The IU men’s basketball team has filled its final open scholarship spot.
It was announced Thursday that Saint Mary’s junior forward Evan Fitzner would be transferring to Bloomington as a graduate transfer for the 2018-19 season.
Fitzner, a 6-foot-10 San Diego, California, native, played three years for the Gaels and had career averages of 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and a 41.4 percent 3-point shooting percentage.
Last season, he averaged five points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 40 percent from behind the 3-point line. Those statistics were career lows in each category for Fitzner.
In the two years prior, Fitzner had started every game for the Gaels.
In 2017-18, he also averaged a career low of 15.6 minutes per game and started just seven of the team’s 36 games.
Fitzner had narrowed his list of possible schools down to six before announcing his commitment to the Hoosiers. IU beat out the likes of Boise State, Tulane, University of California - Santa Barbara, Rutgers and Utah.
Fitzner will look to add front-court depth behind the Hoosiers’ current group, which already features junior Juwan Morgan, sophomore De’Ron Davis and freshman Justin Smith, along with a number of other young players.
However, the transfer’s most significant contribution to IU Coach Archie Miller’s squad will likely be his outside shooting ability. Fitzner served as a 3-point specialist for Saint Mary’s during the past three seasons.
It was a category the Hoosiers desperately needed help with in 2017-18. They shot just .322 percent on 3-pointers during the season, putting the team 13th overall in the Big Ten.
Fitzner’s decision gives IU their 13th and final scholarship for next season. This comes right after the commitment of five-star guard Romeo Langford from New Albany, Indiana, which was announced Monday.
Murphy Wheeler
