Indiana University Athletics
Gassion's Stoic Approach Leading to More Offense
12/17/2015 11:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Teri Moren wants to set Alexis Gassion off, really make her mad just once.
There's no animosity between Indiana's head coach and her junior forward—she just wants to prove she can do it, she joked.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen Lex lose her cool," Moren said. "I don't think she can."
Gassion has what her teammates describe as a "Zen-like" quality about her. Nobody seems to be able to recall a time she's been angry or overly happy, either.
"I don't think she has emotions," senior forward Lyndsay Leikem said. "She's always the same."
Gassion knows what her teammates say about her persona and laughs it off. She's grown up hearing it and having to answer questions about whether or not she ever gets upset, worried, anxious—anything really.
"I do," she said, laughing. "I just don't always show it."
Gassion's collective demeanor has become one of her strengths on the court. She rarely gets rattled when she struggles or overly confident when shots start to fall. It's a sort of stoic demeanor her basketball idol LeBron James often portrays when he's locked into a playoff game.
Tell Gassion to guard a point guard and she'll chase around the ball-handler for 30-plus minutes one night.
The next she might be in the post, scrapping with a forward closer to the rim.
Gassion doesn't really care which. She'll get her assignment, say "Okay" and then get after it.
"One of Lex's biggest strengths is just how versatile she is for us," Moren said. "She'll defend anyone you throw at her and be whatever we need her to be."
What Moren needs most from Gassion now is scoring. It's been a season-long goal for Gassion to become a more "selfish" player and seek out her own scoring opportunities after taking the fewest shots per game among starters in Big Ten play last season.
For Gassion, the easiest way to do that is to get out on the run. She's a slasher with the ability to get to the rim or pull up for a mid-range jumper where she's comfortable elevating and knocking shots down if a defender gives her space.
Regardless of how she scores, Moren wants Gassion on the attack. She's athletic enough to force defenders into fouling her when she gets her feet under her and makes a charge at the rim, which is even more beneficial this season with the increase in foul calls and double bonus on the fifth foul each quarter.
"We really want her to be aggressive and take advantage of her skillset more," Moren said. "She can be a little too passive sometimes, and that's no knock against her. It's just who she is. We think we're better when she's aggressive and tries to create for herself."
Nine games into the season, Gassion admits her new offensive mindset is still a work in progress. She's averaging 11.4 points per game, up 3.4 points per game from last season, but she's also playing just over seven more minutes per game and has taken half as many shots in one-third of the season as she did all of last year.
Gassion is on pace to shoot the fewest 3-pointers in a season in her career so far, a result of her commitment to getting closer to the rim, and has seen an increase in rebounding and assists as she shoulders more of the offense.
"I'm still trying to feel it out, see how things are going, how teams are defending me," Gassion said. "I know I still have a bigger role to fill, so I'm just trying to fill it out."
She'll have her chances. The Hoosiers are in Winter Park, Fla. this weekend to play games against No. 23/21 Miami (Fla.) and West Virginia before returning home to play Yale and then beginning Big Ten play on the road against Wisconsin at the end of the month.
When asked about Gassion's impact on Indiana's success before the season even began, Moren said to keep an eye on her production relative to the team's success. She predicted the correlation wouldn't be too hard to spot.
Through nine games, Gassion has scored less than 10 points only three times. The Hoosiers are 1-2 in those games and undefeated in the other six.
Gassion isn't hiding the fact that she's got more weight on her shoulders this season. There's added pressure knowing the offense can come and go as she does on any given night.
Not that Gassion minds. She's up for whatever comes her way.
"That's the beauty about Lex is she'll be whatever we need her to be," Moren said. "Right now, we're asking a lot out of her, but she's seen what happens when she responds."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Teri Moren wants to set Alexis Gassion off, really make her mad just once.
There's no animosity between Indiana's head coach and her junior forward—she just wants to prove she can do it, she joked.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen Lex lose her cool," Moren said. "I don't think she can."
Gassion has what her teammates describe as a "Zen-like" quality about her. Nobody seems to be able to recall a time she's been angry or overly happy, either.
"I don't think she has emotions," senior forward Lyndsay Leikem said. "She's always the same."
Gassion knows what her teammates say about her persona and laughs it off. She's grown up hearing it and having to answer questions about whether or not she ever gets upset, worried, anxious—anything really.
"I do," she said, laughing. "I just don't always show it."
Gassion's collective demeanor has become one of her strengths on the court. She rarely gets rattled when she struggles or overly confident when shots start to fall. It's a sort of stoic demeanor her basketball idol LeBron James often portrays when he's locked into a playoff game.
Tell Gassion to guard a point guard and she'll chase around the ball-handler for 30-plus minutes one night.
The next she might be in the post, scrapping with a forward closer to the rim.
Gassion doesn't really care which. She'll get her assignment, say "Okay" and then get after it.
"One of Lex's biggest strengths is just how versatile she is for us," Moren said. "She'll defend anyone you throw at her and be whatever we need her to be."
What Moren needs most from Gassion now is scoring. It's been a season-long goal for Gassion to become a more "selfish" player and seek out her own scoring opportunities after taking the fewest shots per game among starters in Big Ten play last season.
For Gassion, the easiest way to do that is to get out on the run. She's a slasher with the ability to get to the rim or pull up for a mid-range jumper where she's comfortable elevating and knocking shots down if a defender gives her space.
Regardless of how she scores, Moren wants Gassion on the attack. She's athletic enough to force defenders into fouling her when she gets her feet under her and makes a charge at the rim, which is even more beneficial this season with the increase in foul calls and double bonus on the fifth foul each quarter.
"We really want her to be aggressive and take advantage of her skillset more," Moren said. "She can be a little too passive sometimes, and that's no knock against her. It's just who she is. We think we're better when she's aggressive and tries to create for herself."
Nine games into the season, Gassion admits her new offensive mindset is still a work in progress. She's averaging 11.4 points per game, up 3.4 points per game from last season, but she's also playing just over seven more minutes per game and has taken half as many shots in one-third of the season as she did all of last year.
Gassion is on pace to shoot the fewest 3-pointers in a season in her career so far, a result of her commitment to getting closer to the rim, and has seen an increase in rebounding and assists as she shoulders more of the offense.
"I'm still trying to feel it out, see how things are going, how teams are defending me," Gassion said. "I know I still have a bigger role to fill, so I'm just trying to fill it out."
She'll have her chances. The Hoosiers are in Winter Park, Fla. this weekend to play games against No. 23/21 Miami (Fla.) and West Virginia before returning home to play Yale and then beginning Big Ten play on the road against Wisconsin at the end of the month.
When asked about Gassion's impact on Indiana's success before the season even began, Moren said to keep an eye on her production relative to the team's success. She predicted the correlation wouldn't be too hard to spot.
Through nine games, Gassion has scored less than 10 points only three times. The Hoosiers are 1-2 in those games and undefeated in the other six.
Gassion isn't hiding the fact that she's got more weight on her shoulders this season. There's added pressure knowing the offense can come and go as she does on any given night.
Not that Gassion minds. She's up for whatever comes her way.
"That's the beauty about Lex is she'll be whatever we need her to be," Moren said. "Right now, we're asking a lot out of her, but she's seen what happens when she responds."
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