Wednesday, December 22
Bloomington, Ind.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Northern Kentucky
Game Changer – Parker Stewart Making his Three-Point Mark
12/22/2021 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Parker Stewart does not hunt shots. Let's start with that. Indiana's junior guard, in his debut Hoosier season, picks his spots.
Given he leads the Big Ten in three-point shooting, at 49.1%, he picks them well.
"He's been very important for us," IU coach Mike Woodson says in understatement.
Stewart waits for opportunities certain to come with frontcourt players Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson drawing in defenses like basketball sirens.
Saturday against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic, he was 3-for-4 on three-pointers for 12 points. It's his sixth game this season with at least three three-pointers.
For opponents, this reflects a growing problem.
"How do we help our big guys in the post," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey asked after Saturday's Crossroads Classic loss to IU, "and how do you not give up so many threes?"
This is not what opposing coaches are used to asking against Indiana, which in recent years found successful three-point shooting as complex as quantum physics.
Stewart was recruited as a transfer to help solve that problem.
He has by making 27-of-55 attempts.
"When he is out on the floor we know exactly where he is at all times," Jackson-Davis says. "We try to find him.
"For some reason, teams keep leaving him. We're going to feed him shots, and he is going to hit those shots. You have seen it. We're going to keep feeding him."
Stewart scored 20 points against Syracuse and 16 against Louisiana. He also had zero points in a blowout win over Merrimack after only taking three shots, which shows his focus is not on his numbers, but on his teammates.
You wouldn't expect any less from the son of a coach.
"Trusting the offense and staying patient has allowed my shots to come," Stewart says via text. "Trayce is a very unselfish player. I know when teams throw different defenses at him, that opens up things for me as well as everybody else."
During his college career, which began with stops at Pitt and Tennessee-Martin, Stewart has twice scored as many as 33 points, has made as many as seven three-pointers, grabbed as many as 11 rebounds and dished out as many as eight assists.
Especially at Tennessee-Martin to play for his father, Anthony, Stewart has imposed his offensive will.
His father died unexpectedly in November of 2020, and Stewart eventually transferred to Indiana. He took his father's college number, No. 45, as his own, but didn't play last season,
In the aftermath of the coaching change last spring, Stewart briefly considered transferring. But the pull to stay a Hoosier was too strong, the opportunity to thrive under Woodson too exciting.
"The time I had off last year I was focusing on recovering from injuries and getting myself back together mentally, and my dad passed," Stewart says. "But my dad always taught me to prepare myself the right way.
"I think getting up extra shots every day and continuing to lock in on defense has helped. Along with having great teammates that I know are with me through the ups and downs."
Stewart averages 8.2 points, and if that's not nearly as the gaudy as the 19.2-point average he had while at Tennessee-Martin, that misses the point, which is he's a team guy focused on winning.
"Parker is one of the most gracious guys on the team," Jackson-Davis says. "We all love him."
Stewart is part of IU's improved three-point shooting that messes up opponents' defensive plans.
Brey talked about the "dilemma" in defending Jackson-Davis and Thompson, which often involves double teams, yet still be able to close out on the Hoosiers' now dangerous three-point weapons.
On Saturday that included Rob Phinisee and Xavier Johnson, who each had a pair of three-pointers, and Miller Kopp (one three-pointer).
IU's improved three-point shooting -- it ranks No. 43 nationally by shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc -- has made offensive life much easier for Jackson-Davis and Thompson.
"It's hard for other teams to dig on me and Trayce because if they do," Thompson says, "we are comfortable and unselfish enough to throw the ball out and have confidence in our teammates to shoot the ball."
He mentions Johnson, who was 2-for-9 on three-pointers against Notre Dame.
"Sure, he shot 2-for-9 from three-point, but I would tell him to shoot the 10th one because he can make that shot," Thompson says. "Definitely just having that outside threat makes it easier for us to do what we want to do, and then if we get digged on, we'll kick it out, and they'll knock it down."
This is what Woodson envisioned when he took over the program last spring.
"Early on when we first started this journey," he says, "I didn't know where the three-point shooting was going to come. Parker and Miller have stepped up and made some threes for us.
"I need X (Johnson) to make them. Rob is capable of making them. (Khristian Lander), if and when I play him, I feel good that he can make them. We've got guys that can make them.
"But I don't want to be a team to just live on three-point shots. If you've got it, take it, if it's there. But I think our strength is playing inside-out with our big guys, and that's been good for us. I don't want to stray away from that."
IU (9-2) doesn't figure to stray Wednesday night against Northern Kentucky (4-6) or against its final opponent -- UNC-Asheville (7-5) on Dec. 29 -- before resuming Big Ten play by heading to Penn State on Jan. 2.
Northern Kentucky, which emphasizes the three-point shot, is led by guards Marques Warrick and Trevon Faulkner. Warrick averages 12.8 points. Faulkner averages 12.1 points.
Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn was previously the head coach at Western Kentucky and South Carolina. He also was an assistant coach under Tom Crean at Marquette and for Shaka Smart at Texas.
Where does Woodson see the Hoosiers?
"I'm happy where we are. We try to take it a game at a time. We've had two Big Ten games, and I thought we played extremely well in both (a home win over Nebraska, a road loss at top-25 Wisconsin). "We came up short in the one. Our next opponent is Northern Kentucky, so we've just got to get ready for those guys."
IU leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in defensive field goal percentage (35.0%). It will need that kind of stinginess, and more, to thrive in the Big Ten.
"The Big Ten is what it is," Woodson says. "We can't run from it, and when time comes to play a Big Ten game, I'm just going to prepare like I normally prepare for any game and just take it one game at a time."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Parker Stewart does not hunt shots. Let's start with that. Indiana's junior guard, in his debut Hoosier season, picks his spots.
Given he leads the Big Ten in three-point shooting, at 49.1%, he picks them well.
"He's been very important for us," IU coach Mike Woodson says in understatement.
Stewart waits for opportunities certain to come with frontcourt players Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson drawing in defenses like basketball sirens.
Saturday against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic, he was 3-for-4 on three-pointers for 12 points. It's his sixth game this season with at least three three-pointers.
For opponents, this reflects a growing problem.
"How do we help our big guys in the post," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey asked after Saturday's Crossroads Classic loss to IU, "and how do you not give up so many threes?"
This is not what opposing coaches are used to asking against Indiana, which in recent years found successful three-point shooting as complex as quantum physics.
Stewart was recruited as a transfer to help solve that problem.
He has by making 27-of-55 attempts.
"When he is out on the floor we know exactly where he is at all times," Jackson-Davis says. "We try to find him.
"For some reason, teams keep leaving him. We're going to feed him shots, and he is going to hit those shots. You have seen it. We're going to keep feeding him."
Stewart scored 20 points against Syracuse and 16 against Louisiana. He also had zero points in a blowout win over Merrimack after only taking three shots, which shows his focus is not on his numbers, but on his teammates.
You wouldn't expect any less from the son of a coach.
"Trusting the offense and staying patient has allowed my shots to come," Stewart says via text. "Trayce is a very unselfish player. I know when teams throw different defenses at him, that opens up things for me as well as everybody else."
During his college career, which began with stops at Pitt and Tennessee-Martin, Stewart has twice scored as many as 33 points, has made as many as seven three-pointers, grabbed as many as 11 rebounds and dished out as many as eight assists.
Especially at Tennessee-Martin to play for his father, Anthony, Stewart has imposed his offensive will.
His father died unexpectedly in November of 2020, and Stewart eventually transferred to Indiana. He took his father's college number, No. 45, as his own, but didn't play last season,
In the aftermath of the coaching change last spring, Stewart briefly considered transferring. But the pull to stay a Hoosier was too strong, the opportunity to thrive under Woodson too exciting.
"The time I had off last year I was focusing on recovering from injuries and getting myself back together mentally, and my dad passed," Stewart says. "But my dad always taught me to prepare myself the right way.
"I think getting up extra shots every day and continuing to lock in on defense has helped. Along with having great teammates that I know are with me through the ups and downs."
Stewart averages 8.2 points, and if that's not nearly as the gaudy as the 19.2-point average he had while at Tennessee-Martin, that misses the point, which is he's a team guy focused on winning.
"Parker is one of the most gracious guys on the team," Jackson-Davis says. "We all love him."
Stewart is part of IU's improved three-point shooting that messes up opponents' defensive plans.
Brey talked about the "dilemma" in defending Jackson-Davis and Thompson, which often involves double teams, yet still be able to close out on the Hoosiers' now dangerous three-point weapons.
On Saturday that included Rob Phinisee and Xavier Johnson, who each had a pair of three-pointers, and Miller Kopp (one three-pointer).
IU's improved three-point shooting -- it ranks No. 43 nationally by shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc -- has made offensive life much easier for Jackson-Davis and Thompson.
"It's hard for other teams to dig on me and Trayce because if they do," Thompson says, "we are comfortable and unselfish enough to throw the ball out and have confidence in our teammates to shoot the ball."
He mentions Johnson, who was 2-for-9 on three-pointers against Notre Dame.
"Sure, he shot 2-for-9 from three-point, but I would tell him to shoot the 10th one because he can make that shot," Thompson says. "Definitely just having that outside threat makes it easier for us to do what we want to do, and then if we get digged on, we'll kick it out, and they'll knock it down."
This is what Woodson envisioned when he took over the program last spring.
"Early on when we first started this journey," he says, "I didn't know where the three-point shooting was going to come. Parker and Miller have stepped up and made some threes for us.
"I need X (Johnson) to make them. Rob is capable of making them. (Khristian Lander), if and when I play him, I feel good that he can make them. We've got guys that can make them.
"But I don't want to be a team to just live on three-point shots. If you've got it, take it, if it's there. But I think our strength is playing inside-out with our big guys, and that's been good for us. I don't want to stray away from that."
IU (9-2) doesn't figure to stray Wednesday night against Northern Kentucky (4-6) or against its final opponent -- UNC-Asheville (7-5) on Dec. 29 -- before resuming Big Ten play by heading to Penn State on Jan. 2.
Northern Kentucky, which emphasizes the three-point shot, is led by guards Marques Warrick and Trevon Faulkner. Warrick averages 12.8 points. Faulkner averages 12.1 points.
Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn was previously the head coach at Western Kentucky and South Carolina. He also was an assistant coach under Tom Crean at Marquette and for Shaka Smart at Texas.
Where does Woodson see the Hoosiers?
"I'm happy where we are. We try to take it a game at a time. We've had two Big Ten games, and I thought we played extremely well in both (a home win over Nebraska, a road loss at top-25 Wisconsin). "We came up short in the one. Our next opponent is Northern Kentucky, so we've just got to get ready for those guys."
IU leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in defensive field goal percentage (35.0%). It will need that kind of stinginess, and more, to thrive in the Big Ten.
"The Big Ten is what it is," Woodson says. "We can't run from it, and when time comes to play a Big Ten game, I'm just going to prepare like I normally prepare for any game and just take it one game at a time."
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