Walker’s IU Job is Clear -- Play to Versatility

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Anthony Walker can't be a spectator. He just can't. The senior transfer forward is too versatile, too much a part of what coach Mike Woodson envisions for this Indiana basketball team, to not dominate when opportunity arises.

It arose in Sunday's exhibition victory over the University of Indianapolis, and at first, Walker did, well, nothing.

Woodson set him straight and the Miami (Fla.) transfer's final numbers -- six points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in 22 off-the-bench minutes -- hint at his potential impact. Another chance comes during Friday night's final exhibition against Marian University at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

"We brought him on board because we thought he does a little bit of everything," Woodson says. "I had to get on him in the one timeout because they were in the zone, and we threw it a couple times to him and he looked like he was hesitant."

Hesitation won't earn you Woodson's favor, especially when you're a 6-8, 215-pound fifth-year senior who totaled 618 points, 312 rebounds, 72 steals, 64 assists, and 62 blocks in 125 games at Miami. That included a sophomore season in which he averaged 9.6 points and 4.5 rebounds.

"He came right back after me getting on him and he responded with two buckets inside the zone," Woodson says. "He's been scoring and doing a lot of different things in practice, and I don't want that to go the other way.

"I brought him here to play. What he did at Miami is behind him. He's just got to worry about what he's going to do for us."

Walker is a Hoosier because of that kind of coaching.

"(Woodson is) a prestigious man when it comes to the sport," Walker says. "Being around him, pick his brain for a year, to be coached by him, is an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Walker was part of a Miami team that beat IU in last season's NCAA tourney en route to a Final Four berth. That experience could be invaluable on a Hoosier squad that features 10 newcomers and championship aspirations.

"(Woodson) needed someone who's been to where he's trying to go," Walker says. "He thought that was me. I'm here to do that."

Walker says he brings a gritty, physical style typical of players from East Baltimore, where he grew up. He's part of a tall, athletic lineup built to use its length as a disruptive force as last season's 23-12 group, even with All-America Trayce Jackson-Davis, was not.

"This team is a lot taller and longer than last year," he says. "We plan to use it to the best of our ability on offense and defense."

It impressed Indianapolis coach Paul Corsaro.

"Defensively, their length wore us down. They have NBA length."

Freshman guard Gabe Cupps made a big defensive impression against Indianapolis. During a decisive second-half burst, he had three deflections, made a steal, and forced a 10-second violation to fuel a Hoosier rally.

"Gabe came in and got that second unit around him, and they started to really defend and got the lead that we needed to have," Woodson says.

In 18 minutes, Cupps totaled four points, three rebounds, one assist, and that steal.

The key is doing it every game.

"We need it every night," sophomore guard CJ Gunn says. "His effort and his defensive pressure, that's contagious to all of us. Seeing him work and apply pressure on the ball, it makes us want to get stops and get deflections and get steals. We need that type of energy coming off the bench to lift us up as a team."

Adds Walker: "For him to come out his first game, especially as a freshman, and apply the pressure he did made a statement for our team and our perimeter players on defense. It was very important for him to do that."

Cupps brings a winning attitude. He was the 2022 Ohio Mr. Basketball out of Centerville High School. He led his team to the 2021 state title and a 2022 state runner-up finish. As a senior, he averaged 15.4 points, 6.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals.

His strong exhibition play followed passionate practices leading up to it.

"He was so anxious," Woodson said during his Monday night radio show. "Hell, he probably wanted to play the night before. That's his approach to playing basketball. I wasn't shocked that he had poise and looked like he belonged. He's that type of competitor."

Woodson wants Cupps prepared to play crucial minutes if needed. That's among the reasons why he's almost always matched up against veteran point guard Xavier Johnson in practice and scrimmages.

Cupps calls that "super valuable."

As far as Marian, the Knights opened their season with a 90-76 win over IU-Southeast behind Bobby Whitaker's career-high 33 points. That earned him Crossroads League player-of-the-week honors.

Last year Marian was 21-10 and made the NAIA tourney.

Walker’s IU Job is Clear -- Play to Versatility

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Players Mentioned

Gabe Cupps

CJ Gunn

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Xavier Johnson

Anthony Walker