A new start for junior college star Stemler

It didn't take long for Lance Stemler to figure out how to bring IU fans to their feet. At Hoosier Hysteria on Oct. 13, Stemler was introduced to the IU crowd -- the first time many had seen the junior college transfer -- with John Mellencamp's "Small Town" blaring in the background. \nNow Stemler riles up the crowd with his three-point shooting and has moved into a starting role in just his first season playing NCAA basketball and his first with the Hoosiers.\nHe said the transition to Division I basketball wasn't easy though.\n"It's a huge leap. The size and the speed was the biggest thing and the strength of the people was probably the biggest key to get used to," Stemler said. "Getting used to playing against (junior) D.J. (White) every day has helped a lot. If you've never been around it, it just hits you all at once."\nThe 6-foot-8, 210-pound Stemler has provided Sampson and the Hoosiers some complementary size to forward D.J. White. Sampson said the forward still needs plenty of improvement on the defensive end, but offensively, Stemler is no slouch. The Belleville, Ill., native averaged 22.4 points per game at Southwest Illinois Community College, good for sixth in the nation. He also averaged eight rebounds a game and shot better than 56 percent from the field.\nSampson said that while Stemler's offensive skills will help the Hoosiers this season, it's the forward's intelligence that will benefit them the most. \n"Lance shoots the ball with a lot of confidence and has an extremely high IQ," Sampson said after the Hoosiers' Nov. 5 exhibition game victory against the University of North Dakota. "He is not a great athlete, but he is really good between his ears. It's been fun watching him in practice. You don't ever have to say a word to Lance. He never needs to be picked up. He just plays the game, and he is very mature."\nIn his short time with the Hoosiers, Stemler acknowledges that he has taken on a unique role. \n"I'm a person that spreads the floor out for D.J. and (sophomore) Ben (Allen) and just opens up the offense," Stemler said. "(I need) to handle the ball a little bit, be a little bit of a decision-maker, be more of a perimeter-oriented four-man who can also play the three at times. (I need to) do the little things on the court."\nIn four games this season, Stemler averages 12.3 points a game -- third highest on the team -- while also shooting 50 percent from the three-point line.\nStemler commends his teammates for making his transition to IU much easier, but said it was Sampson was the one who threw him for a loop upon his arrival.\n"I never really realized how intense he was until we got into the workouts further," Stemler said of his new coach. "The intensity has been a surprise. It's what I expected, plus more."\nBut Stemler said that the coach's intensity has helped him immensely so far, both physically and mentally. He said the grueling off-season conditioning drills and strength training helped the Hoosiers get into better shape and become a closer team.\n"We're a tight-knit group," Stemler said, describing himself and his teammates. "Once a week we do a team thing, like go to the movies, hang out, whatever. Some days we go golfing. It's nice just to build a friendship on and off the court."\nOne of Stemler's new friendships includes senior guard Rod Wilmont, who helped Stemler during his transition to IU.\nAnd he's pretty impressed with his shooting ability as well.\n"Lance is a good shooter, a really, really good shooter," Wilmont said. "That's his game. Offensively he can help us out a lot"