Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Tabbed 21st in ESPN.com Preseason Poll
10/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 14, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana men's basketball is ranked 21st in the preseason ESPN.com Top 25 poll, which was released Friday, Oct. 14. The Hoosiers are one of four Big Ten squads ranked in the poll. IU will once again play one of the toughest schedules in the nation, with six of its foes listed among the top 25, including three among the top five teams in the country (No. 1 Duke, No. 4 Connecticut and No. 5 Michigan State).
The Hoosiers officially tip off the season with Hoosier Hysteria on Friday night. Due to new NCAA rules which allows basketball teams to begin practice earlier than midnight, the box office will open at 7 p.m., the doors to Assembly Hall will open at 8:15 p.m., with introductions of the team's beginning at approximately 9 p.m. Hoosier Hysteria will include events such as a three-point competition, spot shot, dunk contest and a short scrimmage. Cost for entrance will be two canned food items or $2 per person. All proceeds will go to the hurricane relief effort and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.
"The team and coaching staff are really excited to get the season underway," IU head coach Mike Davis said. "The players have worked really hard during offseason, and they are ready to get going. We know our fans are just as excited as we are about not only this event, but also the season. This has a chance to be a special season."
The sixth-year Hoosier head coach returns eight letterwinners and four starters from last season's squad. The 2005-06 Hoosiers will also receive a boost from an impressive list of six newcomers. Seniors Marco Killingsworth and Lewis Monroe headline the group of newcomers, joining Indiana after sitting out the 2004-05 campaign as transfers from Auburn.
Killingsworth turned heads during the Big Ten Foreign Tour over the summer. The 6-8, 265-pound forward led the team in scoring at 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. His credentials from Auburn also speak volumes about Killingsworth's ability. In just three seasons with the Tigers, he became only the 10th player in the program's history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. The All-SEC selection led the star-studded league in field goal percentages during his sophomore and junior campaigns.
The 6-5 Monroe gives the Hoosiers a tall, veteran point guard with his 6-5 frame. He was the floor general in guiding Auburn to the 2003 Sweet 16, where it lost to eventual national champion Syracuse. During his three seasons, Monroe started 57 games in the Tiger backcourt and averaged 3.1 assists per contest.
Junior Earl Calloway joins IU as a junior college transfer. The speedy, 6-3 point guard was an honorable mention junior college All-American at Georgia Perimeter College. The Atlanta, Ga., native averaged 18.3 points, 4.8 assists and 5.0 steals per contest last season.
A trio of talented freshmen join the three transfers. Freshmen Ben Allen, Cem Dinc and Joey Shaw will look to make an immediate impact for the Hoosiers. Allen is a 6-10 center from the Australian Institute of Sport. The Melbourne, Australia, native competed for his country in the FIBA Under-21 World Championships over the summer, helping the `Crocs' to a fourth-place finish.
Dinc, like Allen, also has international experience. The 6-10, 245-pound forward was a member of the Turkish National team that competed at the 2005 European Championships. Both Allen and Dinc have the size to compete in the paint, but add the long-range shooting dimension.
Shaw, a 6-6 shooting guard, led his Deer Valley High School team to the Arizona 5A state runner up, while averaging nearly 18 points per contest. He was named the Northwest Region Player of the Year.
Indiana's top two returning scorers and rebounders from a season ago are sophomores D.J. White and Robert Vaden. White returns after earning freshman All-America and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors his rookie season. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native averaged 13.3 points per contest in 2004-05, to go along with a team-high 4.9 rebounds a game. White also set an IU freshmen record for blocked shots in a season with 64 rejections, bettering a mark held by former Hoosier great and long-time NBA player Alan Henderson.
Vaden turned in an exceptional rookie campaign as well. Vaden and White were the only two Hoosiers to start all 29 games in 2004-05. Vaden averaged 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest as a freshman. He was a Big Ten All-Freshman team selection as well.
Sophomore A.J. Ratliff was part of the Hoosiers' top-ranked recruiting class from a season ago. The former Indiana Mr. Basketball led IU in three-point shooting last season, hitting on 43.6 percent of his attempts. Ratliff started 14 contests for the Hoosiers during his rookie campaign averaging 5.8 points per contest.
Seniors Sean Kline and Marshall Strickland return for their final season in 2005-06. Strickland is a three-year starter for the Hoosiers, having averaged 8.0 points per game during his first three seasons. The Winfield, Md., native will provide a wealth of experience and leadership to the Hoosier backcourt, having competed in 91 games during his Hoosier career with 67 starts. As a junior, Strickland played in all but one contest (missing the match due to an illness) averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while leading the Hoosiers in assists.
Kline has seen time as both a starter and reserve during his Hoosier career. The fifth-year senior will provide depth in the frontcourt, while giving the squad another player with experience. Kline battled an injury in 2004-05 that limited his playing time and production, but over his career the Huntington, Ind., native has proven his worth. Before a season-ending injury cut short his junior campaign, Kline was a mainstay in the Hoosier lineup, averaging 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest from his forward position.
The 21st-ranked Hoosiers open the exhibition portion of the schedule against St. Joseph's on Nov. 4 in Assembly Hall. IU's other exhibition affair comes on Nov. 10 in Bloomington against Indianapolis. Game times for both contests are still to be announced. Indiana opens the regular season at home against Nicholls State on Friday, Nov. 18. The game is slated for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN-Plus. Check your local television listings for details.
