Tayton Conerway bounces back, ignites IU basketball’s win against Bethune-Cookman
- Josh Pos
- 52s ago
After earning an assist on a Sam Alexis dunk, Tayton Conerway got backed down by Bethune-Cookman’s Jakobi Heady on the left block. Standing at 6-foot-6, Heady had a clear three-inch size advantage over the Indiana guard.
Hands vertical, Conerway stood firm, not giving Heady another inch of room to maneuver. As Heady ran out of options, IU’s point guard made his presence felt with his voice. A headband-less Conerway shouted “yeah” repeatedly, each one louder than the last.
When a shot caromed off the rim, Conerway rose and grabbed the miss. That 30-second sequence near the midway point of the first half was a snapshot of the motor he brought to No. 25 Indiana’s 100–56 rout of the Wildcats on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“Great bounce-back game for him,” IU coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “Terrific floor game for us.”
Conerway set the tone early, scoring seven of Indiana’s first 14 points by turning defensive pressure into transition offense. The concerted defensive effort sparked quick transition runs for the Hoosiers.
He finished with nine points and showed noticeable command of the offense.
“He does such a good job of getting guys involved, and he’s so creative with the ball, too,” Darian DeVries said. “And he’s got incredible vision, as well.”
Last year at Troy, Conerway averaged 3.7 assists per game, facilitating the Trojan offense during his senior season. Darian DeVries and the Indiana coaching staff brought the Burleson, Texas, native to be the floor general for a high-powered offense.
After starting the season with a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, Conerway struggled in Tuesday’s victory against Kansas State. The normally sure-handed point guard turned the ball over a career-high seven times. He was uncharacteristically sloppy with the basketball, earning two assists.
In his meeting with the media following Tuesday’s game, Conerway appreciated the media for taking it easy on him about his ball security issues.
“Appreciate y’all not asking about them turnovers,” he joked as he stood up and left his seat.
The Troy transfer made a concerted effort to get back on track on Saturday. Conerway eliminated the turnovers from his stat line while assisting on five baskets. He could’ve taken shots to boost his point total, but chose extra passes to teammates for better looks.
“I thought he did a good job of coming back and taking care of the ball,” Darian DeVries said. “That was a little out of character for him in the Kansas State game.
“It was certainly a different type of pressure that he saw today versus on Tuesday.”
The coming two weeks promise to test Conerway and the Hoosiers.
The easy portion of the non-conference schedule is mostly complete and Indiana will face more formidable programs in its next four games. Two against Big Ten opponents, Minnesota and Penn State and two more against ranked teams in Louisville and Kentucky.
“The games are going to continue to get harder and harder,” Darian DeVries said. “When you start league play, it gets amped up even more.”
Indiana has already proven it can frustrate opponents on both ends. Spearheaded by Conerway and fellow trash-talker Lamar Wilkerson, the Hoosiers never hesitate to get under a team’s skin with constant chatter during play.
Conerway’s infectious energy in the first half on Saturday drew a roar from the 12,192 in the building on Saturday afternoon. Before the cheers could even fade, he was already sprinting the other way, wide-eyed, quarterbacking a fastbreak, and setting the tone for a team that feeds off his spark.
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