Indiana's Freshmen Check Into New Apartments, Ready to Get to Work

Freshmen Anthony Leal and Jordan Geronimo were featured in a tweet by Indiana Basketball as they moved into their new apartments right off campus.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The next phase of Indiana athletes making their way to campus on Monday included several freshmen basketball players. Anthony Leal, Jordan Geromino and Trey Galloway are all checked in to their apartments now.

That's the sign of a new season for sure.

The Indiana basketball Twitter account posted a video of Leal and Geronimo's new digs just around the corner from Assembly Hall on Monday. Galloway has checked in as well, and the fourth freshman, Khristian Lander, will make it to Bloomington a little later in the summer. He reclassified from the Class of 2021 earlier this spring.

Several of the returning players are back on campus now, as well, including sophomore-to-be Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was the team's leading scorer and rebounder a year ago during the Hoosiers' 20-12 season.

Players haven't been on campus since the season was ended prematurely by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indiana was playing in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis when the season was shut down. The Hoosiers had beaten Nebraska in the opening round that Wednesday night, March 11, but before they could play Penn State the next night, the tournament was halted. 

A few days later the NCAA Tournament was cancelled and then the entire Bloomington campus was shut down and all the IU students — including the entire basketball team — were sent home.

The NCAA approved the return of student-athletes to campus last month for voluntary workouts, and set a June 1 date for the return. Indiana first allowed 68 football players to return on June 8, followed by the basketball players and a second wave of football players,

Everyone has been tested for COVID-19 before they are allowed on campus, including players, coaches and staff. The school announced last Tuesday that 187 people had been tested, and there were no positive results.

The players live in apartments just west of Memorial Stadium, so it's easy to come and go from Cook Hall, the Hoosiers' practice facility. It was a short move for Leal, who is a Bloomington native. The Indiana Mr. Basketball winner a year ago, played at Bloomington South and grew up just a few miles from campus. 

Geronimo, a New Jersey native, played at a New Hampshire prep school. Galloway played at Culver Academy in central Indiana, and he's moved in as well. All workouts for players this month are voluntary.