Senior forward Luke Goode came to Indiana men’s basketball for one reason — shooting 3-pointers.
The Illinois transfer shot 38.8% from beyond the arc in a three-year career with the Fighting Illini. Adding a proven shooter was a prospect that interested Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, whose team ranked last in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made last season.
Woodson hoped bringing in a sharpshooter with plenty of conference experience would help solve the Hoosiers’ shooting woes. It hasn’t.
Through 15 games, Indiana is shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc and had a four-game stretch where it shot a combined 18 for 89. Meanwhile, the veteran Goode is shooting a career-low 32.8% from the 3-point line, while attempting a career-high 4.4 3-pointers per game.
Goode’s shown flashes of his shooting — he made five 3-pointers in an 18-point performance during a win over Sam Houston State University on Dec. 3. However, simply put, he hasn’t consistently provided the Hoosiers with what he was brought in to provide.
However, what he has provided is something that’s not particularly easy to quantify.
Effort.
Although the number of times diving for loose balls isn’t a statistic that’s measured, Goode would likely be among the leaders in college basketball if it was. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native routinely makes the hustle plays that don’t show up on box scores — and ones that do.
Within the first three minutes of Indiana’s matchup with Penn State on Sunday afternoon, Goode grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the subsequent and-one putback. Goode’s relentlessness on the glass at that end of the floor was a trend that continued as he finished with a team-high 5 offensive boards in a 77-71 win over the Nittany Lions.
Goode has taken on an expanded role for Indiana’s past three games, filling in as a starter for sixth-year center Oumar Ballo and junior forward Malik Reneau. The latter suffered a knee injury in a Jan. 2 win over Rutgers and, according to Woodson, won’t return “anytime soon.” As a result, Goode’s spell in the starting lineup will likely continue for an extended stretch of conference play.
Fourth-year coach Woodson has emphasized the need to overcome adversity with the Hoosiers’ recent injury struggles.
“It's next man up,” Woodson said after being asked about the status of Reneau. “We just got to continue to go, whoever is in uniform.”
Against Penn State, Goode made the most of the minutes given to him. The veteran finished with 12 points, shot 3 for 5 from the 3-point line, had two steals and finished with a team-high +17 plus/minus.
While the statline is one of Goode’s best this season, it’s the same effort he’s played with all season long. He hasn’t let his early season struggles from beyond the arc define his role, but rather, he’s made up for them by being the first one to the floor whenever the opportunity arises.
And now, as the long grind of conference play begins, Goode’s tireless effort is paying off with shot-making as he’s netted six of his last 10 shots from the 3-point line.
Goode will look to continue his hot shooting when Indiana hosts USC at 8 p.m. Jan. 8 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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.
