Indiana University Athletics
Yigitoglu and Basketball Hoosiers and Locked and Ready
10/2/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Samet Yigitoglu looms large even while sitting on a stool positioned on Branch McCracken Court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
What would you expect from a 7-foot-2, 270-pound center looking to wreak inside-the-post havoc while bringing a touch of personality?
Basketball practice is over, a Friday night intrasquad scrimmage awaits and then comes an intriguing three-exhibition run of Buter at Indianapolis's Hinkle Fieldhouse, North Carolina at Indianapolis's Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Western Kentucky at Evansville's Ford Center before the Nov. 2 season opener against Eastern Illinois.
"We're ready to go," Yigitoglu says.
Yigitoglu, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, is a Hoosier after spending two seasons at SMU, which is now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He's asked what the biggest difference between the ACC and the Big Ten is.
"The Big Ten is a big dude's league," he says with a smile. "It's a tough league."
Does that excite him?
"Yeah. Yeah. That's why I'm here for. I love that."
A follow-up question comes -- who's the toughest guy he's faced? Yigitoglu's eyes light up. A smile comes.
"You mean big guy?"
"Yes, big guy."
His smile widens. "I was the biggest guy. I was the toughest guy."
This was among the reasons why IU head coach Darian DeVries signed Yigitoglu out of the transfer portal. DeVries's first Big Ten season showed him the necessity of physicality in a league that prides itself on that. Yigitoglu brings plenty.
"He's a big guy," DeVries has said, "and he's not afraid of knowing that he's big, either."
Forward Trent Sisley is a big guy himself at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds. He's in his second year in the program, which makes him the most experienced player in DeVries's system. He's fully aware of the benefits Yigitoglu's inside presence brings.
"The floor is a lot more spaced," Sisley says. "You can pull in the defense a little more. That creates a little more open shots for us on the perimeter. That's the biggest change.
"And when he has the ball, you can cut. He's a good passer. He finds cutters well, and spot-up shooters, as well."
Last season, Yigitoglu averaged 10.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 62.8% from the field. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds in ACC play, 3.6 on the offensive end. That could be huge given IU averaged a Big Ten-worst 8.2 offensive rebounds last season. He also averaged 1.3 blocks.
He wants more. The Hoosiers want more. He's spent a lot of time working with assistant coach Kenny Johnson to get it.
"I worked on my game with the coaches, especially with Coach Kenny," Yigitoglu says. "We worked on my floater game, my short-roll game, my decision-making game.
"On the short roll, on the low post, I have to react faster because in the Big Ten, there are a lot of big guys. They're going to double you, so you have to react faster. You have to decide what to do. You can't just hold the ball for a couple seconds. Then, it's too late. So, I work on my reaction."
Because he's not a U.S. citizen, Yigitoglu wasn't eligible to play in the Hoosiers' international summer trip to Peru. But he did participate in the practices leading up to it, as well as all the other workouts and practices in preparation for the season.
Through it all, Yigitoglu has shown solid passing skills. Still, he says, "I can't say that I'm a good passer. I have to get better at those reactions because the Big Ten is a way harder, way tougher league. I've got to be ready for that level. That's what I worked on during the summer."
DeVries's practice emphasis on physicality and full-throttle pace has Yigitoglu's full attention.
"The practices are a lot of up and downs," he says. "We're in good shape. Practices are way harder than the ACC."
In what way?
"It's all over. It's very competitive and very physical, especially in the paint. You're doing all this stuff in the paint -- box out, push the guy, push the guy, get in position. All of that is way harder here."
DeVries has rebuilt the roster, landing outstanding transfers in Yigitoglu, forward Aiden Sherrell from Alabama, guard Markus Burton from Notre Dame, guard Darren Harris from Duke, guard Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, and guard Jaeden Mustaf from Georgia Tech as well as promising true freshmen Trevor Manhertz, Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala, and Clemens Sokolov.
It's all designed to return IU to the Big Ten and national forefront.
"We have a good team," Yigitoglu says. "We worked hard in the off-season. We were here during the summers for two months, almost three months, so we're locked in and ready to go."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Samet Yigitoglu looms large even while sitting on a stool positioned on Branch McCracken Court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
What would you expect from a 7-foot-2, 270-pound center looking to wreak inside-the-post havoc while bringing a touch of personality?
Basketball practice is over, a Friday night intrasquad scrimmage awaits and then comes an intriguing three-exhibition run of Buter at Indianapolis's Hinkle Fieldhouse, North Carolina at Indianapolis's Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Western Kentucky at Evansville's Ford Center before the Nov. 2 season opener against Eastern Illinois.
"We're ready to go," Yigitoglu says.
Yigitoglu, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, is a Hoosier after spending two seasons at SMU, which is now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He's asked what the biggest difference between the ACC and the Big Ten is.
"The Big Ten is a big dude's league," he says with a smile. "It's a tough league."
Does that excite him?
"Yeah. Yeah. That's why I'm here for. I love that."
A follow-up question comes -- who's the toughest guy he's faced? Yigitoglu's eyes light up. A smile comes.
"You mean big guy?"
"Yes, big guy."
His smile widens. "I was the biggest guy. I was the toughest guy."
This was among the reasons why IU head coach Darian DeVries signed Yigitoglu out of the transfer portal. DeVries's first Big Ten season showed him the necessity of physicality in a league that prides itself on that. Yigitoglu brings plenty.
"He's a big guy," DeVries has said, "and he's not afraid of knowing that he's big, either."
Forward Trent Sisley is a big guy himself at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds. He's in his second year in the program, which makes him the most experienced player in DeVries's system. He's fully aware of the benefits Yigitoglu's inside presence brings.
"The floor is a lot more spaced," Sisley says. "You can pull in the defense a little more. That creates a little more open shots for us on the perimeter. That's the biggest change.
"And when he has the ball, you can cut. He's a good passer. He finds cutters well, and spot-up shooters, as well."
Last season, Yigitoglu averaged 10.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 62.8% from the field. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds in ACC play, 3.6 on the offensive end. That could be huge given IU averaged a Big Ten-worst 8.2 offensive rebounds last season. He also averaged 1.3 blocks.
He wants more. The Hoosiers want more. He's spent a lot of time working with assistant coach Kenny Johnson to get it.
"I worked on my game with the coaches, especially with Coach Kenny," Yigitoglu says. "We worked on my floater game, my short-roll game, my decision-making game.
"On the short roll, on the low post, I have to react faster because in the Big Ten, there are a lot of big guys. They're going to double you, so you have to react faster. You have to decide what to do. You can't just hold the ball for a couple seconds. Then, it's too late. So, I work on my reaction."
Because he's not a U.S. citizen, Yigitoglu wasn't eligible to play in the Hoosiers' international summer trip to Peru. But he did participate in the practices leading up to it, as well as all the other workouts and practices in preparation for the season.
Through it all, Yigitoglu has shown solid passing skills. Still, he says, "I can't say that I'm a good passer. I have to get better at those reactions because the Big Ten is a way harder, way tougher league. I've got to be ready for that level. That's what I worked on during the summer."
DeVries's practice emphasis on physicality and full-throttle pace has Yigitoglu's full attention.
"The practices are a lot of up and downs," he says. "We're in good shape. Practices are way harder than the ACC."
In what way?
"It's all over. It's very competitive and very physical, especially in the paint. You're doing all this stuff in the paint -- box out, push the guy, push the guy, get in position. All of that is way harder here."
DeVries has rebuilt the roster, landing outstanding transfers in Yigitoglu, forward Aiden Sherrell from Alabama, guard Markus Burton from Notre Dame, guard Darren Harris from Duke, guard Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, and guard Jaeden Mustaf from Georgia Tech as well as promising true freshmen Trevor Manhertz, Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala, and Clemens Sokolov.
It's all designed to return IU to the Big Ten and national forefront.
"We have a good team," Yigitoglu says. "We worked hard in the off-season. We were here during the summers for two months, almost three months, so we're locked in and ready to go."
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's BasketballFriday, October 02
Thursday, October 01
Thursday, October 01
Wednesday, September 30