Vaughn Karvala Explodes as Team USA Rolls to Semifinals

Darian DeVries’ squad was led by a breakout performance from Vaughn Karvala as the freshman ripped off 32 points. What stood out as Team USA advanced to 2-0 ahead of a semifinal matchup against Chile on Saturday?

Vaughn Karvala's Big Night

Darian DeVries changed his starting lineup and placed freshman forward Trevor Manhertz into the initial five for Team USA, but it was another freshman that stole the show.

Vaughn Karvala came off the bench and scored a game-high 32 points in just shy of 22 minutes of action. The wing player was outrageously efficient, hitting 11 of his 14 shot attempts, including splashing in 7 of 10 triples. He also had three steals and a pair of assists to round out a standout performance.

The thing that got me in rhythm was just how much we shared the ball. Because you know, sharing the ball and all our guys just creating everything for me, that was the big thing.
Freshman Vaughn Karvala told peegs.com

While statistics are mostly meaningless against a wildly overmatched opponent, the confidence and shooting being displayed by Vaughn Karvala is eye-catching and it’s not a stretch to envision a freshman season role as a rotation player.

Karvala was known more as an athlete coming out of Compass Prep High School, but his hustle and developing perimeter shot could get him on the court more than initially thought.

Controlling the Glass

Head coach Darian DeVries has emphasized rebounding throughout practices with his team. He wants the 2026-2027 Hoosiers to be a dominant team on the glass and he was less than pleased with how they performed in the first half of their exhibition against Canada. The message was received by his players, and they have dominated rebounding against their two smaller opponents at the FISU Americas Games.

On Thursday evening, Aiden Sherrell led the team with eight boards while Jaeden Mustaf grabbed seven (in 14:40 of playing time) and Trent Sisley had six.

In total, Team USA outrebounded the Virgin Islands 52-25. While waxing vertically challenged opponents like Peru and Virgin Islands does not equate to success in that department against Big Ten foes, it is refreshing to see a recent deficiency be addressed and a tone set by the 2026-2027 Hoosiers.

Versatility of Sherrell Could Make IU Very Tough to Guard

Aiden Sherrell’s exact role is going to shift once center Samet Yigitoglu is on the court with him but the two games played thus far in Peru are making it very clear that the Alabama transfer is capable of doing just about whatever his team needs from him.

Jeff Rabjohns of peegs.com asked Darian DeVries about the versatility being showed by the talented 6’11” forward and prized portal acquisition after he scored on a couple of quick dribble drives that began outside the three-point line and ended at the rim.

It’s definitely something he can do. Our biggest thing that he’s really put a lot of time in is just being really decisive and forceful on his drives. I think you can see his confidence growing knowing he's got that freedom to go do that. We want to continue to challenge him to go do that because that makes him a really tough matchup. If he's popping some, he's rolling some, he's driving it some, you know his ability to play inside out gives you a lot of versatility on the offensive end. He can really do it all for us.
Darian DeVries to peegs.com

Team USA advanced to the semifinals of the FISU Americas Games and they will take on Chile on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm. The winner will play in the Championship Game against the winner of Argentina and the US Virgin Islands.

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