Indiana University Athletics
Anunoby's Emergence Coming At Optimal Time
1/8/2016 9:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - OG Anunoby isn't one to talk much about himself or his basketball accomplishments. The freshman forward's public interactions with the press don't normally last more than a sentence or two.
During his latest press conference after an 11-point outing against Wisconsin, senior guard Kevin Yogi Ferrell playfully stepped in after Anunoby described himself as "just a basketball player" by quipping, "I told you he was shy."
Anunoby disagreed. Ferrell didn't buy it.
"I saw OG's potential in the summer," Ferrell said. "He was a shy, quiet kid in the summer. He knows it. But we've been on him about bringing (his personality) out. We're going to need that to win."
Anunoby's recent stretch of play has done enough talking for the Jefferson City, Missouri, native. In his first three Big Ten games, he's averaging 10 points and four rebounds per game in just over 14 minutes after matching a career-high 11 points in a career-high 17 minutes in Indiana's win against Wisconsin on Tuesday.
It's a noticeable increase in production for Anunoby, who has 30 points in 43 minutes of conference play after having 24 points in 12 non-conference games. He's a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range in his last four games and has only missed two of his last 14 field goal attempts.
"His confidence is growing," head coach Tom Crean said. "You can see that with the way he's shooting the ball. As I've said before, one of the reasons we recruited him is because of the way he could shoot. He's getting more comfortable with it, but he's very smart, he's very athletic, he's very strong for his age and he's pretty fearless when it comes to defense."
Anunoby's most recent defensive task was arguably his toughest. As the first one off Indiana's bench, he was tasked with slowing down Wisconsin's leading scorer Nigel Hayes, a junior who had both size and experience on his side against Anunoby.
When Anunoby checked into Tuesday's game four minutes into the contest and matched up with Hayes, the veteran backed him down in the post immediately and made his move toward the rim looking for an easy basket.
Anunoby swatted the shot attempt out of bounds.
"He's an excellent defender," Crean said.
And it's hard to gauge just where Indiana would be without the soft-spoken Anunoby, who spent part of his childhood in London and goes by an abbreviated version of his full name, Ogugua. With sophomore guard James Blackmon Jr. sidelined for the foreseeable future with a knee injury, Anunoby headlines a group of reserves the Hoosiers will increasingly rely on over the remainder of the Big Ten season.
There's no hiding the fact that freshmen can take a while to adjust to playing in the Big Ten, but Anunoby has passed his early tests even after being limited in the non-conference portion of the schedule. One of his most pressing challenges will be sustaining the level of play his teammates insist was always there but in need of polishing.
"I saw the potential when we came in for the summer," freshman center Thomas Bryant said. "He was finishing with the guards and not the bigs. That caught my eye quick."
Bryant's been making his own impact this season, averaging 11.9 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 73 percent from the field. IU's third scholarship freshman, Juwan Morgan, is averaging one point and 1.5 rebounds per game in just under eight minutes of play but is expected to take on a larger role with Blackmon out and injuries of his own behind him.
But for the last couple of weeks, at least, Anunoby has been carrying the banner among the newest Hoosiers-shy or not.
And Crean thinks it's only the beginning.
"Our guys have got a lot of belief in him, and he knows that" Crean said. "He's just going to continue to get better."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - OG Anunoby isn't one to talk much about himself or his basketball accomplishments. The freshman forward's public interactions with the press don't normally last more than a sentence or two.
During his latest press conference after an 11-point outing against Wisconsin, senior guard Kevin Yogi Ferrell playfully stepped in after Anunoby described himself as "just a basketball player" by quipping, "I told you he was shy."
Anunoby disagreed. Ferrell didn't buy it.
"I saw OG's potential in the summer," Ferrell said. "He was a shy, quiet kid in the summer. He knows it. But we've been on him about bringing (his personality) out. We're going to need that to win."
Anunoby's recent stretch of play has done enough talking for the Jefferson City, Missouri, native. In his first three Big Ten games, he's averaging 10 points and four rebounds per game in just over 14 minutes after matching a career-high 11 points in a career-high 17 minutes in Indiana's win against Wisconsin on Tuesday.
It's a noticeable increase in production for Anunoby, who has 30 points in 43 minutes of conference play after having 24 points in 12 non-conference games. He's a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range in his last four games and has only missed two of his last 14 field goal attempts.
"His confidence is growing," head coach Tom Crean said. "You can see that with the way he's shooting the ball. As I've said before, one of the reasons we recruited him is because of the way he could shoot. He's getting more comfortable with it, but he's very smart, he's very athletic, he's very strong for his age and he's pretty fearless when it comes to defense."
Anunoby's most recent defensive task was arguably his toughest. As the first one off Indiana's bench, he was tasked with slowing down Wisconsin's leading scorer Nigel Hayes, a junior who had both size and experience on his side against Anunoby.
When Anunoby checked into Tuesday's game four minutes into the contest and matched up with Hayes, the veteran backed him down in the post immediately and made his move toward the rim looking for an easy basket.
Anunoby swatted the shot attempt out of bounds.
"He's an excellent defender," Crean said.
And it's hard to gauge just where Indiana would be without the soft-spoken Anunoby, who spent part of his childhood in London and goes by an abbreviated version of his full name, Ogugua. With sophomore guard James Blackmon Jr. sidelined for the foreseeable future with a knee injury, Anunoby headlines a group of reserves the Hoosiers will increasingly rely on over the remainder of the Big Ten season.
There's no hiding the fact that freshmen can take a while to adjust to playing in the Big Ten, but Anunoby has passed his early tests even after being limited in the non-conference portion of the schedule. One of his most pressing challenges will be sustaining the level of play his teammates insist was always there but in need of polishing.
"I saw the potential when we came in for the summer," freshman center Thomas Bryant said. "He was finishing with the guards and not the bigs. That caught my eye quick."
Bryant's been making his own impact this season, averaging 11.9 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 73 percent from the field. IU's third scholarship freshman, Juwan Morgan, is averaging one point and 1.5 rebounds per game in just under eight minutes of play but is expected to take on a larger role with Blackmon out and injuries of his own behind him.
But for the last couple of weeks, at least, Anunoby has been carrying the banner among the newest Hoosiers-shy or not.
And Crean thinks it's only the beginning.
"Our guys have got a lot of belief in him, and he knows that" Crean said. "He's just going to continue to get better."
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