Indiana Transfer Portal Additions: Sam Alexis Provides Toughness At His Best

Editor's note: Hoosiers On SI looks at the Indiana players Darian DeVries has brought to the team from the transfer portal and their best performances.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The detail you notice first about Indiana portal addition Sam Alexis is that he left national champion Florida to join the Hoosiers.

On closer examination, however, you notice that Alexis didn’t play much for the Gators. He appeared in 24 games and averaged 11.9 minutes in those games. He didn’t make a single start for the Gators.

So what is Indiana coach Darian DeVries seeing? One has to look at Alexis’ 2023-24 season at Chattanooga.

It’s the one time in Alexis’ career that he was a regular part of the rotation. He averaged 10.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and a Southern Conference-best 2.1 blocks.

Nearly all of the best statistical games Alexis has had can be traced to his final season at Chattanooga. DeVries and his coaching staff are hoping they can tune him in to generate similar production in cream and crimson.

Here’s a look at some examples of Alexis when he’s been at his best in his career.

Big Moment

Chattanooga Mocs forward Sam Alexis (4) pulls down a rebound over forward Jan Zidek (20) and Louisville Cardinals forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (5) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Chattanooga defeated Louisville 81-71. | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

There are games where your big moment comes at clutch time or via a winning shot, but there are also big moments where you control a game nearly from start to finish.

On Nov. 19, 2023, Alexis experienced this rare feeling against Tennessee Tech.

In a tight game against the Golden Eagles, Alexis was part of the difference as Tennessee Tech had no answer when it came to stopping the 6-foot-9 forward.

Alexis had a double-double against the Golden Eagles by halftime. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action. Still, the Mocs trailed at the break.

Alexis just kept on dominating. He scored another 11 points in the second half to go with six rebounds after the break. The Mocs needed every bit of Alexis’ 22 points and 15 rebounds as they rallied to beat Tennessee Tech, 68-63.

“The thing that I like the best is his rebounding effort night-in and night-out. He's playing more controlled and that's big for a sophomore. He's going to continue to get better,” Chattanooga coach Dan Earl said after the game.

Scoring

Fifteen of Alexis’s 16 best scoring efforts came at Chattanooga. Oddly, the one Florida game in the mix for Alexis – a 14-point effort – came against Jasai Miles and Josh Harris in a 99-45 win for the Gators against North Florida in December.

Alexis topped 20 points three times with the Mocs. His career-high was 27 points against non-Division I Covenant.

While big men shoot higher percentages since much of their offense comes at the rim, it’s still impressive that Alexis has shot 50% or better in 50 of his 89 career games. In 35 of those games, Alexis took at least five shots.

His career best was a 7-for-7 shooting performance against Wofford in January 2024. His career best in field goals made is 10 in a game against Mercer in 2023.

Alexis is a career 28.6% 3-point shooter, but he fires away just enough to have to account for him. He went 4-for-6 from 3-point range in that same victory against Mercer. He had seven games where he didn’t miss from 3-point range, all in games with two 3-point attempts or less.

Alexis is not a good free throw shooter at 51.6%. He twice went 4-for-4 in his career at the line, but he’s also had 15 games where he had at least one attempt and didn’t make a free throw.

Other Statistics Of Note

Fantastic rebounding is what stands out for Alexis. He’s had 17 games where he reached double-digit rebounding totals, including a pair of 12-rebound efforts with Florida. His career-best of 17 rebounds came in an 84-75 victory against Mercer in February 2024.

Alexis cleans the offensive glass, too. He’s had nine games with five offensive rebounds or more. As part of that 17-rebound effort against Mercer, he had a career-high seven offensive boards.

Alexis can protect the rim. He’s had five blocked shots in a game twice and at least four blocks in 10 games.

For a big man, he can dish the ball. At Chattanooga, Alexis had five games with at least four assists.

Advanced Statistics

As you might guess, Alexis looks good in advanced statistics that track rebounds and blocks.

Leaders for advanced stats can be murky by conference as there is no minimum standard for inclusion, but Alexis had an offensive rebounding percentage of 14.5% at Florida last season. That would make him one of the best rebounders in the country in that category.

Alexis did lead the Southern Conference in total rebounding percentage at 19.6% in 2024.

His block percentages are also prodigious. He blocked 9.1% of available shots in his final season at Chattanooga. His career percentage is 7.6%.

Alexis fits DeVries’ teams to a tee. While DeVries values shooters and perimeter defenders, nearly all of his teams have also had a rebounding and rim protecting player like Alexis. Perhaps his time at Indiana will bring out the best in him again.

Big Moment

Scoring

Other Statistics Of Note

Advanced Statistics

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