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Indiana basketball's Malik Reneau silent on future plans after Big Ten tourney exit

michael niziolek, the herald-times
·2 min read
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MINNEAPOLIS — Indiana basketball forward Malik Reneau didn't offer any clarity about his future after a 93-66 loss to Nebraska on Friday night.

Reneau fouled out with 9:07 left in the game, an increasingly common occurrence down the stretch with him averaging 4.1 fouls during the final 10 games of the regular season. He was emotional from the moment he started heading towards the bench.

He finished with nine points (3 of 8), five rebounds and three turnovers in 22 minutes.

"Teams had a lot of ups and downs this year, lot of injuries, we had a lot of stuff not go our way," Reneau said, fighting back tears in the locker room. "I love all my teammates. We had a great season and I'm going to leave it at that for now."

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The sophomore averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season. He scored 20 ore more points seven times.

Reneau was a four-star signee out of Montverde Academy in the 2022 class. According to 247 Sports composite rankings, he was the No. 30 overall ranked recruit with 16 scholarship offers including ones from Florida, Florida State, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Virginia.

Indiana was expected to add Liam McNeeley, who played for Montverde Academy this past season, as part of the team's 2024 signing class, but he's reportedly requested out of his national letter of intent.

"I'm just focused on this season, as far as I'm concerned," Reneau said, when asked specifically about next season.

Mar 15, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) reacts during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) reacts during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Reneau has earned praise and criticism in equal measure this season from Indiana coach Mike Woodson. Woodson called his performance in a game against Northwestern earlier this season "awful" and expressed frustration with Reneau's tendency to pick up unnecessary fouls.

Woodson was equally as quick to call out Reneau's improved play in the paint.

"Everybody talks about development and who is being developed and this and that, and Malik, based on where he started with us last season and where he is today, he's a lot better,” Woodson said, after Reneau scored a career-high 34 points in a win over Kennesaw State.

Indiana forward Malik Reneau walks to the sideline after fouling out during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Indiana forward Malik Reneau walks to the sideline after fouling out during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

While Reneau said he has some "thinking to do" about his future, he still took Woodson's post-game speech to heart.

"We got to get better, we got to get better in all aspects of the game if we are going to compete at the highest level," Reneau said.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball's Malik Reneau unsure about his plans for 2024-25