IU Coach Tom Crean had his second radio show of the season Monday night. A few highlights:
Rebounds the key against Pittsburgh
Crean said Pittsburgh, tomorrow night’s opponent, will provide just as much of a challenge as Michigan State or Wisconsin would.
He emphasized the need to be effective on the glass and play physically in preparing for the Panthers.
“We’ve got to get on the backboards and we have to keep their guards off the backboards,” Crean said.
“They’re going to go nine or 10 deep, and that’s without (senior guard) Cameron Wright, who if he plays, he just adds another really good, experienced guard. The bottom line is, we have to deal with the physicality of screening, cutting, getting through the contact when we’re guarding the ball and then very important that we do a great job when the shot goes up, because they are all great rebounders.”
Too many minutes
In the season’s opening games, IU has relied heavily on freshmen, especially guards James Blackmon, Jr., and Robert Johnson.
“Too many minutes, but that’s the way it is,” Crean said.
Crean added that even junior guard Yogi Ferrell – the team’s engine on both ends of the floor – has been playing too many minutes.
Blackmon and Johnson are each playing over 75 percent of IU’s available minutes – over 30 minutes per game. Ferrell has played 86.2 percent of available minutes, falling just outside the top 100 nationally in that category.
The freshmen’s playing time is unprecedented in Crean’s tenure at IU. By comparison, Noah Vonleh played 61.8 percent of the minutes last season, Ferrell played 69.8 percent his freshman season and Cody Zeller played 71.2 percent as a freshman.
The trio’s playing time should fall slightly as Crean continues to experiment with lineups and work Troy Williams, Stanford Robinson and Emmitt Holt back into the rotation after their return from suspension.
Not shooting enough?
When a caller said junior guard Yogi Ferrell wasn’t shooting enough 3-pointers, Crean agreed. His team could afford to take more shots from deep, he said.
“I don’t know if any of us are, but don’t tell the team that,” he said.
The Hoosiers are shooting 43.6 percent from behind the arc, good for No. 12 in the country. A year after averaging just 16 attempted 3-pointers per game, IU is averaging 22.2 attempts per game this season.
Crean said as long as the ball keeps moving on offense, he’d be comfortable with players like Ferrell, junior guard Nick Zeisloft and freshmen James Blackmon, Jr., Robert Johnson and Max Hoetzel taking more 3-pointers.
“James right now is at 57 percent, he could probably shoot a few more,” Crean said. “Yogi is at 46 percent.I think what our team is doing is what we would’ve wanted them to do last year. They are more concerned about the next pass and the next shot because they know it’s going to come back to them.
“Nick Zeisloft could shoot more. Robert Johnson could shoot more. The bottom line is we’ve got to play even faster.”
April fully healthy
Freshman center Jeremiah April has been a full participant in practice and is no longer limited by the ankle injury that hampered him at the beginning of the season, Crean said.
“A couple things I like about him right now, number one he’s working extremely hard,” Crean said. “And the other part of it is, his teammates are starting to see his potential, they’re starting to get after him in practice… I like that.
“Once the players think you can help them, then they get a little bit harder on you. I think that’s what he needs right now.”
The 6-foot-11 April has appeared in just one game this season, playing seven minutes against Mississippi Valley State. Crean said he has been improving in practice, but hesitated to say the freshman was ready for full game action.
“Is he ready for Pitt?” Crean said. “I don’t know, but we’ve got to get him ready.”
