Indiana Basketball gets key frontcourt depth in USF transfer Michael Durr

Few first-year head coaches have had as much success this offseason as Mike Woodson, who has pulled off some big moves in the effort to revamp Indiana Basketball back towards one of the best programs in college hoops.

Things got off to the greatest of notes, with star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis set to return for next season. Key players Khristian Lander, Race Thompson, and Parker Stewart also are coming back, along with top-50 guard Tamar Bates coming from Texas to the Hoosiers. They even got a pair of key transfers in Xavier Johnson (Pittsburgh), and Miller Kopp (Northwestern) as well.

The roster has been building up nicely but the one area of weakness has been depth inside behind starters Thompson and Jackson-Davis. After center Joey Brunk’s season-ending back injury, the Hoosiers had to play various small-ball lineups to make up for the lack of depth. And after both Brunk and Jerome Hunter transferred out this offseason, Indiana essentially had two bigs with D-I experience on the roster.

Make that three now with the recent commitment of South Florida transfer Michael Durr. The 7’0 and 250-pound big man was a starter for the past three seasons, coming off career-high numbers of 8.8 ppg and 7.9 rpg for the Bulls, including five straight games of double-digit rebounds. Durr, who actually committed to Virginia Tech earlier this offseason, averaged around 23 mpg in his career and is a natural center, also a solid defender with a decent offensive game.

Durr isn’t a game-changing center pickup from the portal in the same way that a Tre Mitchell or a Myles Johnson would but Indiana doesn’t need that from him. Thompson and Jackson-Davis combined to produce 28.8 ppg and 15.2 rpg last season and are quality forwards but having a true five-man creates options and opportunities for everyone. Durr can play with both forwards and more importantly, allows the star Jackson-Davis to play at his natural power forward position more often, which will help his NBA Draft stock.

Durr likely won’t start over either incumbent forward so him willing to come off the bench for Indiana Basketball is a bigger win than what we’re thinking about. He’s a capable big that can play in the Big Ten, something many frontcourt transfers in the portal can’t do. Even if his numbers won’t show it, this is a big move for both the team and player.