Indiana's Armaan Franklin Commits to Virginia
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Archie Miller was fired three weeks ago, Indiana guard Armaan Franklin took advantage of the opportunity to look around and entered the NCAA transfer portal, giving him a chance to seek alternatives.
He's found one, and on Thursday afternoon he announced that he was committing to the University of Virginia.
"Excited about the next chapter in my hoops life,'' Franklin tweeted. "Still, have to say a big thanks to the IU community, fans and my teammates for all their support. Know that I appreciate you all so much!
Franklin just completed his sophomore season at Indiana, and the 6-foot-4 guard from Indianapolis was one of the Hoosiers' few bright spots. He averaged 11.4 points this past season, and was Indiana's best perimeter player on both ends of the court. An outstanding defender, he also made 42.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
Franklin said when he entered the portal that he wouldn't make any decisions until Indiana hired a new head coach. He has talked with new Indiana coach Mike Woodson, and according to a source, he told Woodson Wednesday night that he wasn't coming back.
Virginia is coached by Tony Bennett, and the Cavaliers won the 2019 NCAA title. They went 18-7 this year won the ACC regular season title this year. Bennett is in the middle of restructuring his entire roster. His top two scorers, seniors Sam Hauser and Jay Huff, are both leaving and three others have entered the transfer portal.
Virginia had to drop out of the ACC tournament after a positive COVID-19 test, and only had one day to practice before their first-round NCAA Tournament game against Ohio, and got upset.
Franklin was one of six Indiana players who entered the transfer portal. Four of them – Race Thompson, Khristian Lander, Jordan Geronimo and Parker Stewart – decided to stay. Outside of Franklin, senior guard Al Durham also left, choosing o play his fifth and final season at Providence.
The Hoosiers have added one player to their roster from the transfer portal, former Pitt guard Xavier Johnson. They will likely tap into the portal further now that they know Franklin won't be returning.
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