‘He Gets It’ -- For Gabe Cupps, The Best Lies Ahead

Saturday, February 3

Bloomington, Ind.

Noon

Indiana University

Penn State

‘He Gets It’ -- For Gabe Cupps, The Best Lies Ahead

2/3/2024 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Gabe Cupps defends. Boy, does he defend. The Indiana freshman guards as close as rules allow, reaching out to touch opposing guards, who counter by swatting his hand away.

Cupps reaches out again.

They swat.

He reaches out.

They swat.

Cupps ain't going away.

He plays beyond his years with effort, tenacity, vision and passion. Lots of passion. The former Ohio Mr. Basketball attacks; he denies and disrupts; he moves his feet to keep his man in front of him; swivels his head to stay aware; he switches and rotates; he does all the little things so crucial in coach Mike Woodson's man defense, which is what you'd expect from a coach's son.

This is why Cupps plays a starter's minutes, why he has such a bright Cream 'n Crimson basketball future.

"He loves the game," teammate Anthony Leal says. "He loves the school, and he works really hard. He's always in here. It's just a testament to the work that he puts in and the confidence in himself."

For now, defense is what Cupps does best.

Wait.

Did you see his clutch 3-pointer against Iowa last Tuesday off a pass from Trey Galloway that delivered a one-point lead and ignited a game-closing 8-0 run?

Did you see the video when, as a 14-year-old, he challenged LeBron James -- yes, THAT LeBron James -- to a 3-point shooting contest at an AAU tourney (James' son, Bronny, was on the same team)? Cupps lost, but made James work for it, and James tweeted his appreciation, calling Cupps the best shooter in the Class of 2023.

"I got called out by my guy," James tweeted. "Told him about a certain switch I can hit when needed, and he didn't believe me. Well, he found out the hard way."

For now, that shooting comes in limited doses. Mostly, Cupps makes it hard on opposing offenses, and likely will again Saturday when IU (13-8 overall, 5-5 in the Big Ten) hosts Penn State (10-11, 4-6). His 15 steals rank third on the team behind Galloway's 24 and CJ Gunn's 21.

Cupps is a Hoosier because he loves being a Hoosier.

That matters.

"I think me being here is a blessing," he says. "I'm here to work, here to get better. I think that allows me to trust myself and also for my teammates to trust me."

Trust is earned through practice -- he and senior point guard Xavier Johnson had fierce preseason battles -- and relentless work.

"If (Galloway) doesn't trust me," Cupps says, "he probably doesn't swing that pass back (that led to the Iowa-beating 3-pointer). I'm thankful for the opportunity and for these guys."

A significant backcourt scoring role is in Cupps' future, and while it's not there yet (veterans Johnson and Galloway take that lead), give it time.

He averages 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while playing in all 21 games and starting 10. He shoots 39.6% from the field and 40.9% from 3-point range. He has 30 assists against 21 turnovers.

As a facilitator, Cupps hasn't taken more than six shots in a game. That was against Auburn, when he made four of them, two 3-pointers, for a career-high 11 points. He's also grabbed as many as five rebounds and totaled as many as three assists, both against Nebraska.
Cupps has only attempted one free throw in the last 10 games, and missed it. He hasn't made one since Dec. 19 against Morehead State.

"He's not shot the ball like I thought he would shoot," Woodson says, "but that will come. The fact that he competes, that's a big part of playing this game. You've got to be a competitor and want to compete. He leaves it on the floor when he's out there."

Cupps has never been an elite scorer -- he never averaged more than 15.4 points a game at Ohio's Centerville High School while playing for his father, Brook -- not because he can't, but because he's too focused on winning and excelling in point-guard, run-the-show responsibilities.

Brook Cupps, himself a former college player, reinforced that with a hard-working preparation philosophy that included 5:15 a.m. wake-up calls for "Breakfast Club" basketball drills and "Chop Wood" sessions in which players grabbed axes and, yes, chopped down dead trees to build strength, resilience and, at times, calloused hands.

It worked. The younger Cupps' last three seasons at Centerville included one state title, one runner-up finish, a 45-game winning streak and a 79-8 record.

His win-first approach explains why he models himself after Indiana Pacers' guard T.J. McConnell, famously known for putting hustle and team over ego.

Cupps' winning ways drew Woodson's recruiting attention. The coach watched Cupps just once before putting him on his must-offer list.

"Gabe is giving us everything that I thought he would give us," Woodson says. "He was coached by his dad, who did a hell of a job with that young man.

"He's been steady because he's been taught the right way. Some get it and some don't. He got it. That's why he doesn't look out of place."

Cupps is not perfect, and when he messes up, Woodson tells him. It is not always warm and fuzzy, and that's as it should be. Elite play doesn't come from cuddly coaching.

Cupps had some tough moments at Illinois recently and Woodson coached him hard during a timeout, then left him in the game. The message -- stay in the moment.

"A lot of it is trusting in myself and trusting in my teammates," Cupps says. "I think one of the most important things that Coach Woodson said to me is that it's in the past, you've got to leave it behind. Even though he was pretty mad at me, he told me to move to the next play."

Cupps does, and that makes all the difference now, and will in the future.

"There's a lot of room for growth," Woodson says, "and the growth is that he's got to be able to make shots, and he's got to be able to run pick-and-rolls where he can find the spots where the ball needs to go.

"Those are areas where he's got to grow more. Eventually, he will. He'll get there."

Entering Saturday's game, the status of forward Malik Reneau (ankle) and guard Xavier Johnson (elbow) remains uncertain. Both were injured during Tuesday's win over Iowa.

Injuries have prevented IU from playing its full roster. Johnson has missed seven games. Center Kel'el Ware has missed three games.

"I haven't had a full deck with this team since the latter part of November," Woodson says, "which would have been the Harvard game."

The next-man-up approach might be in full display against a Penn State team coming off a 61-46 win at Rutgers. It's led by Kanye Clary (18.4 points) and Ace Baldwin Jr. (13.2 points, 5.1 assists, a Big Ten-best 2.86 steals).

"From a coaching standpoint," Woodson says, "I'm still reaching and grabbing and scratching because we haven't had a full deck. We had it for a few minutes the other night (against Iowa), and then all hell broke loose. Malik goes down, X goes down.

"All we're doing is just trying to work, continue to work on our rotations, things that some of these young guys are not used to doing to stay as solid as we can from a defensive standpoint."