Indiana Adds Ball State Center Payton Sparks Through Transfer Portal

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana made its first addition through the transfer portal on Wednesday.

Ball State center Payton Sparks announced on Twitter that he's joining coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers for the 2023-24 season. Sparks has two years of remaining eligibility.

During his sophomore season, Sparks, a 6-foot-9 center from Winchester, Ind., averaged 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 blocks per game. He posted 10 double-doubles this year, earning second-team All-MAC honors. 

Under first-year head coach Mike Lewis, who played for Bob Knight at Indiana from 1996-2000, Sparks was third on the team in scoring and first in rebounding. He shot 59.4 percent overall and made 2-of-5 3-point attempts.

Sparks was named MAC Freshman of the year in 2021-22 when he scored 13.5 points per game with 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.5 blocks. He also earned a spot on the 2022 Kyle Macy Freshmen All-America Team. Sparks shot 70.3 percent at the free throw line as a freshman, but that number dropped to 52.5 percent as a sophomore.

Sparks fills a big area of need for Indiana, with veteran forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson graduating and sophomore center Logan Duncomb transferring. As it currently stands, forwards on Indiana's 2023-24 roster include Sparks, Malik Reneau, Jordan Geronimo and Kaleb Banks.

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