Breaking down the top impact transfers Indiana basketball will face in 2024-25

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball’s haul in the transfer portal currently ranks second in the country, according to 247 Sports.

Coach Mike Woodson has remade the roster after falling short of the NCAA tournament last season, but the portal was as busy as ever with teams from across the Big Ten being just as active.

Here’s a list of the top transfers IU will face during the 2024-25 season (presented in alphabetical order), it’s a list that will grow in the coming weeks as some top names still are on the market and the Hoosiers finalize their non-conference schedule:

More: IU Insider mailbag Q&A: On frontcourt depth concerns, Adidas, fan frustrations, scheduling

Top transfers Indiana basketball will face during the 2024-25 season

Kylan Boswell, PG; Illinois (Arizona)

Kylan could be a breakout player in the Big Ten. He was solid in Arizona, but he’s one of the youngest players in his class and still flashed a ton of potential. He can shoot (37.9% from 3-point range last season), effectively run the pick and roll and is a plus-defender.

Aaron Bradshaw, C; Ohio State (Kentucky)

The former consensus five-star prospect put up modest numbers as a true freshman for Kentucky with 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, but he missed the entire preseason while rehabbing a foot injury and played limited minutes (13.7 per game with only 10 starts). The athletic 7-foot-1, 225-pounder will probably get some more playing time in Columbus. Indiana will play the Buckeyes twice in 2024-25.

Frankie Fidler, SF; Michigan State (Omaha)

Michigan State was the only team in the Power Five that didn’t sign a transfer in 2022 and 2023. Coach Tom Izzo is hoping Fidler can provide a lift for an offense that only averaged 72.9 points per game last season. Fiddler averaged 20.1 points (his third straight year averaging double-digits) and 6.3 rebounds per game last season while shooting 45% from the field. He’s also shot 35.4% from 3-point range for his career.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, PG; Maryland (Belmont)

Gillespie was Maryland’s top-rated transfer signee. He was a dynamic talent out of the Missouri Valley Conference coming off an impressive sophomore campaign — he made the All-Conference second team, All-Defensive team and Most-Improve team. He filled up the stat sheet with 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. In two seasons, he shot 51.1% from the field and shot 38.7% from 3-point range in 2023-24. He will make an intriguing 1-2 punch alongside incoming freshman forward Derick Queen.

Vladislav Goldin, C; Michigan (FAU)

Dusty May brought a familiar face with him to Ann Arbor. The 7–foot-1, 240-pounder out of Russia helped FAU make a run to the Final Four in 2022-23 as the only player on the team to start all 39 games. He shot 62.5% from the field while averaging 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Goldin improved his numbers across the board last season including that impressive field goal percentage (67.3%). He’s not a guy with range — he’s never attempted a 3-pointer during his collegiate career — but he’s a bruiser that May knows how to get the most out of.

Kobe Johnson, SF; UCLA (USC)

Not the most imposing offensive player — he has a career shooting percentage of 42.3% and only averaged 1.7 free throw attempts per game — but he’s an impressive lockdown defender who could challenge Mackenzie Mgabko. Johnson made the All-Pac 12 defensive team in consecutive seasons. He had a 4.1% steal rate last season (ranked No. 30 in Division 1, according to KenPom).

Great Osobor, C; Washington (Utah State)

One of the top frontcourt players in the transfer portal. Osobor reportedly got $2 million worth in NIL agreements for signing with Washington after winning Mountain West Conference player of the year honors. He will be an interesting match for IU’s new big man Oumar Ballo. The 6-foot-8, 250-pounder averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists last year with 15 double-doubles in 35 starts (33.7 minutes per game). He spent the first two seasons of his career at Montana State.

Danny Wolf, C: Michigan (Yale)

New Michigan coach Dusty May was as active as Mike Woodson in the portal during the offseason with an emphasis on bulking up in the post. Wolf, who has international experience playing for Team Israel in the 2023 FIBA Under-20 European Championships, averaged 14.1 points (47.2%), 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a sophomore. He helped Yale pull off an opening round upset over Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. He runs the floor and passes well for his size.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Who are the top transfers Indiana basketball will face in 2024-25?