Local Sports Headlines: May 1, 2023

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Indiana University Men’s Basketball adds Miami Florida Forward Anthony Walker as Graduate Transfer
Anthony Walker is a Hoosier. After four seasons at Miami, Walker, a 6-foot-9 forward, announced Saturday that he’s transferring to Indiana. After the departure of Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, Jordan Geronimo and Logan Duncomb, coach Mike Woodson replenished Indiana’s roster through the transfer portal with Kel’el Ware from Oregon, Payton Sparks from Ball State and Anthony Walker from Miami. This trio of forwards joins Malik Reneau, a sophomore next season, to complete Indiana’s 2023-24 front court.

With the addition of Walker, Indiana has two available scholarships for the 2023-24 season. The Hoosiers have been linked to Penn shooting guard transfer Jordan Dingle and five-star small forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who recently decommitted from Duke. Walker brings plenty of experience to Bloomington, playing 125 games with 19 starts across four seasons at Miami. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 2022-23 as Miami defeated Indiana on its way to the Final Four. In the Hurricanes’ 85-69 win over Indiana, Walker scored four points with two rebounds and one steal in 13 minutes of action. Walker joined Miami as a three-star recruit in the class of 2019, ranked No. 228 overall. Originally from Perry Hall High School outside of Baltimore, Md., he graduated from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Walker’s most productive statistical season came as a sophomore in 2020-21, when he averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.8 blocks per game, all career-high numbers. He scored in double figures in 14-of-26 games, along with four double-doubles. But after making 16 starts and playing 26.4 minutes per game in 2020-21, Walker started just three games across the next two seasons. His minutes decreased to 14.0 per game in 2021-22 and 10.2 in 2022-23. While Walker does most of his work around the rim, he’s willing to step out to the perimeter. Across four seasons, Walker made 29-of-141 3-point attempts, or 20.4 percent. His career field goal percentage is 43.2, and he shoots 66.1 percent from the free throw line.

Indiana University Football adds Stanford Tight End Bradley Archer from transfer portal
Indiana created depth in its tight end room with the addition of Stanford transfer Bradley Archer. Archer announced his decision Friday night on Twitter. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound tight end played four seasons at Stanford, catching four passes for 32 yards. As a freshman in 2019, Archer appeared in two games to redshirt and retain a year of eligibility. He played in four games as a sophomore in 2020.

Archer’s role increased as a junior in 2021, appearing in 11 games with four starts. He caught three passes for 32 yards, hauling in receptions against No. 24 UCLA, No. 3 Oregon and California. He played in 11 games in 2022 but did not catch any passes. Following spring practice on April 15 Indiana coach Tom Allen anticipated adding a veteran tight end through the transfer portal due to the position group’s inexperience.  With AJ Barner transferring to Michigan, Allen expects redshirt sophomores Aaron Steinfeldt and James Bomba, both Bloomington natives, to help lead the room. Steinfeldt caught six passes for 52 yards and a touchdown, and Bomba appeared in nine games, primarily for blocking purposes.

No Indiana University Football players chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft for the first time since 2013
Indiana’s streak of nine straight years with a player being selected in the NFL Draft came to an end in 2023.  The Hoosiers had at least one player selected every year from 2014-2022. But several former Hoosiers have signed undrafted free agent deals. Cornerback Tiawan Mullen has signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.  The former All-American will join fellow former IU defensive back Raheem Layne there. Safety Devon Matthews has signed with the Denver Broncos.  Matthews was IU’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.  He played in 52 games and had 217 tackles and four interceptions in five seasons.

Linebacker Cam Jones has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.  A report by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network indicates Jones got a $15,000 signing bonus and $135,000 base salary guarantee. Cornerback Jaylin Williams has signed with the Minnesota Vikings.  Williams played in 54 games with IU and had six career interceptions.  He was second team All-Big Ten in 2020. Offensive tackle Luke Haggard has signed with Tampa.  Haggard appeared in 28 games in three seasons at IU, with 26 starts. Defensive tackle Demarcus Elliott signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.  He started 42 of 44 career games at IU after transferring from Garden City (Kan.) Community College. Running back Shaun Shivers received a rookie mini-camp invite from the Seattle Seahawks.  He started all 12 games last year and went for 592 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry.

Indiana University Men’s Basketball adds Harvard & Auburn to 2023-24 non-conference schedule
Indiana added a pair of games to its 2023-24 non-conference schedule this week. Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers will play a neutral-site game against Auburn in Atlanta in December, according to a report from Jon Rothstein on Saturday. The date, time and location have not been announced. Auburn went 21-13 overall and finished seventh in the SEC at 10-8 in conference play. Coach Bruce Pearl will be in his 10th season at Auburn in 2023-24, holding a 187–111 overall record. Pearl has led Auburn to four NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the 2019 Final Four. 

On Friday, Rothstein reported that Indiana will host Harvard as part of its nonconference schedule. Harvard went 14-14 overall and finished seventh in the Ivy League in 2022-23. Coach Tommy Amaker also lost leading scorer Chris Ledlum, who’s transferring to Tennessee. While the full 2023-24 schedule has not been released, Indiana has a handful of known opponents. The Hoosiers will host Kansas and Harvard at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, along with the neutral-site game in Atlanta against Auburn. Indiana will also participate in the 2023 Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden, playing two games against UConn, Texas or Louisville.

Former Indiana University Men’s Basketball player Jordan Geronimo transfers to Maryland
After three seasons at Indiana, Jordan Geronimo is transferring to Maryland. He announced the decision Saturday morning on Twitter. Geronimo first joined the Hoosiers as a four-star recruit, ranked No. 105 in the class of 2020 out of St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. Although he boasted impressive athleticism and immense potential at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, his Indiana career never quite panned out. For three seasons, Geronimo played a backup role behind veteran forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson. In 82 total games with six starts, Geronimo played between 8.1 and 12.6 minutes per game each season, posting career-long averages of 3.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game. He shot 52.8 percent overall, with a 31.0 3-point shooting percentage across 58 attempts and a 52.3 free throw percentage. 

Geronimo entered the transfer portal after his freshman season when Indiana fired coach Archie Miller, but he decided to return to Indiana and play for coach Mike Woodson. As a sophomore in 2021-22, Geronimo recorded his first-career double double, a 13-point, 13-rebound effort against Merrimack on Dec. 12, 2021. Other notable performances included scoring 10 points in road wins at Minnesota and Nebraska. Perhaps the best game of his Indiana career came in the 2022 NCAA Tournament First Four round against Wyoming. In 19 minutes off the bench, Geronimo was second among Hoosiers with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting, seven rebonds, one block and one assist. Indiana lost its next game by 29 to Saint Mary’s, but Geronimo contributed nine points and six rebounds.

With a strong end to his sophomore season, it was reasonable to expect a breakout junior campaign. Whether it was blocking 10 shots in a two-game span in November or posting a double-double in Indiana’s 63-45 win over Wisconsin, Geronimo had a few standout moments as a junior 2022-23. He scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots in Indiana’s 80-65 win at Illinois on Jan. 19, but those moments were few and far between in the season’s home stretch. Still in a backup role off the bench, coupled with a dislocated finger and a calf injury, Geronimo had an inconsistent final season as a Hoosier. In the final 10 games, he scored just 11 total points with eight rebounds. His opportunities decreased, too, playing six minutes or less in seven of the final 10 games.

Geronimo’s jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism made for a number of highlight-reel dunks and crucial rebounds, but the other areas of his game never fully developed. He made 3-point shots against Iowa, Illinois and Michigan State this past year, but he shot 29.2 percent from beyond the arc in his final two seasons. He wasn’t a reliable ball-handler on the perimeter, and his defense away from the rim was inconsistent. It’s possible that Geronimo could have competed for a starting role at Indiana in 2023-24, but he decided to move on and Indiana added transfer forwards Kel’el Ware from Oregon and Payton Sparks from Ball State to replace him, Jackson-Davis and Thompson. Geronimo now joins a Maryland squad entering year two of the coach Kevin Willard era. In his first season, Willard led the Terrapins to a 22-13 overall record, a sixth-place finish in the Big Ten and the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, where they lost to No. 1 seed Alabama. Maryland lost Hakim Hart, Patrick Emilien and Don Carey from last year’s team, opening minutes for newcomers like Geronimo.

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