Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Tabbed Third, White Preseason All-Big Ten
10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 30, 2005
PARK RIDGE, Ill. - The Indiana men's basketball team was picked to finish third in the Big Ten by the conference media during the 2005-06 season. The media members visiting the Big Ten Basketball Media Day voted on the preseason conference standings as well as the preseason first team All-Big Ten. Sophomore forward D.J. White was one of those five players honored by the conference media as a preseason all-conference selection.
"It is an honor for our team and D.J. to be recognized by the conference media," Indiana head coach Mike Davis said. "At the same time, we understand that we have work to do. One of our goals is to win the Big Ten Championship and that is what we will strive for."
Michigan State, one of two league teams to reach the Final Four last season, was named the preseason Big Ten favorite for the 2005-06 campaign. Defending Big Ten Champion and 2005 Final Four participant Illinois was selected second in the preseason media poll.
Along with White, Illinois guard Dee Brown, Michigan State center Paul Davis, Minnesota guard/forward Vincent Grier and Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker were selected as preseason first team All-Big Ten honorees. The media also distinguished Brown as the favorite for the Big Ten Player of the Year honor, making him the sixth straight Illini player to earn the preseason recognition.
White is the Hoosiers' top returning scorer and rebounder from a season ago. The 6-9, 230-pound forward averaged 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest in his rookie campaign. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2004-05, leading conference freshman in scoring, rebounding and block shots. White topped the Hoosier freshman record for blocks in a season with 64, bettering a mark established by long-time NBA player Alan Henderson.
The Hoosiers were one of four Big Ten teams in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, released on Friday, Oct. 28. Indiana is ranked 22nd in the preseason poll. The other three Big Ten schools ranked in the top 25 are Michigan State (sixth), Illinois (17th) and Iowa (20th). Duke, a Hoosier opponent on Nov. 30 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Assembly Hall, is the preseason No. 1 earning 28 of 31 first-place votes.
IU returns four starters from a season ago. Along with White, sophomore forward Robert Vaden, sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff and senior guard Marshall Strickland return after starting in 2004-05. Vaden returns as the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, with averages of 10.2 points and 4.3 boards per contest. Ratliff led the team in three-point percentage (.436), while Strickland was the team-leader in assists per game (3.4). The Hoosiers will be hampered a bit at the start of the season with Ratliff out six weeks due to a thumb injury.
Additionally, transfers Lewis Monroe and Marco Killingsworth are fifth-year seniors who display leadership and maturity. Killingsworth, a 6-8, 265-pound forward, joins White to form one of the premier frontcourts in the nation. The Montgomery, Ala., native is coming off the Big Ten Foreign Tour where he led the team with 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. He became only the third Indiana player in Tour annals to lead the squad in scoring after tallying double figures in all five contests to post a team-best 76 points (1991 - Greg Graham, 19.0 and 1992 - Matt Nover, 17.3). Monroe was a three-year starter at Auburn and was the floor general in the Tigers' 2003 Sweet 16 appearance.
Other returnees include sophomore James Hardy, senior Sean Kline and juniors Errek Suhr and Roderick Wilmont, each of whom averaged at least seven minutes per contest a year ago. Newcomers to this year's team include Earl Calloway, a JUCO All-American at Georgia Perimeter in 2005, and true freshmen Ben Allen, Cem Dinc and Joey Shaw. Allen (Australian U-21 National Team) and Dinc (Turkey National Team) have both competed in international events, while also competing against some of the best players in the world. Shaw, a native of Pheonix, Ariz., is considered by many as one of the top shooting guards in western region.
Indiana will open the exhibition portion of the 2005-06 schedule at home against St. Joseph's (Ind.). The game is set for 8 p.m. on Nov. 4. Indiana also will host Indianapolis on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m., as part of the exhibition slate. The Hoosiers open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 18, in the friendly confines of Assembly Hall against Nicholls State. The game will be televised on ESPN-Plus at 6 p.m., check your local listing for details. Every Hoosier game can be heard on the IU Radio Network with Don Fischer (play-by-play), Todd Leary (analysis) and Joe Smith (pre game, halftime and post game) on the call.
