The color was banned among men’s basketball players at Michigan, where the 6-foot-8 forward began his undergraduate career.
Now a graduate transfer at IU, he’s trying to add the once-stigmatized color to his wardrobe.
“At Michigan, we weren’t allowed to wear red so (if) you wore red, you have a punishment workout,” Bielfeldt said. “Now I’m looking in my closet, and I’m like ‘Man, I don’t have a lot of red, do I?’ I’m coming here and trying to build up my gear stash a little bit so I actually look like I play for Indiana.”
The fifth-year senior is one of two transfers added to IU’s roster in the offseason. After Bielfeldt signed in June, Pittsburgh point guard Josh Newkirk committed to the Hoosiers.
While playing for their previous schools, both players experienced the raucous nature of Assembly Hall.
Now they call it home.
IU defeated Michigan during each of Bielfeldt’s four seasons with the Wolverines, and Newkirk’s Panthers lost by 12 in last year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup.
“I remember just the noise level,” Bielfeldt said, citing the matchup between No. 1 Michigan and No. 3 IU in February 2013. “We came here; it was probably, if not the loudest, one of the loudest places I’ve ever played. The passion this state has for Indiana basketball is unbelievable.”
The passion of IU’s fans and the noise level in the arena garnered the attention of Newkirk, a junior.
“Just walking into the gym and just feeling the tradition,” he said. “You get chills coming into this arena, so that was definitely one of the biggest things.”
Bielfeldt never anticipated transferring within the Big Ten. But after not being able to return to Michigan following his graduation last spring, he had to look elsewhere if he wanted to use his final year of eligibility.
DePaul, Iowa State and Nebraska, among other schools, were in pursuit of the forward’s services, but IU won him over after a campus visit in May.
“I think of the choices I had for my last year of eligibility, Indiana was a pretty unique one,” Bielfeldt said. “They have a heck of a tradition.”
The senior had witnessed the on-court abilities of many of the Hoosiers, especially the team’s returning core of Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, James Blackmon Jr. and Troy Williams.
Off the court, he said he meshed well with his new teammates after meeting them during his visit. Combine that with the emphasis on player development and his acceptance into the Kelley School of Business, and Bielfeldt was presented an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
“It was just what was best for me,” he said. “It was ‘This is my best option for basketball, as well as school’ and I was just trying to better myself as far as I could.”
Newkirk arrived in Bloomington under different circumstances. After undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee in May, he decided to transfer from Pittsburgh after two years with the Panthers.
In accordance with NCAA transfer rules, he will sit out this season, which he will use to rehabilitate his knee.
Newkirk said he hopes to begin jogging in the next few weeks.
In the mean time, he’s focusing on improving his ball-handling and fine-tuning his jump shot.
When asked to define their roles on this year’s team, both players mentioned their leadership and experience.
“My role off the court is being a 22-year-old, a leader that’s seen what it’s been like to get to the Final Four, seen what it’s been like to win Big Ten championships,” Bielfeldt said. “And kind of be that voice in the locker room that can make everyone stay focused and stay on the right track.”
