BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Darian DeVries took the job as Indiana’s coach on the evening of March 18, one of the first calls he made was to Trent Sisley.

Sisley was the only American commit the Hoosiers had for the class of 2025, and DeVries told Sisley he wanted him to be on his first Indiana team. It was a brief phone call, but Sisley was sold by DeVries’ track record and style of play.

“I got on the phone with him, and I knew I was gonna stay right then,” Sisley said at Indiana’s media day in September.

These days, high school recruits who commit to a school that later changes coaches usually reopen the recruiting process. Sometimes these players wind up recommitting to play under the program’s new coach, but that comes after fielding new offers from other schools.

Despite Indiana announcing former coach Mike Woodson’s resignation over a month before the Hoosiers’ 2024-25 season ended, Sisley — who grew up an Indiana fan — never decommitted. When DeVries took the gig, he decided he wanted to coach Sisley.

Sisley is a Santa Claus, Ind., native whose father, Matt, and brother, Blake, both played Division I basketball. He played three seasons at Heritage Hills High School before playing his senior high school season at Montverde Academy, a prep school in Montverde, Fla. Now, Sisley is back in his home state to play college ball, and DeVries is excited to have him.

“He wants to be at Indiana, it’s important to him and he's a good player,” DeVries said after Indiana’s exhibition win over Marian. “That makes a lot of sense to me. Let’s keep that one. And I know he was excited about it. We were certainly excited about it. It’s great to have him.”

Sisley scored 23 points in Indiana’s 107-46 exhibition takedown of Marian. In his first showing to Assembly Hall fans, Sisley looked like he belonged, albeit against an NAIA opponent.

Injuries to perimeter players Jason Drake, Nick Dorn and Aleksa Ristic have forced the freshman forward into more action for Indiana in practice and, now, exhibitions. DeVries said Drake and Ristic will be out “for a little while,” which opens the door for Sisley to play significant minutes early on.

Sisley projects to be a fit for what DeVries is building. DeVries targeted shooters when taking over at Indiana, and Sisley shot 44% on 3s at Montverde in 2024-25. He made all four of his 3s against Marian, as he moved well off the ball and found spots to attack the defense.

It won’t count in an official stat sheet, but Sisley even banked home a long-distance shot from an apartment balcony Oct. 2 during Hoosier Hoops on Kirkwood.

If Sisley continues to shoot well, he’ll earn a permanent spot in Indiana’s rotation (and potentially in the starting lineup). He spent his senior season of high school playing with and against others who will be impactful freshmen across the country this year, and it has made his adjustment period to the college level easier.

Sisley’s adjustment has also been made easier by Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son. The West Virginia transfer is already the type of player Sisley could be someday. Sisley and Tucker DeVries have comparable frames — both weigh 225 lbs., and Sisley stands 6-8, an inch taller than Tucker DeVries.

Tucker DeVries — who has played for his father at Drake, West Virginia and now Indiana — has shot 37% on 3s on nearly seven attempts per game in his college career, and he was twice the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Sisley and the other players on Indiana’s brand new roster have learned the coach’s system through his son, who enters his fifth season of college basketball.

“I think it's always great when you get an incoming freshman that has a guy that can work off of one another, teach each other a little bit the tricks of the game,” Darian DeVries said. “... Trent is one of those guys that absorbs learning and teaching and coaching, too. That's why his upside is really good because he cares. It's important to him, and he works at it.”

Sisley and Tucker DeVries were used similarly against Marian. Both forwards were utilized as hubs in the middle of the floor against Marian’s zone and aggressive defense. They each scored 23 points to lead the Hoosiers while combining for nine assists. Indiana asked Sisley to do a lot of things Tucker DeVries does, and the freshman looked completely capable.

When Indiana’s regular season begins Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M, Sisley will be a crucial piece for the Hoosiers. Indiana will rely on Sisley to be a floor-spacer and secondary playmaker until its injured players return.

Indiana’s players and staff have raved about Sisley, and if he can perform like one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten, that will raise the ceiling of this team immensely.