Three young Hoosiers need to step up

IU fans know what they have in the stars in Noah Vonleh, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and Will Sheehey.

But the success of not only this team, but future IU squads, lies with three youngsters.

Freshmen Stan Robinson and Troy Williams coupled with sophomore Austin Etherington kept the stagnant IU offense afloat in the first half against Illinois.

The three combined for 19 points while Vonleh, Ferrell and Sheehey combined for just four first-half points.

The Hoosiers (13-7, 3-4) went on to grind out a 56-46 victory against the Illini (13-8, 2-6).

Robinson, Williams and Etherington are instrumental for IU’s present and future success.

Sunday, I liked what I saw.

I’ve written about Robinson ad nauseam.

But it’s my journalistic duty to give respect where respect is earned.

Robinson’s ability to get to and finish at the basket cannot be taught. It is an instinctual facet of some players’ DNA.

And getting to the rack runs thick in Robinson’s blood.

Couple that with being a crafty lefty and an outstanding perimeter defender, and the 6-foot-4 Maryland native has a chance to be special.

His weakness is obvious.

He’s a horrible shooter, a rather vital attribute for basketball players to posses.
Robinson is 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from three this season. At the line, he’s an abysmal 51 percent.

If he’s going to keep attacking the rim, he needs to lock himself in a gym and not come out until he’s at the 70 percent mark from the line.

Then there’s Williams, one of the greatest pure athletes in IU history.

But that’s the problem. Right now he’s not much beyond a pure athlete.

Williams is an 11 percent 3-point shooter (2-for-19). But he’s shown flashes of a polished offensive game.

During the Illinois game, Williams unleashed a jab-step-step-back-fade-away that made me do a double take.

Did Kobe Bryant recover from his knee injury?

The Lion-Mamba displayed flashes of brilliance.

By the way, I’ve decided Williams’ nickname is Lion-Mamba. He loves lions. Just look at his social media accounts if you don’t believe me.

The 6-foot-7 Virginia native has scary athleticism and an even more frightening disregard for his own safety when he throws himself around the court.

If he can become more consistent, and stop traveling when he begins his dribble, Williams could become an Oladipo 2.0.

And then there’s Etherington.

He’s seen a lot of playing time in the last couple games, and his energy has kept him on the court.

Etherington played a career-high 21 minutes yesterday.

He provided a great spark off the bench, scoring seven points during the first 10 minutes of the game.

He needs to emulate Sheehey.

That means being more aggressive in attacking the basket, because he’s actually very good around the hoop.

Also, Sheehey has a deadly midrange elbow jumper. It is a thing of beauty.
He goes straight up and down and has a high release point.

If Etherington develops that midrange shot to stretch the defense, the 6-foot-6 forward could become a lethal offensive weapon.

The present may lay in the hands of Vonleh, Ferrell and Sheehey.

But the future of Indiana basketball rests squarely on the shoulders of Robinson, Williams and Etherington.

IU fans better hope they don’t shrug.

Follow columnist
Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.