The third player to commit to Indiana out of the transfer portal this spring, Reed Bailey will bring a new look to the Hoosier frontcourt next winter.
A 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward who spent the last three years at Davidson College, Bailey was a breakout star last season in the Atlantic 10.
The Massachusetts native averaged 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 33.3 minutes and earned All-A10 first team honors. He shot 47.7 percent from the field, 41.5 percent on 3s and 76.8 percent from the free-throw line.
According to KenPom.com, Bailey’s assist rate in Atlantic 10 games last season of 27.3 percent was the sixth-best in the conference.
Although he’s the tallest player on IU’s roster for the 2025-26 season, Bailey isn’t a traditional back-to-the-basket center like the Hoosiers have utilized in recent seasons. That may present challenges at times for Indiana on the defensive end, but it will also help open up the floor for first-year coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries, who is working with his team for four hours a week in addition to a once-a-week practice in preparation for an August trip to Puerto Rico, is excited about the versatility Bailey will bring to the Hoosiers next season.
“I just love Reed’s feel and IQ to play make off the bounce, he can shoot it,” DeVries told Inside the Hall. “He has a great understanding of the game, screening, all that stuff. I’ve been really impressed with Reed.
“Our challenge as a coaching staff is, I think Reed’s really unique because he’s incredibly fast and he handles like a 6-1 guard, he can bring it up in the open floor, he can make plays so he’s someone that we’re going to have to get a little creative with on how to best utilize some of his skillsets and talents because I do think he can present some problems, especially on that offensive end.”
Rim protection hasn’t been a question for Indiana in recent seasons as the Hoosiers had All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, NBA first-round pick Kel’el Ware and Oumar Ballo to offer resistance at the rim.
Bailey has just 36 blocked shots in 97 career games, but is expected to play the five for Indiana. Defensively, the Hoosiers will likely mix up post coverages and place a strong emphasis on defensive rebounding to limit second-chance opportunities.
Offensively, opposing defenses will have to contend with a center in Bailey who is mobile, can create for others and space the floor, which are unique traits for a player of his size.
In addition to his playmaking ability, Bailey was one of the best in the country last season at drawing fouls. He ranked 33rd nationally, according to KenPom.com, with an average of 6.5 fouls drawn per 40 minutes. His free-throw rate, defined as FTA/FGA, was 47.7 percent in Atlantic 10 games, the eighth-best in the league.
“I think like everything on every team, there’s some give and take of like, ‘hey, we’re going to be really good here. Maybe we have a little bit of a hole here that we have to cover for,’” DeVries explained. “So it’s like, ‘How do you offset some of your weaknesses and how do you emphasize some of your strengths?’”
As Indiana built its roster this spring, the Hoosiers placed an emphasis on perimeter shooting, a deficiency for the
program over the past eight seasons.
Despite the lack of a traditional big man on the roster, DeVries believes Indiana’s versatility on the offensive end will be a strength that opponents have to contend with.
Bailey is expected to be a significant part of that.
“From our standpoint, on the offensive end, you take a Reed or Tucker (DeVries) or Lamar (Wilkerson) and some of those guys, we have the ability to really space people and have them have to chase us on the defensive end,” DeVries explained. “We just have to be elite level at fighting, having some toughness and being scrappy to offset that.
“Now, once in a while, are you going to get overwhelmed on a rebound? Sure, that’s just, that’s going to be part of it, but hopefully we can get a couple of those back on the other end to offset anything that you give up on that defensive end. But I just tell guys all the time, I don’t care about size as much. It’s more about your willingness to fight and be tough and to offset any of that lack of size.”
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
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