For the first time since 2017, two Indiana men’s basketball players were selected in the two-round NBA Draft. Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, guard Jalen Hood-Schifino went No. 17 to the Los Angeles Lakers and forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was chosen No. 57 by the Golden State Warriors, who acquired the pick from the Washington Wizards.
Hood-Schifino was Indiana’s first one-and-done since Romeo Langford in 2019. A four-star combo guard from Montverde Academy, Hood-Schifino was a highly touted recruit for head coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers.
In his freshman campaign, he compiled 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while averaging roughly 33 minutes. Hood-Schifino was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Year, marking the first Indiana player to earn the distinction since Noah Vonleh in 2014.
Hood-Schifino was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team in the media poll, the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and was a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week recipient. On February 25, Hood-Schifino notched a career-high 35 points to lift Indiana over No. 5 Purdue in Mackey Arena.
“It’s really hard to put into words,” Hood-Schifino said on the ESPN broadcast. “It’s just like a surreal feeling. My mom and my sister, they’re my why. Just seeing the sacrifices that they made when I was younger, now for it to all pay off, I’m just so thankful.”
His frequent lob partner Jackson-Davis exited Bloomington after an illustrious four-year career. The 6-foot-9 forward from Greenwood, Indiana soared to third in program history in points with 2,258 and set school-highs in blocks and rebounds with 270 and 1,143, respectively.
The 2019 Indiana Mr. Basketball steadily improved in his time with the Hoosiers, posting career-numbers in his 2022-23 senior campaign. Jackson-Davis averaged 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, four assists and nearly three blocks per game this past season en route to First-Team All-American honors.
He also nabbed All-Big Ten First Team, All-Big Ten Defensive Team and Big Ten All-Tournament Team selections after pacing the conference in blocks and finishing second in scoring and rebounds. Jackson-Davis forewent his final season of eligibility to enter the NBA Draft, but he undoubtedly left his mark as one of the program’s all-time greats.
