News and notes from Inside IU basketball with Darian DeVries

• Nick Rodecap

• 2h ago

 

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

The first-year Indiana coach sat with the voice of the Hoosiers, Don Fischer, ahead of Indiana’s game against Kansas State on Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Lamar Wilkerson was this week’s player guest.

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

• DeVries said he has learned a lot about the team through the first five games and called the upcoming Kansas State game a really big home game.

• Indiana’s No. 25 ranking in the latest AP poll is “a nice honor to the team,” but DeVries tells the players that the goal is to continue to find ways to improve as a group and keep stacking wins.

• Indiana is averaging 8.8 turnovers per game and DeVries said he has put a big emphasis on taking care of the ball, noting the players have done a great job of valuing and sharing the ball so far this season.

• DeVries said Milwaukee, Incarnate Word and Lindenwood all presented different challenges and the first halves of the latter two games were particularly strong defensively.

• DeVries said that even after the 2-4 minute lulls in the second half versus Incarnate Word and Lindenwood, Indiana being able to respond and rebuild a lead is a good sign moving forward. He talked multiple times throughout the show about his positive evaluation of the team’s responses to adversity so far this season.

• DeVries said that shots won’t always fall at a near-50 percent clip, but the key is that Indiana shares the ball and creates good looks.

• DeVries said that Indiana’s first-shot defense against Lindenwood was as good as it has been all year, but the Hoosiers allowed too many offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities.

• DeVries on Indiana taking care of the ball: “It’s what we prioritize. You hear it as soon as you step on campus: ‘We have to take care of the ball.’ We do several drills every day to re-emphasize playing off of two feet. Our guys have done a good job of buying into that.”

• DeVries on Indiana’s camaraderie, which predates the summer Puerto Rico trip: “That’s who they are. They enjoy and love playing basketball. They play the game the right way. They’re not perfect and they’re never going to be, but they come every day with a great attitude and a great mindset. They’re a lot of fun to coach.”

• DeVries said Lamar Wilkerson keeps the players looser and more lighthearted than everyone else. “He enjoys everything about the game. You’ll really enjoy getting to know him.”

• DeVries said Indiana has a team-first mentality. “Everything’s about improving and getting better. As this team continues to grow, I think they can do some special things.”

• DeVries said the first thing he looks for in a team, growth-wise, is both coaches and players seeking constant improvement and avoiding complacency. “You can still make some strides in a lot of ways so that you can build in January, February and into March.”

• DeVries on Indiana’s assistant coaches: “We have great cohesion there. They do an incredible job of mentoring the guys on and off the floor. We have guys that have been around and seen a lot of basketball. The amount of input they can provide to the players is invaluable.”

• DeVries spoke about signees Vaughn Karvala and Prince-Alexander Moody, saying they are both high-IQ and “all about the team,” adding that they will be great additions for Indiana.

• DeVries said that, when looking at analytics, he values turnovers the most. Throughout the season, he looks primarily at defensive rebounding and turnover percentages. He added that there is a point where information overload can take place so the practical application of advanced metrics like KenPom and efficiency ratings is important.

• DeVries said that, at the NBA level, not all players can score at a high rate. He noted that a lot of players have made a good living playing basketball by carving out a niche and becoming elite in a particular role.

• DeVries on Kansas State: “Every team they’ve played, they’ve put up huge numbers. They play incredibly fast and score in transition. They’re a team that really scares you in that your team has to be on point to even attempt to slow them down. You can’t let them go on those massive runs they’ve been going on.”

• DeVries said Indiana’s preparation is game-to-game, so he has not yet given any thought to Saturday’s game against Bethune-Cookman.

• DeVries said Indiana’s schedule has a good mix of challenging non-conference games, and that Indiana’s fanbase was well represented when the Hoosiers faced Marquette in Chicago. “I love the way our fans travel and support us everywhere.”

• DeVries said he is hosting a team Thanksgiving dinner at his house. He gave his wife an approximate count of 50 people, which prompted a “unique” reaction. He is a Detroit Lions fan, so he’s looking forward to watching them face Green Bay.

• Wilkerson said he played football, baseball and ran track growing up, but basketball was always where his heart was.

• Wilkerson said he didn’t have a lot of college interest, initially committed to a Division-II school, then decommitted after the head coach left. After working a factory job for around a month, Wilkerson got a call from Three Rivers College in Missouri and played there for a season before transferring to Sam Houston.

• Wilkerson: “I’m an energy guy. I try to come to practice every day with a smile on my face.”

• Wilkerson on Indiana building chemistry in a short period of time: “Everybody’s about winning. Everybody knows that, for us to win at this level, we have to play together.”

• Wilkerson said he feels like everybody on the team wants to bring Indiana basketball back to where it used to be.

• Wilkerson said that, while it would be great to play professionally, he is focused on making the most of his opportunity at Indiana.

• Wilkerson said that he grew up studying Kevin Durant’s playing style when Durant played for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also models his game after fellow Arkansas native Joe Johnson, who was born in Little Rock and played for the Razorbacks in college.

• Wilkerson described his recruiting experience with DeVries as “speed dating.”

• Wilkerson said he’s never been on a team as unselfish as Indiana. “Everybody has a chip on their shoulder and feels like they have something to prove.”

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