Zeisloft’s decision to transfer from Illinois State to IU was announced July 7, 2014, while Holt didn’t reclassify and commit to the Hoosiers until Aug. 20 of last year.
Both players became important cogs in IU Coach Tom Crean’s rotation last season, but neither was able to benefit from an entire summer of on-campus workouts with their new teammates and coaching staff.
Now, Zeisloft, a fifth-year guard from La Grange, Illinois, and Holt, a rising sophomore from Webster, New York, are taking advantage of their first full offseason at IU by spending many of their waking hours in Cook Hall and in the program’s newly created sand pit.
“It’s definitely good for me to be here this summer considering that I wasn’t here at all last summer,” Holt told reporters Thursday afternoon. “It’s a great experience. I feel like we come together as a team and we’re getting better every day.”
Zeisloft got a taste of the Hoosiers’ offseason training during the final month of last summer, but he wasn’t able to join all of the team workouts because he was a late addition.
He cited camaraderie, timing and on-court familiarity among teammates as areas that the Hoosiers have improved upon since the 2014-15 school year ended.
“We had a lot of new guys come in last year, and we didn’t have the months of the summer to work together,” Zeisloft said. “This summer we’ve had everybody here the whole time, and it’s been great.”
Last offseason wasn’t unique in terms of new faces being added to IU’s roster and the team’s workouts.
Freshmen Thomas Bryant, Juwan Morgan, O.G. Anunoby and Harrison Niego, a walk-on, arrived on campus earlier this summer along with Michigan graduate transfer Max Bielfeld, who left Michigan after the 2014-15 season.
So did Lyonel Anderson, the program’s new head strength and conditioning coach who implemented the sand pit, oxygen training masks and hot yoga into the team’s workouts this summer.
“The freshmen are still learning, but they’re feeding off of the upperclassmen,” Holt said. “The upperclassmen are always in the gym, getting in extra work. They know that champions are made in the offseason.”
Holt is working on diversifying his game. With the arrival of Bryant, Morgan and Bielfeldt, the rising sophomore won’t be expected to shoulder as much of the load in the post next season.
He’s focusing on developing his shot, including beyond the 3-point line, as well as his ball-handling so he can drive and kick more often.
Zeisloft, best known for his ability to play off the ball as a spot-up shooter behind the arc, said he’s working on ball screens, setting up teammates, drawing fouls and becoming a more versatile player on defense.
The fifth-year senior, who attempted 140-of-158 shots (88.6 percent) from 3-point range last season, is also trying to develop more of a mid-range game.
“I’m not trying to stick with what I’ve done before,” Zeisloft said.
Holt said the players’ collective work ethic is present in workouts and the atmosphere at the team’s open gyms is more competitive than it was last year.
Zeisloft credits the heightened competition in practice to a greater familiarity among IU’s players. The Hoosiers enter — and exit — Cook Hall as close friends and teammates, which means they can leave it all on the court next season.
“Last year, we didn’t really know each other, so we didn’t really get after it,” Zeisloft said. “Now, we get after it and we don’t really care about feelings anymore, which is better for us.
“When it’s open gym time, you don’t want to lose a series, to say the least.”
