IU Coach Tom Crean steps down from the dais after his first radio show of the season. Next up on the program is junior guard Josh Newkirk. While the Pittsburgh transfer settles into his seat, his coach says, “He’s got big shoes to fill,” to the Holiday Inn crowd.
Newkirk is one of many Hoosiers tasked with replicating what former IU point guard Yogi Ferrell, who started in 137 games in his career at IU, brought to the team. Also gone are Nick Zeisloft, Troy Williams and Max Bielfeldt, who provided valuable leadership for last year’s Big Ten Championship team.
The leadership void is apparent, and Crean’s counting on his trio of junior guards — Newkirk, Rob Johnson and James Blackmon Jr. — to step up and lead on the court after senior Collin Hartman suffered a knee injury.
However, no one has spearheaded those efforts yet.
“Whoever is ready to take it away from me, I’m ready to give it up, and I know the coaches are ready to give it up,” Crean said.
That’s the existential crisis facing the Hoosiers as the season begins. No one has taken the mantle as the next alpha dog.
Johnson said he believes it’s going to take a group effort to replace Ferrell.
“I think we are just going to have raise our level for the other things that he brought as far as defense, leadership and things like that,” Johnson said. “I think that’s where everybody’s got to cover slack.”
The juniors are all coming off injuries that required offseason surgeries and all are working their way back into the flow of things.
Comfort will come with time, but Crean said he knows with early season tests ahead in the nonconference schedule, they need to develop their leadership sooner rather than later.
After the first exhibition victory against Hope College, he admitted the team is not where he would like it to be.
“I think we’ve been very hard on the juniors,” Crean said. “I have been for reasons of leadership, and not just playing, but the responsibility that they have to take for everybody else. All three of them are quiet by nature.”
Newkirk knows he has to be less reserved.
“I’d say being more vocal,” Newkirk said. “We’ve been through it. We know all the plays. We know what’s expected from coach. We just have to bring the young guys along and teach them what they don’t know.”
The juniors have played 180 games combined in their college careers. They have the knowledge needed to guide the other players.
The assistants had high praise for Johnson for how he sees the game.
“He has a high basketball IQ, just like Juwan (Morgan), just like Collin,” IU assistant coach Rod Judson said. “He understands spacing very well ... Coach Crean really emphasizes the spacing aspect of offensive basketball. Rob, going into his third year, understands that and James Blackmon as well. Those guys are two awesome weapons to have.”
Crean is still searching and trying to coax the trio out of their shells. He said he knows they are talented individual players, but for this team to succeed, they need to lead.
“It needs to be forced,” Crean said. “It needed to be forced out of Yogi as well. It really did. Yogi’s leadership went to a whole other level when we got into the Big Ten season .... So they’ll get there. They’ll get there.”
