Indiana University Athletics
IU Basketball Officially Begins With Hysteria
10/24/2015 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Troy Williams surprised a few people at Hoosier Hysteria presented by Smithville Fiber on Saturday.
Just not himself.
The junior forward became the first player in Hoosier Hysteria history to win the dunk contest and 3-point contest on the same night. He then proceeded to lead the Cream team in scoring in a 35-28 victory against the Crimson in an intrasquad scrimmage to end the night.
Williams' performance impressed emcee Catt Sadler so much that she felt obligated to ask him what he ate this morning.
"I don't eat breakfast," Williams said, bluntly. "Thoroughbred."
Williams' performance highlighted the annual Hoosier Hysteria activities. Fans lined up for the event hours before doors even opened, braving the rain and the wind to get as close to the action as they could.
When the crowd arrived, they watched as the men's team ran out onto the floor dancing to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" in aviator glasses. Freshman forward O.G. Anunoby credited the Swift-themed intro to head coach Tom Crean.
"I was happy because I like the song," Anunoby said.
Fellow freshman Thomas Bryant was perhaps the most impressive individual on the night. The forward made his presence known early, walking to center court and dancing to The Sugarhill Gang's "Apache (Jump On It)," much to the delight of the Assembly Hall crowd.
In competition, Bryant opened the scrimmage with four consecutive points, finishing as the leading scorer with 15 points after battling a foot injury and illness in recent weeks. He participated in the 3-point shootout, dunk contest and the majority of the scrimmage, completing his seventh full practice.
Bryant was the last player to leave the floor at the end of the night, spending a few extra minutes working on defensive positioning with Crean before heading to an autograph session for fans.
"He is a very willing learner," Crean said. "He's got a great personality. I think everybody saw that. He's got an infectious energy. The best thing you can say about him is we knew every day when he wasn't in there."
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell looked comfortable as an initiator, letting freshmen like Anunoby, Bryant and Juwan Morgan take most of the spotlight in the scrimmage. Ferrell, who tied Williams and fellow senior guard Nick Zeisloft in the 3-point contest, scored four points in the scrimmage.
"He's a very hard worker, loves to be in the gym," Crean said of Ferrell. "But he's got to take ownership of the guys on the court, putting them in the right spots all the time."
Crean wasn't putting too much stock into the practice. He said liked seeing Williams' work on improving his 3-point shooting get rewarded and mostly liked the play he saw from his guys in the scrimmage, but admittedly, he was more focused on what the team was doing wrong at this point.
He gave high praise to Sadler's performance as the night's emcee and was appreciative of the fans who filed into Assembly Hall after waiting outside for hours in the wind and rain to be a part of the unofficial start of basketball season.
"(The fans) are bringing a tremendous energy into this," Crean said. "That's what makes it special. It really does…I thought the energy of the crowd, the whole thing, everybody that put this together at Indiana did a tremendous job."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Troy Williams surprised a few people at Hoosier Hysteria presented by Smithville Fiber on Saturday.
Just not himself.
The junior forward became the first player in Hoosier Hysteria history to win the dunk contest and 3-point contest on the same night. He then proceeded to lead the Cream team in scoring in a 35-28 victory against the Crimson in an intrasquad scrimmage to end the night.
Williams' performance impressed emcee Catt Sadler so much that she felt obligated to ask him what he ate this morning.
"I don't eat breakfast," Williams said, bluntly. "Thoroughbred."
Williams' performance highlighted the annual Hoosier Hysteria activities. Fans lined up for the event hours before doors even opened, braving the rain and the wind to get as close to the action as they could.
When the crowd arrived, they watched as the men's team ran out onto the floor dancing to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" in aviator glasses. Freshman forward O.G. Anunoby credited the Swift-themed intro to head coach Tom Crean.
"I was happy because I like the song," Anunoby said.
Fellow freshman Thomas Bryant was perhaps the most impressive individual on the night. The forward made his presence known early, walking to center court and dancing to The Sugarhill Gang's "Apache (Jump On It)," much to the delight of the Assembly Hall crowd.
In competition, Bryant opened the scrimmage with four consecutive points, finishing as the leading scorer with 15 points after battling a foot injury and illness in recent weeks. He participated in the 3-point shootout, dunk contest and the majority of the scrimmage, completing his seventh full practice.
Bryant was the last player to leave the floor at the end of the night, spending a few extra minutes working on defensive positioning with Crean before heading to an autograph session for fans.
"He is a very willing learner," Crean said. "He's got a great personality. I think everybody saw that. He's got an infectious energy. The best thing you can say about him is we knew every day when he wasn't in there."
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell looked comfortable as an initiator, letting freshmen like Anunoby, Bryant and Juwan Morgan take most of the spotlight in the scrimmage. Ferrell, who tied Williams and fellow senior guard Nick Zeisloft in the 3-point contest, scored four points in the scrimmage.
"He's a very hard worker, loves to be in the gym," Crean said of Ferrell. "But he's got to take ownership of the guys on the court, putting them in the right spots all the time."
Crean wasn't putting too much stock into the practice. He said liked seeing Williams' work on improving his 3-point shooting get rewarded and mostly liked the play he saw from his guys in the scrimmage, but admittedly, he was more focused on what the team was doing wrong at this point.
He gave high praise to Sadler's performance as the night's emcee and was appreciative of the fans who filed into Assembly Hall after waiting outside for hours in the wind and rain to be a part of the unofficial start of basketball season.
"(The fans) are bringing a tremendous energy into this," Crean said. "That's what makes it special. It really does…I thought the energy of the crowd, the whole thing, everybody that put this together at Indiana did a tremendous job."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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