Three days ago in IU’s one point loss to Illinois, Joey Brunk flexed his right bicep while watching from the bench to celebrate an acrobatic layup by senior Devonte Green. Three days later, Brunk energized the team with his performance in IU’s 72-67 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Brunk, even as a starter, has spent a lot of time on the sideline recently. In the game against Illinois, he only played eight minutes and was benched to start the second half. Over the last six games entering Wednesday, Brunk has averaged slightly more than 10 minutes per game.
On Wednesday, Brunk took steps toward returning to his early season form. The junior big man tallied 12 points on six of 10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes. It was the most he had played in a game since Michigan State on January 23.
“I thought the whole key to the game was Joey Brunk,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “His impact on the game on both ends of the floor, him being able to play as many minutes as he did was huge.”
With IU trailing at the break, Brunk made his presence known early in the second half when he dropped in a hook shot to even the score.
Then, Brunk blocked Minnesota's Daniel Oturu, which led to an Al Durham 3-pointer.
At the midway point of the second half, Miller gave Brunk a breather, and then Minnesota made its next four shots. A little more than two minutes later, Miller sent Brunk to the scorers table to check back into the game.
Brunk didn’t waste any time after returning to action. He drove to his left and finished a layup through contact while earning a trip to the free throw line. The sequence put the Hoosiers up by two with eight minutes to play, and the Golden Gophers never regained the lead.
Brunk, who is in his first year at IU after transferring from Butler University, averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds last year for the Bulldogs. Based on the numbers, IU was getting a steady post presence, not a high-profile star.
But the Hoosiers realized that they received more than a few rebounds and a few points from Brunk. In October, he was awarded the “Gold Jersey,” which recognizes players who put in extra work in practice.
When the preseason strength awards were announced, Brunk was only chosen for one. It wasn’t the standing vertical — that was Justin Smith. Or lane agility, that was Al Durham. But, Brunk did receive the highest grit score: a perfect 100 out of 100.
Early in the season, Brunk was consistently on the floor for double-digit minutes and played for a season-high 32 minutes in IU’s loss to Rutgers on Jan. 15. Shortly after, his time on the court lessened with the combination of poor play and the emergence of sophomore Race Thompson.
“Just got to stick with it regardless of what is going on,” Brunk said after the win over Minnesota. “Continuing to lead in practice, have energy, keep plugging away.”
Even when he watched from the bench, Brunk would shoot up from his seat and clap his hands in encouragement almost every time the Hoosiers scored.
“Part of it is I think what Joey did tonight, you hang in there, hang in there,” Miller said. "It's not easy to play well every night, but it's easy to play hard every night. I think Joe played extremely hard tonight.”
Brunk’s grit helped IU avoid a loss Wednesday night that would have sent the team spiraling into the uncertain depths of bubble team depression.
After his go-ahead layup dropped through the net Wednesday, Brunk turned toward section six of Assembly Hall. He extended both arms downward and flexed his muscles.
This time, it was for real.
