Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our player-by-player recap of the 2023-24 Indiana Hoosiers. As we speak: Kaleb Banks.
Banks (21 video games): 2.6 factors, 1.8 rebounds and 39.2 FG% in 10.6 minutes per sport.
Beforehand: Gabe Cupps, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau, Kel’el Ware
After a freshman season the place he flashed potential as an vitality piece off the bench, hopes have been excessive for Kaleb Banks coming into his second season in Bloomington.
A 6-foot-8 ahead from Hampton, Georgia, Banks was the No. 96 ranked recruit nationally within the 2022 RSCI rankings. One of many first highschool recruits to decide to the Hoosiers underneath Mike Woodson in the summertime of 2021, the potential by no means materialized for Banks in Bloomington.
Early in his sophomore season, it appeared Banks can be an everyday a part of the IU rotation. He logged double-figure minutes in 13 of IU’s first 13 video games.
The excessive marks for Banks got here in wins towards Louisville at Madison Sq. Backyard and Kennesaw State at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor.
Within the victory towards the Cardinals, Banks logged 25 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet. He completed with 4 factors, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocked photographs and three steals in a sport the Hoosiers needed to come from behind to win.
Just a little over a month later, Banks scored in double figures for the primary and solely time in an IU uniform towards the Owls. The Georgia native had 12 factors to associate with 5 rebounds and an help in a 100-87 win.
Nonetheless, after logging double-figure minutes towards Nebraska and Ohio State to open the brand new calendar 12 months, Banks disappeared from the rotation.
Over Indiana’s ultimate 18 video games, Banks logged 21 minutes. In 12 of these contests, he by no means entered the sport.
So what occurred?
Because the rotation tightened within the coronary heart of convention play, Banks was the odd man out. Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako’s minutes, a starter all season, started to take much more minutes as his protection improved and extra of his photographs began to fall down the stretch. Anthony Walker was a greater choice than Banks within the eyes of the teaching employees due to his athleticism and expertise.
Banks additionally wanted to do extra to instill confidence that he may very well be counted on when he performed frequently for the season’s first two months. His inefficient capturing numbers have been an enormous a part of the issue. He shot 25 p.c on 3s (20 makes an attempt) and 47.4 p.c from the free throw line (19 makes an attempt). Contained in the arc, he linked at only a 48.4 p.c clip on 2s.
Unsurprisingly, Banks entered his title into the switch portal after the season. With no clear function for the longer term and the Hoosiers including extra wing expertise from the portal, Banks will now search a brand new dwelling the place he can play frequently for his ultimate seasons of eligibility.
Backside Line: Banks has but to choose a brand new faculty and is the lone Hoosier remaining within the switch portal as of Friday morning. He has expertise to unlock and wishes a chance to get minutes to understand his potential. At Indiana, that chance wasn’t going to be realized, so he made the proper resolution to maneuver on from this system.
Quotable: “The wonder about this summer time, a whole lot of these guys, they caught round they usually put within the work, particularly CJ and Kaleb Banks. I’m anticipating extra out of them. They’re not freshmen anymore. I would like extra. We’d like it as a ballclub. They’re working in that space. They’ve completed some fairly good issues this summer time for us. However we nonetheless as a crew, we have now a methods to go but.” – Mike Woodson at media day final fall when requested in regards to the offseason growth of his sophomore class.
Filed to: Kaleb Banks
