Indiana University Athletics
Friday, November 1
Bloomington, Ind.
7 p.m.
Indiana University
vs
Marian (Exhibition)
‘No Regrets’ – Reneau Set to Elevate His Game
11/1/2024 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Malik Reneau will never light up the 3-point line in the manner of former Indiana greats Steve Alford or Calbert Cheaney, or even current teammate Mackenzie Mgbako.
But ignore the Hoosiers' 6-9 junior forward on the perimeter at your own risk.
Reneau is showing improved 3-point-shooting accuracy as IU approaches the upcoming season. It hosts Marian University Friday night in its second and final exhibition game. It opens the season Wednesday against SIUE at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Reneau hit a key 3-pointer in Sunday's charity exhibition win at Tennessee, as well as several in recent team scrimmages. This is a follow up to last season, when he went 15-for-45 (33.3%) beyond the arc, a huge improvement from his freshman season, when he was 2-for-5.
"If he can continue to make threes, it opens it up for everybody," coach Mike Woodson says. "We are taking more threes and getting up and down the floor. If he can pop and get that shot, I expect him to take it and feel good about him taking it.
"It's the same with something in transition. If he gets in a situation where he's ready to shoot the three, he has to take it. We'll live with it. That will be huge moving forward."
Reneau was a get-me-the-ball-down-the-stretch force against Tennessee. He scored 10 straight points when it mattered most. In a game where basically everyone struggled to make a shot (the teams were a combined 43-for-119, 36.1%), Reneau was 8-for-12 overall, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, for 21 points.
That's a follow up to last season, when he averaged 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 55.8% from the field. He has made this season's Karl Malone Award watch list. The award recognizes the nation's top power forward. Ex-Hoosier standout Trayce Jackson-Davis is among the award winners.
Point guard Myles Rice, the heralded Washington State transfer, is already imagining the possibilities.
"It will be amazing," Rice says. "I've gotten to know him and where he likes the ball and where he wants it and how I can get it to him.
"We have that special bond on and off the court. My job is to make his game easier on the court. (Against Tennessee) he did the same for us by hitting a lot of key shots down the stretch and playing as well as he did."
That included grabbing eight rebounds, forcing a team-high three steals, adding two assists, and a block. He played 33 minutes and committed just three fouls, a huge step for a player with a history of foul trouble.
Can Reneau overcome foul-too-much tendency? That's the plan.
"It's super important for me to stay on the floor," he says. "It's been emphasized about being able to play high minutes."
Reneau averaged 28.7 minutes last season, and it would have been more if not for his team-leading 103 fouls, 40 more than any other Hoosier. He fouled out seven times. The rest of the team combined for just four.
"I want to be the guy we can rely on, not foul and stay on the court for my teammates," he says. "It's making a true impact on the court. That's extremely important. If I'm not on the court, it's hard for us to do a lot of things. It will help our team tremendously."
Reneau continues to get tips from a pair of former Hoosier teammates now playing in the NBA, Jackson-Davis and Kel'el Ware. Their advice -- play smart and avoid silly fouls such as swiping at the ball or trying to plug holes while out of position.
"They said it's knowing that you're super important on the court so stay away from those dumb, ticky-tack fouls," Reneau says.
It's likely Reneau and 7-foot center Oumar Ballo will start and play major minutes together. That means Reneau will have to guard smaller, quicker players on the perimeter. He says he's already practiced extensively against 6-7 forward Luke Goode and the 6-9 Mgbako to prepare, as well as 6-3 guards Rice and Kanaan Carlyle.
Reneau must contest their outside shots and still be able to stop or at least slow their drives to the basket. The ultimate goal -- force them to pass to someone else.
"That's the hardest thing to do with a guard because they're very quick," Reneau says. "You have to be able to stand your ground and show you can contest shots without getting passed."
Mgbako, who emerged as an inside and outside threat while averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 rebounds and making a team-leading 50 3-pointers to earn B1G Freshman of the Year honors last season, has been a big help.
"He can shoot well, and he can attack off the dribble," Reneau says. "I have to be up to touch to where he won't shoot and to where he won't rip and drive. The hardest thing is to attack the close-out part when dealing with smaller guards.
"When I'm in front of them, I can move my feet a reasonable amount to where they'll pass the ball out."
Ballo says he likes the idea of playing with Reneau.
"He's made me a lot better. We're really clicking."
Even if it won't count on the record, last Sunday's Tennessee victory was a real game disguised as a charity exhibition. Both teams played to win.
"That felt like a real mid-season game on the road against a top-15 team," Rice says. "I liked the way we battled. We never gave up. It was a back-and-forth battle all game long. That prepares us for the season, the postseason, conference, everything. Getting that win gives us a boost of confidence."
IU brings preseason top-20 status to Friday's exhibition against Marian, which is coached by former Hoosier player Pat Knight, the son of Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight.
Ballo is on the watch lists for the NABC Division I Player of the Year and the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year. He averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in three seasons at Arizona. Mgbako made the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the nation's top small forwards. Rice made the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award. He averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game last season.
"We have a full roster and can play faster because we have more players," Reneau says. "We're more energized and more competitive because there are more players coming in and out. Our practices are way more competitive and stronger. People are giving it their all. They know its competitive."
After not making the NCAA tourney last year, Reneau says the goal is to not just make it back, but to contend for a national championship along with winning a Big Ten championship. IU hasn't done that since 2016, when it reached the Sweet Sixteen.
"It comes with taking it one step at a time," Reneau says. "It's being level-headed and give it your all every time on the court, so we don't have any regrets."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Malik Reneau will never light up the 3-point line in the manner of former Indiana greats Steve Alford or Calbert Cheaney, or even current teammate Mackenzie Mgbako.
But ignore the Hoosiers' 6-9 junior forward on the perimeter at your own risk.
Reneau is showing improved 3-point-shooting accuracy as IU approaches the upcoming season. It hosts Marian University Friday night in its second and final exhibition game. It opens the season Wednesday against SIUE at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Reneau hit a key 3-pointer in Sunday's charity exhibition win at Tennessee, as well as several in recent team scrimmages. This is a follow up to last season, when he went 15-for-45 (33.3%) beyond the arc, a huge improvement from his freshman season, when he was 2-for-5.
"If he can continue to make threes, it opens it up for everybody," coach Mike Woodson says. "We are taking more threes and getting up and down the floor. If he can pop and get that shot, I expect him to take it and feel good about him taking it.
"It's the same with something in transition. If he gets in a situation where he's ready to shoot the three, he has to take it. We'll live with it. That will be huge moving forward."
Reneau was a get-me-the-ball-down-the-stretch force against Tennessee. He scored 10 straight points when it mattered most. In a game where basically everyone struggled to make a shot (the teams were a combined 43-for-119, 36.1%), Reneau was 8-for-12 overall, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, for 21 points.
That's a follow up to last season, when he averaged 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 55.8% from the field. He has made this season's Karl Malone Award watch list. The award recognizes the nation's top power forward. Ex-Hoosier standout Trayce Jackson-Davis is among the award winners.
Point guard Myles Rice, the heralded Washington State transfer, is already imagining the possibilities.
"It will be amazing," Rice says. "I've gotten to know him and where he likes the ball and where he wants it and how I can get it to him.
"We have that special bond on and off the court. My job is to make his game easier on the court. (Against Tennessee) he did the same for us by hitting a lot of key shots down the stretch and playing as well as he did."
That included grabbing eight rebounds, forcing a team-high three steals, adding two assists, and a block. He played 33 minutes and committed just three fouls, a huge step for a player with a history of foul trouble.
Can Reneau overcome foul-too-much tendency? That's the plan.
"It's super important for me to stay on the floor," he says. "It's been emphasized about being able to play high minutes."
Reneau averaged 28.7 minutes last season, and it would have been more if not for his team-leading 103 fouls, 40 more than any other Hoosier. He fouled out seven times. The rest of the team combined for just four.
"I want to be the guy we can rely on, not foul and stay on the court for my teammates," he says. "It's making a true impact on the court. That's extremely important. If I'm not on the court, it's hard for us to do a lot of things. It will help our team tremendously."
Reneau continues to get tips from a pair of former Hoosier teammates now playing in the NBA, Jackson-Davis and Kel'el Ware. Their advice -- play smart and avoid silly fouls such as swiping at the ball or trying to plug holes while out of position.
"They said it's knowing that you're super important on the court so stay away from those dumb, ticky-tack fouls," Reneau says.
It's likely Reneau and 7-foot center Oumar Ballo will start and play major minutes together. That means Reneau will have to guard smaller, quicker players on the perimeter. He says he's already practiced extensively against 6-7 forward Luke Goode and the 6-9 Mgbako to prepare, as well as 6-3 guards Rice and Kanaan Carlyle.
Reneau must contest their outside shots and still be able to stop or at least slow their drives to the basket. The ultimate goal -- force them to pass to someone else.
"That's the hardest thing to do with a guard because they're very quick," Reneau says. "You have to be able to stand your ground and show you can contest shots without getting passed."
Mgbako, who emerged as an inside and outside threat while averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 rebounds and making a team-leading 50 3-pointers to earn B1G Freshman of the Year honors last season, has been a big help.
"He can shoot well, and he can attack off the dribble," Reneau says. "I have to be up to touch to where he won't shoot and to where he won't rip and drive. The hardest thing is to attack the close-out part when dealing with smaller guards.
"When I'm in front of them, I can move my feet a reasonable amount to where they'll pass the ball out."
Ballo says he likes the idea of playing with Reneau.
"He's made me a lot better. We're really clicking."
Even if it won't count on the record, last Sunday's Tennessee victory was a real game disguised as a charity exhibition. Both teams played to win.
"That felt like a real mid-season game on the road against a top-15 team," Rice says. "I liked the way we battled. We never gave up. It was a back-and-forth battle all game long. That prepares us for the season, the postseason, conference, everything. Getting that win gives us a boost of confidence."
IU brings preseason top-20 status to Friday's exhibition against Marian, which is coached by former Hoosier player Pat Knight, the son of Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight.
Ballo is on the watch lists for the NABC Division I Player of the Year and the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year. He averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in three seasons at Arizona. Mgbako made the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the nation's top small forwards. Rice made the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award. He averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game last season.
"We have a full roster and can play faster because we have more players," Reneau says. "We're more energized and more competitive because there are more players coming in and out. Our practices are way more competitive and stronger. People are giving it their all. They know its competitive."
After not making the NCAA tourney last year, Reneau says the goal is to not just make it back, but to contend for a national championship along with winning a Big Ten championship. IU hasn't done that since 2016, when it reached the Sweet Sixteen.
"It comes with taking it one step at a time," Reneau says. "It's being level-headed and give it your all every time on the court, so we don't have any regrets."
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