. But he’ll have that time as a freshman. He also knocked down a solid percentage of his perimeter looks in Thursday’s practice. Karvala has explosiveness, good size and length.”
• June 25 practice notes: “It was a very good morning for Karvala, who is a good athlete capable of stretching the floor. He needs to keep getting stronger and putting on weight, but the talent is there to earn consideration for minutes as a freshman. Karvala hasn’t tried to do too much in the two practices we’ve watched and has opted for the simple plays available, an encouraging sign for a newcomer.”
• July 7 practice notes: “Long term, there’s a lot of potential with Karvala. He’s very active on both ends of the floor, can make perimeter shots and he’s athletic enough to get the occasional put-back in traffic. As is the case with Manhertz, he’ll have to keep getting stronger and more physical, which should come with time.”
Five summer quotes from Karvala
On how the summer has been going so far:
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight. That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster and everything.”
On whether the 3-point shot is an underrated part of his game:
“Honestly, yeah, I know my athleticism catches the eye a bunch, but I can still shoot it. But another thing is just working on just rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us and getting rid of their offensive rebounds.”
On how he ended up at Indiana after growing up in Wisconsin:
“Honestly, whenever I got here on my visit, it was home right then. Just getting to know all the people that were there last year, getting to know Tucker, getting to know DeVries. Just getting to know everybody here, I just knew it was home for me.”
On the biggest challenge he’s faced so far:
“Physicality, 100%. Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me. Just trying to fight with Samet (Yigitoglu), who is the biggest guy I’ve ever seen. Is some of that mental as well as physical? I mean, you have to prepare for the challenge. Just getting fully there mentally.”
On how many positions he feels comfortable defending:
“Two, three, and sometimes the four, depending on if they’re a roller four or if they’re a pop four, depends on which one it is, because a roller four, I’m going to have to fight a lot harder. Might need a little bit of help.”
Karvala video Q&A
Darian DeVries on Karvala following IU’s win to open the FISU America Games
“I think Vaughn’s done a great job. He’s really bought into doing the things we ask. He’s got great size, athleticism. He can really run. He’s skilled. And you got to see a little bit of all that in the game tonight. Well, maybe you didn’t. It depends on how clear that view was. But he was aggressive attacking the glass. He caught a lob, shooting threes. So he’s someone that’s just going to continue to get better and better, because I think there’s a lot there for him to continue to grow into.”
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