News and notes from Inside IU basketball with Darian DeVries

• Quinn Richards

• 1m ago

 

Inside IU basketball with Darian DeVries returned Monday night from Hoosier Hank’s in Bloomington.

The first-year IU coach sat with the voice of the Hoosiers, Don Fischer, ahead of Indiana’s Big Ten opener against Minnesota on Wednesday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

Tayton Conerway was this week’s player guest.

Here’s a recap of what DeVries had to say on Monday night:

• DeVries remarked on IU’s defensive performance for the win over Kansas State. “It was a team that we were really concerned about. We knew it was going to be a big challenge to try and slow them down offensively.”

• DeVries joked that Fischer jinxed the team’s success in limiting turnovers. He called the team’s 17 turnovers against Kansas State “disappointing.” He said he thought his guys were anxious at times and occasionally went too fast.

• DeVries complimented IU’s ability to overcome the high turnover count by “doing other things well to offset it.”

• DeVries on his biggest takeaway of the win over Kansas State: “The number one thing they did was they played as hard as they could.” He mentioned that IU’s effort makes up for being undersized.

• DeVries said that he doesn’t worry about workload during games and instead handles rest by being cautious in practice.

• DeVries on letting players attempt deep 3-pointers: “We give our guys a lot of freedom on the offensive end. We want them to play with confidence. We want other teams to know that we’re not afraid to shoot them either.”

• DeVries said that he had concerns about the Bethune-Cookman game coming off a big win against Kansas State. He praised his team’s ability to come out locked in and set the tone defensively.

• DeVries discussed how basketball has evolved regarding 3-point shooting. He mentioned the emphasis he puts on spacing the floor and praised his team’s ability to make unselfish plays by highlighting the team’s 27 assists against Bethune-Cookman.

• DeVries said that, while it’s possible to be too unselfish, he’s liked IU’s shot selection so far this season.

• DeVries:  “I feel really good about the depth in our team. I like the way the guys approach it from top to bottom. They all come every day, they give great effort, great attitude and are always having themselves ready when their number is called.”

• DeVries on Nick Dorn: “He’s going to be someone that can come in and do exactly what you saw the other night. He can be that guy that comes in, gets you three, four, five threes in a game and can really flip a game all by himself.”

• DeVries discussed Aleksa Ristic’s development. He said Ristic is getting closer to being able to play and will give IU depth later in the season. DeVries praised the Serbian’s quick learning and versatility.

• DeVries said the team watches 15 to 30 minutes of film on opponents each day.

• DeVries talked about Conor Enright’s mindset. “He wants to guard, he wants to go out there and compete. That’s what makes him so fun to coach and so fun to watch.”

• DeVries mentioned Conerway’s playmaking. “I thought he had a really, really good floor game the other night and generated a lot of opportunities for our guys.”

• DeVries said he has a good relationship with Minnesota head coach Niko Medved. He remarked that the Golden Gophers are starting to figure out their identity.

• DeVries said Minnesota plays a similar half-court offense to IU. “Five out, really space you, try to play more with cutting and backdoors and those types of things… They make you have to be very disciplined as a defense.”

• DeVries said the Thanksgiving meal he hosted with players and staff went well, despite his Detroit Lions losing. He claimed his players had a lot of fun at his expense watching the game.

• DeVries talked about Louisville’s aggression and ability to play in the open floor. He mentioned playing the Cardinals last season in the Bahamas while coaching West Virginia. He jokingly said he expects a lot of Hoosier fans in Indianapolis, referring to IU football’s matchup in the Big Ten championship later that day.

• Conerway said he wanted to play football growing up, but fell in love with basketball during the three years he spent in junior college.

• Conerway recalled meeting Lamar Wilkerson during offseason workouts in Dallas. He said Wilkerson was the first teammate he met.

• Conerway attributed IU’s selflessness to trust. “You make that extra pass because you believe that they’re going to make the shot just like you would. Give up a great one for a better one.”

• Conerway said Enright gives him pointers on defense every day. He said it’s hard in practice when they match up with one another.

• More on Enright: “I haven’t played with too many people like Conor. He does everything and he can do everything. He accepts any challenge you throw at him.”

• Conerway on Trent Sisley: “He’s a problem now, but man, in a couple years ain’t too many people going to be able to mess with him out there.”

• Conerway mentioned that, growing up in Texas, he was surprised by the basketball culture in Bloomington.

• Conerway said it’s “pretty special” to watch IU football’s success. He referenced the upcoming Big Ten Championship and added that “they’re going to get the job done.”

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