It’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Remy Abell.
Austin Etherington was Tom Crean’s first recruit of the 2011 class. The Hamilton Heights product was also well known to IU fans for his recruiting efforts of Cody Zeller, the big prize of the class.
But fellow freshman Remy Abell comes to Bloomington under far less notable circumstances.
After being released from a National Letter of Intent at Bradley due to the school’s firing of coach Jim Les, Abell visited in late April and committed shortly thereafter — picking Indiana over Butler, Penn State, Western Kentucky and Xavier.
So what should be expected from the Kentucky native?
Well, he figures to provide perimeter/backcourt depth off the bench. Abell has the ability to get to the rim off the dribble, which could provide a nice change of pace for Indiana’s offensive attack this season. He also possesses the versatility needed to play both on and off the ball, giving the Hoosiers some potential for lineup flexibility.
And Crean added this about Abell’s defense on Twitter after he committed: “He is a big guard who will have an immediate impact defensively with his ability to guard three positions.”
Abell’s shooting still leaves a bit to be desired and his overall game, like most freshmen, could use some polish. But he has the tools to contribute on both sides of the ball out the gate.
The Inside the Hall Mailbag: October 25
The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward … (Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)
Damon VanHook writes via Facebook: During Hoosier Hysteria, Christian Watford was in a boot, Why and for how long?
Alex Bozich: Watford was held out of Hoosier Hysteria after suffering a minor injury to his right foot, but is not expected to miss a significant amount of time. He seemed to be moving well on it during the player introductions at Hysteria and even did a little dancing, so holding him out was likely a precautionary measure. Saturday’s Haunted Hall of Hoops at Assembly Hall should give us a better idea of where things stand with Watford.
@alex_idle writes: How big of a role will Remy Abell have in this offense this year? Used as an energizer on offense?
Alex Bozich: Abell’s main duties will be to take care of the ball and get into the lane and finish or distribute to teammates. He probably won’t take a ton of perimeter shots, but he’s capable of knocking them down when given the opportunity.
But back to his ability to get into the lane because it’s something Tom Crean has talked about quite a bit: This is a dimension IU didn’t have a season ago. If Abell is able to do it consistently, he’ll play a fair share of minutes because it will cause defenses to collapse. That in turn will open up outside shooters and create opportunities to dump the ball off to the post.
@HoosierDaddy10 writes: how is Verdells playing time and position going to shake out this season in your opinion. Starter?
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