DIPRIMIO: Season-Opening Optimism -- Justin Smith Looms Large in Hoosier Plans

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Justin Smith is a basketball beast.

You know that, right?

Indiana's junior forward can dominate when he's dialed in, dictate when he's driven.

Oh, and do a little bit of everything when the moment is right.

"He's got versatility where hopefully we can move him from the perimeter to small forward," coach Archie Miller says.

Smith is a 6-7, 230-pound testament to potential, talent and opportunity. He can rate among the Big Ten's best players if he adds consistency to the mix.

It starts with defense.

"He's as capable a defender as there is in college," Miller says. "He's as good as it gets in terms of talent and athleticism. When his mind is right and he's really focused, he's one of the better defenders in the Big Ten."

Lock-down defender is high on Smith's to do list.

"It's fun keeping one of their best players from scoring, or making them uncomfortable or do stuff they're not used to doing," he says.

Smith flashed some of his potential during last week's exhibition victory over NCAA Division II Gannon. In 20 minutes, he was ruthlessly efficient with 18 points (5-for-5 from the field, 8-for-9 from the line), three assists and no turnovers in 20 minutes.

The reason -- Smith took what was there.

"Just letting the game come to me," he says. "Not forcing anything.

"Our offense is very free flowing. If it happens, it happens."

It happened against Gannon. It might happen Tuesday night when the Hoosiers open the season against Western Illinois.

"You didn't see any out-of-character drives," Miller says. "You didn't see anything forced."

You also didn't see much rebounding. Smith only had two.

Miller noticed.

"We've got to get Justin rebounding better. In the big scheme of things, Justin has to rebound better."

He's capable of that, and more.

Smith has scored as many as 24 points (last year against Final Four-bound Michigan State), grabbed as many as 12 rebounds, and totaled as many as three assists, three blocks and three steals in a game.

If that becomes the norm, imagine what it could mean for Smith and the Hoosiers.

"Every day is an opportunity to get better," he says. "I go into every day with that mindset, trying to focus on how I can make myself one percent better every day."

Better or not, struggles will come, adversity will surface. When it does, Smith adds, "I'll try to be a little more positive with myself. Move on from mistakes."

For now, though, it's about preparing for the best possible season, a process that started months ago.

"I focused on getting better in every aspect possible -- shooting, dribbling, being more versatile."

Smith's versatility puts him outside of IU's big-man rotation of De'Ron Davis, Race Thompson, Joey Brunk and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The 6-9 Jackson-Davis, regarded as one of the nation's best freshmen, seems ready for instant impact. He had 12 points and nine rebounds against Gannon. He's been a practice force almost every day. Miller says Jackson-Davis has scored 100 more practice points than anyone else.

"That's not a slim number. He's doing some things really well every day. He's a vital part of what we're doing."

That could translate into big performances, perhaps as soon as Tuesday night.

"He's young and inexperienced," Miller says, "but he's got to get thrown into the fire. I see him playing as many minutes as he can handle. Without question we're putting a lot on him."

The good news – Jackson-Davis can handle it.

"His energy level is the deal you watch with him," Miller says. "The harder he runs, the more active he is on the glass, the better off he's going to be; the more active he is and the smarter he is defensively, the more beneficial he is for our team."

IU could use that benefit given senior guard Devonte Green is expected to miss the season opener. He continues to battle a hamstring injury that has limited him for the past month.

"There's no rush," Miller says. "The big thing with him is to make sure, when he does come back, that he's able to fully engage so we don't have any setbacks."

Two other guards -- Al Durham (knee) and Rob Phinisee (abdominal) -- also have been limited by injuries.

That's provided more opportunities for freshman guard Armaan Franklin, sophomore forward Damezi Anderson and freshman forward Jerome Hunter.

"Hopefully it's a silver lining as those guys have gotten more work," Miller says.

That work could generate a big Cream 'n Crimson reward against Western Illinois.

The Leathernecks, 10-21 last season, are led by point guard Kobe Webster, who averaged a team-leading 17.0 points. He was seventh in the Summit League with 76 three-pointers. He added 137 rebounds, 97 assists and 34 steals.

But ultimately this game comes down to Indiana building for a big future

"We're going to be on a quest to become the best defensive team we can be," Miller says.

"If we hang our hat defensively, with the numbers we have, that's our best chance to become a really good, consistent team.

"All the tedious little things you go through each day and week to get better, we've done. Hopefully we look sharper in terms of running our stuff."

DIPRIMIO: Season-Opening Optimism -- Justin Smith Looms Large in Hoosier Plans

Players Mentioned

Damezi Anderson

Joey Brunk

De'Ron Davis

Aljami Durham

Armaan Franklin

Devonte Green

Jerome Hunter

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Rob Phinisee

Justin Smith

Race Thompson