Junior guard James Blackmon Jr. has always been able to score.
Blackmon is capable of going off and filling up the stat sheet whenever he wants and making it rain from three.
However, he did much more than shoot Saturday in IU’s 103-61 victory against Houston Baptist.
Against the Huskies he scored 18 points and showed mental resiliency and leadership, both qualities that are important for the Hoosiers moving forward.
At one point in the second half IU Coach Tom Crean turned the huddle over to Blackmon, and the junior led the discussion.
“The biggest thing for these guys right now is just to have — you take that ownership and responsibility for each other inside the game,” Crean said. “It takes time to build it. You’re looking for those opportunities where you can find a way to do it, and if it presents itself in a situation like that in the game like today, I’ll take advantage of it.”
After missing half of last season due to knee surgery, Blackmon has returned to the court and has been a consistent scorer.
He’s a sharp shooter from 3-point range, and against the Huskies he shot 40 percent from beyond the arc. His shooting opens up the rest of the court for the other four players and that’s when IU has its success.
“It just makes it that much easier for the ball movement,” junior guard Robert Johnson said. “To get in the lane when you have a guy like that’s a constant threat, it just makes it easier on everybody.”
Saturday wasn’t Blackmon’s most prolific shooting performance of his career, but it was exactly what IU needed after a sluggish start to the game.
He showed mental resolve and the ability to bounce back after missing shots early.
“The biggest thing for James like today with the tough first half is don’t get down and focus on why you’re missing,” Crean said. “Focus on what you need to do defensively and continue to rebound the ball and moving the ball to other people. I think in the second half he played with a much better energy. He was better in the second half because I thought his focus defensively and his talk in the huddle were good for him.”
Blackmon was a key part of IU’s impressive defensive outing against Houston Baptist.
The Hoosiers held their opponent to 35-percent shooting, and the Huskies only had two 3-pointers the entire game.
With conference play around the corner, IU’s offense and defense have found a groove, and Blackmon is a big reason why.
He’s once again IU’s leading scorer and has regained a rhythm after missing so much time last season.
Blackmon is a constant threat, and with him and Johnson in the backcourt together, you know what you’re going to get every game.
“James and Rob have been together a lot,” Crean said. “They do a pretty good job together, just the randomness of the game, and they still missed a lot of time, so like I can see where that’s like improving and those guys have played together for two years.”
