Column: 2011’s Hurryin’ Hoosiers

“Up until this time, the game was slow, and the spectators would settle into the stands with some popcorn and watch. That night, they saw an entirely new game. The action was fast, and everyone was cheering and really getting into it.

“On our way home, Branch talked about how much everyone had enjoyed the game. He was determined right then and there to develop that strategy into his team at Ball State. Later, he brought it to IU, and that’s how they became known as the ‘Hurryin’ Hoosiers.’”

Mary Jo McCraken’s words in Jason Hiner’s novel, “Mac’s Boys: Branch McCracken and the Legendary 1953 Hurryin’ Hoosiers,” make me wonder if lightening-fast speed can strike twice in Bloomington.

This season, the Hoosiers can thrive if they execute an up-tempo offense that centers around transition play, following a year when they gave up the most points in the Big Ten.

On average, IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad allowed an average of 68.2 points per game in the 2010-2011 campaign.

At Big Ten Basketball Media Day last Thursday, Crean said his team has been devoted to emphasizing defense so much in fall practices that time for offense has been scarce.

“I like the fall we had with them in the sense of the work that we did to try to build a defensive mentality, the work that we did to try to build a togetherness mentality, especially on that defensive end,” Crean said. “And I think we’re way behind offensively right now.”

With a more athletic and experienced team on the court this season, IU has an opportunity to put a product on the floor that the rest of the traditionally sluggish Big Ten isn’t used to. An IU team that continues to create turnovers, having already created the sixth-most steals in the conference last season, out-hustles its opposition down the court and converts easy buckets or draws fouls.

This can happen with the proper conditioning. This can be the identity of this season’s IU team. This can be the winning formula.

“Defense is going to be a huge key for us. It’ll lead to offensive transition, but we’re harping on it every day in practice,” junior guard Jordan Hulls said at Media Day. “Just help-side defense, keeping your man in front of you, transition defense, all the little things — taking charges is something we definitely need to emphasize, and that’s going to help us win.

“Defense creates offense, so if our offensive game isn’t going, we can always control our defense. ”

During the scrimmage at Hoosier Hysteria a couple weeks ago, I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

Following a defensive rebound, freshman forward Cody Zeller and the rest of his team sprinted to the other end of the floor as the basketball seamlessly got to the 6-foot-11-inch big man in just three passes after a precision assist from senior guard Verdell Jones. The smooth transition offense beat its opposition down the court and left Zeller open for an easy slam.

Poetry in motion, my friends. Poetry in motion.

Fans could certainly get used to this style of play after having to endure repetitive offensive sets last season when the Hoosiers would take the ball down the court, pass along the perimeter until the shot clock ran down and then settle for an undesirable shot.

Especially during Big Ten season, these half-court sequences in which the offense stalled for minutes at a time simply did not cut it.

This year, it’s time for a change and to take all that defensive preparation in practice and use it on the court.

If done correctly, the late Branch McCracken might look down and smile upon the new Hurryin’ Hoosiers.

­— azaleon@indiana.edu
Avi Zaleon is a senior in journalism