College Hoops Top 50

Everybody has heard of that one season back in 1978-79. Back when a local kid named Larry Bird was a Sycamore, Indiana State was as great as just about anyone. That was almost 50 years ago now, though; and the Sycamores have only been back to the Big Dance three times since Bird took his talents to international superstardom in the NBA. This year, the Sycamores are taking a more balanced approach: and they’re thinking about making a return to the Madness. 

Off to a 9-1 start to begin their third year under head coach Josh Schertz, Indiana State has racked up some solid wins already – and absolutely ran some of their opponents out of the gym. This is a team with four scoring stars, three versatile playmakers, two turtle doves and one of the nation’s most highly-skilled young big men. After 23 wins last season, the Sycamores are showing that they’re legitimate contenders – and before March arrives, you ought to get to know them. 

The Sycamores’ attack is headed by outstanding perimeter shooting from Isaiah Swope and Ryan Conwell, tough two-way play from Jayson Kent, and inside-out scoring and playmaking from center Robbie Avila. It’s so much more than just that, though. For instance, Indiana State’s five starters are shooting 45.7% from the land of trey combined. The Sycamores are sharing the ball to the tune of 18.2 assists per game, good for 15th in the nation. And they’re scoring 88+ points per game – eighth among all Division I teams. 

Swope is from Newburgh, IN, on the Kentucky border, and first debuted as a scoring threat for Southern Indiana. There he was named first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference after ranking top ten in the league in scoring, assists, and steals per game last year. Now, Swope is bringing his game to a new level this year in Terre Haute. Evidence? He currently sits third in the Missouri Valley Conference in 3FG%, second in steals per game, and second in scoring average. As if all that wasn’t impressive enough, Swope’s 34 total made triples currently rank tenth in the whole country. 

A highly capable playmaker in his own right, the diminutive Swope is being allowed to play to his best strengths on this team which features facilitators of all shapes and sizes. Though he’s a deep threat first and foremost, Swope isn’t just a spot-up threat. He’s creative off the bounce, and though he’s shooting 57.7% inside the arc for a team which helps one another to get great looks at a great rate, just 12.0% of Swope’s 2FG’s have been assisted makes. When Schertz needs someone to create a good look, Swope is a great option, and is proving to be one of the toughest covers in the Valley. He unfortunately missed the Sycamores’ most recent win against his old team, Southern Indiana, with an undisclosed injury, but the Sycamores hope to have their rising bucket-getter back soon. 

Probably the biggest – literally and figuratively – contributor to Swope’s freedom to operate is that opposing defenses are learning to fear the elite offensive versatility of Avila. A sophomore from the suburbs of Chicago, Avila has taken the MVC by storm in his second season. After flashing tremendous promise in starting 29 games last year as a freshman, Avila is showing off a well-developed arsenal this season. He’s averaging 16.6 points, 3.8 assists, scoring from all three levels, and converting all sorts of free throw tries. Avila’s slash line of 63.8/40.0/80.6% so far is outstanding, and his savvy in the halfcourt seems well beyond his years. Avila is comfortable with the ball in his hands and moves it briskly whether at the top of the key or dropping off slick feeds in the lane. With his range from the outside, Avila inverts the Indiana State offense, both dragging efenders out to splash jumpers in their faces and then presenting accurate feeds to his cutting teammates. In a matchup against Rice and their fifth-year playmaking center Max Fiedler, Avila stole the show with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Unlike so many young bigs with his range, Avila keeps his focus inside rather than just hanging out on the perimeter; nearly two-thirds of his made baskets have come near the rim, where he’s shooting 64.7%, per Bart Torvik. His 23.8% assist rate ranks eighth in the Valley, and Avila has also made noticeable strides defensively and as a solid rebounder to pair with Kent. Really, there’s not much Avila hasn’t done at a very high level so far. Now that Schertz has found such a great and multi-skilled player to run his offense through, the Sycamores’ ceiling has grown to a great height. 

One reason that Kent, a bouncy wing forward, has been such a great pairing with Avila is that it’s not their first rodeo as teammates – Avila and Kent played together at Oak Forest, IL, High School. A former Bradley transfer, Kent started 25 games over his first three seasons, but had largely been a high-energy reserve who averaged about 15 minutes per game. This year, Kent has been on the court for nearly 29 minutes per contest as he’s given the Sycamores strong, versatile defense and another wonderfully efficient offensive player. Kent is getting his 13+ points per game on just over seven shot attempts per contest. With 11 dunks already, he’s shooting 72.9% on 2-point tries and 67.1% overall. Kent has focused his efforts inside more than ever before, capitalizing on the great feeds from his friends and leading Indiana State with 9 putback stabs through 10 games. Balancing his game, Kent will stick a triple if left open; and though never a high-volume outside shooter, Kent is hitting from distance at a 42.9% rate to start his fourth year. 

While it’s taken Kent a few years to truly hit his stride, sophomore Conwell found the correct fit in Terre Haute comparatively quickly. Though he’s from Indiana, Conwell debuted for South Florida last year, and started 21 games. He averaged just 5.1 points on 34.0% shooting, though, and headed back north for an opportunity to score in Schertz’s system. So far, Conwell has fit seamlessly as the team’s co-deep threat. He’s a bigger guard than Swope, and has knocked down 25 triples at a 43.1% rate in a Sycamore jersey, providing a dangerous complement on the outside. While more of a spot-up shooter than his smaller teammate, Conwell is also showing that he will get through the lane to score. Schertz has assembled this group with an intention to make three’s or get to the rim, and Conwell is the type of wing scorer who should continue to thrive in such a system. 

Julian Larry and Xavier Bledson have been with Schertz since he first came to Indiana State; and for Bledson, Schertz is the only college coach he’s ever known. Six years ago, Bledson debuted for Schertz while both of them were in Harrogate, TN. There, at Lincoln Memorial University, Schertz led the Railsplitters to 10 Division II NCAA Tournaments in his 13 years, and when he moved on up to Terre Haute, Bledson came along to help his coach establish a winning culture and plan of attack. Bledson is a big, strong playmaker whose versatility at both ends of the floor have proven very valuable at both of his stops. As a Sycamore, Bledson has largely been the team’s 6th man, averaging 19 minutes played, 7.5 points, and shooting 85.2% from the foul line across his three seasons. While Avila is a playmaking out of the post and Schertz also employs some more traditional point guards, Bledson is a full-grown 6’6″, 215-pound dude who can facilitate for his teammates while filling a couple of different needs due to his stature and tough-minded approach. Bledson can also defend and score in the paint in Schertz’s scheme which doesn’t demand a true post player. He’s very clever at keeping the ball moving to places of good opportunity, and can take his turn coordinating the Sycamores’ attack while the primary scorers get to where they’re best. Bledson’s high-end efficiency – he’s shooting 84.6% on 2FG’s near the rim this year, per Bart Torvik – has been an example to his teammates, and when he’s out there, Bledson has proven himself as trustworthy as they come. 

Chances to Grow the Resumé

@ Michigan State – December 29

vs Drake – February 3

@ Missouri State – February 10

Though Larry was already a Sycamore in his freshman season prior to Schertz’s arrival, the fourth-year guard has fit right in with his new coach. Larry has grown his role each season, and is now leading the team in minutes played. An 80-game starter in Terre Haute, Larry owns a reliable 254:142 career assist to turnover ratio, and he’s bumped that mark up to a 3:1 split to begin this season. Just as excitingly, Larry’s percentage from deep has risen significantly each year of his career; and so far, he’s just about shooting the leather off the ball this year. From 27.0% as a rookie up to 35.0% and then last year’s 46.4% rate on triples, Larry has shown that despite not shooting an overabundance of treys, he must be guarded. Over the first month of this season, it hasn’t really mattered however many hands people are sticking into his face, though. Larry is 13 of his first 21 triple tries (61.9%) so far, and he’s making 56.1% of his shot attempts overall. His value extends to the other side of the floor, as well. Last season, Larry was named to the MVC’s All-Defense team, and he spearheads things on the perimeter with both tight-on ball pressure and the ability to come up with impact plays. Larry owns 124 steals across his 101 career games played, and has ranked among the Valley’s top ten ball thieves each of the past three seasons. 

Outside of the top six in their rotation, the Sycamores have a varied group of reserves who have had to fight for their minutes. Veterans Masen Miller and Jake Wolfe have earned every-game roles, and add further depth to Indiana State’s terrific perimeter group. Wolfe, who like Bledson is in his sixth year with a redshirt season thrown in, had started 94 games for Lipscomb and Morehead State prior to choosing the Sycamores for his final collegiate season. While he’s never been a prime-time scorer, Wolfe is another heady, slick-passing guy who has seen it all, and plays steady minutes when he’s in. Wolfe has shot it at a 48.8/36.0/70.6% rate across his career, and has handed out 233 assists against 189 turnovers; exactly the sort of reliable production which makes Schertz feel good about bringing him into the game in any lineup. 

Miller, who played with now-graduated Sycamore Cade McKnight and current Drake big man Eric Northwether while at Division II Truman State a couple of years ago, has gained a legitimate place in the rotation this season. The Iowa City product is shooting 39.1% from downtown in his 11.7 minutes per game – though he doesn’t shoot from inside the arc very often. He’s got 10 assists and no turnovers so far, though, and that sort of clean living will continue to earn Miller run. Up front, Avila is the most experienced player in a frontcourt which Schertz is hoping to develop as MVC play rolls on. A freshman this year, Virginia product Jaden Daughtry nonetheless has the broad shoulders and inside-out scoring game to help out right away. Schertz has called the 6’7″ combo forward a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ type of player, and while Swope couldn’t play the other day against his old team, Daughtry stole some of the show with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double in just 14 minutes played. Derek Vorst is the only player in Schertz’s rotation who’s of a size with Avila, and the freshman pivot has genuine skill of his own. The Rossford, OH, native is a coach’s son who can finish around the basket and handle the ball with either hand, and has shown expanding shooting range as well. 

Josh Schertz worked with current Milwaukee head coach Bart Lundy at both Queens College and High Point in North Carolina before his highly successful run at Lincoln Memorial. For his 10 trips to that division’s tourney, Schertz was awarded 7 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year awards, and the Sycamore’s boss developed his own version of tempo-pushing, outside-bombing, quality shot-manufacturing offense. 

Now that he has players which fit the vision, work their tails off, and understand how to play off of one another, Schertz’s scheme is being realized to its fullest potential. Indiana State doesn’t just score like crazy; they move crisply and cleverly with or without the ball, share it well, and are making an extraordinarily efficient rate of their shots as a result. It’s an approach which should continue to function at a very high level, allowing the Sycamores to remain in contention for a Valley title all winter. 

As they continue to fine-tune the lineup and get consistently big performances from a half-dozen different guys, Indiana State also has the look of a team which will be trouble outside of league play come March. In early October, Schertz was rewarded with a contract extension through the 2027-28 season, and with each passing game, that decision looks better and better.

Who knew that trees could be so dangerous? It’s been awhile, but Indiana State is becoming a true power once again. They may not have one of the greats of all time on the current roster, but this year’s Sycamores are out to make their own unique mark in college hoops history.