It starts with dimmed lights.
Fire sparks as No. 31 strolls out through two parallel lines of cheerleaders. He holds three shirts in his left paw and tosses them into the great beyond. The first step is with the left, inches away from the Indiana insignia gracing center court. Then a stomp with the right guides into flailing arms.
Thomas Bryant is dancing to “Wicked” by Future, a 2016 track on “Purple Reign,” but it seems like this song was made for this moment.
I was going to insert a lyric from the song right here, however as anyone who listens to Future knows, I don’t want to get fired before the first game of the season.
Bryant has certainly made a difference in his short time at IU (sidenote: that’s the only way you can insert short into a sentence with Bryant), but it is conceivably his dancing that is the most impressive.
At just under 7-feet, it seems almost unfair that he can move with this grace without falling over. I mean, I broke my foot dancing to Aaron Carter in my bedroom in elementary school, so anytime someone dances without causing bodily harm, I’m impressed.
His arms and legs are in sync on every step. It’s incredible to watch. There was worry recently about his ankle, as he was seen with a boot on off-court, but with these quick steps, the only ones who should be worried are those guarding him the low post.
Hoosier Hysteria is a night of promise, tradition and optimism, but it’s also about having fun. And fun was in full force in 2016. Bryant’s dancing is just one example of this.
Curtis Jones dunked over IU Coach Tom Crean, Collin Hartman participated in a three-point shooting contest where he couldn’t jump and O.G. Anunoby put the ball between his legs and then into the cylinder on one spring.
One of the reasons that IU succeeded last season was due to the team chemistry and camaraderie from the starting five to the last guy on the bench. Hoosier Hysteria showed that these relationships will hold. It wasn’t about basketball. It was about everything else.
Perhaps the best illustration of this is when Crean handed out the Big Ten Championship ring to Collin Hartman. He choked up and the crowd erupted as the two hugged on the free-throw line extended.
“To me, it showed his connection with his guys,” former head coach and emcee of the event Seth Greenberg said. “Seeing Tom get emotional, that’s real. I thought it was genuine.”
The season hasn’t truly started yet, but this team is attached. That’s all we can ask for at the moment.
Also, Tim Priller dabbed. It was a good night.
gigottfr@indiana.edu
