Freshman guard CJ Gunn has been patient. At practices, he fills his role, doing what the coaches ask of him, working to earn more playing time. College is a different level of competition, a level Gunn still must adjust to.
In Tuesday night’s 96-72 win over Elon University at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Gunn’s patience began to pay off. He shined brightest among the underclassmen who saw significant play time, setting career-highs in nearly every statistic, including 11 points, over 20 minutes.
“(Head coach Mike Woodson) just always tells me and the other guys to just stay ready and be ready to hoop, and I feel like that's what I did today,” Gunn said after the game. “Obviously I wanted to get in the game, so when I get the opportunity, I'm going to play the best ball I can and do the things Coach asks me to do.”
While plagued with some of the similar issues that haunted them in their marquee matchups, and despite a subdued atmosphere with students away for winter break, the Hoosiers rode their homecoming to an easy victory over the Phoenix on the backs of the underclassmen, many of whom stepped up Tuesday night.
“That's my job to get them to play hard,” Woodson said. “Everything else will come in play and fall in place if they learn to just play hard. That's what you deal with when you have young players. They think they play hard, but there's always another level that they've got to reach."
After back-to-back lackluster performances on bigger stages, Woodson took advantage of the return to easier mid-major competition, choosing to roll out new lineups and combinations with almost every substitution.
A symptom of the new lineups: senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, senior guard Xavier Johnson and junior forward Jordan Geronimo were all held out of Tuesday’s matchup with injuries. While Johnson’s absence was expected after injuring his foot against the University of Kansas on Saturday, Jackson-Davis was held out for precautionary reasons, and Geronimo missed the game with a dislocated finger.
“Everybody had a chance to play,” Woodson said. “Geronimo came to me before the game and said he couldn't go, and I knew Trayce wasn't going to play, and with X being out, guys have got to step up and play and make plays. For the most part everybody did that.”
Woodson’s decision was made easier by the competition and lack of available options. After the starters once again failed to provide a jolt of energy, he was rewarded by hustle from fresh faces.
Gunn earned the most run outside Indiana’s usual suspects and ended the first half by flying through the paint, snaring a rebound from a Miller Kopp 3-point attempt and slamming it home in one motion.
Gunn shot 5-for-10 from the field but was more impressive on the defensive end of the floor, where his athleticism stood out.
“I'm just playing the game the right way,” Gunn said. “It's a different level of ball. I've just got to adjust to the game, and it comes with practicing hard and meshing with the guys, and that's how I look at it.”
Sophomore forward Logan Duncomb was the second player off the bench and finished the night with a career-high 10 points and five rebounds over 17 minutes played.
“Logan seemed like every time I throw him in there, he does something positive, but you can't play him in long stretches,” Woodson said. “He's had his problems in terms of illness and things of that nature that's really put him behind from a physical standpoint.”
Duncomb made his plea for more playing time with a hustle sequence on both ends of the floor halfway through the first half. After grabbing an offensive rebound and making the second chance layup, Duncomb covered the floor to block a layup attempt from Elon. He then made it back to the offensive end in time to fight off two Phoenix defenders for a board and earn a foul on the put back attempt. Indiana fans cheered as his name was announced for the free throws.
While less surprising, equally as impressive among the underclassmen was freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who faced his first test as the team’s floor general with Johnson sidelined by injury. Hood-Schifino struggled with the game’s tempo early but settled in, playing with poise and confidence rarely seen by freshman starters.
While far from being an untested rookie at this point in the season, Hood-Schifino finished the night with a career-high 17 points and seven assists.
The seniors didn’t let the underclassmen have all the fun, however. Graduate forward Race Thompson, once again sporting a white headband, turned in another signature performance, earning his first double-double of the season. Thompson led all players with 18 points and 11 rebounds and controlled the paint throughout the night.
Both of Thompson’s best performances this season — the other coming on a 20-point outing against Little Rock on Nov. 23 — have been in games where opponents haven’t had to deal with Trayce Jackson-Davis in the paint.
Indiana’s next matchup before conference play resumes in the new year will see it welcome Kennesaw State University at 7 p.m. on Friday in Bloomington.
