BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — We all have our favorite Indiana basketball players through the years, some more than others. These love affairs have had us running out to buy jerseys with those numbers on them through countless generations.
And as we wait patiently — or not too patiently — for another basketball season to roll around in November, we thought this would be a good time to take a little poll
Hoosier favorite?
Every day we’re going to give you four choices to pick your favorite Hoosier who wore a certain number, starting today with No. 0. We know there’s going to be some recency bias, but we tried to narrow it down for you in giving you four choices. So this should be a lot of fun.
Here are your four choices, in alphabetical order so that we’re not showing any bias, and there’s a poll to take below. There aren’t a lot of No. 0’s in Indiana history, because the NCAA didn’t allow the number to be worn until 2010.
(Editor’s Note: We’ll take results for 48 hours on the poll and then share results on this story the next day, so keep coming back to all of them to see the results.)
Max Bielfeldt (2015-16)
Hailing from Peoria, Ill., forward Max Bielfeldt played four seasons at Michigan before transferring to Indiana for his one redshirt senior season.
While only a Hoosier for a short time, he quickly became a huge fan favorite and earned Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year after playing in 35 games and making five starts.
Indiana won the Big Ten that year under Tom Crean, going 15-3 in the league and finishing two games ahead of Michigan State and three beyond Purdue, Maryland, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Bielfeldt also had a nice NCAA Tournament run. He scored 10 points and added seven rebounds against Chattanooga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and had 15 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line against North Carolina in the regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament.
Max Bielfeldt
USA Today
Xavier Johnson (2021-present)
Current point guard Xavier Johnson is the most recent Hoosier to sport No. 0, and after a slow start to his first season in Bloomington a year ago, IU friends firmly embraced him as one of their favorites.
He played three seasons at Pitt before transferring to Indiana last season. Johnson started in 34 games during the 2021-22 season and finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game.
He ranked third in Big Ten assists averaging 5.1 per game and ninth in Big Ten free throw percentage at 78.2 percent.
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Johnson will play for the Hoosiers this year for his redshirt senior season, and will continue to wear No. 0.
Xavier Johnson
USA TODAY Sports
Romeo Langford (2018-19)
Romeo Langford was a huge recruiting get for then-coach Archie Miller, coming to Indiana from New Albany, where he was one of the most prolific scorers in state high school history.
The 6-foot-5 guard started and played in 32 of Indiana’s 35 games as a freshman and was the top freshman scorer in the Big Ten — and Indiana’s scoring leader — with 16.5 points per game. He played most of the season with a ligament injury in his right shooting hand. Indiana went 19-16 that year and 8-12 in the Big Ten, losing 12 of 13 games in the Big Ten during one stretch.
Following his only season in Bloomington, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year before being drafted in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft at pick No. 14 by the Boston Celtics. He played in Boston from 2019-22, and was traded this year to the San Antonio Spurs.
Romeo Langford
USA TODAY Sports
Will Sheehey (2010-14)
Guard/forward Will Sheehey graced the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall floor from 2010-14. The Sagemont Fla. native started in 31 games in his senior season. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media after the season.
He was a key role player off the bench during his first three years as well, a big part of the group that helped turn Indiana’s basketball fortunes around in the early years of the Tom Crean era.
Sheehey left his mark by finishing his career 37th on the all-time scoring list for Indiana with 1,120 points, and he is one of 54 people in Hoosier history to score at least 1,000 points. He was part of Indiana’s Sweet 16 appearances in both 2012 and 2013, and competed in the Reese’s College All-Star game.
Will Sheehey
© Brent Drinkut/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
All-time No. 0’s at Indiana
Here are all of the players who have worn No. 0 at Indiana:
- Kory Barnett —(2009-12)
- Will Sheehey — (2010-14)
- Max Bielfeldt — (2015-16)
- Curtis Jones — (2016-17)
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Romeo Langford — (2018-19)
-
Cooper Bybee — (2019-21)
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Xavier Johnson — (2021-present)
Vote for your favorite No. 0 on Twitter
You’ll be able to vote on Twitter for your favorite player with each number. Here’s the link to today’s poll for No. 0.
Vote on Facebook
To vote on Facebook, CLICK HERE
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- KALEB BANKS BRINGS HUMBLE ATTITUDE TO INDIANA: Kaleb Banks received 10 stitches over his eye during the state championship game, and he’s gone head-to-head with Jabari Smith, the third pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The versatile freshman is quiet, humble and might not realize how good he is — or how good he can become — but surrounded by talent in a basketball-crazed environment at Indiana, Banks is right where he needs to be. Fast fact: Kaleb Banks will wear No. 10 for the Hoosiers this year. CLICK HERE
- HOOD-SCHIFINO’S COMPETITIVE MINDSET BUILT AT AN EARLY AGE: Basketball has been a way of life for Jalen Hood-Schifino since he can remember. It started with pickup games at his grandparents house, and today it’s working towards a starting role for the Indiana men’s basketball team. Fast fact: Jalen Hood-Schifino will wear No. 1 for the Hoosiers this year. CLICK HERE
- THOMAS BRYANT SIGNS WITH LAKERS: Former Indiana basketball player Thomas Bryant is joining the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year contract, according to reports. Bryant helped lead the Hoosiers to a Big Ten championship and Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2016 before becoming a second-round pick by the Lakers. He spent the last four seasons playing for the Washington Wizards. Fast fact: Thomas Bryant wore No. 31 for the Hoosiers this year. CLICK HERE
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