Former Indiana men’s basketball junior forward Payton Sparks is transferring back to Ball State University, he announced Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Sparks initially entered the transfer portal March 19.
Sparks spent one season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Ball State last summer. He’s one of three Indiana players to enter the portal, joining a pair of sophomores in forward Kaleb Banks and guard CJ Gunn.
Sparks made 24 appearances with two starts this season. He averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game while shooting 51.4% from the field. His best outing of the year was against Kennesaw State University, when Sparks notched a season high of 10 points and eight rebounds.
During his first stint at Ball State, Sparks was a two-time All-MAC performer and was the 2022 MAC Freshman of the Year. He averaged 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game while shooting 56.0% from the field in his two seasons with the Cardinals.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
