ROSEMONT, Ill. — Indiana men’s basketball redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice still remembers eating breakfast at Uptown Cafe during his official visit in April, sharing a table with head coach Mike Woodson and several other members of the coaching staff.
Rice said Woodson treated him like a grandchild and his family like an extension of the Hoosiers’ own. Less than two weeks later, Rice signed his letter of intent to join Indiana for the 2024-25 season.
Now, almost six months after that mid-April meal, Rice accompanied Woodson and fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway at the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day on Thursday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
As the Hoosiers’ three representatives at the conference-wide event, Woodson, Rice and Galloway offered plenty of interesting tidbits.
Here’s what to know from Big Ten Media Day:
Newton not ‘fully healthy’ but impressing in practice
Redshirt freshman guard Jakai Newton, who missed all of last season with a knee injury and didn’t return to the court until this summer, is still not a full-go.
Newton is back on the floor and practicing, but he can’t participate every day. Woodson said Newton is fine and his practice inactivity is by design, as Indiana is easing him into the flow after a year away from on-court activities.
And while Newton hasn’t been an everyday participant, Woodson said he’s made the most of his opportunities.
“The days he's been out there, he’s been pretty impressive,” Woodson said. “Probably the best explosive athlete on our team in terms of playing above the rim. He's scary how good he is in that regard. But we just got to get him back fully healthy, and he's not there yet.”
Newton was a consensus 4-star recruit out of Newton High School in Covington, Georgia.
Galloway closing in on full return
Like Newton, Galloway did not participate in summer practices due to a knee injury suffered late last season. He hasn’t yet returned to contact but he said he will do so next week, and he’s been active in Indiana’s non-contact portion of fall practice.
Galloway said at Indiana’s institutional media day Sept. 18 he plans on being ready for the season, and he expressed Thursday his satisfaction with the steps in his rehabilitation.
“It's been great to get back out there with the guys, because it's been a long process,” Galloway said. “Obviously, it takes a lot of time to really recover. But I think we've done a great job of just taking my time with everything, because there's no need to rush — I’ve been here for a while, so I know what I need to do to get myself ready.”
Hoosiers expect improved 3-point shooting
Indiana ranked No. 344 out of 351 Division I teams in 3-point attempts last season, trying only 15.5 per game. Out of 14 Big Ten teams, the Hoosiers were No. 12 in 3-point shooting percentage, connecting on just 32.4% of their attempts.
But Indiana believes it has more options to shoot the ball this year.
The Hoosiers added senior wing Luke Goode, a transfer from Illinois who’s a career 38.8% shooter from distance, along with a pair of talented guards in Rice and sophomore Kanaan Carlyle, each of whom made 30-plus triples last season.
Toss in strong-passing big men in junior forward Malik Reneau and sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo, and Galloway thinks the 3-point line will be a much more prominent part of the Hoosiers’ offense.
“I think we're going to take a lot more this year,” Galloway said. “We're going to get a lot more shots than we did last year, because we got guys that can create off the dribble, and that depth is huge for us. ... So, I think we're going to take a lot more and make a lot more.”
Galloway added Indiana can be diverse in its methods to making more 3-pointers, be it on spot-ups or off the dribble, due to the wealth of playmakers at point guard.
Goode is an important piece of the puzzle. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native made 61 triples last year while hitting 38.9% of his tries. He would have led the Hoosiers in makes while ranking second in percentage among those with at least 40 attempts.
Goode’s projected role is often compared to Miller Kopp, who played at Indiana from 2021-23 and shot 40.8% from deep during his time in the candy stripes. But according to Woodson, Goode will be more of a focal point of Indiana’s offense than the role Kopp received.
“We didn't run a whole lot for Miller,” Woodson said. “Goode, we will, because the makeup of our team is totally different.”
Indiana football generates buzz
The Hoosiers’ football team will travel some 15 miles northeast of Rosemont to face Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.
Indiana football will play its first game as a nationally ranked squad in over three years, as the 5-0 Hoosiers are No. 23 in The Associated Press poll. Led by first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, Indiana has already eclipsed its win total from each of the previous three seasons.
And the Hoosiers’ basketball team is taking note.
“I'm loving it,” Woodson said. “I think Coach Cignetti has done a hell of a job. He's put a great group of guys together. He's got running backs. He's got receivers. He has a hell of a quarterback. I couldn't be happier for him because it's been a while to see our program even in the top 25. So, you have to give him a lot of credit for that.”
Galloway echoed Woodson’s sentiments, noting there’s excitement around the team and a starkly different feel to their performance level than in years past.
“We're really excited,” Galloway said. “Seeing them be good, it's good for us too, because there’s high expectations on us now, as well. So I think it's great, and it's always good to have your football team be good, because it’s fun to watch. Coach Cignetti has done a great job.”
Former Hoosiers manager, Michigan coach sees IU’s talent
Michigan head coach Dusty May served as a student manager at Indiana from 1996-2000, learning under former Indiana men’s basketball head coach Bob Knight. Now, May is back in the Big Ten, leaving the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University for the same role in Ann Arbor.
May is scheduled to return to Bloomington on Feb. 8, when Michigan travels to Indiana for a Big Ten matchup. It’s a game May doesn’t want to talk about — not because of personal ties, but because of the roster Indiana boasts.
“Once I saw the guys that Coach Woodson was able to get this year and the team they've put together, I've tried not to think about that game,” May said.
What’s next?
Indiana will hold its annual preseason showcase, Hoosier Hysteria, on Oct.18 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers open the preseason with an exhibition game against the University of Tennessee at Knoxville on Oct. 27 inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
The cream and crimson’s regular season begins Nov. 6 against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
