There will soon come a day when the Upstairs Pub and Buffalouies no longer serve the most hotly pursued wings in Bloomington. Give it a year or two and that honor will belong to Indiana men’s basketball’s
head coach, Darian DeVries.
DeVries is trying to build the program back into one that sits in the upper echelon of the Big Ten after several seasons of poor showings in the league’s final standings. He’s doing so through small forwards.
Indiana’s three most important players, arguably at least, all qualify at some level under the umbrella of being small forwards. Lamar Wilkerson, the Hoosiers’ leading scorer, has spent plenty of time at the spot this season. Tucker DeVries, who’s spent the most time playing under his father and coach, starts at power forward but plays more like a small forward. Nick Dorn, who’s provided the spark in Indiana’s three game winning streak, starts at small forward with Tayton Conerway sidelined and may stay there given how he’s played.
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Indiana’s 2026 recruiting class? One guard, two small forwards in 4-stars Vaughn Karvala and Trevor Manhertz, who reclassified from the 2027 class to join the program a year early. The Hoosiers pursued small forwards more heavily than any other position in the 2026 class, extending scholarship offers to 13 different players.
What does that mean? Well, Indiana’s staff likes positional versatility, which is a pretty standard aspect of modern basketball. Wilkerson started at small forward but has slid naturally into the shooting guard role with Dorn entering the starting lineup. Tucker DeVries could start at the three on a roster with a larger frontcourt, but plays the role of power forward well for this Indiana group.
All three are capable of playing small forward despite being pretty different as players, which speaks to the flexibility of the position. Indiana has also put all three in a position to succeed this season, setting up shots for Wilkerson and Dorn while letting DeVries use his strength with the ball and make plays. It’s a fair bet that this will continue to ring true in the seasons to come for future small forwards.
The current roster lacks athleticism at the wing that can pressure the ball, with Tayton Conerway providing that in spurts at point guard, but Karvala will bring some of that when he arrives next season. Manhertz doesn’t have Karvala’s athleticism, but will bring the 3-point shooting skill DeVries has prioritized with him to Bloomington.
As DeVries’ first season in Bloomington enters its latter stages, it’s worth tracking how Indiana uses its wings and how that could translate to future rosters and recruiting pursuits.
