When Indiana and head coach Darian DeVries needed talent in the frontcourt, they found it quickly in Davidson’s Reed Bailey, who committed to the Hoosiers in April.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of
the season.
The Background
Bailey was rated as a 3-star prospect in the class of 2022 out of Brewster Academy in Massachusetts, ranked as the 188th highest-rated prospect and 34th highest-rated power forward by the 247Sports Composite. His offers included Davidson, Loyola, Charleston, Maryland, Rhode Island and Xavier.
He was an immediate impact player with the Wildcats, starting every single game he played during his three seasons with the program. His role with the program only grew with time as he became more of a featured player in the Wildcats’ offense.
The Stats and Skillset
For the purposes of this projection (and brevity) we’ll only be listing Bailey’s sophomore and junior stats. His role as a freshman was complimentary as he grew into the program which, as you’ll see, happened quickly.
Bailey averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 42.4% from the field, 21.7% from 3 and 80.4% from the free throw line in 28.3 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2023-24. He finished with an eFG% of 44.1 and an offensive rating of 1o4.3 There was obvious room for improvement, which came during this past season.
He averaged 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 (!) assists while shooting 47.4% from the field, 41.5% from 3 and 76..8% from the free throw line in 33.3 minutes per game as a junior this past season. He finished with an eFG% of 49.2% and an offensive rating of 107.4. Better!
Offensively, Bailey has a few different strengths with the ball in his hands. Clearly he can score it given his featured role in the Wildcats’ offense last season.
He has size at 6’10”, but he’s probably not going to be overwhelming anybody with sheer power (though he’s probably stronger than he’ll be given credit for), especially in Big Ten play. He has good enough footwork and touch to generate a look at the basket in the post, but he has enough speed driving the ball to get past the defense and attack the rim.
That senior year 3-point shooting percentage is good, but he was and will be a low volume guy. Between his passing and ability to shoot off the catch, he gives a defense something to think about on the perimeter.
Which, speaking of, Bailey is a real threat as a passing big. He finished with one of the highest assist rates in the A-10 last season. Passing centers are becoming more common and valuable as the game modernizes, but Bailey could be a cut above the usual big man dumping the ball off out of the post.
If he sees a passing lane for a better shot, that’s where the ball is going. That could be off of an offensive rebound, out of the post or even off the drive, which could prove extra dangerous with a defense having to account for his 6-10 frame barreling toward the rim.
He’s improved as a shot blocker as his career has progressed, but he’ll have to contend with the sheer physicality down low in the Big Ten.
The Role
Bailey is this team’s starting center. At first it looked like Indiana could start him at power forward next to a center to be added through the portal, but things didn’t end up playing out that way. If we’re basing this off of lineups from the Puerto Rico trip and the Cream and Crimson scrimmage, Bailey is the center.
Offensively, he’ll be a willing passer who could thrive in Darian DeVries’ offense. That means finding teammates off the drive, out of the post, or on the perimeter with the ball in his hands and timely cuts when he’s off the ball.
Defensively? Well, Indiana’s going to sacrifice the rim protection its enjoyed the past few seasons. Bailey can’t compensate for his (relatively) smaller stature with jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism and Indiana will probably have to emphasize point of attack defense. How he’ll hold up against Big Ten physicality remains to be seen, but he’s seen enough basketball at this point in his career to know what he’s getting into.
