Hoosiers look for added depth from strong freshmen newcomers

An hour before Midnight Madness got under way on Oct. 11, as 12,000 IU fans poured into Assembly Hall, freshman shooting guard Roderick Wilmont waited in the wings to make his first appearance in front of a Hoosier crowd. \nHe said he wasn't sure what to make of playing in front of that many people.\n"The most people I've ever played in front of was about 1,000 in the (Florida high school) regional final last year," he said that night.\nThe early morning exhibition gave him a taste of what to expect from IU fans, and the fans caught a first glimpse of one of the most highly touted freshmen classes in the nation. \nThe group is headed by shooting guard Bracey Wright and point guard Marshall Strickland, who were ranked among the Top 20 freshmen in the country by publications such as Athlon Sports and ESPN.com.\nWright shot 56 percent from the floor as a high school senior, and averaged 26 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals per contest. The stat line earned him a spot in the McDonalds All-American game, in which he lead the West team with 16 points and 11 rebounds.\nBefore regular practice began in mid-October the team spent five weeks in individual workouts, focusing on strength and conditioning.\n"I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been in," Wright said. "I'm a lot stronger and quicker than when I came out of high school. I guess you could say I'm more comfortable playing at (the college) level now."\nStrickland has had more time than any of the IU freshmen to work out on his own. \nLast season the Maryland state court ruled that he had used up his high school eligibility in the 2000-01 season, thus he was not able to play with his South Carrol High School squad his senior year. \nBut the numbers he put up during the 2000-01 campaign were good enough to rank him among the nation's best freshmen point guards, despite the one-year hiatus. That season he averaged 30.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.\nStrickland said this season he hopes to combine pure point guard fundamentals with his scoring ability.\n"I want to be a leader on the floor, kind of a floor general," he said. "I want to get people shots, find the open man, and also play my own game and get shots."\nWilmont, who also had a penchant for high scoring during his prep career, rounds out the crop of freshmen guards. He averaged 31.9 points per game at Miramar High School in Florida, but said he could have scored even more had he utilized the type of workout routine he now has at IU.\n"I told my high school coaches if I had been in this kind of shape last year, I probably could have scored 60 (points) a game," he said.\nDavis said he expects Wright, Strickland and Wilmont to be understudies to the veteran guards this season. \n"I think they're really good, but you won't win in (the Big Ten) league with freshmen guards," he said. "People questioned me bringing them in, because we already have guards. But I wanted them to be ready (to start) their sophomore year."\nTwo frontcourt players will be new to IU's roster this season as well. \nDaryl Pegram, a 6-9 forward, played at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts the past two years. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and three blocks last season. \nAlthough undersized compared to most Big Ten forwards, at 193 pounds, he brings athleticism and an inside/outside game that has become a staple for IU forwards.\nPegram spent his summer in Bloomington with senior Jeff Newton and junior George Leach and said he learned a lot from the veteran big men.\n"Just being able to talk to those guys and watch them play (helped)," he said. "I've been (in Bloomington) watching film of the last two seasons and watching how George plays, how Newt plays, how Jared Jeffries plays. And (that) helps you out a lot."\nForward Sean Kline will also dress his first game as a Hoosier this season, but is not a new face. He redshirted last year and added 20 pounds of muscle, now weighing in at 230 pounds.\nHe surprised even his own teammates by winning the slam dunk contest at Midnight Madness and Davis said he will be a key contributor off the bench this season.\nKline said he will be ready to help the team in any way he can. \n"I just have a hard nose mentality," he said. "(I) go all out, balls to the wall, do anything (I) have to do-scrap, bite, claw -- everything to get it done whether it be getting a rebound, a loose ball, or just locking down (my) man"