Indiana University Athletics
More Than a Shooter
10/20/2018 12:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- He's more than just a shooter.
You know that, right?
Yes, the over-riding perception is that Evan Fitzner wears the Indiana basketball candy stripes because he can light up perimeters coast to coast. He's a 6-10 Cream 'n Crimson wildcard positioned to help shatter predictions that Indiana will be a basketball postseason afterthought for the third straight season.
It comes with the territory of being a career 41.4 percent college three-point shooter.
But don't think for a minute that's is the only reason coach Archie Miller invested a scholarship on this St. Mary's transfer. Because when you've played college basketball for three seasons, as Fitzner has done, when you're in one-and-done mode as a senior graduate transfer as this California forward is, when you are driven to win big as you have your entire career, you'd better do more than shoot if you want to make a difference.
Make no mistake, Fitzner is primed to make a very big difference for a team that has no intention of duplicating last season's 16-15 record.
Yes, in Hoosier circles, Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford generate most of the attention, and why not? Morgan is a veteran double-double threat (he averaged 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds last season) set to challenge for Big Ten player-of-the-year honors. He's practiced to that level in the first couple of weeks, earning team gold jersey accolades in the process.
Langford is one of the nation's top freshmen with big-time scoring potential (he surpassed 3,000 points while earning Indiana Mr. Basketball honors at New Albany High School). He's practiced that way, rating just behind Morgan in consistent impact.
Both earned preseason All-Big Ten honors during the recent Big Ten media event in Chicago.
And then there's all the buzz about a top-10 recruiting class that hits every position. Besides Langford there's point guard Roberet Phinisee, small forwards Jerome Hunter and Damezi Anderson, and power forward Jake Forrester.
And, of course, Fitzner.
Still, if you believe Miller, Fitzner might rival if not surpass all the freshmen.
"I would say, of all of our additions," Indiana's coach says, "he might be the most important due to the age he comes with, the experience level in college basketball's big scene, by winning as many games as he's won, and he brings an offensive skill set that maybe was lacking a little bit from the ability to have a fourth shooter, a fifth shooter, on the floor."
Because this is a Miller-coached team, defense is paramount. And because experience matters regardless of where it was earned, leadership ranks just as highly.
Fitzner figures to provide all of that, and if he does it well enough, the special season Hoosier Nation has yearned for just might happen.
We won't know for sure until March.
At one point, Fitzner started 75 straight games at St. Mary's. He twice reached the 20-point mark as a freshman, grabbed a career high 13 rebounds as a sophomore and made a career-best four three-pointers against Georgia as a junior. For his St. Mary's career, he averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds with that robust three-point-shooting average.
However, after losing his starting job last season, he decided to transfer.
The Gaels' loss became the Hoosiers' gain.
"The obvious thing is shooting," Fitzner says when asked what he brings to the Hoosiers. "If I can shoot well, it can help a lot. It's bringing good energy to the team. It's playing hard the whole game."
Those are among the attributes Miller saw while recruiting Fitzner.
"Evan is a fantastic kid," Miller says. "I couldn't be more excited that he decided to join us."
Fitzner's skills reflect an athletic family. His father, Mark, played basketball at Stanford. His mother, Cheri, was an All-America volleyball player at the University of Hawaii. Older brother Bryce was the San Diego prep athlete of the year in football and volleyball.
The result is the kind of elite shooter the Hoosiers need.
"I think he's a bona fide game three-point shooter," Miller says. "His percentages stay that way. Then, watching him work out, he's very serious about his game. He brings a mature, winning approach. I think he'll be a home run for our fan base, his teammates and everyone. He's a really likeable guy that we're excited to have."
There's plenty to excite. If you saw what happened to IU last season, when inconsistent shooting, both from the free throw line and beyond the arc, nullified dramatically improved defense and resulted in five losses by seven or fewer points, you know how big a difference a top-notch shooter can make.
Teammates certainly do.
"I think it's going to be real good for us this year," Morgan says. "(Last year) we had shooters, but we didn't shoot as efficiently as we could have. I think Evan being 6-10 and being able to shoot will open up a lot of opportunity for other players. With that, he'll get even more shots."
Fitzner doesn't take shooting for granted. He's capitalized on the 24-7 access to Cook Hall as well as Assembly Hall, with Assembly Hall getting most of his time to adjust to shooting nuances crucial for game success.
"I love coming here and working out pretty much every day," he says. "It's a great atmosphere.
"I definitely made a concerted effort to shoot in (Assembly Hall) rather than Cook."
Fitzner says Assembly Hall's imposing size hasn't thrown off his timing.
"Teams in my old league (the West Coast Conference dominated by Gonzaga) have big gyms, and I've played in a lot of big games. I've done it in the past."
For those who think Fitzner is just a perimeter player, think again, center De'Ron Davis says.
"He's real smooth on and off the court. The way he plays his game is real nice. He's got that soft jump shot. He gets to the rim smoothly.
"He's a guy like Romeo who is going to be able to spread the floor, and I think people under-estimate his post-game. He has a smooth and majestic post game."
As far as adjusting to a different part of the country, West Coast cool hasn't clashed with Midwestern mellow.
"It's different," Fitzner says. "I'm definitely a California kid.
"The people are nice. J.D. (senior assistant athletic director J.D. Campbell) has taken me to a lot of great places. He's shown me the good spots."
Those spots include The Tap, Nick's Tavern, Butches and anyplace on Kirkwood Avenue.
That, of course, doesn't top Fitzner's priority list.
Winning does.
In his three seasons at St. Mary's, the Gaels won 88 games and played in three postseason tourneys, including the 2017 NCAA tourney.
The goal is to bring that success, and more, to the Hoosiers.
Given the potential, why not?
"There's really no limit," Davis says.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- He's more than just a shooter.
You know that, right?
Yes, the over-riding perception is that Evan Fitzner wears the Indiana basketball candy stripes because he can light up perimeters coast to coast. He's a 6-10 Cream 'n Crimson wildcard positioned to help shatter predictions that Indiana will be a basketball postseason afterthought for the third straight season.
It comes with the territory of being a career 41.4 percent college three-point shooter.
But don't think for a minute that's is the only reason coach Archie Miller invested a scholarship on this St. Mary's transfer. Because when you've played college basketball for three seasons, as Fitzner has done, when you're in one-and-done mode as a senior graduate transfer as this California forward is, when you are driven to win big as you have your entire career, you'd better do more than shoot if you want to make a difference.
Make no mistake, Fitzner is primed to make a very big difference for a team that has no intention of duplicating last season's 16-15 record.
Yes, in Hoosier circles, Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford generate most of the attention, and why not? Morgan is a veteran double-double threat (he averaged 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds last season) set to challenge for Big Ten player-of-the-year honors. He's practiced to that level in the first couple of weeks, earning team gold jersey accolades in the process.
Langford is one of the nation's top freshmen with big-time scoring potential (he surpassed 3,000 points while earning Indiana Mr. Basketball honors at New Albany High School). He's practiced that way, rating just behind Morgan in consistent impact.
Both earned preseason All-Big Ten honors during the recent Big Ten media event in Chicago.
And then there's all the buzz about a top-10 recruiting class that hits every position. Besides Langford there's point guard Roberet Phinisee, small forwards Jerome Hunter and Damezi Anderson, and power forward Jake Forrester.
And, of course, Fitzner.
Still, if you believe Miller, Fitzner might rival if not surpass all the freshmen.
"I would say, of all of our additions," Indiana's coach says, "he might be the most important due to the age he comes with, the experience level in college basketball's big scene, by winning as many games as he's won, and he brings an offensive skill set that maybe was lacking a little bit from the ability to have a fourth shooter, a fifth shooter, on the floor."
Because this is a Miller-coached team, defense is paramount. And because experience matters regardless of where it was earned, leadership ranks just as highly.
Fitzner figures to provide all of that, and if he does it well enough, the special season Hoosier Nation has yearned for just might happen.
We won't know for sure until March.
At one point, Fitzner started 75 straight games at St. Mary's. He twice reached the 20-point mark as a freshman, grabbed a career high 13 rebounds as a sophomore and made a career-best four three-pointers against Georgia as a junior. For his St. Mary's career, he averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds with that robust three-point-shooting average.
However, after losing his starting job last season, he decided to transfer.
The Gaels' loss became the Hoosiers' gain.
"The obvious thing is shooting," Fitzner says when asked what he brings to the Hoosiers. "If I can shoot well, it can help a lot. It's bringing good energy to the team. It's playing hard the whole game."
Those are among the attributes Miller saw while recruiting Fitzner.
"Evan is a fantastic kid," Miller says. "I couldn't be more excited that he decided to join us."
Fitzner's skills reflect an athletic family. His father, Mark, played basketball at Stanford. His mother, Cheri, was an All-America volleyball player at the University of Hawaii. Older brother Bryce was the San Diego prep athlete of the year in football and volleyball.
The result is the kind of elite shooter the Hoosiers need.
"I think he's a bona fide game three-point shooter," Miller says. "His percentages stay that way. Then, watching him work out, he's very serious about his game. He brings a mature, winning approach. I think he'll be a home run for our fan base, his teammates and everyone. He's a really likeable guy that we're excited to have."
There's plenty to excite. If you saw what happened to IU last season, when inconsistent shooting, both from the free throw line and beyond the arc, nullified dramatically improved defense and resulted in five losses by seven or fewer points, you know how big a difference a top-notch shooter can make.
Teammates certainly do.
"I think it's going to be real good for us this year," Morgan says. "(Last year) we had shooters, but we didn't shoot as efficiently as we could have. I think Evan being 6-10 and being able to shoot will open up a lot of opportunity for other players. With that, he'll get even more shots."
Fitzner doesn't take shooting for granted. He's capitalized on the 24-7 access to Cook Hall as well as Assembly Hall, with Assembly Hall getting most of his time to adjust to shooting nuances crucial for game success.
"I love coming here and working out pretty much every day," he says. "It's a great atmosphere.
"I definitely made a concerted effort to shoot in (Assembly Hall) rather than Cook."
Fitzner says Assembly Hall's imposing size hasn't thrown off his timing.
"Teams in my old league (the West Coast Conference dominated by Gonzaga) have big gyms, and I've played in a lot of big games. I've done it in the past."
For those who think Fitzner is just a perimeter player, think again, center De'Ron Davis says.
"He's real smooth on and off the court. The way he plays his game is real nice. He's got that soft jump shot. He gets to the rim smoothly.
"He's a guy like Romeo who is going to be able to spread the floor, and I think people under-estimate his post-game. He has a smooth and majestic post game."
As far as adjusting to a different part of the country, West Coast cool hasn't clashed with Midwestern mellow.
"It's different," Fitzner says. "I'm definitely a California kid.
"The people are nice. J.D. (senior assistant athletic director J.D. Campbell) has taken me to a lot of great places. He's shown me the good spots."
Those spots include The Tap, Nick's Tavern, Butches and anyplace on Kirkwood Avenue.
That, of course, doesn't top Fitzner's priority list.
Winning does.
In his three seasons at St. Mary's, the Gaels won 88 games and played in three postseason tourneys, including the 2017 NCAA tourney.
The goal is to bring that success, and more, to the Hoosiers.
Given the potential, why not?
"There's really no limit," Davis says.
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