Indiana men’s basketball landed its second 2026 recruit, as small forward Vaughn Karvala announced his commitment Saturday on a YouTube live stream. Karvala chose the Hoosiers over Xavier University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Karvala, who 247 Sports ranked as the 42nd-best player nationally and 20th-best small forward, joins four-star combo guard Prince-Alexander Moody in the Hoosiers’ class.
The 6-foot-6, 180-pound Karvala played three seasons at Oregon High School in Oregon, Wisconsin, where he scored 26.7 points per game and shot 38.9% from 3-point range in 2024-25.
In early June, Karvala announced he’d transfer to Bella Vista College Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona, for his senior season. He’ll have the opportunity to showcase his skills against the nation’s top teams, as his squad will compete in the 20-team Nike EYBL Scholastic League.
Adam Finkelstein, 247 Sports’ Director of Scouting, evaluated Karvala in mid-July and tabbed him as a prospect “loaded with glaring upside.”
“He’s a big, nearly 6-foot-7 wing with a pretty shooting stroke from downtown,” Finkelstein wrote. “He runs well, covers the court and can rise up explosively to play above the rim. The key is putting it all together consistently and efficiently in order to impact winning to the highest degree.”
Karvala is a “projectable” shooter, Finkelstein said, and one who can positively impact DeVries’ philosophical love of shooting 3-pointers.
“The bottom line though is that he (Karvala) has extreme tools and could be in the very early stages of putting them all together,” Finkelstein said.
Indiana began pursuing Karvala in the beginning of October and hosted him Oct. 16 on a visit. Now, Karvala has a year to refine his skills at the highest level before he arrives at Indiana.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
