Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
Many weeks in the offseason are quiet regarding Indiana basketball news. This, however, was one of the rare times in the summer when it went the opposite way and there was one headline after another. Whether it be the drafting of Kel’el Ware, OG Anunoby’s free agent deal, a slight change to women’s basketball’s ticket distribution, or a schedule announcement, there was no shortage of attention-grabbing stories.
Besides this, the TBT draw, some recruiting and transfer updates, and weekly shows round out the basketball portion of 6-Banner. As usual, we will conclude with a look at other Hoosiers sports, led by the swimming qualifications finishing up in Indianapolis for the Paris Olympics.
Here is what’s in this week’s edition:
• Kel’el Ware picked 15th, OG Anunoby agrees to Knicks deal
• Women’s basketball ticketing update
• Indiana to play Sam Houston State in non-conference
• TBT draw announced, recruiting updates
• Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup
IU men’s basketball will play several games this upcoming season on Peacock and the women will play a few as well, making the streaming service essential for IU basketball fans. Sign up for Peacock using Inside the Hall’s link to help support the site and also enjoy Big Ten hoops all season long! (The link is an Inside the Hall affiliate link, so a commission will be paid to ITH if you click and subscribe to Peacock.)
Banner #1 – Kel’el Ware picked 15th, OG Anunoby agrees to Knicks deal
The one major contributor for IU, who departed the team after 2023-2024, is star center Kel’el Ware. This is because Ware played himself into a relatively high NBA draft pick after a phenomenal season in Bloomington. Picks were announced this week and pre-draft projections turned out slightly pessimistic. This is because Ware was taken with the first pick outside the lottery at No. 15 by the Miami Heat. Because of this, post-draft grades were somewhat mixed, although most gave roughly a “B” for the selection.
Ware became the 80th player who once donned the Cream and Crimson to hear their name called on draft night. The 81st and 82nd could be current Indiana players…