Before the season, Yogi Ferrell and IU Coach Tom Crean came to an agreement. The junior guard’s role was about to change.
No longer would he be the Hoosiers’ only scoring option. The season before, he had set an IU single-season record with 220 attempted 3-pointers – that was too many, he said.
Both player and coach said Ferrell needed to become more of a facilitator, especially with the arrival of freshman guards James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson and junior guard Nick Zeisloft, all talented scorers in their own right.
And from this season’s opening tipoff, the change was obvious. Ferrell started to play off the ball, coming off screens and cutting while IU’s other guards handled the ball. He looked for his own shot less often and created easy baskets for his teammates.
It made the game come to him more easily.
“Just going out there and trying to be a point guard,” he said.
The transformation paid off. On Monday, Ferrell was named first team All-Big Ten by both the conference’s coaches and its media.
Ferrell averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He finished as the Hoosiers’ leader in points, assists, 3-pointers made, free throws made, free throw percentage and minutes, starting each of IU’s 31 games.
“We ask a lot of him because he’s capable of a lot,” Crean said.
Ferrell’s efficiency numbers skyrocketed as a result of the lessened scoring burden. He finished the season shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range, notable increases from last year. His offensive efficiency rating rose almost 10 points to 124.2, and he increased his assist rate while turning the ball over less frequently.
He remains the focal point of IU’s offense, but what impresses his coach most is Ferrell’s two-way ability. Crean has repeatedly said Ferrell is among the best guards in the country on both ends of the floor and often assigns the 6-foot guard to defend much bigger opponents.
“We have nobody that’s defending with the intent that he’s defending, at the level he defends,” Crean said in November. “He can defend anybody. That’s why I think he’s one of the better guards in the country on both sides of the ball.”
It’s the second All-Big Ten honor of Ferrell’s career. Last season, he was named to the conference’s second team.
“I think it says a lot about what Yogi has done and the respect level for him,” Crean said. “I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”
