Once Indiana coach Darian DeVries had his staff in place, the athletic department focused on reconnecting the university’s student body with the men’s basketball program. 

The historic program has made just two NCAA Tournaments in the past nine years, and the Hoosiers haven’t made a Final Four since 2002 — before most of Indiana’s undergraduate students were born. 

The program’s limited success in recent years has led to waning interest from students. At its core, Indiana is still a basketball state, so students still care about the men’s basketball team. But the energy and passion from students isn’t what it once was, and DeVries wants that to change.

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson and senior associate athletic director Jeremy Gray met after DeVries’ staff was in place to strategize how to re-engage the men’s basketball program with students. What came of that meeting was Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood.

On Thursday night, Indiana’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will gather on Bloomington’s Kirkwood Avenue for a free, outdoor event to showcase the teams and give fans a chance to get acquainted with the reworked rosters.

“If the students aren't coming to us, let's go to the students,” Gray told Roundtable Sports. “And so the idea was born to do Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood that way.”

The event will take place on the 300, 400, and 500 blocks of Kirkwood Avenue, which is right off the west side of campus and the renowned Sample Gates. From 8 to 10 p.m., the teams will participate in the public outing, interacting with fans who may not know much about the new players suiting up for the Hoosiers.

DeVries has embraced the idea of connecting with the student body. In DeVries’ time as Drake’s coach (2018-24), he began a similar tradition. In 2021, DeVries began the Drake Hoops Fest on Court Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. Drake Hoops Fest (which will also hold its fifth annual event on Thursday) was a major success, so DeVries was on board with doing something comparable in Bloomington.

“We want to make sure that we're a big part of the community, big part of the campus,” DeVries said Tuesday. “We want to give as many chances as we can to have those interactions because I think we have a group that's fun to be around. They're a good group of guys, and we want people to be able to see them on a different level besides just on the basketball floor.” 

After months of planning and proposals, Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood was approved by Bloomington’s Board of Public Works on Sept. 9 and announced officially by the basketball programs on Sept. 10. 

Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood will take place on the closed blocks of Kirkwood Avenue, running from the intersections of Indiana Avenue and North Lincoln Street. Activities such as player introductions, meet and greets, and other skills competitions will be included, and students will participate in some of these competitions with players on the basketball teams. The basketball activities will take place on an outdoor court that Indiana’s athletic department purchased from Praters Athletic Flooring.

To conclude the night, a drone is set to snap a “Hoosier Nation” selfie of everyone in attendance while fireworks are set off by the Sample Gates.

"Kirkwood is our iconic street that represents IU and Bloomington,” said Adam Wason, the director of Bloomington’s Department of Public Works. “If you have any tie to the university, you think about Kirkwood whenever you're coming back, and where you might want to eat or grab a drink or whatnot.”

Surrounding businesses will remain open during Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood, as they do during events like Taste of Bloomington and Bloomington Pride. The event is meant to immerse the whole community with Indiana’s basketball programs, and Wason thinks it will have “a pretty big economic impact.”

The Hoosiers have never done anything like this, but it almost feels necessary for a team composed entirely of new scholarship players. Indiana previously did Hoosier Hysteria, which has been shelved in favor of Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood and a men’s intrasquad scrimmage in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday.

Hoosier Hysteria had become somewhat dull and wasn’t a very personal experience for Indiana fans. Fans watched the teams participate in similar activities, but they watched from their seats and didn’t interact much with players. Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood aims to be different.

“I think a big part of that is just building that relationship between the team and student body, because they’re our biggest fans and they’re the ones that come and support us every night,” said Indiana forward Tucker DeVries, who was a freshman at Drake when his father started Drake Hoops Fest. “And I think us being able to interact with them the best we can is very powerful.” 

Indiana wants Assembly Hall to return to being a commanding homecourt advantage for the Hoosiers. In recent years, Assembly Hall’s daunting reputation has only shone for select games against highly ranked teams, but the fans and student section haven’t consistently intimidated opponents.

"Having a raucous student section that feels connected makes Assembly Hall one of the most difficult places to play in the country,” Gray said. “And I think we've got to be honest, we've lost a little bit of that. There was an argument to be made at one point in time, it was the best student section in college basketball. I think that's a tough thing to say right now, but I think we can build it back quickly." 

For Indiana’s student section to regain its reputation, the program must connect with its students in a way it has failed to do in the past. Indiana will need to win games once play begins, but Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood is an initiative for the Hoosiers to regain their formidable student section in Assembly Hall.