Elston provides spark off bench

Derek Elston finally had a reason to smile on Monday night.

The IU junior forward was all smiles after he scored ten points and had nine rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench to lead IU (5-0) to a 73-49 victory against Gardner-Webb (2-3).

IU sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said the animated side of Elston they saw on Monday is one that the Hoosiers didn’t see last season.

“Derek is a high-energy guy,” Oladipo said. “Last year, it was hard for him because he was hurt most of the year. Now he’s 100 percent, he’s healthy, he’s always smiling and he’s always joking. He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. When I get stuck, 15-footer, Derek Elston is right there---trust me. And he’s going to knock it down, too.”

The Tipton, Ind. did exactly that as he knocked down open jumpers to provide instant offense off the bench.

In his first stint off the IU bench, Elston chipped in five points and four rebounds. Elston even knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the year, which already eclipsed his total of three from last season ago.

Elston said the deeper outside shot isn’t the only difference from last year to this year.

“Last year about this time after Evansville, it was miserable coming in here every day knowing that I really couldn’t do anything,” Elston said. “Now, to come out here every day, to be able to practice every day with these guys, to be able to play the way I am right now, to be able to knock down shots---I can honestly say I go out there every time with a smile on my face.”

After Monday night, Elston bumped his points per game average to 8.4, which is 3.5 points better than in his injury-riddled sophomore season. Elston said that in addition to being healthy, it doesn’t hurt to be open.

“Me and (Jordan Hulls) talk about it when we go home. Why am I so open?” Elston said. “It’s because (Oladipo) drives, or Will (Sheehey) drives or Cody’s (Zeller) got a double team. It’s reassuring to know that they trust me to knock down any jump shot and that’s what I base my game off of.”

Oladipo agreed with those sentiments.

“These two are always open,” Oladipo said of Elston and Sheehey. “Whenever I’m stuck, it’s either Derek is open for a mid-range or Will’s open for a backdoor cut. It’s ridiculous.”

Though Elston came in off the bench in the first half, IU Coach Tom Crean said he couldn’t help but start him in the second half.

“He’s good enough to be a starter on this team. He just doesn’t start,” Crean said. “But he did in the second half and we needed a spark and I thought that he brought that in the first half and he didn’t lead us to believe anything different in the second half.”

Similar as he did in the first half, Elston jumpstarted the IU offense, scoring the first bucket of the half. Elston helped lead the Hoosiers to a 23-6 bench point advantage that cemented their 24-point victory.

Will Sheehey said while Elston has yet to register a start, it will be difficult to keep his versatility off the floor when the Hoosiers hit Big Ten play.

“He mixes it up because he can go inside and outside,” Sheehey said. “He can post up and he can come out. He’s just a matchup problem. If Derek keeps rebounding the ball the way he does and knocking down shots, there’s no way he doesn’t play.”