Illinois Transfer Luke Goode Commits to Home-State Hoosiers
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Luke Goode is using his final season of eligibility to play for Mike Woodson’s Indiana Hoosiers, he announced Friday.
"All Roads Lead HOME!!" Goode posted on X, including pictured of him wearing Indiana gear as a child.
Goode began his college career with three seasons under coach Brad Underwood at Illinois, where he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9% from 3-point range as a junior in 2023-24.
All Roads Lead HOME!! ⚪️🔴 @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/kpwWsk4fH3
— Luke Goode (@lukegoode10) April 26, 2024
His decision to transfer to Indiana represents a homecoming of sorts. As a graduate of Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., Goode has several ties to Indiana University. His father, Craig, played football at Indiana, and his uncle is Trent Green, a former Indiana and NFL quarterback. His younger brother currently attends Indiana. Goode's player bio on the Illinois roster credits former Indiana player Matt Roth for influencing his basketball career, saying, “He has trained me since eighth grade.”
Goode is Indiana’s fourth transfer portal addition and fifth overall newcomer this offseason, joining five-star freshman Bryson Tucker, Washington State transfer guard Myles Rice, Arizona transfer center Oumar Ballo and Stanford guard transfer Kanaan Carlyle.
Woodson now has two open scholarships to work with heading into the 2024-25 season, following the departure of Xavier Johnson, Anthony Walker, Kel'el Ware (NBA), CJ Gunn (DePaul), Kaleb Banks (Tulane) and Payton Sparks (Ball State).
Luke Goode was in the 88th percentile on jump shots this season in CBB. 39% from deep. Quick release, great mechanics. pic.twitter.com/0r0Kj1MUmu
— Tony Adragna (@CoachAdragna) April 22, 2024
Goode’s role for the Illini was biggest in 2023-24, starting 7-of-38 games and playing 20.1 minutes per game. He had six double-digit scoring games, including an 11-point effort in a win over Indiana on Jan. 27, when he made 3-of-8 3-point attempts. Goode was asked postgame what that performance against Indiana meant to him and his family.
“I’m going to save the trash talk for personal, between us, through our text messages, but I’m going to go out and give him a tough time,” Goode said. “My brother brought friends today and I told him, ‘No IU gear in the family section,’ so that was one of the big things.”
“To get a win against IU, especially the home state team, is special. It means a little bit more every year, so it’s good to get a win.”
As a sophomore in 2022-23, Goode was limited to 10 games off the bench after undergoing surgery to repair a bone fracture in his left foot suffered on Oct. 22. After his return, Goode scored a season-high 10 points against Purdue, making both 3-point attempts. He shot 42.1% from 3-point range that season.
Goode played a more limited role as a freshman in 2021-22, averaging 2.0 points in 8.9 minutes per game across 28 appearances. Still, he shot 37.2% from 3-point range.
Across three seasons at Illinois, Goode shot 39.2% from the field (104-for-265), 38.8% from 3-point range (85-for-219) and 67.7% from the free throw line (21-for-31). 82.6% of Goode’s career field goal attempts came from 3-point range, an area in which Indiana could use help after ranking 12th in the Big Ten and 273rd nationally out of 363 teams with a 32.4% 3-point percentage last season.
As a strong 3-point shooter at 6-foot-7, Goode also provides Indiana with some flexibility. Underwood’s recent Illinois teams became known for playing positionless basketball, and depending on who’s he’s paired with at Indiana, Goode could play shooting guard, small forward or even power forward in some smaller lineups.
"[Goode] never makes a mistake defensively, he gets his hands on loose balls, he's always in the right spot,” Underwood said. “He's very cerebral, he's very smart, he's got great feel, he's an elite shooter."
Here’s a look at Indiana’s 2024-25 roster after the addition of Goode.
- Trey Galloway, one year of eligibility
- Anthony Leal, one year of eligibility
- Oumar Ballo, one year of eligibility
- Luke Goode, one year of eligibility
- Malik Reneau, two years of eligibility
- Kanaan Carlyle, three years of eligibility
- Myles Rice, three years of eligibility
- Mackenzie Mgbako, three years of eligibility
- Gabe Cupps, three years of eligibility
- Jakai Newton, four years of eligibility
- Bryson Tucker, four years of eligibility
- Open
- Open
JACK ANKONY