Our Hoosier State of Mind team hasn’t quite attained psychic status, and we hold immense respect for the dedicated coaching staffs and front office executives who tirelessly build competitive basketball teams for their fanbases at both college and professional levels. However, assembling a team with the potential to thrive in today’s basketball landscape isn’t overly complex.
First and foremost, you need an exceptional coach. Indiana not only boasts a great coach but one who is often underrated and undervalued. Assuming you can find a suitable candidate to lead the program off the court (which IU undoubtedly has), you can then focus on the next step: securing star power on the court.
To begin, you need at least one cornerstone, star-quality player. Indiana potentially has up to four star-caliber players this season, including returning players like Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako, along with new additions Myles Rice and Bryson Tucker. These players have consistently outperformed their peers, with Reneau notably improving his performance significantly last season.
While Mgbako had a slow start in the previous season, his growth throughout the year was evident. With players like Rice, who was recognized as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and Tucker, an ESPN-ranked incoming freshman, the team possesses genuine star potential.
With a quartet of star-caliber players, Indiana should easily move on to the next phase of building a competitive basketball roster: assembling a top-tier supporting cast.
