Walter Returning to Form in B1G Play
1/21/2016 12:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Jess Walter will be one of the first to admit the 2015-16 season has been a process.
The sophomore guard was sidelined to begin the season after suffering a head injury in practice shortly before Hoosier Hysteria in mid-October. When she was healthy enough to return, she wasn't quite the player she was last season as she slowly regained form and started to build up her minutes again.
Wednesday night's 68-66 win against Illinois was another step forward for Walter, who hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench. Now trending upward, it's the type of game she'll look to build on moving forward in the Big Ten season after seeing outside shots fall again.
"I'm not gonna lie, it felt pretty good," Walter said. "My teammates have been really confident in me, telling me to keep shooting and finding me when I'm open. It felt good to make some today."
Walter—Indiana's top returning 3-point shooter from a year ago—had been struggling with consistency ever since her preseason injury forced her to miss a couple of weeks of practice. Through her first 10 games back, she averaged just 13.1 minutes off the bench and scored more than three points just once.
When she entered the starting lineup for the first time in IU's last non-conference game against Yale in the final week of 2015, Walter's minutes have ballooned to 20.5 per game between five starts and three games off the bench.
The increase in minutes has seen an increase in production, too. Walter played a season-high 25 minutes and scored a season-best 11 points against Ohio State less than two weeks ago before scoring five points over the next three games as junior Karlee McBride stepped into the starting role.
Walter found her shot again against the Illini and played a crucial role in the Hoosiers' late-game press that ultimately changed the momentum of the game.
"Jess is a kid that continues to work in the gym," head coach Teri Moren said. "She spends extra time on her shot. It's always good to see those go in for her because of her work and because she so desperately wants to help her team win."
Walter, McBride and junior Tyshee Towner have combined to rotate in and out of the third guard spot all season. It's been frustrating at times, Moren said, because she's had to play the hot hand a little too often when she'd rather have a more set rotation.
Walter's proven play on both ends of the floor make her an attractive option to plug into lineup, though McBride's hot shooting in the last few games has been impossible for Moren to turn away.
Instead, Walter's been seeing similar minutes off the bench in recent games and has seen her confidence grow with it. That's a welcome sign, fellow sophomore guard Tyra Buss said, because the Hoosiers recognize how much stronger they can be with Walter playing well, especially considering IU's lack of depth.
"Getting (Jess) back again has been really key for us," Buss said last week. "She's been working hard and playing better since coming off her injury. I just think everyone's better when (Jess) is out on the floor because she can do so much for us."
Now back to form, Walter's next step is breaking out.
Moren said she showed signs of bringing her game to the next level against then-No. 5 Ohio State but wasn't able to carry it over into the next set of games. She found her shot again Wednesday, another trend in the right direction, but next comes consistency, and she'll try to bring it on Sunday at Northwestern.
"We need her to continue to shoot it well for us," Moren said. "We've all been kind of waiting for Jess to have a breakout."
The sophomore guard was sidelined to begin the season after suffering a head injury in practice shortly before Hoosier Hysteria in mid-October. When she was healthy enough to return, she wasn't quite the player she was last season as she slowly regained form and started to build up her minutes again.
Wednesday night's 68-66 win against Illinois was another step forward for Walter, who hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench. Now trending upward, it's the type of game she'll look to build on moving forward in the Big Ten season after seeing outside shots fall again.
"I'm not gonna lie, it felt pretty good," Walter said. "My teammates have been really confident in me, telling me to keep shooting and finding me when I'm open. It felt good to make some today."
Walter—Indiana's top returning 3-point shooter from a year ago—had been struggling with consistency ever since her preseason injury forced her to miss a couple of weeks of practice. Through her first 10 games back, she averaged just 13.1 minutes off the bench and scored more than three points just once.
When she entered the starting lineup for the first time in IU's last non-conference game against Yale in the final week of 2015, Walter's minutes have ballooned to 20.5 per game between five starts and three games off the bench.
The increase in minutes has seen an increase in production, too. Walter played a season-high 25 minutes and scored a season-best 11 points against Ohio State less than two weeks ago before scoring five points over the next three games as junior Karlee McBride stepped into the starting role.
Walter found her shot again against the Illini and played a crucial role in the Hoosiers' late-game press that ultimately changed the momentum of the game.
"Jess is a kid that continues to work in the gym," head coach Teri Moren said. "She spends extra time on her shot. It's always good to see those go in for her because of her work and because she so desperately wants to help her team win."
Walter, McBride and junior Tyshee Towner have combined to rotate in and out of the third guard spot all season. It's been frustrating at times, Moren said, because she's had to play the hot hand a little too often when she'd rather have a more set rotation.
Walter's proven play on both ends of the floor make her an attractive option to plug into lineup, though McBride's hot shooting in the last few games has been impossible for Moren to turn away.
Instead, Walter's been seeing similar minutes off the bench in recent games and has seen her confidence grow with it. That's a welcome sign, fellow sophomore guard Tyra Buss said, because the Hoosiers recognize how much stronger they can be with Walter playing well, especially considering IU's lack of depth.
"Getting (Jess) back again has been really key for us," Buss said last week. "She's been working hard and playing better since coming off her injury. I just think everyone's better when (Jess) is out on the floor because she can do so much for us."
Now back to form, Walter's next step is breaking out.
Moren said she showed signs of bringing her game to the next level against then-No. 5 Ohio State but wasn't able to carry it over into the next set of games. She found her shot again Wednesday, another trend in the right direction, but next comes consistency, and she'll try to bring it on Sunday at Northwestern.
"We need her to continue to shoot it well for us," Moren said. "We've all been kind of waiting for Jess to have a breakout."
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