Indiana University Athletics
Development On Display at Haunted Hall of Hoops
10/31/2015 5:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana associate head coach Tim Buckley is less concerned with positions as he is matchups.
Matchups, he said, are becoming more and more the focal point of the way basketball is played. If he or head coach Tom Crean can find something to exploit, they'll look to attack it. If they see a weakness, they'll look to cover it.
With those matchups in mind, Indiana split its roster into red and white teams for the eighth annual Haunted Hall of Hoops scrimmage Saturday at Assembly Hall. The red team defeated the white team 57-49 in a mostly tight game before the coaching staff and players posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans in attendance.
"I think what you're finding is that basketball is becoming more and more of a matchup game than it is a position game," Buckley said. "You pretty much are who you can guard…I think we have a lot of opportunities to be a pretty versatile team."
Indiana's versatility was once again in display in the intrasquad scrimmage, which featured a pair of 10-minute segments before a 6-minute closing period. Seven different players scored more than nine points in just the second time the public has seen the Hoosiers in action this season.
James Blackmon Jr. had an efficient game, leading all scorers with 17 points. The sophomore guard connected on three 3-pointers, including a pair of pull-up treys in transition.
Blackmon, who was sidelined with a torn meniscus during the summer, showed little sign of any lingering effects from surgery. Buckley said the only time he showed signs of slowing down was when fatigue began to set in late into the scrimmage.
"I think he's done a terrific job of bouncing back both mentally and physically from his injury," Buckley said. "He's always had a really nice stroke—that hasn't changed much. But I would say (he's) probably getting more comfortable with the rhythm of the game and the rhythm of his shot and the speed of the game in these scrimmage situations."
Buckley said a few players outperformed his expectations relative to how they've been performing in practice, including fifth-year senior Max Bielfeldt, who nearly had a double-double matched up with freshman forward Thomas Bryant.
Bryant showcased his vision in the post, finding a few open cutters for easy scores around the rim including an early pass to a cutting senior guard Yogi Ferrell for a floater in the paint.
Buckley compared Bryant's vision in the post to another highly-touted Indiana big man, current Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Zeller.
"He reminds me of Cody in that you can run offense through him and the offense doesn't just go in there and he's going to shoot it every time," Buckley said. "He finds cutters and makes good passes."
O.G. Anunoby, another freshman, was active on the defensive end, building on his strong showing at last weekend's Hoosier Hysteria. Anunoby, who Buckley said projects to one day be a wing player, took advantage of his length to intercept and deflect passes throughout the game.
Two of his deflections turned into transition points at the rim heading the other way. Anunoby's pressure defense was a team-wide trend, with Indiana electing to press on and off throughout the game, which Crean has said the Hoosiers hope to do more often this season.
"There's a difference between pressuring and gambling or reaching," Buckley said. "We want to be able to use our athleticism and our length, but we don't want to get out of position because we're trying to get the ball or steal the ball."
Indiana's awareness to know when to pick and choose its opportunities to come up with deflections is just one of a handful of areas Buckley said the Hoosiers will be working on in practice in the next few days before Tuesday's exhibition matchup against Ottawa at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers are already familiar with the team from Canada, having lost to them 109-101 in last summer's preseason trip up north.
"As you can see, there was some really good things and there were some things we need to continue to build and develop," Buckley said.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana associate head coach Tim Buckley is less concerned with positions as he is matchups.
Matchups, he said, are becoming more and more the focal point of the way basketball is played. If he or head coach Tom Crean can find something to exploit, they'll look to attack it. If they see a weakness, they'll look to cover it.
With those matchups in mind, Indiana split its roster into red and white teams for the eighth annual Haunted Hall of Hoops scrimmage Saturday at Assembly Hall. The red team defeated the white team 57-49 in a mostly tight game before the coaching staff and players posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans in attendance.
"I think what you're finding is that basketball is becoming more and more of a matchup game than it is a position game," Buckley said. "You pretty much are who you can guard…I think we have a lot of opportunities to be a pretty versatile team."
Indiana's versatility was once again in display in the intrasquad scrimmage, which featured a pair of 10-minute segments before a 6-minute closing period. Seven different players scored more than nine points in just the second time the public has seen the Hoosiers in action this season.
James Blackmon Jr. had an efficient game, leading all scorers with 17 points. The sophomore guard connected on three 3-pointers, including a pair of pull-up treys in transition.
Blackmon, who was sidelined with a torn meniscus during the summer, showed little sign of any lingering effects from surgery. Buckley said the only time he showed signs of slowing down was when fatigue began to set in late into the scrimmage.
"I think he's done a terrific job of bouncing back both mentally and physically from his injury," Buckley said. "He's always had a really nice stroke—that hasn't changed much. But I would say (he's) probably getting more comfortable with the rhythm of the game and the rhythm of his shot and the speed of the game in these scrimmage situations."
Buckley said a few players outperformed his expectations relative to how they've been performing in practice, including fifth-year senior Max Bielfeldt, who nearly had a double-double matched up with freshman forward Thomas Bryant.
Bryant showcased his vision in the post, finding a few open cutters for easy scores around the rim including an early pass to a cutting senior guard Yogi Ferrell for a floater in the paint.
Buckley compared Bryant's vision in the post to another highly-touted Indiana big man, current Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Zeller.
"He reminds me of Cody in that you can run offense through him and the offense doesn't just go in there and he's going to shoot it every time," Buckley said. "He finds cutters and makes good passes."
O.G. Anunoby, another freshman, was active on the defensive end, building on his strong showing at last weekend's Hoosier Hysteria. Anunoby, who Buckley said projects to one day be a wing player, took advantage of his length to intercept and deflect passes throughout the game.
Two of his deflections turned into transition points at the rim heading the other way. Anunoby's pressure defense was a team-wide trend, with Indiana electing to press on and off throughout the game, which Crean has said the Hoosiers hope to do more often this season.
"There's a difference between pressuring and gambling or reaching," Buckley said. "We want to be able to use our athleticism and our length, but we don't want to get out of position because we're trying to get the ball or steal the ball."
Indiana's awareness to know when to pick and choose its opportunities to come up with deflections is just one of a handful of areas Buckley said the Hoosiers will be working on in practice in the next few days before Tuesday's exhibition matchup against Ottawa at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers are already familiar with the team from Canada, having lost to them 109-101 in last summer's preseason trip up north.
"As you can see, there was some really good things and there were some things we need to continue to build and develop," Buckley said.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's BasketballFB: Nico Radicic - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Drew Evans - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Bray Lynch - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Spring Practice - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Thursday, April 16