For the final three minutes of the first half, IU had a lineup entirely made up of 18-year-olds. Consisting of all four freshmen: Khristian Lander, Anthony Leal, Jordan Geronimo and Trey Galloway, along with sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Hoosiers showcased the speed and athleticism that has been talked about all offseason.
As the clock dipped under the one-minute mark in the half, Geronimo leaped over the Tennessee Tech player he was guarding, stealing the inbounds pass and rushed down the court on a fast break. Running alongside him stride-for-stride were fellow freshman Lander and Galloway who he calmly dropped the pass off to for the easy layup. The whole sequence lasted under five seconds.
With all four freshmen on the court, IU closed out the half on an 8-0 run en route to an 89-59 victory over Tennessee Tech.
“If we can rebound the ball and our defense is good, I think we are quicker and can create some more turnovers,” head coach Archie Miller said. “By far I think this is going to be one of our best transition teams. Our frontcourt can all run and our guards are all interchangeable in terms of being able to get wide and push the ball. So, we have a team with the capability of transition.”
Miller said he didn’t plan to play all four freshmen together during the game but after a 20-0 IU run, the team had a large enough cushion to experiment. While the freshman lineup isn’t likely to become a mainstay in the Hoosiers’ rotation, it showed the progression of IU’s program under Miller’s tenure.
All four freshmen showcased the different skill sets they bring to the table for the Hoosiers and fill gaps that have been present in previous season’s rosters.
“All of them will contribute and all of them will be an important piece to this team,” Miller said. “I think all of those guys will be able to help us.”
Galloway shined in his debut, finishing second on the team in scoring with 13 points while also grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists. The Culver, Indiana, native has been hyped as one of IU’s most effective drivers and potential 3-point threats this season.
“I thought [Galloway] played really well,” Jackson-Davis said. “First game under your belt against another team after beating up against one another in practice and just trying to execute, I thought he did really well.”
Lander, the lone five star recruit in IU’s freshman class, had a quiet night but showed glimpses of his highly regarded potential. The freshman phenom who reclassified into the class of 2020 scored five points and contributed two assists on the night.
Miller said he was pleased with Lander’s performance and thought he did a good job playing within himself. Miller reminded people that Lander should technically still be a high school senior before reclassifying, so there is still a learning curve for the young guard as he gets acclimated to the college game.
“In July, he was 17 years old and hadn’t even checked into school yet,” Miller said. “He has a long way to go, but I can tell you he’s going to be a good one.”
Outside the freshmen for IU, Jackson-Davis lived up to his preseason awards, dominating on both sides of the ball. The Preseason Second Team All-American finished with a double-double and matched his career-high with 26 points.
Even more importantly for Jackson-Davis, he showcased two new skills that were missing from his freshman campaign — a jump shot and the ability to finish with his right hand.
“If Trayce is going to be the type of player we need him to be this year and if Trayce is going to be one of the best players in college basketball, he makes a lot of that happen without anybody’s help,” Miller said. “You can tell he’s better with his right hand, he can move out on the perimeter and is quick, he’s just a lot better as a player.”
As IU prepares to head to Asheville, North Carolina, to play in the Maui Invitational, Miller said 3-point shooting, free throws and limiting turnovers need to improve if they are going to be competitive in the preseason tournament.
After three early turnovers in the first half, the Hoosiers settled down to commit just five the rest of the way. Three-point shooting and free throws remain a concern for IU after shooting just 26.3% from beyond the arc and 45.5% from the free throw line.
“It’s always a premiere field, I think it’s again a premiere field early and to be able to play three games in three days is a challenge,” Miller said. “It’s what we need. Looking at our schedule there are not too many days ahead that are going to feel like this.”
