IU tips off season

Junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis had a simple answer when asked what the IU men’s basketball team had to do to prepare for the first game of the season with just one day off.\n“You just have to get some rest,” Ellis said. “Like coach said, he wants us to come in and play with intensity. If you be out all night, you’re not going to come in that way the next day.”\nEllis’ comments drew laughter from the media, as IU coach Kelvin Sampson playfully put a piece of paper in front of his face after hearing his player’s comments.\n“He’s on curfew by the way,” Sampson interjected.\nJoking aside, Sampson and his No. 9-ranked Hoosiers tip off the regular season today against Tennessee-Chattanooga. The Hoosiers will look to continue their 17-game winning streak at Assembly Hall against the Mocs.\nIU completed its exhibition season undefeated Saturday, defeating UNC-Pembroke 111-62. Though the play of the Hoosiers’ freshmen has been promising, Sampson said there is a lot of room for improvement heading into the season.\n“We’ve got a bunch of guys who are just performing,” Sampson said. “You know, we’re not the Bee Gees, or the Temptations or the Doobie Brothers. Every coach that is playing a bunch of freshmen (is) going to have to be patient with them. They are what they are.”\nSampson has not been caught up in the high expectations for this season and the incoming freshman class, instead choosing to focus on fundamentals such as intensity at practice. Freshman forward Brandon McGee tallied 18 points in Saturday’s victory, but did not play in the first half because his intensity in practice did not meet Sampson’s standards. \nMcGee echoed previous comments from the team’s other freshmen when he said practice at the collegiate level is much different than at the high school level.\n“It’s been kind of tough, but coach has helped me more and more, and I’m learning a lot more, so it’s becoming a little easier for me, but I have to pick up my intensity level,” McGee said.\nThe effort is there, Sampson noted, but having consistency and intensity on every possession is something that requires an adjustment period for freshmen. He added that he is not concerned about such adjustments at this point in the season.\n“Just learn how to compete every possession,” Sampson said. “Another thing with freshmen is getting them out of their comfort zone. They are comfortable at the level they are playing, but they need to compete harder. I don’t deny that they are playing hard, but I want our teams to play harder. I want them to compete harder, I want them to be tougher.”\nThe Mocs come into Assembly Hall after winning their first game of the season, defeating Covenant 120-59 Friday. Coach John Shulman and the Mocs compiled a 15-18 record last season and are led by junior forward Nicchaeus Doaks, who averaged 10.2 points per game last season.\nToday’s game will likely not hinge on the performance of four Hoosier freshmen. But if the team wants to meet the high expectations set for this season, the freshmen will have to carry their fair share of the load, something their coach said won’t be done until they learn how to practice. \n“None of these kids are going to be as good as they think they want to be until they learn to practice the right way,” Sampson said.