Roth, Oladipo crowd favorites at Hoosier Hysteria

When fans see IU coach Tom Crean, he’s often screaming, clapping and loudly guiding his players on the court during games.  

But thanks to a practice earlier in the day and individual workouts the previous two days, that voice was almost gone when he addressed the crowd at Hoosier Hysteria on Friday.  

And he was fine with it. He wanted to let his team’s playing do the talking.

“My voice is just shot already,” Crean said. “But I didn’t want (the microphone). I wanted to watch and enjoy it.”

He wasn’t the only one.  

More than 13,000 people came to Assembly Hall to see the new-look Hoosiers on the first official day of practice.

The men’s portion began with a three-point contest that showed two things fans don’t see often.  

One was the long-range talent of 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Christian Watford, who reached the finals of the competition by consistently knocking down shots from behind the left elbow.  

The other was his challenger in the final round, junior guard Matt Roth, who sat out most of last season because of a foot injury.

And despite the tough rehabilitation process he had to endure, Roth didn’t appear rusty. He made shots from many different locations around the three-point line — including a couple from half-court — to take the title.  

“I feel good,” Roth said.  “It’s been a long time, but I was definitely anxious to get back out here. I was able to go out there and shoot the ball well, so it was fun.”

What fans will probably remember the most, though, was the high-flying exhibition put on by freshman guard Victor Oladipo.  

The Hyattsville, Md., native was known to be a tremendous dunker when he committed to IU. He proved it in the dunk contest.

Oladipo began with a one-handed slam over six elementary school kids. He followed with a one-hander, this time from a pass off the side of the backboard from sophomore guard Maurice Creek.  

In the final round, he easily defeated fellow freshman Will Sheehey with two more dunks that livened the crowd. The first was a through-the-legs windmill and the last was another through-the legs dunk, this time down the baseline.  

Oladipo said he was glad to be able to give the fans a show.

“I love it,” Oladipo said. “I wanted to come out, have some fun and just interact with Hoosier Nation. I’ve been dreaming about this since last year.”

The night concluded with a team scrimmage that displayed Oladipo’s all-around game. He led all scorers with nine points as his “Cream” team defeated the “Crimson” squad, 26-19.

While it was an overall well-played game, the biggest story was who wasn’t on the court.

Creek, who missed most of last season because of a fractured left knee, participated in the 3-point contest but was out of the scrimmage for precautionary reasons.  

“He’s still going through a very strenuous rehab,” Crean said. “We got to get through the drills, the scrimmages, the day-after-days, get him to the games, and eventually I think you will see a kid that will really take back off. I just don’t want to rush it.”

Creek said he felt 95 percent healthy and was sure he would be able to go full speed soon.

“It’s going to take some time to get to 100 percent, but I feel really good about myself,” he said. “Just coming out here, not being sore. I’ll bide my time, and I should be ready by the season.”