“Who is the best shooter on the team?” Ferrell was asked.
Zeisloft paused midway through answering a question of his own.
“Let’s see how he answers this real fast,” Zeisloft said, his full attention now on Ferrell.
“Well, he got the last one,” Ferrell said, referencing a shooting contest the two ?had at practice.
“The last three,” Zeisloft quickly ?corrects. “The last three.”
Zeisloft, a redshirt junior, said he’s ?always been a bit of a jump shot specialist.
He said he never modeled his shot after anyone, but he’s modeled his work ethic off of premier shooters. Steve Novak and J.J. Redick are two he says play the game the right way.
“It’s just constant work,” Zeisloft said. “A shooter never takes a day off. We definitely emphasize the 3-point shot at Indiana. I love to do that ... That’s going to be a big part of our game this year.”
On a team desperate for 3-point shooting, Zeisloft wants to be the solution.
On paper, the addition of Zeisloft means opponents will have to give more respect to the 3-point line, opening up the floor for guards to drive and create easy scoring opportunities.
IU didn’t really have a 3-point ?specialist like Zeisloft last year.
Ferrell was responsible for taking exactly half of IU’s 3-point shots last season, something IU Coach Tom Crean said will likely not be the case this season.
Zeisloft will have a say in that change. He shot 36 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line last season.
In the Hoosiers’ five-game tour in Canada, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 8.8 points per game and connected on ?11-of-20 from behind the arc.
Although he’s the second-newest addition to IU, Zeisloft is the eldest player at 21 years old and turning 22 in ?December.
A former Illinois State captain, Zeisloft made a point to step into a leadership position on an IU team that has no seniors from his first day on campus.
“When Nick had his visit and was able to work out with us, you knew right then that he was a leader,” sophomore guard Stan Robinson said. “He came in and didn’t take a backseat to nobody. Things he knew, he was telling us and helping us out, and that was just on his visit.”
At practice, he leads drill lines to set an example for his teammates while also being vocal when he thinks his teammates can play better.
During an open practice last week, there was a moment where Zeisloft was concerned about his scrimmage team’s mindset, so he acted on it.
He huddled the team together and told them to stick to the game plan, just as he did as a captain at Illinois State.
That’s exactly why Crean said he brought Zeisloft in.
“He brings a wealth of experience to us, but he brings a tremendous competitiveness and that tenaciousness that we talk about and the energy we need, not to mention a high skill level, especially shooting the ball,” Crean said. “I think he’s going to be a leader. I think he’s got confidence.”
Crean has stressed leadership in practice. He’ll sometimes point to one player and tell them they’re in charge of a huddle.
Zeisloft said he feels comfortable in that role. He’s taking it seriously knowing players are already looking up to him.
Representing IU at Big Ten Media Day, Zeisloft said there’s still a long way to go for IU, but he aims to help the Hoosiers along the way.
He said he didn’t come to IU expecting to just be a jumpshooter.
He wants to be a leader.
“We’ve got a long way,” Zeisloft said. “It’s a long process. March is a long ways away and that’s when you’ve got to be playing your best basketball. It’s going to be a process, and you’ve got to take care of the process every single day.”
