Indiana men’s basketball has four transfer visits lined up for April 17-21, the heart of Little 500 week. The Hoosiers have four open scholarships remaining.
Wisconsin transfer and Fort Wayne, Indiana, native Connor Essegian started his IU visit Wednesday. The junior guard has two years of eligibility remaining.
Essegian spent two seasons with the Badgers. During his freshman year, he averaged 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game on 40.4% shooting on his way to Big Ten All-Freshman team honors.
However, his role and stats dipped his sophomore season. After earning 27.4 minutes per game his freshman campaign, that number dropped to 7.4 minutes last season. He scored 3.2 points and collected 0.8 rebounds on average on 38.5% shooting.
Essegian played against Indiana three times in his two seasons with Wisconsin. He posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in his freshman year, his only double double that season. In two contests this season, he scored just 4 points and grabbed one rebound. Indiana went 2-1 against Essegian and the Badgers.
Grace College transfer and LaGrange, Indiana, native Elijah Malone is slated to visit Indiana on Wednesday night through Thursday. The senior center has one year of eligibility remaining.
Malone pieced together a historic resume during his time at Grace. After being the school’s first All-American in 10 years his junior season, he became the school’s first NAIA National Player of the Year winner last year. He also won the 2024 Bevo Francis Award, given to the best player among levels Division II and lower.
He averaged 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in 22.5 minutes per game during his four years at Grace. During his award-winning senior season, he averaged 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest on 63% shooting and 36.9% from 3-point range.
Stanford University transfer Kanaan Carlyle is scheduled to visit Friday through Sunday. The freshman guard from Atlanta, Georgia, has three years of eligibility remaining. He is ranked the No. 10 player in the 247sports transfer portal rankings.
Carlyle averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game in 23 games for the Cardinal this season. He shot 38.6% from the field and 32% from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard was named an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honorable mention following the season. A 28-point, eight-rebound performance against the University of Arizona on Dec. 31 earned him an Associated Press National Player of the Week honor Jan. 2.
Drexel University transfer Amari Williams will visit IU on Friday and Saturday. The senior center hails from Nottingham, England, and has one year of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-10 big man became the first player in Coastal Athletic Association history to earn three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards. He averaged eight rebounds and two blocks per game during the stretch.
After an unproductive freshman campaign averaging four minutes per game, Williams became a staple in the Dragons’ rotation for the next three years. In addition to his defensive production, he averaged 11.8 points on 52.1% shooting.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball offseason.
