Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: Looking Good -- IU Basketball Set To Deliver ‘Fun’ Season
8/3/2020 3:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Forget, for a moment, pandemic misery that has plunged college athletics -- and the world -- into uncertainty and consider this:
Indiana could rock the next basketball season.
Year Four of the Archie Miller era brings talent, size, experience and optimism at the highest levels.
"I'm more excited than I've probably been in a while since seeing the players, especially the new guys," Miller says. "You get a chance to work with them even for a couple days, you start see how this is going to do it."
The 14-week Covid-19 break transitioned into a six-week voluntary workout session that enabled Miller and his staff, including strength coach Clif Marshall and team trainer Tim Garl, to begin putting together a team that could challenge for a Big Ten championship, and beyond.
"It's going to be a fun group to coach," Miller says. "We have a lot of different guys who can play."
The players' summer return to campus came in two groups that emphasized social distancing, lifting weights and individual drills.
Oh yes. Wearing masks.
One big bonus -- players returned in shape, a credit to their on-their-own, at-home conditioning efforts.
"I was very surprised at where we were from a conditioning standpoint," Miller says. "Certain guys had done a really good job at home."
IU workouts started with lifting and conditioning. Then shooting on a single basket with a single rebounder was added. Then came coach-led workouts with small groups, not the entire team. There were no three-on-three or five-on-five situations.
"Did we catch up all the way?" Miller asks. "No. Do I feel great? You wish you had more time.
"But there hasn't been a day where I haven't said our deal is working."
Thanks to science-based protocols, IU avoided the Covid-19 outbreaks that forced Iowa to suspend its basketball workouts last week. Miller praises Garl for playing a major role in that.
"He's done an outstanding job. He's in the building every day, directing, almost policing the practices when guys are too close together. He's in there all day long to the best of his ability in running our show and facility."
It also showed good player discipline, Miller adds.
"None of your issues are typically going to come within your own protocols and facility. It's going to happen in the other 18 to 19 hours of the day when you don't see them on campus.
"To our guys' credit, there's been some discipline there, some leadership, some accountability in terms of, let's not all stray off."
Hoosier officials have prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. Uncertainty remains.
"What happens if your trainer has to be quarantined?" Miller asks. "What happens if your strength coach, who works daily with the guys, is quarantined? What's the back-up plan?
"I can keep going. What's the non-conference schedule going to look like? How does that work with the teams coming in? How is our travel schedule going to look?"
So many question, so few firm answers.
Still, progress has been made.
"Things have been very competitive," senior forward Joey Brunk says. "We're competing in the weight room. We're competing in our conditioning.
"We're enjoying our time together. We missed out on some opportunities (because of the pandemic) and we came back a more grateful team. We want to maximize the opportunity in front of us."
Adds Miller: "We've had a good summer. We have a good group. I'm pleased with how this thing has turned out. Couldn't have asked them to do much more.
"Our administration, our docs, they deserve a ton of credit. This is not going to be easy. We have a lot more hurdles to get through. I'm crossing my fingers that this fall we can get the term going, fall sports. Everybody needs it. Our kids need it more than anything."
Looking at the big picture, Miller says, if everyday testing and quick results can be achieved on a national scale, "Sports will really move forward."
Add it all up and Miller is convinced college basketball will make a big return.
"I'll be shocked, absolutely shocked if we don't turn out a good basketball season. Whether that's non-conference, conference only at Thanksgiving, conference only in January, I feel like we'll have a great college basketball season. I feel we'll be ready for the tournament as it comes rolling around."
As for Hoosier prospects, all things seem possible.
When we last saw IU, it had crushed Nebraska by 25 points in March's Big Ten tourney opener in Indianapolis. It seemed ready for a break-through postseason run when Covid-19 shut down the world for the next couple of months.
But from that performance, and despite the losses of seniors Devonte Green and De'Ron Davis to graduation and junior Justin Smith to transfer (Arkansas), emerges a sense that this will be Miller's best team capable of setting a foundation for a title-winning future.
There's sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, positioned among the nation's best after leading the Hoosiers in scoring (13.5), rebounding (8.4) and blocks (1.9).
"He should be a guy who is considered one of the best players in all of college basketball," Miller says.
There's difference-making guard depth with veterans Aljami Durham (9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 80 assists, 38.3-percent three-point shooting last year), Rob Phinisee (7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, team-leading 93 assists) and Armaan Franklin (3.7 points, 31 assists), combined with 5-star freshman Khristian Lander out of Evansville, plus tree other highly regarded freshmen in Anthony Leal, Trey Galloway and Jordan Geronimo.
Lander, who is just 17 years old, reclassified from the Class of 2021 to join Indiana this season.
Miller praises Lander's competitiveness and feel for the ball. He says he will "push him hard," but also show patience, much as he did Jackson-Davis last season.
On the frontcourt, besides the 6-9 Jackson-Davis, is 6-10 Brunk (6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 52.2 percent shooting) and 6-8 Race Thompson (3.7 points, 3.9 rebounds). Don't forget 6-7 swingman Jerome Hunter, who can do a little bit of everything (3.8 points, 42.9-percent three-point shooting in his last 14 games).
IU can play big or small, a "hybrid" approach as Miller calls it built to handle the elite challenges that will arise. It's a team four years in the making.
"My hope would be that our skill level goes up, our turnovers go down, our shooting percentage goes up, our style is a little bit more up-tempo more so than a year ago," he says. "I feel like we have a more skilled team, which is what we needed."
Add the motivation from a season ended before its time and the motivation is there to do something special, Jackson-Davis says.
"We have to come back hungry. We don't know what the virus is or where it's going to go.
"We're going to act like we'll play all our games and prepare for the season."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Forget, for a moment, pandemic misery that has plunged college athletics -- and the world -- into uncertainty and consider this:
Indiana could rock the next basketball season.
Year Four of the Archie Miller era brings talent, size, experience and optimism at the highest levels.
"I'm more excited than I've probably been in a while since seeing the players, especially the new guys," Miller says. "You get a chance to work with them even for a couple days, you start see how this is going to do it."
The 14-week Covid-19 break transitioned into a six-week voluntary workout session that enabled Miller and his staff, including strength coach Clif Marshall and team trainer Tim Garl, to begin putting together a team that could challenge for a Big Ten championship, and beyond.
"It's going to be a fun group to coach," Miller says. "We have a lot of different guys who can play."
The players' summer return to campus came in two groups that emphasized social distancing, lifting weights and individual drills.
Oh yes. Wearing masks.
One big bonus -- players returned in shape, a credit to their on-their-own, at-home conditioning efforts.
"I was very surprised at where we were from a conditioning standpoint," Miller says. "Certain guys had done a really good job at home."
IU workouts started with lifting and conditioning. Then shooting on a single basket with a single rebounder was added. Then came coach-led workouts with small groups, not the entire team. There were no three-on-three or five-on-five situations.
"Did we catch up all the way?" Miller asks. "No. Do I feel great? You wish you had more time.
"But there hasn't been a day where I haven't said our deal is working."
Thanks to science-based protocols, IU avoided the Covid-19 outbreaks that forced Iowa to suspend its basketball workouts last week. Miller praises Garl for playing a major role in that.
"He's done an outstanding job. He's in the building every day, directing, almost policing the practices when guys are too close together. He's in there all day long to the best of his ability in running our show and facility."
It also showed good player discipline, Miller adds.
"None of your issues are typically going to come within your own protocols and facility. It's going to happen in the other 18 to 19 hours of the day when you don't see them on campus.
"To our guys' credit, there's been some discipline there, some leadership, some accountability in terms of, let's not all stray off."
Hoosier officials have prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. Uncertainty remains.
"What happens if your trainer has to be quarantined?" Miller asks. "What happens if your strength coach, who works daily with the guys, is quarantined? What's the back-up plan?
"I can keep going. What's the non-conference schedule going to look like? How does that work with the teams coming in? How is our travel schedule going to look?"
So many question, so few firm answers.
Still, progress has been made.
"Things have been very competitive," senior forward Joey Brunk says. "We're competing in the weight room. We're competing in our conditioning.
"We're enjoying our time together. We missed out on some opportunities (because of the pandemic) and we came back a more grateful team. We want to maximize the opportunity in front of us."
Adds Miller: "We've had a good summer. We have a good group. I'm pleased with how this thing has turned out. Couldn't have asked them to do much more.
"Our administration, our docs, they deserve a ton of credit. This is not going to be easy. We have a lot more hurdles to get through. I'm crossing my fingers that this fall we can get the term going, fall sports. Everybody needs it. Our kids need it more than anything."
Looking at the big picture, Miller says, if everyday testing and quick results can be achieved on a national scale, "Sports will really move forward."
Add it all up and Miller is convinced college basketball will make a big return.
"I'll be shocked, absolutely shocked if we don't turn out a good basketball season. Whether that's non-conference, conference only at Thanksgiving, conference only in January, I feel like we'll have a great college basketball season. I feel we'll be ready for the tournament as it comes rolling around."
As for Hoosier prospects, all things seem possible.
When we last saw IU, it had crushed Nebraska by 25 points in March's Big Ten tourney opener in Indianapolis. It seemed ready for a break-through postseason run when Covid-19 shut down the world for the next couple of months.
But from that performance, and despite the losses of seniors Devonte Green and De'Ron Davis to graduation and junior Justin Smith to transfer (Arkansas), emerges a sense that this will be Miller's best team capable of setting a foundation for a title-winning future.
There's sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, positioned among the nation's best after leading the Hoosiers in scoring (13.5), rebounding (8.4) and blocks (1.9).
"He should be a guy who is considered one of the best players in all of college basketball," Miller says.
There's difference-making guard depth with veterans Aljami Durham (9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 80 assists, 38.3-percent three-point shooting last year), Rob Phinisee (7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, team-leading 93 assists) and Armaan Franklin (3.7 points, 31 assists), combined with 5-star freshman Khristian Lander out of Evansville, plus tree other highly regarded freshmen in Anthony Leal, Trey Galloway and Jordan Geronimo.
Lander, who is just 17 years old, reclassified from the Class of 2021 to join Indiana this season.
Miller praises Lander's competitiveness and feel for the ball. He says he will "push him hard," but also show patience, much as he did Jackson-Davis last season.
On the frontcourt, besides the 6-9 Jackson-Davis, is 6-10 Brunk (6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 52.2 percent shooting) and 6-8 Race Thompson (3.7 points, 3.9 rebounds). Don't forget 6-7 swingman Jerome Hunter, who can do a little bit of everything (3.8 points, 42.9-percent three-point shooting in his last 14 games).
IU can play big or small, a "hybrid" approach as Miller calls it built to handle the elite challenges that will arise. It's a team four years in the making.
"My hope would be that our skill level goes up, our turnovers go down, our shooting percentage goes up, our style is a little bit more up-tempo more so than a year ago," he says. "I feel like we have a more skilled team, which is what we needed."
Add the motivation from a season ended before its time and the motivation is there to do something special, Jackson-Davis says.
"We have to come back hungry. We don't know what the virus is or where it's going to go.
"We're going to act like we'll play all our games and prepare for the season."
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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