Indiana University Athletics
Defense A Key As Indiana Opens Basketball Practice
9/29/2017 10:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Better defense is coming to Indiana basketball.
Will championships follow?
That's the plan.
Specifically, it's part of first-year coach Archie Miller's plan. The goal of returning the program to national title-winning form starts with championship-level defense.
"I don't expect on Day One we're going to be the Steel Curtain," Miller said, "but I think we're going to be a team that prides itself on that. Our guys know that."
Knowledge comes from work. Miller said during Thursday's media day that the Hoosiers have spent 75 percent of their time working on defense.
"We're building," Miller said. "We're not as sophisticated as we're going to be, but our team is learning what we're about, especially in the half-court.
"It's an adjustment. It's repetition after repetition. It's technique after technique. It's film after film."
Intensity picks up as practice has officially begun. IU returns three starters (Robert Johnson, Juwan Morgan and Josh Newkirk) from an 18-16 team. The Hoosiers have two exhibitions – against Marian University on Oct. 28 and the University of Indianapolis on Nov. 5 before opening the season at home on Nov. 10 against Indiana State.
"I think we'll be a team that hopefully can continue to improve," Miller said. "Sometimes it's going to take games. These guys are going to have to experience it in a game, see it on film in a game.
"That's kind of what's happened throughout my coaching career -- you develop defensively as a team just as well as you do offensively. We're sticking to the script. We're going to try to be great on both (defense and offense), but we're spending an abnormal amount of time on (defense)."
Defense will be critical against an unforgiving early schedule. It includes a five-game, 18-day run of Duke, Michigan, Iowa, Louisville and Notre Dame, with only Duke and Iowa at Assembly Hall.
"This is probably as challenging of a schedule as anyone has probably ever faced just due to the fact of the condensed schedule, the advance Big Ten games early in December, and the amount of games that we're going to play in between," Miller said. "It's going to put a real tax on the bodies."
Big Ten games are starting in early December to accommodate the earlier starting time for the Big Ten tourney in New York. That's set to start a week earlier, in late February, to fit the Madison Square Garden schedule.
"Our nonconference schedule is going to provide a lot of information on what we're going to need to do to be successful through the course of the regular season in Big Ten play," Miller said. "You're playing against legit, high-major teams that have really good players, great coaches. You're not always going to be at home, and we're going to get, so to speak, punched a lot.
"We're going to figure out how we respond to those things. We're going to figure out how we can improve from those things, and we're obviously going to go into games with a group of people that have their antennas up.
"You've got to be ready or it's not going to work out well for you."
Tough schedule or not, expectations are high. Miller offered perspective.
"It's difficult for our staff to put expectations on anything. The expectation for us right now is to do things properly in every phase of the day and let that carry over and become our habits.
"We're not going to win any games right now. We have to become the best team we can be. We have to develop great chemistry, great competitiveness. Guys have to know where they're at, where they're supposed to be, what they're supposed to be doing.
"I think, as we get to the games, let's see where we're at. But the expectation level for us is to be ready every single day, and that's going to be a great way of getting started that we'll be ready to play when the games start."
College basketball was rocked this week when a federal bribery investigation resulted in the arrests of four college assistant basketball coaches (Auburn's Chuck Person, Arizona's Emanuel Richardson, Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans and Southern California's Tony Bland), an Adidas official and five others. Plus, a federal investigation involving the Louisville program resulted in the removal of Rick Pitino as head coach and Tom Jurich as athletic director.
IU athletic director Fred Glass has made doing things the right way a top priority. Miller said he's confident the Hoosiers are. He said he was, "As surprised as anyone, just like 99 percent of the basketball world, about what's going on."
Miller added that he and his staff have met with Glass "multiple times" and that "we have no reason to think that Indiana is involved in anything right now."
"We're focused on the task at hand. Running this program was clearly defined on Day One and the expectations of doing things the right way."
Miller's older brother, Sean, is the head coach at Arizona. Archie Miller is a former assistant coach at Arizona and worked with Richardson.
Archie Miller said that, "When it comes to Arizona, obviously, very prideful there with my family. I've been able to talk to Sean only one time very briefly to add my support."
IU is in the midst of an eight-year, $53.6 million deal with Adidas. Miller said the relationship with the apparel company "has been great" and that "we look forward to continuing it."
Asked if the federal investigation would cause any changes in operating the program Miller said, "We're business as usual.
"I think everyone has probably taken a step back and is a little bit reserved or a little bit guarded.
"But as you look at your own players, you have to remind them with great urgency to do things the right way. I don't have any reason to believe they're not."
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Better defense is coming to Indiana basketball.
Will championships follow?
That's the plan.
Specifically, it's part of first-year coach Archie Miller's plan. The goal of returning the program to national title-winning form starts with championship-level defense.
"I don't expect on Day One we're going to be the Steel Curtain," Miller said, "but I think we're going to be a team that prides itself on that. Our guys know that."
Knowledge comes from work. Miller said during Thursday's media day that the Hoosiers have spent 75 percent of their time working on defense.
"We're building," Miller said. "We're not as sophisticated as we're going to be, but our team is learning what we're about, especially in the half-court.
"It's an adjustment. It's repetition after repetition. It's technique after technique. It's film after film."
Intensity picks up as practice has officially begun. IU returns three starters (Robert Johnson, Juwan Morgan and Josh Newkirk) from an 18-16 team. The Hoosiers have two exhibitions – against Marian University on Oct. 28 and the University of Indianapolis on Nov. 5 before opening the season at home on Nov. 10 against Indiana State.
"I think we'll be a team that hopefully can continue to improve," Miller said. "Sometimes it's going to take games. These guys are going to have to experience it in a game, see it on film in a game.
"That's kind of what's happened throughout my coaching career -- you develop defensively as a team just as well as you do offensively. We're sticking to the script. We're going to try to be great on both (defense and offense), but we're spending an abnormal amount of time on (defense)."
Defense will be critical against an unforgiving early schedule. It includes a five-game, 18-day run of Duke, Michigan, Iowa, Louisville and Notre Dame, with only Duke and Iowa at Assembly Hall.
"This is probably as challenging of a schedule as anyone has probably ever faced just due to the fact of the condensed schedule, the advance Big Ten games early in December, and the amount of games that we're going to play in between," Miller said. "It's going to put a real tax on the bodies."
Big Ten games are starting in early December to accommodate the earlier starting time for the Big Ten tourney in New York. That's set to start a week earlier, in late February, to fit the Madison Square Garden schedule.
"Our nonconference schedule is going to provide a lot of information on what we're going to need to do to be successful through the course of the regular season in Big Ten play," Miller said. "You're playing against legit, high-major teams that have really good players, great coaches. You're not always going to be at home, and we're going to get, so to speak, punched a lot.
"We're going to figure out how we respond to those things. We're going to figure out how we can improve from those things, and we're obviously going to go into games with a group of people that have their antennas up.
"You've got to be ready or it's not going to work out well for you."
Tough schedule or not, expectations are high. Miller offered perspective.
"It's difficult for our staff to put expectations on anything. The expectation for us right now is to do things properly in every phase of the day and let that carry over and become our habits.
"We're not going to win any games right now. We have to become the best team we can be. We have to develop great chemistry, great competitiveness. Guys have to know where they're at, where they're supposed to be, what they're supposed to be doing.
"I think, as we get to the games, let's see where we're at. But the expectation level for us is to be ready every single day, and that's going to be a great way of getting started that we'll be ready to play when the games start."
College basketball was rocked this week when a federal bribery investigation resulted in the arrests of four college assistant basketball coaches (Auburn's Chuck Person, Arizona's Emanuel Richardson, Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans and Southern California's Tony Bland), an Adidas official and five others. Plus, a federal investigation involving the Louisville program resulted in the removal of Rick Pitino as head coach and Tom Jurich as athletic director.
IU athletic director Fred Glass has made doing things the right way a top priority. Miller said he's confident the Hoosiers are. He said he was, "As surprised as anyone, just like 99 percent of the basketball world, about what's going on."
Miller added that he and his staff have met with Glass "multiple times" and that "we have no reason to think that Indiana is involved in anything right now."
"We're focused on the task at hand. Running this program was clearly defined on Day One and the expectations of doing things the right way."
Miller's older brother, Sean, is the head coach at Arizona. Archie Miller is a former assistant coach at Arizona and worked with Richardson.
Archie Miller said that, "When it comes to Arizona, obviously, very prideful there with my family. I've been able to talk to Sean only one time very briefly to add my support."
IU is in the midst of an eight-year, $53.6 million deal with Adidas. Miller said the relationship with the apparel company "has been great" and that "we look forward to continuing it."
Asked if the federal investigation would cause any changes in operating the program Miller said, "We're business as usual.
"I think everyone has probably taken a step back and is a little bit reserved or a little bit guarded.
"But as you look at your own players, you have to remind them with great urgency to do things the right way. I don't have any reason to believe they're not."
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