Sam Alexis Announces Return to Indiana Basketball: Why It's Huge for the Hoosiers

The Hoosiers' lone potential weakness from a personnel perspective was just flipped into a strength on Sunday following Sam Alexis' announcement.

Jan 27, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Sam Alexis (4) celebrates after a play against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Indiana made waves throughout the college hoops world with its splashy transfer class this offseason (and the Hoosiers’ freshman class wasn’t far behind).

But after revamping nearly the entire roster over the past few months, Darian DeVries and his coaching staff found themselves with an extra spot in late July – but it wasn’t by mistake.

“We still have one spot available… we were pretty intentional in leaving that open,” said DeVries last Tuesday, following his club’s impressive trip to Peru. 

And the Hoosiers’ patience paid off on Sunday. Just days after a monumental injunction in Colorado, which granted an extra year of eligibility for all Class of 2022 high school graduates, forward Sam Alexis announced his intention to return to Indiana. (Worth noting, the Colorado preliminary injunction is awaiting formal ruling.)

What the return of Sam Alexis could mean for Indiana

Entering the 2026-27 campaign, Indiana is loaded in the backcourt and on the wings. After struggling to find consistent rotational contributors last season, DeVries appears to have a surplus of options at his disposal – at least in the backcourt. 

The frontcourt was a different story, but not anymore. Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu were expected to be the starting bigs, while Trent Sisley would be the reserve forward and international recruit Clemens Sokolov was slotted by many as the backup center. 

Sisley is proven, but Sokolov isn’t. And although Sherrell has the ability to slide over to the five, it would’ve been a massive plus for the Hoosiers to have a strong option off the bench – which they now do. 

One could even make an argument for Alexis, who actually participated in the FISU America Games in late July with Indiana, to be a starter. Regardless, the Hoosiers now have tremendous depth in the frontcourt. 

Alexis, with his jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism and never-ending motor, infuses a much-desired energy into the Indiana frontcourt. He’s a tone-setter, and has that oft-overlooked ability to force his teammates to match his level of intensity. 

In 2025-26, Alexis averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks. He shot a Big Ten-best 70.9 percent on two-pointers. Adding him to the mix with Sherrell and Yigitoglu gives Indiana one of the most star-laden and deep frontcourts in the entire country. 

In 2026-27, DeVries will not be short on talent (which he certainly was last season). Now it’s up to him and his staff to effectively deploy each player. And how DeVries elects to break down minutes in the frontcourt may be one of the key determinants in deciding Indiana’s ceiling.