It was the right decision, and it came as little surprise. But nevertheless, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo officially announced on Tuesday afternoon that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27.
“I swayed back and forth, especially throughout the season,” Oladipo said at a press conference on the Assembly Hall floor. “I just felt like this is what was best for my family.
“I’ll always be a Hoosier until the day I die.”
Oladipo, a first team All-American, is projected to be a lottery pick by nearly every NBA draft expert, and is currently No. 5 in Chad Ford’s latest mock draft for ESPN. He will graduate with a bachelor’s degree on May 4, his 21st birthday.
“I truly support what he’s doing,” said Indiana coach Tom Crean. “There’s no question that he’s got the physical abilities, the mental capacity, maturity and focus, the emotional well being and spiritual background to go put himself in the position to take this next step.”
There’s no doubt the Hoosiers take a hit because of Oladipo’s decision. He, along with Cody Zeller, played a large role in helping Indiana return to the elite level. It will be impossible to replace him on next year’s team.
But what should not be lost in all of this is the way in which Oladipo accomplished what he did. He did it the right way. He came in as an under-recruited athlete, worked tirelessly, became a basketball player, grew into a leader, earned his degree, and then left.
Over the years, college basketball seems to have gone in the wrong direction. But in almost every way, Oladipo represents what is still right about the college game.
When Indiana lost in last Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen game against Syracuse, the naysayers came back out in full force. Many commenters and some national voices criticized the way IU’s season ended after the Hoosiers failed to advance farther than a season ago.
WASHINGTON — Indiana saw just about everything imaginable in the Big Ten this season.
WASHINGTON — Indiana and its fans may not have been thrilled to end up in the East Region instead of the Midwest, but John Harbaugh sure was.
That’s A Wrap: Will Sheehey
Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our player-by-player recap of the 2012-2013 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Will Sheehey.
Sheehey (36 games): 9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 48.6% FG, 34.6% 3PFG, 65.6% FT in 22.3 minutes per game.
Much was expected from Will Sheehey coming into the season and, for the most part, he delivered. Indiana coach Tom Crean referred to him as a “sixth starter” many times throughout the year, and Sheehey performed like a starter at times. He scored in double figures in 17 games, and posted a season-high 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting against Purdue on Feb. 16.
Sheehey’s was the team’s energizer bunny off the bench, and he was never afraid to mix it up a bit if he felt it was necessary. It’s safe to say he wasn’t exactly a fan favorite around the Big Ten, but that’s a role Sheehey relished and thrived in.
His mid-range jump shot continued to be a major strength, but he scored the majority of his baskets this season off cuts to the basket. Sheehey is one of the best players in the country at moving without the ball, and he caught defenses sleeping time and again throughout the season.
If there was a disappointing part about Sheehey’s season, it had to be his shooting inconsistency and his defense. Sheehey showed an ability to knock down 3-pointers — sometimes in bunches (See: North Carolina) — but he wasn’t nearly as consistent from beyond the arc as Crean would have liked.
Before the season, Crean called Sheehey one of the team’s best two defenders, putting him in the same category with Victor Oladipo. But Sheehey’s defense took a step back from a year ago (in this writer’s opinion), especially his on-ball defense. Sheehey struggled to guard quicker guys like Butler Rotnei Clarke, and crafty guys like Temple’s Khalif Wyatt.
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