Indiana Daily Student
SPORTS
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 idsnews.com
Editors Editors Jordan Guskey & Zain Pyarali sports@idsnews.com
9
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Bryant looks to improve on freshman year By Andrew Hussey aphussey@indiana.edu @thehussnetwork
Thomas Bryant prayed. The sophomore center prepared to make the biggest decision of his life. His two options: return to IU for another season, or enter the NBA Draft. After careful consideration, he chose to come back to Bloomington. “I knew I needed to return for my sophomore year before I even finished the season,” Bryant said. “I thought that would go better for me as a player for the long term because I want to be ready if I want to make that jump to the next level.” He didn’t make the decision alone. He talked with his parents and the IU coaching staff about the right course of action. IU Coach Tom Crean was right there for Bryant as he figured out what his next step was. “When it comes to running your own race, Thomas is a great example because he had to do exactly what was absolutely going to be the best for his long-term career,” Crean said. “He made a longterm decision.” What IU gets back is a player who averaged 11.9 points per game to go along
IDS FILE PHOTO
Then-freshman center Thomas Bryant drives into the North Carolina defense to attempt a layup during the Sweet 16 matchup in Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Bryant is looking to improve on his game this upcoming season.
with 5.8 rebounds per game last season. He was efficient around the rim, finishing fifth in the nation and first in the Big Ten as he scored just on 68.3 percent of his two-point attempts. However, that efficiency wasn’t always there. “It started in practice,” Bryant said. “Just being an aggressive team in practice, just playing aggressive and not
calling as many fouls. Going up strong to finish. That’s what really started it off because we all weren’t too aggressive at first, so we needed to get more aggressive getting to the basket and finishing as well.” Blossoming late in the season, his 19 points helped IU upset Kentucky in the Round of 32. But he knew he still had things to work on. “He’s a very honest person
in what he needs to get better at,” Crean said. “He understands how far he’s come. But I think he’s one of those rare kids that really, really gets how much better he can get.” Focused on the little things, Bryant worked on conditioning and strengthening his lower body, aspects of his game that could pay off down the road. Crean said Bryant’s squat has gone up 200 pounds
since he arrived at IU. Another area he worked on the most this offseason was his lateral movement. He spent hours on footwork drills such as speed ladders and speed steps to help him be able to move his feet quicker. He knew it was something that needed improvement. “I saw it in myself as it was something that I needed to work as much as Coach Crean
FOOTBALL
saw it,” Bryant said. “As soon as we saw that the problem was there, we tried to fix it right then and there.” After an offseason of work, his teammates are already noticing improvements. “I think he’s definitely improved as far as his lateral movement,” junior guard Rob Johnson said. “I think the biggest aspect where you see that is when he guards the ball screens. I think he does a way better job of getting out there and getting low on his hedges and not letting the guard turn the corner.” That improvement will help him and the Hoosiers this season, and while Bryant’s NBA future looms large, Crean’s vision for the sophomore follows the narrative of other big men like Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh who have come through Bloomington during Crean’s tenure. “The other times he was kind of in the mode with everybody else where he was working on his shooting, working on the ball handling, working on the pick-and-roll and working on coming off screens,” Crean said. “It was just completely training him like a guard which we did with Cody and we did with Noah and like we want to do with him.”
GOTT TAKES
Tom Crean is actually pretty good
MICHAEL WILLIAMS | IDS
Junior quarterback Zander Diamont sprints through the Nebraska defense Oct. 15 in Memorial Stadium. Diamont has played many roles throughout his football career.
Diamont brings different element to IU’s offense By Taylor Lehman trlehman@indiana.edu @TaylorRLehman
Kevin Johns, IU offensive coordinator
Diamont had played many roles throughout his career, but a platoon quarterback is a new one. He served as the starting quarterback when former Hoosier Nate Sudfeld went down with injuries in 2014 and 2015, and when IU is preparing for dual-threat quarterbacks, Diamont leads the scout team offense against the No. 1 defense. He nearly led IU against top-ranked Ohio State teams in consecutive seasons and was explicitly named player of the game in 2015’s match-
Greg Gottfried is a senior in journalism.
adversities he’s faced with,” Victor Oladipo said in a video with USA Today regarding Crean after off-court troubles plagued IU in 2014. “But he’s going to be fine. It’s all about winning basketball games, and he’s a great coach and he’s going to get them to do that.” “He never gave up on us,” Yogi Ferrell said about Crean after clinching the Big Ten last season. “He kept believing.” This past week, Crean, the Hoosiers and quite a few journalists who complained about the airfare and types of pretzels in economy made their way to Washington D.C. for Big Ten Basketball Media Day. Crean talked, as he is wont to do, but never about himSEE CREAN, PAGE 11
6
1
“Zander has a skillset that Rich doesn’t have and can bring some things to the table. I don’t know if that’s a full-time thing — maybe some situational things during the game.”
up against the Buckeyes with a 79-yard touchdown run. Diamont also scored the game-winning touchdown to beat Purdue in the season finale in 2014 in a game that set the tone for the 2015 season. His fingerprints have been all over IU’s recent success, and Wilson, the coaching staff and his teammates aren’t afraid to express their confidence in the backup quarterback. He’s not a wildcat quarterback, and IU doesn’t plan to use him that way, Wilson said. He’s a quarterback with an improved arm that can run as well. Senior receiver Mitchell Paige advocated for Diamont all offseason and said — along with his coaches — the junior had had the best offseason of his career and that his arm is better than ever. He’s a little spark plug, Paige said. That’s how the Hoosiers plan to use him. “Ever since he’s gotten here, he’s been a vocal kid. He’s a natural leader,” Paige said after the Nebraska loss. “There’s no drop off when he comes in like, ‘Oh, no, Zander’s in.’ It’s more like, ‘Zander’s in. Let’s go to work with him, too.’” Wilson said after the Nebraska loss an official approached him during the game and said Diamont was scolding IU senior center Wes Rogers for a mistake the senior had made. Wilson said that it showed great leadership. When asked about it, Diamont downplayed the leadership. “I actually told him the ref made him mess up,” Diamont said laughing.
Tom Crean is a conundrum. With Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller at the helm, the Hoosiers couldn’t get past a 2-3 zone in the Sweet Sixteen. Last year, with a bunch of freshmen and unknowns in the rotation, the Hoosiers won the Big Ten and upset Kentucky in the tournament. Both teams lost in the Sweet Sixteen, but one was a “failure” and the other was a “success.” Judging coaches is difficult. As you know and my high school basketball coach liked to remind me, coaches don’t play, they coach. Usually, the blame goes to the man in charge, while the glory goes to the players. This is fine, but it’s also outdated. Let’s move away from the message boards and social media for a second. Perhaps the best people to ask about Tom Crean are the players playing under him. “I’m faced with the same
20
There’s always one name that IU fans cry out when passes aren’t completed. It happened when junior quarterback Richard Lagow threw five interceptions in IU’s loss to Wake Forest. It happened when the Hoosiers took the field the next week against Michigan State. That name is Zander Diamont. The junior quarterback saw his first action of the season Saturday against the then-No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers. “Zander has a skillset that Rich doesn’t have and can bring some things to the table,” IU offensive coordinator Kevin Johns said. “I don’t know if that’s a fulltime thing — maybe some situational things during the game.” The Hoosiers were down 17-2 to the Cornhuskers when Diamont found his way onto the field Saturday. Four drives had ended without points for IU — turnover on downs, interception, punt, punt. Junior safety Chase Dutra had just blocked a punt for a safety, and IU had a 3rd-and-2 on the Nebraska 40-yard line. If IU didn’t score points on this drive, the game could get out of hand. The Hoosiers needed a spark. Diamont sprinted onto the field as Lagow trotted off, and Memorial Stadium immediately began to cheer at the sight of No. 12 behind center. He caught the snap, faked the handoff to junior running back Devine Redding and took the ball around the left side for nine yards and
a first down. IU would get a field goal to cap the drive and keep Nebraska within reach. The junior ran the ball eight times for 31 yards as the Hoosiers tried to open up the run game. The strategy had minimal effect, though. Other than a 33-yard touchdown run from Redding, the Hoosiers recorded 55 rushing yards — Diamont had 31 of them. “To us, there’s not really a balance. It’s more how to win the game,” Johns said. “Whatever it takes. We’re going to play whoever it takes to win games.”
The first time I saw Tom Crean, I didn’t recognize him. I was walking to Assembly Hall with my parents during my first visit to IU. Strolling through the parking lot, a figure appeared out of Cook Hall. My dad identified him immediately. I, on the other hand, thought he was joking. A quick Google search told me I was in the wrong. The man just ahead of us was Tom Crean. I was 0-for1 on recognizing perhaps the most famous person in Bloomington. The reason I bring this story up is twofold. First, it’s a funny story and I would like you to have a chuckle while reading my columns. Second, over the four years that I have been at IU, I have been through a lot with Tom Crean. I respected his recruiting, I critiqued his play calling and I made fun of his odd sideline glances.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS WALK BLOOMINGTON, IN
Saturday, Oct. 22 Located at Showers Common at City Hall (next to the Farmer’s Market)
The Walk is FREE, but we gladly accept donations. Free T-shirts for the first 1,000 walkers.
8:30 AM Registration (day of walk) 9:00 AM Program honoring survivors and presentation of the Melody Martin Awareness Saves Lives Award 9:30 AM Walk begins
Registration forms, sponsor information and more:
www.siraonline.com/walk.htm IU Student Media is proud to be a sponsor.