It’s Oct. 24, 2015, during Hoosier Hysteria and Thomas Bryant is smiling. I count 15 teeth. Bryant is laughing along with the rest of the team as Troy Willliams stretches his arms in a “Gladiator” pose.
Everyone’s entertained.
The lights have finally brightened after a raucous walkout introduction in which Bryant and fellow Hoosiers danced as fire shot from the on-court pyrotechnics display. Thomas Bryant is happy.
It’s March 19, 2016 during the Round of 32 and Thomas Bryant is yelling. “This is why I’m here,” shouts Bryant as he strolls into the locker-room, pointing to fans.
With an upset over No. 4 Kentucky, IU will make the Sweet Sixteen, where they will eventually be bounced out of March Madness by North Carolina. However at the moment, the sky’s the limit for Bryant, one of the main reasons IU overwhelmed UK. Thomas Bryant is happy.
Whenever Thomas Bryant is happy, good things happen for the Hoosiers. Coming out of Huntington Prep at 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, Bryant immediately became a key for IU’s unanticipated success during the 2015-16 campaign.
He led the Big Ten in field goal percentage and ended up averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds. Of course, with these accomplishments, the NBA came a-calling.
“Being a part of IU basketball is special and I’m excited to continue my development as a person and as a basketball player under Coach Crean,” Bryant said in a release less than a month after the season ended. “The bond I have with my teammates and coaches is strong. Our plan is to continue to work hard and build off of the many great things we did last year and add to the tradition here.”
With Williams, Yogi Ferrell, Nick Zeisloft and Max Bielfeldt gone and an injury to Collin Hartman even before IU’s first practice of the season, sophomore Thomas Bryant will have to make an even bigger splash than last year.
From Hoosier Hysteria to the victory over Kentucky, Bryant’s eminence on the team came in waves. There would be stretches where Bryant looked otherworldly, rolled after a pick and placed the ball in the cylinder with the grace a college student shotguns a beer. However, there would be moments, especially early on, where foul trouble, defensive lapses and injuries sent Bryant to the bench. Yet, as the season progressed and the stakes got higher, Bryant was ready.
Now, before the first practice of the season, IU Coach Tom Crean exalted the work Bryant put in in the offseason.
“He got better with his post-game, and in 14 months, his vertical’s gone up 13 inches. I’ve never been around anybody that’s done that,” Crean said. “His squat has jumped up almost 200 pounds, since he got here last June. So, again, one of the biggest need areas for him was feet and lower body. Quicker feet, lift his feet, lower body being stronger. He’s well on his way to doing that. Now, we have to apply that to the court.”
Basketball season is close and at the center of it is Bryant. IU’s season will be predicated on the big man’s success. The happier Bryant, the happier the Hoosiers. Sometimes it’s just that simple.
gigottfri@indiana.edu
@gott31
