That’s A Wrap: Derek Elston

by Ryan Corazza in Commentary | April 1st, 2010

Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to um, wrap up the 2009-10 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on.

Final Stats (31 games): 5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 47.0% FG, 65.2% FT, 36.0% from three.

Thinking back on the season, I was under the impression Derek Elston only saw significant minutes the last few games of the season. This assumption isn’t quite true: Elston logged 20 or more minutes in games against USC Upstate, Maryland, Kentucky and Purdue inside Assembly Hall.

But against Ohio State at home? Six minutes. At Penn State? Seven minutes. Against Iowa in that disappointing loss at home? Nine minutes.

And this brings to mind one word to describe Elston’s season: sporadic.

When the freshman did see time on the court, he was a joy to watch; Elston is the type of player that always seems to be in the right place at the right time — putting back misses on the offensive end, snaking behind the defense for a clean look … Elston has a knack for the game and usually finds himself in the mix in a good way.

So why wasn’t this kid playing more all season in a year where playing time was certainly there for him?

Well, Tom Crean had a short leash with Elston. He’d pull him quickly if he lapsed defensively. If he failed to box his man out, he’d be taking a seat on the bench.

Elston’s turning point of the season? Feb. 25 against Wisconsin at home. The game Crean was ejected from. The game Elston saw significant run in the second half with Crean not on the sideline. It that 78-46 loss, Elston went for 12 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes and Crean praised his solid second-half play at his post-game presser.

From there, Elston shined. In 24 minutes against Purdue, Elston went for 13 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and seven rebounds; he scored a season-high 17 points (6-of-11) and snatched eight boards in a win over Northwestern; and in IU’s last game of the season in the Big Ten Tournament, Elston had a near double-double (10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, season-high nine boards) in 25 minutes.

Bottom Line: As I wrote in my college PER post, Elston was the most efficient and productive player per minute on the team this season. It probably took too long for him to start seeing the minutes he did, but maybe it also took him most of the season to develop into the player he was capable of being. Either way, Elston deserves to play just as much as he was at the end of this season next year, and a lineup featuring Elston, Verdell Jones III, Mo Creek, Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls — though undersized — is one that provides multiple scoring threats and better ballhandlers, something that will suit IU quite well come next season.

Tags: Derek Elston

Kelin Blab

Jerry I am going to miss Lavin to, hopefully they can pair Brent with someone good.

Elston for me is a combination of a lot of guys potentially…
Hummels versatility
Ray Tolberts toughness and athletic ability
Coverdale's intensity and scowl…you don't see Elston smiling much on the court. I only wish he would go straight flat top haircut next year…high and tight.
Matt

The only problem with that lineup is Jrodan Hulls. Man we need a PG. Carlino would have started right away if our guard situation stayed the same
nate

Is anyone concerned with IU uniform and program branding. We use Adidas for example but they guys don’t all where the same shoe. North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and UCLA all have updated uniforms, why not IU. Keep the old school look, just update it alittle more.
hoosierboy

I logged into facebook and on the top of the home page I see Josh Selby's post saying I will commit in an hour. Stay tuned. lol. I personally think he is kentuckys to lose. Don't think Wall Cousins and Bledsoe weren't helpin Cal at the game.
JerryCT

My own view is that he has the most upside of any of our players. I am thinking Wally Scerbiak.
JerryCT

PS I am going to miss Steve Lavin
SeattleHoosier

Is there any truth to the rumor that Elston will transfer? This would be tragic in my view.
Kelin Blab

Jerry I am going to miss Lavin to, hopefully they can pair Brent with someone good.

Elston for me is a combination of a lot of guys potentially…
Hummels versatility
Ray Tolberts toughness and athletic ability
Coverdale's intensity and scowl…you don't see Elston smiling much on the court. I only wish he would go straight flat top haircut next year…high and tight.
Indiana_Knight

I don't think anyone that comments on here really knows anything regarding those rumors. Or any other program rumors. Apparently rumor is that everyone is transferring but I haven't heard anything on campus and I do know a basketball manager and a couple other students involved in IU athletics.

The only thing the manager I know ever really tells me is that the students and managers that pretend like they really know what's going on as far as recruiting/transferring/real, salient team info… are pretending…
http://www.cannotfalter.com LTTelamon

Disagree completely. Crean loves shooters, and Roth is our best. He's going nowhere.
garydavid711

I really like TC but many things points to his weakness as a coach. No one thing anymore than TC handling of Elston. The reason I like him is because I think he is a class guy with character.
Hardwood83

Ryan said: “a lineup featuring Elston, Verdell Jones III, Mo Creek, Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls — though undersized — is one that provides multiple scoring threats and better ballhandlers, something that will suit IU quite well come next season.”
I am not a proponent of the 3 guard offense but those certainly appear to be our 5 best players offensively. Can they stop anyone on defense, especially in the paint? I have my doubts. Will anyone else arrive or develop to play Center? We'll see, but however it shakes out I think Elston has a place on the floor more often then not.
Hardwood83

Maybe- but remember it's April 1st too.
Wish

Matt Nover.

Just as with Pritchard, if Elston could knock down the 8-12 ft jumper with consistency he might be looking at scoring double digits regularly. I worry about his willingness to bang down low.

He'd look really, really good coming off the bench with Hulls to run a mean pick and roll or pick and pop in about two years.
marsh21

100% correct!
Hardwood83

I love VJ3…but don't see him as a point man and am not confident he can handle the point on either offense (handling the ball & distributing) or defense (stopping opponents pg). I'll be glad if I'm wrong. If he continues to improve and remain consistent he'll demand plenty of playing time somewhere on the floor.
Taskmaster75

Alright, but if you go with that logic, you also have to keep in mind that Roth only shot 37%. Hulls and Creek themselves already shoot more than 40%. I understand the range argument, but if the dude isn't consistent and more accurate, his shooting isn't going to have such a profound effect.
FWHoosier

Of course, ideally I would like to see Bawa really controlling the paint at both ends, but that is probably still a dream.
JerryCT

I talked to Roth in PR after his injury and I was surprised at how big , wide and strong looking he actually is. He showed some mid range this year when he played and he is a good “grabber” on D, maybe better defender in a team and 1/2 court setting than Creek.

If Roth had wanted to transfer this was his year to do it while sitting out nursing the injury. He could have sat on the bench but instead , injury and all he was on his feet in huddles and with his team. Not the body language of a guy wanting to transfer.

I also think he is excited about the chance to learn coaching from CTC in the B10 and developing his long term role in the sport vs playing at an anywhere school. I also believe he will in fact play quite a bit.
So_Cal_Hoosier

Tom Pritchard -> Miami OH
Matt Roth -> Illinois State

You all heard it here first
Kelin Blab

Pritchard maybe, Roth nope…
I could make the case of Roth being one of the top 3 most important people on IU's team
spiderman0551

Reminds me of Nover as well. Athletic, built well, aggresive, not afraid to bang. I think Elston is more gifted offensively and Nover, after 4 years, gets the nod defensively…in my opinion. Elston is a big part of our rebuilding process. He's pretty good right now, like Creek, and I see him avergaing a double double by the time he leaves, maybe next year even.
Taskmaster75

Hulls makes him redundant at this point. Don't get me wrong, the dude is a great shooter, but with all the guards we have (and the ones we may have like Teague, Oladipo, etc.) he isn't going to play.
walton

I am sticking with: VJIII, Mo Creek, Elston, Watford, Capi. – 2 guards / 3 decent sized players. Capi doesn't really get the love I think he deserves.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/SPGOT33W43BNOXGO6SFWIU2FWU Jason

I heard from a very reliable source (this person told me about the drug use under Sampson, in detail, months before it hit the media along with some juicy info about coaches that were targeted before Tom Crean) that Tom Pritchard is transferring and that everyone else will be back.
http://www.cannotfalter.com LTTelamon

Disagree completely. Crean loves shooters, and Roth is our best. He's going nowhere.
IULaw10

I, too, was frustrated with Crean for not giving Elston more PT. He's not a good defender yet, but Derek gets so many rebounds I feel that partially makes up for it.

Elston is already pretty strong, has a nice jumper (though it disappears every once in a while), plays with fire, and is athletic. I see no reason he's not our starting four and an All Big Ten selection by his senior year. The kid just needs some time to marinate and get his sea legs.
Taskmaster75

Ofcourse Crean wants the guy, that's not the issue here. Crean wants every guard he can grab. Does Roth want to be in an offense where he won't get minutes. Does he want to be in an offense where there's a huge glut of guards, meaning no playing time? That's the issue here. Roth may be a slightly better shooter than Creek, Verdell, and Hulls, but that's about it. Those limitations will shorten his minutes immensely.
FWHoosier

Elston is the Robbie Hummel of this team. Or at least he needs to be. We need him to be an all-purpose guy that gets the big rebound, sets the key screen to free a guard, gets an offensive put-back, provides solid help defense, and can transition to a scorer when other scoring options, like Creek and Watford, are off the floor. He brings energy and motivates others to play hard. The key for him will be getting stronger, since his playing time will come at the 4 not the 3. More importantly, he needs to recognize what role the team needs him to fill at just the right moment.

I am not sure about lining up Elston with Verdell Jones III, Mo Creek, Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls unless the opponent has gone small too. That puts both Elston and Watford out of position. Elston can play the 4, but he is really a 3. The Hoosiers absolutley need another big to step up or sign up.
marsh21

100% correct!
marsh21

Great!
Hardwood83

I love VJ3…but don't see him as a point man and am not confident he can handle the point on either offense (handling the ball & distributing) or defense (stopping opponents pg). I'll be glad if I'm wrong. If he continues to improve and remain consistent he'll demand plenty of playing time somewhere on the floor.
FWHoosier

It's not his shooting that will get him minutes; it's his range. All of those guys mentioned are good shooters. Roth and Creek may be in the category of exceptional shooters. But Roth is the only one who offers almost limitless range. He really stretches a defense and is a real zone buster. His presence on the floor can make dribble drives by Creek and Jones a lot easier. He will get minutes next year along side the more athletic guards, especially against zone defenses.
FWHoosier

Agreed, if Bobby can get stronger, screen better, and play solid help defense he will be able to really help this team, mostly by allowing Watford and Elston to match up better. He is already a decent rebounder and his outside shot helps spread the floor for drives.
Taskmaster75

There was a rumor that Tyler Zeller (Recently) wanted to transfer for NC to Indiana to play with his brother. Now, take it with a grain of salt as it is a rumor, but the idea of the Zellers coming here is salivating. 2 7-footers that are athletic at our disposal? Sounds fantastic. That would solve most of out problems in the frontcourt.
FWHoosier

Of course, ideally I would like to see Bawa really controlling the paint at both ends, but that is probably still a dream.
Kelin Blab

Taskmaster the jury is stil out some on how roth fits in, but a healthy creek, a penetration VJ3 and rivers with a roth or hulls to kick out too opens up so many options for IU. His range and shooting has to be respected and at 37% it is still damn good. Not to mention the kid is 2 for 2 in midnight madness 3pt contest….If Roth gets 15-20 minutes of game, plays solid D, and can open the offense up with his shooting it could provide so much more for alot of players.

I think a healthy Creek and Roth this past year, would have been 3-5 more wins for IU. Next year if both guys are healthy, Christian comes in weighing 300-325 pounds (joke), and Rivers understands his role better and Crean has no problems sitting him…..you could see a 500 IU team…

Also VJ and Creek need to learn to play together, they didn't mesh early and VJ deferred alot.

Gotta say I love the ITH posters, you guys are sharp….and are not message board morons and rumor whores!
Disco_Briscoe

There's a lot of 3/4 talk with the wraps on Watford and Elston. Its the NCAA. It's rare that you see a team with an old school 4/5 combo, even the 5's are small. I say play your best 5 and put a system in place to take advantage of it. If we are small lets run, spread the floor, press, keep the game up tempo. We don't always have to do things the traditional way especially when we don't have our best players on the floor. The way we're recruiting and the way the roster looks we need to play more like a Villanova.
FWHoosier

Heard similar rumors but only on IU boards. I searched the NC boards and could not find any discussion of it. Not even an inkling that Tyler is unhappy there, especially with thier NIT run. It sure sounds genius though. After sitting out one year, he would be able to play three with his brother. The two of them would be the heroes of IU basketball bringing it back from the dead.

I wouldn't mind starting some more rumors and plant the idea if its not already in his head!
walton

I agree about VJ not being a true point guard, but the same can be said about Hulls or anyone else on the team for that matter. You would think that with all of the guards on the team that IU should have at least one true pg. Then again I guess that is maybe why Rivers was brought in but that hasn't worked out yet.
walton

Yeah – Bawa is up in the air – it would be awesome if he could contribute, but I'm not holding my breath.
Taskmaster75

You do bring up a good point Kelin. We don't know how VJ and Creek will play together. I do think their games will compliment each other though. VJ is more of a driver, and Creek is probably a better shooter than driver. Creek can certainly drive, but I think that as they become used to each other, it will work out.

I don't know about Matt's Roth defense. It's more of a product of myself not remembering any games from 2008 more than anything, but I never came away excited about his defense. And my stance on whether or Matt Roth can help the offense is already there, so no sense repeating myself.

Watford plus stength is a great combination. He's going to be an absolute machine when he's strong. He's a mismatch to most of the guys that he faces, kind of like a Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu.

“Gotta say I love the ITH posters, you guys are sharp….and are not message board morons and rumor whores!”

Cough…Hoosier Scoop…Cough
Dirk

I like how Crean treated Elston- he made him earn his minutes. Crean's always said that the absence of upperclassmen and experienced players makes it difficult to have players compete for PT because someone has to play after all. I'm fine with him making Elston take Pritchard's minutes away. It will make Elston better in the long run and Pritchard will be elsewhere or on the bench anyway.
Dirk

Say, who were the coaches targeted before Crean? Just wondering, I think we got the right guy.
JerryCT

I talked to Roth in PR after his injury and I was surprised at how big , wide and strong looking he actually is. He showed some mid range this year when he played and he is a good “grabber” on D, maybe better defender in a team and 1/2 court setting than Creek.

If Roth had wanted to transfer this was his year to do it while sitting out nursing the injury. He could have sat on the bench but instead , injury and all he was on his feet in huddles and with his team. Not the body language of a guy wanting to transfer.

I also think he is excited about the chance to learn coaching from CTC in the B10 and developing his long term role in the sport vs playing at an anywhere school. I also believe he will in fact play quite a bit.
garydavid711

DIRK
funny DE was the only player TC treated that way-INVESTIGATE THE COACH
TC JUST DUMPED WAS PART OF THIS STORY-if i was DE i would be looking for
a school that wanted me
you sound like TC had a abundance of talent–BUT–you might be right
Crean must have like the way he treated him ,also
gary
PS I love the hall
garydavid711

Another thing Dirk-<grin>–those kind of mind games only work with
players that are not busting their CAN–DE was better than TOM from day one
gda
Disco_Briscoe

Wright (Nova), Dixon (Pitt), Miller (Xavier/Zona), Grant UF/VCU…All better recruiters. And a few others.
http://www.cannotfalter.com LTTelamon

I think Dixon does an excellent job of recruiting players that fit his system and philosophy. From that standpoint, he's worth emulating. That said, I don't think he's better than Crean.
Dirk

You missed my point: the absence of talent means someone has to play (Pritchard) but in the long run the player Crean intends to develop (Elston) must earn his minutes, even if the guy in front of him doesn't. Elston will be better down the road, and his help side defense was sooooo bad during most of the Big Ten season, he wasn't earning more PT. Nobody ever has questioned Elston's effort. I think he will be a tremendous player in the future, but a lot of these guys-Pritchard, VJ3, and Rivers-are filling space and aren't in the long-term plans for IU.

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