New big man on campus, Zeller plays, rebounds more than any IU player

Cody Zeller’s first field goal took longer than the 16,516 fans in Assembly Hall expected, but after 12 minutes of basketball, No. 40’s presence was felt.

Senior guard Verdell Jones hit Zeller during a fast break as the freshman dunked the ball home. Zeller was fouled for the first of his 16 points Saturday night as IU defeated the University of Indianapolis 90-72.

The crowd cheered every time Zeller touched the ball, wanting to see the 2011 Mr. Basketball in action. However, Zeller waited for his opportunities as the Hoosiers continued to build a double-digit first-half lead.

“You can go at him, and you can play through him,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “I thought he was really, really good at letting the game come to him, and early on, there is an anxiousness for him to shoot and score. He doesn’t get caught up in any of that.”

After not recording a point or a rebound in the first 13 minutes of the game, Zeller closed the first half with nine points and five rebounds. He made each of his three field goal attempts and played a game-high 17 minutes in the first half.

Zeller was routinely fronted and double-teamed by the Greyhounds, which allowed others to get involved.

“It just shows you his presence and how much he’s going to help us win,” sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said. “They were doubling him every time he got the ball. Even sometimes when he didn’t have the ball, he was being doubled, and that opened the floor for everybody. Like I said before, we did recruit him for a reason.”

In the second half, Zeller caught an alley-oop dunk from senior point guard Daniel Moore. Zeller was fouled during the play and finished the three-point play at the free-throw line, where he was 6-of-8 for the game.

Following the game, Crean said he wants his team to play a ’94-foot game’ and get out and run. Zeller is the rare breed of a big man who can fill that role.

 Under the billing of returning his state school back to national prominence, Zeller’s standards for himself are the only ones that matter, his coach said.

“There is nothing about anybody’s expectations that rival his,” Crean said. “It’s very, very fun to coach a young man like that, that really wants to make his teammates better. But at the same time, he can do so many things to impact the game, and I thought as the game went on, he did that.”

Fellow freshmen Remy Abell (five points in nine minutes) and Austin Etherington (zero points in eight minutes) also saw their first action in IU uniforms Saturday night.

“As freshmen, kind of getting that first game under our belt is nice,” Zeller said. “I just tried to let the game come to me, try to draw a big crowd around me and kick it out if they collapse. I just tried to stay active, and the guys did a nice job of finding me.”
The 30 minutes Zeller played were the most of any Hoosier on Saturday, and his eight rebounds were four more than any other
IU player.

With the regular season opener Friday, Hoosier fans looking to get a glimpse of Zeller will have five chances in 16 days during a front-loaded first two weeks of the schedule.
From those on the outside, the expectations will continue to grow for Zeller, with the season opener less than a week away. But to his head coach, Zeller will still be Zeller.

“It was fun to see him under the lights like that and see his efficiency, but again, he is who he is,” Crean said. “He’s not going to try force and press and do things that aren’t there. He’s so skilled. He never stops moving. He never stops playing.”