Wilmont ready to play after redshirt year

Something is missing from the IU bench.\nDown the line of cream-and-crimson uniforms last season usually sat colorfully dressed, redshirted guard Roderick Wilmont.\nBut Wilmont did more than just add spice and color to the IU bench. He watched and learned from his fellow teammates. \nDuring each game he saw what he needed to do in order to be a good player the following year. \n"I learned about intensity and the little things," Wilmont said. "I learned about being at the right spot at the right time and how fast paced the game is just from watching."\nAt Miramar High School in Miramar, Fla., Wilmont averaged 31.9 points per game in his senior year. \nOffense is something Wilmont said he wasn't too worried about this year and that he feels his focus right now is on his defensive play.\nIU coach Mike Davis officially announced last November that Wilmont would be redshirted. He said he knew his potential and that the year off would help him become a better player.\nWilmont said his redshirt year helped him a lot, allowing him to focus a little harder on the fundamentals.\n"I was always the scorer in high school and that came naturally," Wilmont said. "I worked on other parts of my game last year when I was redshirted, like my footwork and things like that."\nWilmont said he also brings energy to the team and that being paired up with senior guard A.J. Moye could have an impact on the other players.\nSophomore Sean Kline remembers when he redshirted his freshman year and said that the year off helps players from a maturity standpoint.\n"You come in and you think you have college life figured out and really you have no clue," Kline said. "You might be there talent-wise, but you have no idea the skills you need to improve and the style you need to play."\nWilmont was pumped for his first game, Davis said, and even told the coach how excited he was to finally play in front of a crowd. Davis said Wilmont wouldn't truly understand college basketball until he was in the line of fire.\nAnd Wilmont did just fine in IU's first exhibition game this season against Athletes in Action. He scored six points and had two defensive rebounds.\nIn IU's second exhibition game against the Southeastern All-Stars, Wilmont played 19 minutes, had seven points and three rebounds.\n"Redshirting helped him a lot from the standpoint of him improving," Davis said. "We have enough tough games before the conference and that should really help him understand how competitive the league is."\nMoye said each of the freshmen impress him in different way, but Wilmont has been consistent in one key area since his first day at IU.\n"Roderick Wilmont always impresses," Moye said. "He always impresses because of his effort."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.