Indiana Basketball Hopeful Injury-Recovered Nick Dorn Will Play in Season Opener

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana men's basketball will begin the 2025-26 season shorthanded, but the Hoosiers are poised to take another step closer to full health when they face Alabama A&M at 8 p.m. Wednesday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana junior guard Nick Dorn, who did not play in the Hoosiers' three Puerto Rico exhibition games nor in preseason matches versus Marian and Baylor, is in line to make his Indiana debut Wednesday night.

"We do hope to have Nick available for Wednesday," Indiana coach Darian DeVries said Monday night on the Inside Indiana Basketball radio show. "So that was great news for us. He did go back and got some good report today. So that was awesome for us."

Dorn, a transfer from Elon University, returned to practice during non-contact periods in late September before acclimating into five-on-five contact sessions in mid-October.

DeVries said the Hoosiers are still determining the extent of Dorn's role against Alabama A&M.

"Because he's still working his way back into getting in shape and going through full practices, which he was starting to do last week," DeVries said. "So, excited to get him out there and see what he can do, but certainly on the right track right now of getting him back sooner than later."

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Dorn underwent surgery this offseason to fix a Jones fracture in his foot and subsequently missed extensive time.

Dorn is expected to be a potent 3-point shooter for the Hoosiers, as he made 108 triples last season at Elon and connected on 37.8% of his high-volume attempts. Indiana senior guard Conor Enright said Dorn has impressed from beyond the arc in practice.

"I've seen him (in) shooting drills where he makes 20 in a row," Enright said Monday night. "So, he definitely can shoot it.”

No matter if Dorn plays Wednesday night, the Hoosiers will still be shorthanded. Sophomore forward Josh Harris is "going to be out for a while," DeVries said. Harris has worn a boot on his right foot and ridden around Assembly Hall on a scooter with his right leg elevated since suffering an injury in late September.

Indiana's backcourt will be short on depth, too, as junior guard Jason Drake and freshman guard Aleksa Ristic are working back from lower-body injuries.

"We have a couple of other guys that are battling through some injuries right now," DeVries said. "They aren't going to be available for the foreseeable future. We're hoping to get them back here at some point, but that's a little ways away yet."

In the same breath, DeVries said he expects Enright and redshirt senior guard Tayton Conerway to handle primary point guard responsibilities for "at least the first month of the season," which adds a clearer timeline to the status of Drake and Ristic.

Should Dorn be available Wednesday, the Hoosiers will have 10 scholarship players healthy — all but Harris, Drake and Ristic — entering the first regular season game of DeVries' tenure.

As for the other three? It's only a matter of time.

"They're getting closer," DeVries said. "And I mean, every day is closer."