Indiana University Athletics
His Time is Coming – Jordan Geronimo Refining His Game
2/5/2022 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Patience is hard. It stinks, sometimes, to be blunt. It demands discipline and trust when competitive instinct says the heck with that, let me let 'er rip.
Jordan Geronimo knows. He pushes to play, to excel, to make a Cream 'n Crimson difference. To rebound.
With Saturday's huge Big Ten battle against first-place Illinois looming, Indiana's sophomore forward does all that -- in limited doses.
His energy, on the other hand, has no limits.
"I give it all to my teammates, my coaching staff," Geronimo says. "You know what I'm saying. When I'm frustrated, my coaches know. My teammates know."
Geronimo doesn't play with a poker face. He is passionate and it shows, and that is a strength, although not the only one given his 6-foot-6, 225-pound physique, 7-foot wingspan, 40-inch vertical jump and can't-be-denied talent.
"My teammates tell me to be patient," he says. "Be patient. Your time will come."
Did we mention patience is hard?
It is a beast to be tamed, but if it is, when it is, the full measure of a player emerges.
We have seen glimpses from Geronimo as the understudy to senior forward Race Thompson.
Consider what Geronimo did as a 21-minute, off-the-bench force against Merrimack and Nebraska. He burned Merrimack with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He staggered Nebraska with 10 points and eight rebounds.
"He might earn more minutes if he keeps playing that way," coach Mike Woodson says in the aftermath.
"It's a self-confidence boost for him," Thompson adds.
In IU's most recent game, Sunday's 68-55 victory at Maryland, Geronimo was once again a difference maker with six points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
"I do what I can," he says simply.
It goes deeper than that, forward Trayce Jackson-Davis says.
"He's been rebounding, attacking the glass, getting the ball at its highest point. Offensively, getting that mid-range jumper."
Much of this comes from determination and work, but some, too, comes from his mother, Dawn Royster, once a basketball standout at North Carolina.
"She was a big defensive player, a big rebounder back in the day," Geronimo says. "Growing up, she was constantly telling me, 'Jordan, rebound the ball. Box out!'
"She'd always tell me to box out even when I'd box out all game. It was, 'Jordan, box out!'
"I guess I kind of took it up and got her genes."
Or, as teammate Trey Galloway puts it, "One of his best attributes is rebounding."
The image is of Geronimo dunking ferociously and rebounding relentlessly when he's not launching three-pointers efficiently, but the image deceives.
You'd better believe he has the power to test the limits of a basketball-and-backboard's sturdiness. Yes, his career three-point accuracy of 34.6% (9-for-26) is better than Rob Phinisee's 29.7 and reflects the beyond-the-arc demands of 21st Century power forward play first honed at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire and for AAU's Mass Rivals.
"He makes them every day in practice," Thompson says, "so for us (players), it's no surprise. We all think it's going in because he makes them all in practice."
But it's Geronimo's mid-range game, refined under Woodson, that suggests an upside that could eventually take him to the next level in the manner of former IU standout OG Anunoby.
"My-mid range game improved when I got into college," he says. "In high school, I did used to shoot a lot of threes, but one thing Coach Woodson says a lot is you don't have to always shoot a three."
Woodson's free-flowing offense is suited to versatility if you dare to take advantage. More and more, Geronimo dares.
"Coming off a screen, you don't have to pop so far from three, just get your mid-range shot going," Geronimo says. "My trainer back home, he always emphasizes trying to get the mid-range shot going because that's how people get their money. That's where the game is at nowadays."
Geronimo sees Thompson as an example of what the future could bring. The 6-8 senior has expanded his offensive game to three-level status -- inside, mid-range, beyond the three-point arc. He also handles the ball and brings it up the court as if he was a guard.
As his backup, Geronimo watches and learns. He understands that with work, attitude and patience, his time will come.
For now, it's Thompson's.
"It's his fifth year in college, and he's earned his spot," Geronimo says of Thompson. "He's an efficient player. He's a great player, but when Race goes down or something happens where I have to play, they told me to stay ready because you have to get ready to stay ready."
Thompson knows what a ready Geronimo can do.
"I see him every day in practice. He deserves to be on that court. He's finding his minutes, and he's going to keep finding his minutes if he keeps playing the way he's playing. It's no surprise to me.
"Every time he comes into the game, he's making plays. He's going to keep getting better and better and better, and he's going to be able to help us a lot."
As a freshman, Geronimo averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds with two blocks. This season, it's 4.2 points and 4.0 rebounds with 15 blocks.
"He's grown a lot," Galloway says. "It's being more comfortable on the court. Our coaches have let him know he's doing a great job. He knows he's doing a good job. He has to keep working, keep making big-time shots for us.
"He's becoming more confident. It's knowing his role, coming in and playing hard."
Adds Geronimo: "As the days went by, my confidence really grew because I knew I could hang with these people. Once I realized I could hang with these people, that really gave me a boost in my mentality and in my confidence level. Every time I go for a shot, I think I'm going to make the shot.
"That's really all it is. It's just a positive mentality, and I can't really have that without my teammates because my teammates always tell me, 'JG, we know you can shoot like that, we know you can do this, we know you can do that.'"
Now Geronimo and the Hoosiers (16-5 overall, 7-4 in the Big Ten) face a No. 18 Illinois team (16-5, 9-2) coming off Wednesday night's Big Ten showdown victory over No. 11 Wisconsin. The teams entered the game tied with Michigan State for the conference lead.
The Illini are led by 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn, who averages 21.1 points and 11.6 rebounds while shooting 58.9% from the field. He had 37 points and 12 rebounds against Wisconsin.
Jackson-Davis says IU will "throw a lot of bigs" at Cockburn. Jackson-Davis will get his shot at guarding him, and when he does, he says he will use his quickness to full advantage.
Given Jackson-Davis is a Karl Malone Power Forward-of-the-Year finalist, that could be a decisive advantage.
Then there's Alfonso Plummer (15.8 points, a team-leading 62 three-pointers), Trent Frazier (13.1 points, 44 three-pointers) and Jacob Grandison (10.7, 33 three-pointers).
During his Monday night radio show with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer, Woodson said IU must make Cockburn work for his rebounds and points "because he's a force." He said the Hoosiers must work to contain Frazier and Plummer.
This starts a grueling closing run for Indiana. Five of its final nine games will come against top-25 teams, with Illinois, Wisconsin, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Oho State and No. 4 Purdue.
"You can look at it two ways," forward Miller Kopp says, "that it's a tough stretch and we've got to get through it, or it's a great opportunity to move up the ranks in the league, which is what we want to do."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Patience is hard. It stinks, sometimes, to be blunt. It demands discipline and trust when competitive instinct says the heck with that, let me let 'er rip.
Jordan Geronimo knows. He pushes to play, to excel, to make a Cream 'n Crimson difference. To rebound.
With Saturday's huge Big Ten battle against first-place Illinois looming, Indiana's sophomore forward does all that -- in limited doses.
His energy, on the other hand, has no limits.
"I give it all to my teammates, my coaching staff," Geronimo says. "You know what I'm saying. When I'm frustrated, my coaches know. My teammates know."
Geronimo doesn't play with a poker face. He is passionate and it shows, and that is a strength, although not the only one given his 6-foot-6, 225-pound physique, 7-foot wingspan, 40-inch vertical jump and can't-be-denied talent.
"My teammates tell me to be patient," he says. "Be patient. Your time will come."
Did we mention patience is hard?
It is a beast to be tamed, but if it is, when it is, the full measure of a player emerges.
We have seen glimpses from Geronimo as the understudy to senior forward Race Thompson.
Consider what Geronimo did as a 21-minute, off-the-bench force against Merrimack and Nebraska. He burned Merrimack with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He staggered Nebraska with 10 points and eight rebounds.
"He might earn more minutes if he keeps playing that way," coach Mike Woodson says in the aftermath.
"It's a self-confidence boost for him," Thompson adds.
In IU's most recent game, Sunday's 68-55 victory at Maryland, Geronimo was once again a difference maker with six points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
"I do what I can," he says simply.
It goes deeper than that, forward Trayce Jackson-Davis says.
"He's been rebounding, attacking the glass, getting the ball at its highest point. Offensively, getting that mid-range jumper."
Much of this comes from determination and work, but some, too, comes from his mother, Dawn Royster, once a basketball standout at North Carolina.
"She was a big defensive player, a big rebounder back in the day," Geronimo says. "Growing up, she was constantly telling me, 'Jordan, rebound the ball. Box out!'
"She'd always tell me to box out even when I'd box out all game. It was, 'Jordan, box out!'
"I guess I kind of took it up and got her genes."
Or, as teammate Trey Galloway puts it, "One of his best attributes is rebounding."
The image is of Geronimo dunking ferociously and rebounding relentlessly when he's not launching three-pointers efficiently, but the image deceives.
You'd better believe he has the power to test the limits of a basketball-and-backboard's sturdiness. Yes, his career three-point accuracy of 34.6% (9-for-26) is better than Rob Phinisee's 29.7 and reflects the beyond-the-arc demands of 21st Century power forward play first honed at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire and for AAU's Mass Rivals.
"He makes them every day in practice," Thompson says, "so for us (players), it's no surprise. We all think it's going in because he makes them all in practice."
But it's Geronimo's mid-range game, refined under Woodson, that suggests an upside that could eventually take him to the next level in the manner of former IU standout OG Anunoby.
"My-mid range game improved when I got into college," he says. "In high school, I did used to shoot a lot of threes, but one thing Coach Woodson says a lot is you don't have to always shoot a three."
Woodson's free-flowing offense is suited to versatility if you dare to take advantage. More and more, Geronimo dares.
"Coming off a screen, you don't have to pop so far from three, just get your mid-range shot going," Geronimo says. "My trainer back home, he always emphasizes trying to get the mid-range shot going because that's how people get their money. That's where the game is at nowadays."
Geronimo sees Thompson as an example of what the future could bring. The 6-8 senior has expanded his offensive game to three-level status -- inside, mid-range, beyond the three-point arc. He also handles the ball and brings it up the court as if he was a guard.
As his backup, Geronimo watches and learns. He understands that with work, attitude and patience, his time will come.
For now, it's Thompson's.
"It's his fifth year in college, and he's earned his spot," Geronimo says of Thompson. "He's an efficient player. He's a great player, but when Race goes down or something happens where I have to play, they told me to stay ready because you have to get ready to stay ready."
Thompson knows what a ready Geronimo can do.
"I see him every day in practice. He deserves to be on that court. He's finding his minutes, and he's going to keep finding his minutes if he keeps playing the way he's playing. It's no surprise to me.
"Every time he comes into the game, he's making plays. He's going to keep getting better and better and better, and he's going to be able to help us a lot."
As a freshman, Geronimo averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds with two blocks. This season, it's 4.2 points and 4.0 rebounds with 15 blocks.
"He's grown a lot," Galloway says. "It's being more comfortable on the court. Our coaches have let him know he's doing a great job. He knows he's doing a good job. He has to keep working, keep making big-time shots for us.
"He's becoming more confident. It's knowing his role, coming in and playing hard."
Adds Geronimo: "As the days went by, my confidence really grew because I knew I could hang with these people. Once I realized I could hang with these people, that really gave me a boost in my mentality and in my confidence level. Every time I go for a shot, I think I'm going to make the shot.
"That's really all it is. It's just a positive mentality, and I can't really have that without my teammates because my teammates always tell me, 'JG, we know you can shoot like that, we know you can do this, we know you can do that.'"
Now Geronimo and the Hoosiers (16-5 overall, 7-4 in the Big Ten) face a No. 18 Illinois team (16-5, 9-2) coming off Wednesday night's Big Ten showdown victory over No. 11 Wisconsin. The teams entered the game tied with Michigan State for the conference lead.
The Illini are led by 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn, who averages 21.1 points and 11.6 rebounds while shooting 58.9% from the field. He had 37 points and 12 rebounds against Wisconsin.
Jackson-Davis says IU will "throw a lot of bigs" at Cockburn. Jackson-Davis will get his shot at guarding him, and when he does, he says he will use his quickness to full advantage.
Given Jackson-Davis is a Karl Malone Power Forward-of-the-Year finalist, that could be a decisive advantage.
Then there's Alfonso Plummer (15.8 points, a team-leading 62 three-pointers), Trent Frazier (13.1 points, 44 three-pointers) and Jacob Grandison (10.7, 33 three-pointers).
During his Monday night radio show with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer, Woodson said IU must make Cockburn work for his rebounds and points "because he's a force." He said the Hoosiers must work to contain Frazier and Plummer.
This starts a grueling closing run for Indiana. Five of its final nine games will come against top-25 teams, with Illinois, Wisconsin, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Oho State and No. 4 Purdue.
"You can look at it two ways," forward Miller Kopp says, "that it's a tough stretch and we've got to get through it, or it's a great opportunity to move up the ranks in the league, which is what we want to do."
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