Indiana University Athletics
Few Have Displayed The Toughness of These Three Hoosiers
9/24/2017 7:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - If you have bought one of the many preseason publications that predict what will happen during the 2017-18 college basketball season, you know by now that the young men who will suit up for this year's Indiana Hoosiers program are not held in the highest regard.
You buy them because there is always a member of the Indiana program on the cover regardless the state of the program, something not every team in the state or around the country can say. Kyle Taber and Devan Dumes were on covers, but Victor Oladipo never was. Vic has Cody Zeller to thank for that.
In the latest editions of the magazines, you have probably read about the best backcourts, the best leaper, the best defender, the best newcomer and so on. But one category that IU fans can hang their hat on is that they have three of the toughest players in college basketball who have won at a high level during their career. And are looking for more in 2017-18.
Graduate student Collin Hartman, senior Robert Johnson and junior Juwan Morgan are the three players we are referencing. They are healthy, they have experience in big games and they will enter this season with sizable chips on their shoulder.
They all possess something that is highly valuable and needed if you want to succeed in the Big Ten: toughness.
"Those players have given me everything I could have asked for," said new IU head coach Archie Miller. "They are leaders and more importantly they set an example for everyone else when it comes to work ethic."
When Hartman's career is done later this year, his relationship with the program will fall just short of the length of a two-term President. He committed to the Hoosiers in November of 2010.
After enduring a lot of hard knocks as a freshman, Hartman suffered the first setback of his collegiate career just two days after the 2013-14 season when he suffered a knee injury. He went, but continued to sit out when the team took a valuable trip to Montreal at the end of that summer. He came back in time for the start of the 2014-15 season and helped the team back to the NCAA Tournament, emerging as one of the top shooters in the Big Ten by hitting on 47.5 percent of his 3-point field goals.
The following year, it was Hartman who was inserted into the starting lineup when James Blackmon Jr. went down with an injury to start the Big Ten season. And he helped lead IU on the front end of the schedule to seven straight league wins and on the back end of the ledger when Johnson suffered an ankle injury down the stretch run. He started in key road wins at Illinois and Iowa and at home versus Maryland to help IU to its 22nd Big Ten Championship.
When the Hoosiers lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan, few knew that he had suffered a broken wrist in the closing minutes of that game. With six days to get ready for their NCAA Tournament opener, Hartman went as far as to wear a long-sleeve t-shirt during open practices to keep the malady hidden. He went on to average 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and shot 57.1 percent in games against North Carolina, Kentucky and Chattanooga.
Hartman would then suffer a preseason knee injury and miss all of last season and even went through Senior Night festivities, where he stole the show when he asked his girlfriend to marry him (she said "Yes"). A few weeks later, he announced he would return for his fifth year.
"I had been thinking seriously about it because my rehab had been going really well and those closest to me made realize I would regret not taking the opportunity to play," noted Hartman.
Johnson has been in the Hoosiers lineup for 87 of the 98 games he has been healthy to play since joining the team in 2014-15. He averaged 8.9 points as a freshman and is close to joining the 1,000-point club at IU with 978 career points. However, he has often been overlooked with the presence of All-American Kevin Yogi Ferrell his first two seasons and by classmate James Blackmon Jr., who averaged 16.3 points before foregoing his final season of eligibility to pursue a professional career. Now, Johnson becomes the most experienced Hoosier in the backcourt that also includes fellow senior Josh Newkirk, who began his career at Pittsburgh.
"We're excited for Rob," Miller said earlier in the summer. "He's been great to work with. I think he's going to be an important deal as we move into the rest of summer and the guys look for somebody to see how we're doing things or how it's been going since they've been gone. He's going to give them a great blueprint."
On February 20, 2016, Johnson hit a 3-pointer at home against Purdue to give the Hoosier an 18-point lead. Four minutes later, he would go down with an ankle injury and the Hoosiers would hold on for a four-point win against the Boilermakers. He would sit out the championship-deciding three-game stretch against Illinois, Iowa and Maryland and missed the Big Ten Tournament game against Michigan.
Twenty-seven days after the injury, Johnson would return off the bench against Chattanooga in the NCAA tournament. He made all three of his field goal attempts and added six assists in 24 minutes and gave a lift to a team many thought would not survive against the upstart Mocs.
Two days later, he picked up where he left off, hitting two key triples in the first half against favored Kentucky, but after 10 minutes of action, he collapsed to the floor as his ankle gave out. He would not return. The following week in the Sweet Sixteen game against North Carolina, it wasn't until the team went out for its final pregame warmups that it was determined he would not be cleared by the team's medical staff to play. He would undergo surgery to repair that ankle a few weeks later.
"When you get the opportunity to play for a championship, you want to be out there with your teammates in the worst way," noted Johnson. "It was tough to not be able to help but I learned a valuable lesson. Never take anything for granted and appreciate the moment."
Morgan blossomed along with fellow freshman OG Anunoby early in the 2016 Big Ten season when injuries expedited the need for the freshman duo to help IU win its second Big Ten Championship in four years. That's why he came to Indiana. To play on a big-time stage. The Missouri native was needed to do the little things that didn't show up in the box score. Things like defend, scrap, rebound and not make mistakes. He flourished. There was one problem - he had an issue with a recurring shoulder injury. Usually once a game, the freshman would have his shoulder pop out of place the IU medical staff would follow the same protocol. Put it back in place, rehab and then get him ready for the next game.
"Our doctors and training staff did a great job of getting me back in the game," said Morgan. "I was in a role that was new for me. Most of the time, you base your success on things like points and rebounds. Then it was all about drawing fouls, making it tough inside."
For the record, he did hit two free throws in the final minutes at Iowa to give the Hoosiers the lead for good in the game which decided the regular season Big Ten Championship. He also gained valuable experience in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina, Kentucky and Chattanooga.
Entering the 2016-17 season, he continued with his roll of the bench and thrived. Morgan was key in upset wins over Kansas and North Carolina and made a school-record 14 straight field goal attempts over a three-game span. Early in Big Ten play, he tweaked his foot in a game at home against Rutgers. After getting checked out, he returned to the game, only to have one of the referees step on that same foot causing him to miss the next two games. He would spend the majority of the rest of the season playing at less than 100 percent for an already heavily injured squad. He is now healthy and ready to go as the Hoosiers begin practice on Friday, September 29.
"As I look at roles and things they're going to be asked to do, I think Juwan could be another guy with an opportunity to really break out as a player with how we play," Miller said. "I think Juwan really fits how we play. His ability to space the floor is going to be something that's vital to what we're doing. He's going to give us a guy that I think can really do that."
You buy them because there is always a member of the Indiana program on the cover regardless the state of the program, something not every team in the state or around the country can say. Kyle Taber and Devan Dumes were on covers, but Victor Oladipo never was. Vic has Cody Zeller to thank for that.
In the latest editions of the magazines, you have probably read about the best backcourts, the best leaper, the best defender, the best newcomer and so on. But one category that IU fans can hang their hat on is that they have three of the toughest players in college basketball who have won at a high level during their career. And are looking for more in 2017-18.
Graduate student Collin Hartman, senior Robert Johnson and junior Juwan Morgan are the three players we are referencing. They are healthy, they have experience in big games and they will enter this season with sizable chips on their shoulder.
They all possess something that is highly valuable and needed if you want to succeed in the Big Ten: toughness.
"Those players have given me everything I could have asked for," said new IU head coach Archie Miller. "They are leaders and more importantly they set an example for everyone else when it comes to work ethic."
When Hartman's career is done later this year, his relationship with the program will fall just short of the length of a two-term President. He committed to the Hoosiers in November of 2010.
After enduring a lot of hard knocks as a freshman, Hartman suffered the first setback of his collegiate career just two days after the 2013-14 season when he suffered a knee injury. He went, but continued to sit out when the team took a valuable trip to Montreal at the end of that summer. He came back in time for the start of the 2014-15 season and helped the team back to the NCAA Tournament, emerging as one of the top shooters in the Big Ten by hitting on 47.5 percent of his 3-point field goals. The following year, it was Hartman who was inserted into the starting lineup when James Blackmon Jr. went down with an injury to start the Big Ten season. And he helped lead IU on the front end of the schedule to seven straight league wins and on the back end of the ledger when Johnson suffered an ankle injury down the stretch run. He started in key road wins at Illinois and Iowa and at home versus Maryland to help IU to its 22nd Big Ten Championship.
When the Hoosiers lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan, few knew that he had suffered a broken wrist in the closing minutes of that game. With six days to get ready for their NCAA Tournament opener, Hartman went as far as to wear a long-sleeve t-shirt during open practices to keep the malady hidden. He went on to average 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and shot 57.1 percent in games against North Carolina, Kentucky and Chattanooga.
Hartman would then suffer a preseason knee injury and miss all of last season and even went through Senior Night festivities, where he stole the show when he asked his girlfriend to marry him (she said "Yes"). A few weeks later, he announced he would return for his fifth year.
"I had been thinking seriously about it because my rehab had been going really well and those closest to me made realize I would regret not taking the opportunity to play," noted Hartman.
Johnson has been in the Hoosiers lineup for 87 of the 98 games he has been healthy to play since joining the team in 2014-15. He averaged 8.9 points as a freshman and is close to joining the 1,000-point club at IU with 978 career points. However, he has often been overlooked with the presence of All-American Kevin Yogi Ferrell his first two seasons and by classmate James Blackmon Jr., who averaged 16.3 points before foregoing his final season of eligibility to pursue a professional career. Now, Johnson becomes the most experienced Hoosier in the backcourt that also includes fellow senior Josh Newkirk, who began his career at Pittsburgh.
"We're excited for Rob," Miller said earlier in the summer. "He's been great to work with. I think he's going to be an important deal as we move into the rest of summer and the guys look for somebody to see how we're doing things or how it's been going since they've been gone. He's going to give them a great blueprint."
On February 20, 2016, Johnson hit a 3-pointer at home against Purdue to give the Hoosier an 18-point lead. Four minutes later, he would go down with an ankle injury and the Hoosiers would hold on for a four-point win against the Boilermakers. He would sit out the championship-deciding three-game stretch against Illinois, Iowa and Maryland and missed the Big Ten Tournament game against Michigan.
Twenty-seven days after the injury, Johnson would return off the bench against Chattanooga in the NCAA tournament. He made all three of his field goal attempts and added six assists in 24 minutes and gave a lift to a team many thought would not survive against the upstart Mocs.
Two days later, he picked up where he left off, hitting two key triples in the first half against favored Kentucky, but after 10 minutes of action, he collapsed to the floor as his ankle gave out. He would not return. The following week in the Sweet Sixteen game against North Carolina, it wasn't until the team went out for its final pregame warmups that it was determined he would not be cleared by the team's medical staff to play. He would undergo surgery to repair that ankle a few weeks later.
"When you get the opportunity to play for a championship, you want to be out there with your teammates in the worst way," noted Johnson. "It was tough to not be able to help but I learned a valuable lesson. Never take anything for granted and appreciate the moment."
Morgan blossomed along with fellow freshman OG Anunoby early in the 2016 Big Ten season when injuries expedited the need for the freshman duo to help IU win its second Big Ten Championship in four years. That's why he came to Indiana. To play on a big-time stage. The Missouri native was needed to do the little things that didn't show up in the box score. Things like defend, scrap, rebound and not make mistakes. He flourished. There was one problem - he had an issue with a recurring shoulder injury. Usually once a game, the freshman would have his shoulder pop out of place the IU medical staff would follow the same protocol. Put it back in place, rehab and then get him ready for the next game.
"Our doctors and training staff did a great job of getting me back in the game," said Morgan. "I was in a role that was new for me. Most of the time, you base your success on things like points and rebounds. Then it was all about drawing fouls, making it tough inside."
For the record, he did hit two free throws in the final minutes at Iowa to give the Hoosiers the lead for good in the game which decided the regular season Big Ten Championship. He also gained valuable experience in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina, Kentucky and Chattanooga.
Entering the 2016-17 season, he continued with his roll of the bench and thrived. Morgan was key in upset wins over Kansas and North Carolina and made a school-record 14 straight field goal attempts over a three-game span. Early in Big Ten play, he tweaked his foot in a game at home against Rutgers. After getting checked out, he returned to the game, only to have one of the referees step on that same foot causing him to miss the next two games. He would spend the majority of the rest of the season playing at less than 100 percent for an already heavily injured squad. He is now healthy and ready to go as the Hoosiers begin practice on Friday, September 29."As I look at roles and things they're going to be asked to do, I think Juwan could be another guy with an opportunity to really break out as a player with how we play," Miller said. "I think Juwan really fits how we play. His ability to space the floor is going to be something that's vital to what we're doing. He's going to give us a guy that I think can really do that."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ 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