Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: Forget The Calendar – IU’s Basketball Season Begins Now
6/2/2021 11:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Are you ready for Indiana basketball?
Mike Woodson is, and while the opening game remains months in the future, the work that likely will decide next season is about to begin.
You'd better believe the new head coach is pumped.
"I'm excited about getting the whole group together and putting a system in place on both ends of the floor," Woodson says via recent Zoom media availability.
With workouts set to begin on June 10, Woodson seeks elite preparation in how he envisions basketball should be played. NCAA rules won't allow the entire team to practice together, but small groups can along with individual sessions.
"We'll have individual workouts for every player and then you'll see who grows and how quickly they grow," Woodson says. "To me, that's what coaching and basketball has always been about."
Take, for instance, All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. He's produced major numbers in his first two seasons (averaging 19.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last year while shooting 51.7 percent from the field; averaging 16.1, 8.7 and 53.9 percent for his career), and that's without a perimeter game (he's never taken a college 3-point shot) and the ability to consistently score with both hands.
Woodson vows to change that.
"When you look at the Jackson-Davis kid, I sold him on he's got to get better from his right hand and being able to finish more willingly around the rim and he's got to develop an outside shot. When he picks and pops, he's got to feel about good making that shot."
Jackson-Davis isn't alone. Woodson has a list of improvements for every Hoosier.
"These are all individual things that we've got to do with players, but at the end of the day, it becomes a team when everybody is clicking on all cylinders and we're doing the things necessary to win on both ends of the floor."
Under Woodson, victories won't come via individual superstars but through collective excellence.
"If we're going to be a big-time team that competes in the Big Ten," he says, "it's got to be everybody."
Woodson wants a roster than can absorb injuries and other glitches that arise.
"If a player goes down," he says, "I've got make sure that next player in line feels comfortable about stepping in and playing.
"That's what a team is all about. You can't play everybody 30 or 40 minutes, but that guy that doesn't play a lot of minutes, he's got to be ready just in case.
"What if (a starter) gets hurt? Are you ready? Are you sitting and sulking the whole time because you weren't playing? I don't want players like that. I've got to get them in the right frame of mind."
A lot of coaches talk about bringing "fatigue to the game" by utilizing most of the players on their rosters, but often end up with smaller rotations by the time the postseason starts. Woodson doesn't know what this season will bring, but he does know this -- Hoosier veterans Race Thompson, Rob Phinisee, Trey Galloway, Khristian Lander, Anthony Leal and Jordan Geronimo will have key roles. So will transfers Xavier Johnson (Pitt), Michael Durr (South Florida), Miller Kopp (Northwestern) and Parker Stewart (Tennessee-Martin and Pitt).
"I'm hoping to make everybody happy," Woodson says. "I know I can't play everybody big minutes and I don't know how deep I'll go this season until I get on the floor and put it together, but guys like Phinisee and Galloway and Geronimo, these are guys that have got to get better. I've got to push them to get better for us to be better. That's going to be important as we move forward."
As for incoming freshmen Tamar Bates and Logan Duncomb, Woodson says, "Everything is new for them. They're going to be playing with different talents. So it's a matter of how quickly these guys are able to pick up things."
Woodson, a veteran NBA coach taking his first shot at the college game, says he won't overload the Hoosiers with teaching points.
"It won't be like I would do at the NBA level. I've got to slow walk it a little bit, but I'm interested to see how quickly they can adapt to what I'm trying to give them. That's going to be important moving forward."
Woodson and his staff -- Dane Fife, Kenya Hunter and Yasir Rosemond – spent the spring analyzing players and Big Ten opponents.
"We been watching film of last year's team and teams in the Big Ten," Woodson says, "and then individual workouts in terms of where we break down the guys that played last year, their individual play, and how Phinisee might run a pick and roll, what's Jackson-Davis' sweet spot, just a lot of things in terms of trying to figure out who can do what and who can't do what and things we are going to have to teach moving forward.
"It's a lot of work that has to be done, man, and I'm just anxious to get to June 10th where we can actually start working out."
Relationship building is a big part of that, both with the current Hoosiers, and for future ones. Woodson wants players to stop by his office on their way to workouts.
"I want them to see me first so we can chat and see how their day is going and what's going on in their lives. That's important to me. I think it helps me from a bonding standpoint even before we hit the floor running."
While he can't do that with Duncomb and Bates, who have yet to move to Bloomington, "I'm on the phone talking, watching their AAU games on the weekends and wishing them well throughout the week."
June also will be a month for a heavy dose of official and unofficial visits.
"That will give me a chance to start bonding and talk to some of these guys in person," Woodson says.
Beyond this team, there are non-conference schedules to plan.
IU and Kentucky ended their annual rivalry in 2012, although they did meet in the 2016 NCAA tourney (the Big Ten-champion Hoosiers won to advance to the Sweet 16).
Will Woodson push to resume that series, and what will future non-pandemic non-conference schedules look like?
He says he'll soon meet with athletic director Scott Dolson to plan that.
"I like to get a team in position first before we start chasing the big boys. I'm not afraid of competition. I want a team that's competitive. If we can get back to playing the Kentuckys and the Kansases and teams of that nature before we get on the Big 10, I'm open for that."
Whether IU plays a college superpower or a lower-profile team, Woodson wants the same approach.
"There are no gimmes in basketball. You've got to come ready to play for 40 minutes. You've got to respect your opponent and be ready to play when it's time to play regardless of who it is."
As far as dealing with the media, Woodson says, "I've had run-ins with the media in some of my stops. It's a part of it. Sometimes I don't think it's fair some of the things that you read that are said about you … (but) for the most part my walk of life with the media has been pretty good. I try it keep it that way.
"(The media) has a job to do and I respect that. I want you guys it respect what I do."
Woodson made a final roster tweak in May, when he and swingman Jerome Hunter decide to move on from each other (Hunter transferred to Xavier) and the 7-foot Durr transferred in.
"I won't get deep into this," Woodson says about Hunter's departure, "because I like keeping stuff like that in house. He decided -- we decided -- to part ways and he landed on his feet in Xavier, so I'm excited about that.
"We just didn't mix the way I wanted it to be between he and I. That's no knock against him. He's an excellent kid. We decided to part ways. He understood. I understood. He left here and landed on his feet at Xavier.
"I wish him nothing but the best. We've got to worry about the guys we have in Indiana uniforms as we go forward."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Are you ready for Indiana basketball?
Mike Woodson is, and while the opening game remains months in the future, the work that likely will decide next season is about to begin.
You'd better believe the new head coach is pumped.
"I'm excited about getting the whole group together and putting a system in place on both ends of the floor," Woodson says via recent Zoom media availability.
With workouts set to begin on June 10, Woodson seeks elite preparation in how he envisions basketball should be played. NCAA rules won't allow the entire team to practice together, but small groups can along with individual sessions.
"We'll have individual workouts for every player and then you'll see who grows and how quickly they grow," Woodson says. "To me, that's what coaching and basketball has always been about."
Take, for instance, All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. He's produced major numbers in his first two seasons (averaging 19.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last year while shooting 51.7 percent from the field; averaging 16.1, 8.7 and 53.9 percent for his career), and that's without a perimeter game (he's never taken a college 3-point shot) and the ability to consistently score with both hands.
Woodson vows to change that.
"When you look at the Jackson-Davis kid, I sold him on he's got to get better from his right hand and being able to finish more willingly around the rim and he's got to develop an outside shot. When he picks and pops, he's got to feel about good making that shot."
Jackson-Davis isn't alone. Woodson has a list of improvements for every Hoosier.
"These are all individual things that we've got to do with players, but at the end of the day, it becomes a team when everybody is clicking on all cylinders and we're doing the things necessary to win on both ends of the floor."
Under Woodson, victories won't come via individual superstars but through collective excellence.
"If we're going to be a big-time team that competes in the Big Ten," he says, "it's got to be everybody."
Woodson wants a roster than can absorb injuries and other glitches that arise.
"If a player goes down," he says, "I've got make sure that next player in line feels comfortable about stepping in and playing.
"That's what a team is all about. You can't play everybody 30 or 40 minutes, but that guy that doesn't play a lot of minutes, he's got to be ready just in case.
"What if (a starter) gets hurt? Are you ready? Are you sitting and sulking the whole time because you weren't playing? I don't want players like that. I've got to get them in the right frame of mind."
A lot of coaches talk about bringing "fatigue to the game" by utilizing most of the players on their rosters, but often end up with smaller rotations by the time the postseason starts. Woodson doesn't know what this season will bring, but he does know this -- Hoosier veterans Race Thompson, Rob Phinisee, Trey Galloway, Khristian Lander, Anthony Leal and Jordan Geronimo will have key roles. So will transfers Xavier Johnson (Pitt), Michael Durr (South Florida), Miller Kopp (Northwestern) and Parker Stewart (Tennessee-Martin and Pitt).
"I'm hoping to make everybody happy," Woodson says. "I know I can't play everybody big minutes and I don't know how deep I'll go this season until I get on the floor and put it together, but guys like Phinisee and Galloway and Geronimo, these are guys that have got to get better. I've got to push them to get better for us to be better. That's going to be important as we move forward."
As for incoming freshmen Tamar Bates and Logan Duncomb, Woodson says, "Everything is new for them. They're going to be playing with different talents. So it's a matter of how quickly these guys are able to pick up things."
Woodson, a veteran NBA coach taking his first shot at the college game, says he won't overload the Hoosiers with teaching points.
"It won't be like I would do at the NBA level. I've got to slow walk it a little bit, but I'm interested to see how quickly they can adapt to what I'm trying to give them. That's going to be important moving forward."
Woodson and his staff -- Dane Fife, Kenya Hunter and Yasir Rosemond – spent the spring analyzing players and Big Ten opponents.
"We been watching film of last year's team and teams in the Big Ten," Woodson says, "and then individual workouts in terms of where we break down the guys that played last year, their individual play, and how Phinisee might run a pick and roll, what's Jackson-Davis' sweet spot, just a lot of things in terms of trying to figure out who can do what and who can't do what and things we are going to have to teach moving forward.
"It's a lot of work that has to be done, man, and I'm just anxious to get to June 10th where we can actually start working out."
Relationship building is a big part of that, both with the current Hoosiers, and for future ones. Woodson wants players to stop by his office on their way to workouts.
"I want them to see me first so we can chat and see how their day is going and what's going on in their lives. That's important to me. I think it helps me from a bonding standpoint even before we hit the floor running."
While he can't do that with Duncomb and Bates, who have yet to move to Bloomington, "I'm on the phone talking, watching their AAU games on the weekends and wishing them well throughout the week."
June also will be a month for a heavy dose of official and unofficial visits.
"That will give me a chance to start bonding and talk to some of these guys in person," Woodson says.
Beyond this team, there are non-conference schedules to plan.
IU and Kentucky ended their annual rivalry in 2012, although they did meet in the 2016 NCAA tourney (the Big Ten-champion Hoosiers won to advance to the Sweet 16).
Will Woodson push to resume that series, and what will future non-pandemic non-conference schedules look like?
He says he'll soon meet with athletic director Scott Dolson to plan that.
"I like to get a team in position first before we start chasing the big boys. I'm not afraid of competition. I want a team that's competitive. If we can get back to playing the Kentuckys and the Kansases and teams of that nature before we get on the Big 10, I'm open for that."
Whether IU plays a college superpower or a lower-profile team, Woodson wants the same approach.
"There are no gimmes in basketball. You've got to come ready to play for 40 minutes. You've got to respect your opponent and be ready to play when it's time to play regardless of who it is."
As far as dealing with the media, Woodson says, "I've had run-ins with the media in some of my stops. It's a part of it. Sometimes I don't think it's fair some of the things that you read that are said about you … (but) for the most part my walk of life with the media has been pretty good. I try it keep it that way.
"(The media) has a job to do and I respect that. I want you guys it respect what I do."
Woodson made a final roster tweak in May, when he and swingman Jerome Hunter decide to move on from each other (Hunter transferred to Xavier) and the 7-foot Durr transferred in.
"I won't get deep into this," Woodson says about Hunter's departure, "because I like keeping stuff like that in house. He decided -- we decided -- to part ways and he landed on his feet in Xavier, so I'm excited about that.
"We just didn't mix the way I wanted it to be between he and I. That's no knock against him. He's an excellent kid. We decided to part ways. He understood. I understood. He left here and landed on his feet at Xavier.
"I wish him nothing but the best. We've got to worry about the guys we have in Indiana uniforms as we go forward."
Players Mentioned
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