Team Issued / Game Worn Gear
Team issued gear, including those items so fortunate to grace the court, are perhaps some of the rarest pieces of IU basketball memorabilia you’ll ever find. Uniforms (jerseys, shorts, shooting shirts, etc.), shoes, hats, and other things given to members of the basketball program are extremely difficult to curate. The items issued to players and coaches typically stay with them for a lifetime and beyond, assuming they are passed on to family members.
Do you have a rare piece of IU gear that you would like to share? If so, I’d love to see it and the story behind it. Please send me a message!
Jerseys
Item: Indiana Hoosiers Game Used Jersey - Jim Thomas
This is a game used home jersey worn by Jim Thomas, key member of the 1981 National Championship team. Jersey is a size 40 and made by Medalist Sand-Knit.
Estimated Value: $1500 - $2,000
Year: 1979-1983
Item: Game Used Road Jersey circa 2004-2006 (Patrick Ewing, Jr. / D.J. White?)
The person I bought this from said this jersey was purchased at a charity auction and he believed it was worn by D.J. White. Unfortunately, there’s no paperwork available to substantiate the claim. This jersey is definitely team issued — and I assume game used. Considering the size, this road jersey was likely worn by Patrick Ewing, Jr. before he switched to #0…in my personal opinion. The jersey is a size 44 and was made by Adidas in Berlin, Wisconsin.
Estimated Value: $400
Year: 2004 - 2005
Item: 2012-13 Indiana Hoosiers Game Used Jersey - Yogi Ferrell
Estimated Value: $1,250 - $1,500
Year: 2013
Item: Game Used Road Jersey circa 2005-2006 (Marco Killingsworth)
This road jersey was likely worn by Marco Killingsworth. The jersey is a size 50 and was made by Adidas in Berlin, Wisconsin.
Estimated Value: $300-$400
Year: 2005 - 2006
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Road Jersey #1 circa 2006-2008
It’s difficult to determine who this belonged to, but I acquired this at the same time as two other similar road jerseys (different number, of course). Jerseys worn during this era were a little on the “baggy” side compared to today, so I have to take that into consideration. I’m pretty confident the #2 (Size 56) jersey featured on this page belonged to DeAndre Thomas. At 295 lbs, there’s no one else that could have worn a Size 56 jersey. If that’s true, then this jersey could have been issued to Armon Bassett — but it still seems like it would be a little large for him. No way this belonged to Mike Santa from the 2008-09 squad. This jersey was made by Adidas in Berlin, Wisconsin, size 46.
Estimated Value: $250-$300
Year: 2006 - 2008
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Road Jersey #2 circa 2006-2008
I’m pretty confident the #2 (Size 56) jersey featured here belonged to DeAndre Thomas, member of the 2007-08 basketball team. At 6’-8”, 295 lbs, there’s no one else that could have worn a jersey of this size. This jersey was made by Adidas in Berlin, Wisconsin, size 56.
Estimated Value: $250-$300
Year: 2006 - 2008
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Road Jersey #23 circa 2006-2008
If I stick with the theme here — considering one of the jerseys I acquired along with this jersey and one other belonged to DeAndre Thomas, it’s possible this jersey could have been issued to Eric Gordon (who was 6’-4”, 215 lbs; 2007-08). I came across an auction for a game-used NBA jersey worn by Gordon, which is also a size 48. Many game photos I’ve seen from the 2007-08 season have a US flag sewn on the chest, although I have seen a limited number of player photos without the patch. It’s also possible this could have been issued to Sean Kline (6’-8”, 235lbs; 2005-06). This jersey was made by Adidas in Berlin, Wisconsin, size 48.
Estimated Value: $250-$300 (and perhaps a lot more!)
Year: 2006 - 2008
Uniform Shorts
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Game Worn Shorts (Home)
Not sure of the year or whether they saw game action, but these are team issued shorts. No number marked on the inside. Size 40 and made in Berlin, Wisconsin.
Estimated Value: $125-$150
Year: ?
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Game Worn Shorts (Road / Away)
Again, not sure of the year or whether they saw game action, but these are team issued shorts. Marked #11 on the inside. Devonte Green? Yogi Ferrell? Daniel Moore? Only time will tell. Size 34 and made in Berlin, Wisconsin.
Estimated Value: $125-$150
Year: ?
Shoes
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Game Worn Shoes (Kent Benson)
These shoes were worn by Indiana Hoosier legend Kent Benson, a member of the 1976 NCAA National Championship team. These came from the collection of Bill Allee, an Indiana University alum had close ties to the basketball program. He produced the Bank One basketball card sets from 1986. As I understand it, they were given to him personally by Benson. They are size 14.5.
I believe these shoes were worn during the 1974-75 season. The 1975-76 version of these Converse sneakers had a distinctive change made that are not present on these. However, these shoes are a perfect match to many photos I’ve been able to find for the 1974-75 season. You can see how well these match using this link, which is a photo taken with Coach Knight during the 1975 NCAA tournament.
Estimated Value: $500
Year: 1974-75
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Game Worn Shoes (Race Thompson)
These shoes were worn in the Hoosiers 96-72 victory over Elon at Assembly Hall on December 30, 2022. Thompson led all scorers with 18 points and tacked on 11 boards. They also appear to have been worn against Kennesaw State on December 23, 2022. Indiana won 69-55, with Thompson scoring 4 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. There may be some other games where these were worn, as well. Thompson signed both shoes. Size 14.
Estimated Value: $200-$250
Year: 2021-2023
Warm-ups
Item: Indiana Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Candy Stripe Warmup Pants
Made by Medalist Sand-Knit, one thing is for certain — these are team-issued and from the 1980’s. If the number here was really written in by the owner or by whomever was in charge of issuing these to the players, another thing would be certain — the only player to wear #3 in this time period was Jay Edwards. From what I’ve seen written and documented elsewhere, Indiana wore Medalist Sand-Knit through the 1986-87 season before switching to Champion. I can’t speak intelligently to whether or not this change applied to the warm-ups, as well.
Estimated Value: $300-$400
Year: 1987-88 Season?
Item: Team Issued / Game Worn 2001-02 IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Shooting Shirt / Pre-game Warmup (Tom Coverdale)
Bearing the 3 written in Sharpie, manufactured by Nike, and made in the USA, this shooting shirt is believed to have belonged to Tom Coverdale. Size XL and fits like a garbage bag, just like in the photo seen above from the team in the 2002 championship game.
Estimated Value: $300-$400
Year: 2001-02
Practice
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Practice Jersey #3 (Charlie Miller; circa 1997-98)
I believe this is a team issued practice jersey issued to Charlie Miller. Size XXL
Estimated Value: $200-$250
Year: 1997 - 1998
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Practice Jersey
Made in Berlin, Wisconsin. Size 46.
Estimated Value: $150
Year: ???
Item: IU Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball Team Issued Practice Jersey (Race Thompson)
This practice jersey was issued and worn by Race Thompson. He signed the jersey, as well.
Estimated Value: $200-$225
Year: 2021-2023
Other
Item: 1993 Indiana Classic Player/Coach Garment Bag
Not necessarily the best kind of artifact to add to a collector’s collection because of its bulky shape and dimensions (SIZE DOES MATTER!), but a neat and rare piece of memorabilia, nonetheless. This is a full-sized garment bag that would have been presented to players/coaches participating in the tournament — and possibly to only the champions. Made by Buck’s Bags.
Estimated Value: $30-$40
Year: 1993-94 Season