Indiana Basketball Seeks Balance for Long-Term Success

New executive director Ryan Carr brings NBA roster-building experience to Hoosiers program.

Feb. 25, 2026 at 1:54am

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Indiana basketball has hired Ryan Carr, a former executive with the Indiana Pacers, as its new executive director of basketball. Carr's experience building successful rosters under a salary cap model in the NBA is seen as a valuable asset that can help the Hoosiers achieve long-term success on the court.

Why it matters

College basketball programs are increasingly looking to adopt more structured roster management approaches similar to the NBA, and Carr's expertise in this area could give Indiana a competitive advantage as they aim to rebuild their program and return to national prominence.

The details

Carr previously worked for the Indiana Pacers, where he gained experience building successful rosters under the constraints of an NBA salary cap. This skillset is seen as particularly valuable in the college game, where roster management has become increasingly complex due to factors like the transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

  • Indiana hired Ryan Carr as its new executive director of basketball in February 2026.

The players

Ryan Carr

The new executive director of basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, Carr previously worked for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA where he gained experience building successful rosters under a salary cap model.

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What they’re saying

“There's mechanisms in the NBA where we know essentially what teams can spend, who they can spend it on,”

— Ryan Carr, Executive Director of Basketball, Indiana University (wn.com)

What’s next

Carr will work to implement his NBA-inspired roster management strategies as he aims to help the Indiana basketball program return to national prominence.

The takeaway

Indiana's hiring of an executive with NBA experience in roster building under a salary cap model signals a shift towards more structured and strategic roster management in college basketball, which could give the Hoosiers a competitive edge as they look to rebuild their program.