DIPRIMIO: On Point – Guard Al Durham Helps Lead the Way

By: Pete DiPrimio

IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Al Durham is a do-it-right kind of guy.

Would you expect anything less from an Indiana co-captain?

For this IU junior guard, little things matter, fundamentals rule and substance supersedes spectacle.

In other words, he's someone you can win with, and Hoosier coach Archie Miller plans to do plenty of winning with Durham in the lineup.

"First, he's a great person, a great guy to go to class with," Miller says. "He's always been about the right things, and he continues to be the same as he was when he got here. That's a credit to his family and a credit to how he approaches things. It's not only in basketball perspective, but just in general."

That's among the reasons why teammates voted Durham team co-captain along with senior Devonte Green.

"He knows what's going on," Miller says. "He knows what I'm looking for."

Knowing is one thing, doing is everything.

More and more, Durham is a doer in his coach's demanding image.

As a freshman, he averaged 4.8 points and shot 14-for-49 (29 percent) from three-point range.

Last year, it was 8.3 points and 40-for-115 (35 percent) from beyond the arc.

This season, well, expect a big jump in just about everything, including assists. His 54 assists ranked fifth on the team last season and were 15 more than he had as a freshman.

Durham's versatility has always generated a big Cream 'n Crimson buzz. He can handle spot-up shooting or run the point, and he will do both this season, directing the Cream 'n Crimson show with sophomore Rob Phinisee and Green.

"We been practicing it," Durham says. "I've been repping it out at the point guard spot, so I feel I can come in and contribute at the point guard spot."

That's a big part of Miller's plans for this season.

"Without question I see him playing a lot more point guard for us this year. I feel like that's going to be something that's going to help our team. It's going to put -- if it's not Rob or Devonte -- him on the floor as an older player with the ball in his hands. That's important."

So is Durham's shooting. He won the Hoosier Hysteria three-point shooting contest earlier this month, and while that's not the same as making them in game conditions, it's an early sign of what could be coming.

"I continue to get in the gym putting up shots, getting reps," Durham says. "That's something I continue to improve on and want to continue to make strides this year."

Adds Miller: "(Durham) has a chance to maybe play some other guys off the ball, but he'll play off the ball as well. He's one of our more consistent shooters and he knows what we're doing for the most part. He's been a terrific teammate since Day One. We really count on him being not only a terrific teammate, but a terrific leader."

Durham seems ready to handle that leadership burden. He was a two-year captain at Berkmar High School in Georgia and has shown enough to win the votes of his teammates and the confidence of his coach.

As Miller said after the co-captain announcement was made, "Being a team captain comes with great responsibility. You lead by example on the floor every day with your work ethic, and in the locker room by not being afraid to hold your teammates accountable in representing the standards we expect."

Durham's willingness to go beyond the expected has always impressed Miller.

"He takes a lot pride in his individual improvement and he works at it. He's a much better player. He's stronger than he has been in the past. He's heavier than he has been in the past. He's experienced a lot of minutes in a two-year period. We count on him to do a lot."

Durham can do a lot – score, rebound, pass, defend and, of course, lead. Last season he scored 22 points against St. Francis and 18 points against Jacksonville.

As a freshman he scored 16 points against Howard and 14 against Illinois, and went 10-for-10 on free throws against Rutgers under Big Ten tourney pressure.

He's twice had five assists in a game, and has grabbed as many as four rebounds.

Such instant-impact success followed a standout high school career in Georgia. He averaged 21 points as a senior, 18 as a junior and 15 as a sophomore. He surpassed 1,000 career points.

He was just as impressive playing AAU ball for his father, Aljami Sr., for Southern Stampede.

It all drew plenty of national recruiting attention. Durham committed to IU under then coach Tom Crean, then re-committed when Miller took over.

Durham also leaves a mark outside of basketball. Take, for instance, his knack for fashion and designing outfits. He credits his family.

"They are really big in making sure you're presentable and making sure you look nice when you go out. I feel like it's just always been there for me and my family.

"It isn't hard to be able to design stuff and be creative with my stuff."

Still, the focus is on getting IU, which won a combined 35 games in Miller's first two seasons, back to NCAA tourney relevance.

Miller's plans to jump start the offense include using more motion, more ball movement and cutting.

Players are all for it.

"I see us moving a lot more," Durham says. "We've been working to get the ball moving a lot in our offense, a lot of motion, so everybody gets the feel of the ball and get us moving so we're not really stagnant this year."

IU has thrived defensively in Miller's first two seasons, but the offense didn't always show the same consistency. That figures to change this year.

"The name of the game is to score, put the ball in the basket," Durham says. "We've been working; everybody has been improving. Everybody has shown improvements in their games in all aspects.

"We're just working every day to get better in all aspects, and we'll continue to do that."

DIPRIMIO: On Point – Guard Al Durham Helps Lead the Way

Players Mentioned

Aljami Durham

Devonte Green

Rob Phinisee