Column: Big Buzz around the Big Handsome

At Big Ten Media Day, nobody created more buzz than the preseason player of the year, sophomore center Cody Zeller.

But don’t think for a moment that “The Big Handsome” is letting any of this extra attention get to his head.

“It’s a great honor, but I try not to worry about it too much,” Zeller said. “You can never get comfortable with where you are at because there is always someone out there that is better than you or works just as hard, if not harder, than you.”

For a program entering the season amidst the expectations of being ranked as the preseason No. 1, Zeller is exactly what IU Coach Tom Crean needs.

Zeller is a humble, hardworking, smart, tough, big man that looks to improve himself each and every time he steps out onto the floor — whether the bright lights are on or when nobody is watching.

“He epitomizes what you want the program to be,” Crean said.

Although his mental intangibles set him apart, coaches and players across the Big Ten see Zeller’s physical gifts as the biggest threats to their respective teams on the court.

“I don’t really know if one guy can match up with Cody,” Minnesota Coach Tubby Smith said. “I think he is that talented that he demands more than one guy’s attention. That’s what will make IU so good.”

While other players in the Big Ten like Michigan’s Trey Burke, Penn State’s Tim Frazier and Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas also demand attention from multiple defenders, Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said Zeller has the advantage against all of them.

“He’s 7 damn feet tall,” Izzo said. “That’s the biggest mismatch he presents. Also, he comes from a family that has done it, and I hear he works awfully hard. I think Tom has done a great job with him.”

Wisconsin’s center Jared Berggren, who played 36 minutes during Wisconsin’s Big Ten Tournament victory against IU, said Zeller’s work ethic in the offseason can make him a completely different weapon for the Hoosiers this year.

“I think back to my freshman year and the improvements that I made, so I expect him to almost be a completely different player this year and even better than he was last year,” Berggren said.

That might be the scariest realization for teams in the Big Ten who already struggle guarding the 7-foot man.

By adding range to his jump shot, 15 pounds of muscle to his body and a year of experience under his belt, Zeller is about to become as unstoppable as he is humble.

And let me tell you, his humbleness and sense of humor come through every time he speaks.

“My mom picked this shirt out for me,” Zeller joked when asked about his outfit.
With eyes from across the nation expected to be on the No. 1 Hoosiers from the get-go, IU and the NCAA could not ask for a better role model than Zeller to become this year’s face of the sport.

“He is who he is, and he doesn’t try to be anyone else,” Crean said of Zeller. “He handles attention very well because he has been raised that way. He played basketball in Indiana at Washington and won three state titles after his brothers.

"He’s received a lot of attention before. There’s no error in him.”

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu