Sunday, November 21
Bloomington, Ind.
7:30 PM
Indiana University
vs
Louisiana
‘Seizing the Moment’ – Tamar Bates Raises the Bar
11/21/2021 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The bar has been raised. Tamar Bates understands that, embraces that, pushes that.
Indiana's 6-5 freshman shooting guard has a world of potential and, after his St. John's performance, when he scored, defended and communicated at elite levels, we know what that means.
There's no going back.
It starts Sunday night against Louisiana (3-0).
"From Day 1 since I got here," he says, "my teammates and coaches saw that's what I can bring, that's the standard they hold me to.
"If I'm not giving my all from a leadership standpoint, communication standpoint, energy standpoint, they will say something to me. Me being my biggest critic, I make sure I do my part of being a high-energy guy every night."
High energy for Bates means scoring inside and out. He can burn you deep, take you to the basket or punish you with mid-range accuracy.
That versatility was showcased with his 11-point first half against St. John's. In 12 off-the-bench minutes, he was 5-for-7 from the field with a three-pointer, two mid-range jumpers and a layup.
"With the ways I like to score," he says, "I try to be as unpredictable as possible."
The Hoosiers find him necessarily predictable.
"My teammates know my spots and where I like the ball," Bates says. "I credit them for being unselfish and getting me the ball when I had a scoring opportunity."
In an era where mid-range jumpers can be seen as analytically outdated (three-pointers and layups rule), Bates is a welcome throwback.
"I work on (on my mid-range game) every day," he says. "It's a shot I feel comfortable with.
"I have spots I like to get to. My teammates know that. It's an important part of my game."
Bates mentions current NBA players Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving, and even former NBA standout Tony Parker, as examples of how effective a mid-range game can be.
"It helps me score in more than one or two ways," he says.
Forward Miller Kopp, a transfer from Northwestern, vouches for Bates' versatility.
"He's really skilled. Off the dribble, he's shifty. When you're guarding lefties, it's always a little different. You have to shade them a different way. He's got a flow to his game with the ball. It's different. It's a little weird, but it's good. It's hard to guard.
"Offensively he has more to his game than he's shown."
A lot of freshmen can score, but not many can vocally lead to a veteran's standards.
Bates can.
"That's one of the bigger parts of my skill set," he says. "That's how I've conducted myself since I can remember.
"I'm a high-energy guy. I'm someone who is a motivator out there, an extension of the coach. I try to be a coach on the floor. Someone who knows what's going on."
Adds Kopp: "The biggest thing I notice is his being vocal. I give him props for that."
******
Bates leads without interfering in the leadership of veterans such as Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson.
"He doesn't step out of his place as a freshman as far as talking too much and trying to be the leader that Trayce is," Kopp says, "but he's vocal every day, in warmups, in practice, during the game. He's all about the team and winning. That's what I love about him."
Love includes defense, which tops coach Mike Woodson's priority list.
To understand Woodson's approach and Bates' role in it, consider the final defensive possession of the St. John's game.
IU was clinging to a two-point lead with eight seconds left. It needed one final stop and needed its best defensive players for that situation given the Red Storm had Jordan Champagnie, one of the nation's best scorers, who had already burned the Hoosiers for 32 points and six three-pointers.
They needed Bates on the court. They did not need the 6-9 Jackson-Davis, an All-America forward who is, without question, Indiana's best player.
Not to deal with Champagnie.
So out went Jackson-Davis, in came Jordan Geronimo, a 6-6 forward who had totaled seven points in less than three crunch-time minutes
St. John's got Champagnie the ball. Bates and Geronimo trapped and pressured him into a miss.
"That play won the game," Bates says. "That was the important play. The best play. The play that meant the most."
That it came from a freshman and a sophomore showed enormous trust and confidence from Woodson and his staff, and poise and focus from the players.
"The fact that me and JG were in synch, that we were able to make him force up a contested shot without fouling," Bates says. "We stayed down on the pump fake. If we don't deter him or if we give him an easier look, there's a chance he makes that shot. I'm glad we were able to execute that last defensive possession."
For now, Bates' role is to come off the bench and make instant impact, as he did against St. John's. He's fine with it. All the Hoosiers seem fine with their roles. The best teams understand sacrifice and team over individual; that it's not about minutes, but performance within given minutes, that makes the difference.
"It's our mentality that your team is as good as the last player on the depth chart," Bates says. "It doesn't matter who it is or who (Woodson) subs in, he stresses that you always stay ready, always continue to work on your game.
"He instills the utmost confidence in all of us. When we check into the game, with the work we put in, we believe in our ability as a team and individuals. When the bench subs in, we don't expect there to be any let up.
"The main goal is to win. That's everybody's mindset. It doesn't matter who's on the floor. However many minutes you get, you want to maximize it."
Or, as Woodson puts it when describing Bates, "He seizes the moment. He's not scared of it."
*****
Bates recognizes he's far from a finished product.
"I've got to get my legs back be able to sustain the entire game. I can rebound better. Make sure I'm blocking out at the end of a defensive possession and continue to get my teammates the ball. Continue to play the right way and play hard."
Bates was a Kansas high school superstar, averaging 22.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior, and 16.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds as a sophomore. He helped Piper High School win a state title as a sophomore, and was positioned to do it again as a junior until the pandemic cancelled the postseason.
As a senior, Bates transferred to IMG Academy in Florida, and adjusted to a less dominant role, averaging 11.4 points while shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
"It helped me," he says. "I was away from home. I focused on what I'm here for and what I came here for. I made sure all my focus was on that.
"It helped mentally and physically. I was able to play with and against other elite players. I figured out what role I could fit into on a team full of elite guys."
Bates originally committed to Texas, then reopened his recruiting after head coach Shaka Smart left for Marquette. Woodson convinced him to become a Hoosier.
Now that he is, he sees the potential of the program Woodson is building. Beating a quality St. John's team was an early indicator, with more looming for the 3-0 Hoosiers.
"We have to focus on getting the stop," Bates says. "When you play against other good teams that have shot makers and guys who make plays for them, you've got to get a stop.
"We didn't get all the stops we wanted, but we did get enough to get the win. We have to take care of the ball down the stretch, limit our turnovers and take good shots."
Bates sounds like a coach, like a leader, like someone building for a better tomorrow.
"It's expected of me and my teammates to perform at a high level," he says.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The bar has been raised. Tamar Bates understands that, embraces that, pushes that.
Indiana's 6-5 freshman shooting guard has a world of potential and, after his St. John's performance, when he scored, defended and communicated at elite levels, we know what that means.
There's no going back.
It starts Sunday night against Louisiana (3-0).
"From Day 1 since I got here," he says, "my teammates and coaches saw that's what I can bring, that's the standard they hold me to.
"If I'm not giving my all from a leadership standpoint, communication standpoint, energy standpoint, they will say something to me. Me being my biggest critic, I make sure I do my part of being a high-energy guy every night."
High energy for Bates means scoring inside and out. He can burn you deep, take you to the basket or punish you with mid-range accuracy.
That versatility was showcased with his 11-point first half against St. John's. In 12 off-the-bench minutes, he was 5-for-7 from the field with a three-pointer, two mid-range jumpers and a layup.
"With the ways I like to score," he says, "I try to be as unpredictable as possible."
The Hoosiers find him necessarily predictable.
"My teammates know my spots and where I like the ball," Bates says. "I credit them for being unselfish and getting me the ball when I had a scoring opportunity."
In an era where mid-range jumpers can be seen as analytically outdated (three-pointers and layups rule), Bates is a welcome throwback.
"I work on (on my mid-range game) every day," he says. "It's a shot I feel comfortable with.
"I have spots I like to get to. My teammates know that. It's an important part of my game."
Bates mentions current NBA players Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving, and even former NBA standout Tony Parker, as examples of how effective a mid-range game can be.
"It helps me score in more than one or two ways," he says.
Forward Miller Kopp, a transfer from Northwestern, vouches for Bates' versatility.
"He's really skilled. Off the dribble, he's shifty. When you're guarding lefties, it's always a little different. You have to shade them a different way. He's got a flow to his game with the ball. It's different. It's a little weird, but it's good. It's hard to guard.
"Offensively he has more to his game than he's shown."
A lot of freshmen can score, but not many can vocally lead to a veteran's standards.
Bates can.
"That's one of the bigger parts of my skill set," he says. "That's how I've conducted myself since I can remember.
"I'm a high-energy guy. I'm someone who is a motivator out there, an extension of the coach. I try to be a coach on the floor. Someone who knows what's going on."
Adds Kopp: "The biggest thing I notice is his being vocal. I give him props for that."
******
Bates leads without interfering in the leadership of veterans such as Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson.
"He doesn't step out of his place as a freshman as far as talking too much and trying to be the leader that Trayce is," Kopp says, "but he's vocal every day, in warmups, in practice, during the game. He's all about the team and winning. That's what I love about him."
Love includes defense, which tops coach Mike Woodson's priority list.
To understand Woodson's approach and Bates' role in it, consider the final defensive possession of the St. John's game.
IU was clinging to a two-point lead with eight seconds left. It needed one final stop and needed its best defensive players for that situation given the Red Storm had Jordan Champagnie, one of the nation's best scorers, who had already burned the Hoosiers for 32 points and six three-pointers.
They needed Bates on the court. They did not need the 6-9 Jackson-Davis, an All-America forward who is, without question, Indiana's best player.
Not to deal with Champagnie.
So out went Jackson-Davis, in came Jordan Geronimo, a 6-6 forward who had totaled seven points in less than three crunch-time minutes
St. John's got Champagnie the ball. Bates and Geronimo trapped and pressured him into a miss.
"That play won the game," Bates says. "That was the important play. The best play. The play that meant the most."
That it came from a freshman and a sophomore showed enormous trust and confidence from Woodson and his staff, and poise and focus from the players.
"The fact that me and JG were in synch, that we were able to make him force up a contested shot without fouling," Bates says. "We stayed down on the pump fake. If we don't deter him or if we give him an easier look, there's a chance he makes that shot. I'm glad we were able to execute that last defensive possession."
For now, Bates' role is to come off the bench and make instant impact, as he did against St. John's. He's fine with it. All the Hoosiers seem fine with their roles. The best teams understand sacrifice and team over individual; that it's not about minutes, but performance within given minutes, that makes the difference.
"It's our mentality that your team is as good as the last player on the depth chart," Bates says. "It doesn't matter who it is or who (Woodson) subs in, he stresses that you always stay ready, always continue to work on your game.
"He instills the utmost confidence in all of us. When we check into the game, with the work we put in, we believe in our ability as a team and individuals. When the bench subs in, we don't expect there to be any let up.
"The main goal is to win. That's everybody's mindset. It doesn't matter who's on the floor. However many minutes you get, you want to maximize it."
Or, as Woodson puts it when describing Bates, "He seizes the moment. He's not scared of it."
*****
Bates recognizes he's far from a finished product.
"I've got to get my legs back be able to sustain the entire game. I can rebound better. Make sure I'm blocking out at the end of a defensive possession and continue to get my teammates the ball. Continue to play the right way and play hard."
Bates was a Kansas high school superstar, averaging 22.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior, and 16.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds as a sophomore. He helped Piper High School win a state title as a sophomore, and was positioned to do it again as a junior until the pandemic cancelled the postseason.
As a senior, Bates transferred to IMG Academy in Florida, and adjusted to a less dominant role, averaging 11.4 points while shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
"It helped me," he says. "I was away from home. I focused on what I'm here for and what I came here for. I made sure all my focus was on that.
"It helped mentally and physically. I was able to play with and against other elite players. I figured out what role I could fit into on a team full of elite guys."
Bates originally committed to Texas, then reopened his recruiting after head coach Shaka Smart left for Marquette. Woodson convinced him to become a Hoosier.
Now that he is, he sees the potential of the program Woodson is building. Beating a quality St. John's team was an early indicator, with more looming for the 3-0 Hoosiers.
"We have to focus on getting the stop," Bates says. "When you play against other good teams that have shot makers and guys who make plays for them, you've got to get a stop.
"We didn't get all the stops we wanted, but we did get enough to get the win. We have to take care of the ball down the stretch, limit our turnovers and take good shots."
Bates sounds like a coach, like a leader, like someone building for a better tomorrow.
"It's expected of me and my teammates to perform at a high level," he says.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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