Kenny Johnson joins IU basketball staff

By Kevin Bowen | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 12:33 pm on April 30, 2012 | | | Comments (2)

As has been speculated for the past week or so, former Towson assistant coach Kenny Johnson has moved onto the same role with the Indiana basketball staff.

Towson head coach Pat Skeery tweeted on Monday afternoon that his former assistant is heading to Bloomington.

Johnson fills the void on the staff that opened up when Bennie Seltzer took the head coaching position at Samford University on April 4.

Even though Johnson doesn’t bring a ton of college coaching experience with him to Bloomington he does have a connection to a popular AAU program in the Washington D.C. area. Johnson used to coach Team Takeover which produced current Hoosiers Maurice Creek and Victor Oladipo. Team Takeover also has 2013 prospects Beejay Anya and Stanford Robinson on its roster.

An injury cut short Johnson’s basketball career as he graduated from the University of Maryland in 1999.

The assistant coaching position seemed to be headed toward Calbert Cheaney (current Director of Basketball Operations), if he wanted it. However, Cheaney is content with his role and didn’t feel ready to commit to an assistant position.

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What does Watford’s return mean for #TheMovement?

By Connor O'Gara | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 4:55 pm on April 10, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

An IU team that is already being picked as the ‘way-too-early’ No. 1 got a whole lot better this morning.

IU forwards Christian Watford and Cody Zeller returning to IU means the Hoosiers will get their two leading scorers and rebounders back. On top of that, they get the frontcourt duo back that averaged a combined 35 points per game in the postseason.

While many assumed Zeller would return for his sophomore season, nothing was set in stone with Watford. The junior forward was evaluated by the NBA and sought insight on his draft stock. Whether it was scouts telling him he wasn’t a lock to get drafted, the thought of competing for a national championship, or one more year of late night runs to Mother Bears, Watford decided to return to IU.

Watford’s decision gives IU all five starters back to go along with Rivals.com’s No. 2 ranked 2012 recruiting class. The debate began as to who would fill Watford’s shoes had he decided to test the NBA waters.

Many suggested Jeremy Hollowell would be up for the task with his ability to shoot over anybody and  make shots from anywhere on the floor. Hollowell has a lot of similarities to the freshman version of Watford but arguably has more athletic upside. Had Watford left for the NBA, Hollowell could’ve had the chance to start in Tom Crean’s lineup.

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Sources: Seltzer to leave IU for Samford

By Connor O'Gara | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 2:49 pm on April 4, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

CBS Sports’ Jeff Goodman reported today that IU assistant men’s basketball coach Bennie Seltzer is expected to accepting the head coach position at Samford University.

Seltzer, a Birmingham, Ala. native, would be considerably closer to his hometown if he were to accept his first collegiate head coach position. The 39-year-old Seltzer worked on IU Coach Tom Crean’s staff all four years in Bloomington and also was part of Crean’s staff two years prior at Marquette.

IU Athletics has yet to confirm Goodman’s report, but he stated that the deal would go through ‘barring a last-second collapse in negotiations.’

Among the names surfaced as Seltzer’s possible replacement is IU Director of Basketball Operations, Calbert Cheaney, who just finished his first season in Bloomington. Though he spent all of 2011-12 on IU’s bench working in player development, Cheaney has no official coaching experience.

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IU ends season at No. 13, earns preseason No. 1 hype

By Connor O'Gara | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 2:29 pm on April 3, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

The IU men’s basketball team finished the season ranked No. 13 in the final USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. The No. 13 ranking marked IU’s highest ranking since its National Runner-up season of 2001-02 when it finished No. 3 in the coaches poll.

But some experts have already looked past this season to next season. Despite the uncertainty of underclassmen declaring for the NBA Draft, several publications came out with early 2012-13 polls that had IU pegged No. 1.

USA Today came out with an early poll that slotted the Hoosiers with the top spot if IU junior forward Christian Watford were to return for his senior season.

ESPN.com’s Andy Katz also agreed that the Hoosiers are back to being the elite force they used to be and gave them the No. 1 spot.

Even NBC gave IU the nod as the ‘way too early’ top team in college basketball.

Despite losing to eventual National Champion Kentucky in the Sweet 16, the Hoosiers have been slated higher than the Wildcats because of the likelihood of underclassmen declaring for the NBA Draft. Kentucky freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are slotted as the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks on ESPN.com’s Chad Ford’s Top 100.

Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year Cody Zeller isn’t far down that list at No. 6. Though he is expected to return, Zeller has not officially announced his NBA Draft status. Watford, on the other hand, is rumored to be on the fence about forgoing his senior season for the draft.

The duo was IU’s two leading scorers this season and give the Hoosiers a complete returning starting five if they choose to stay in school.

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Inside the Numbers: What’s coming back in the Big Ten

By Connor O'Gara | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 3:50 pm on March 30, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

Now that you all have had a week to mourn the loss to Kentucky, it’s time to talk about what this team has coming back next year compared to the rest of the Big Ten.

Kevin Bowen already talked about the improvement of Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey, who figure to once again be critical in IU’s success. Without even mentioning #TheMovement, here’s a look at what IU has coming back (assuming Matt Roth doesn’t return with his one remaining year of eligibility) and how that shapes up against the rest of the Big Ten.

(Keep in mind, this is assuming all non-seniors like Christian Watford, Jared Sullinger, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. are returning next season. Not saying any of them will, but it just makes for an even playing field.)

Percentage of total points returning:

IU: 85 percent

Ohio State: 80 percent

Wisconsin: 71 percent

Michigan: 62 percent

Michigan State: 56 percent

Of the top five Big Ten teams, IU is the only team returning all five starters. No more are the Draymond Greens, Jordan Taylors, William Bufords or Zach Novaks. Yes, all of this can change in a matter of a week if and when underclassmen declare for the NBA Draft. It could even change for IU if Watford forgoes his senior season.

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Oladipo and Sheehey make the biggest jump in 2011-2012

By Kevin Bowen | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 9:34 am on March 29, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

Here is a look at the development from IU’s returnees heading into the off-season.

Junior forward Derek Elston
2010-2011 Stats: 4.9 PPG and 3.7 RPG
2011-2012 Stats: 4.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG
-Elston averaged 12 minutes this year which was just below his 15 minute average heading into the season. After shooting 17 percent from three-point land in 2010-2011, Elston shot 55 percent from there in 2011-2012. His rebounding totals and scoring did fall a bit this year. He started four games in February as IU went with a bigger lineup during a 3-1 stretch.

Junior guard Jordan Hulls
2010-2011 Stats: 11.0 PPG and 2.9 APG
2011-2012 Stats: 11.7 PPG and 3.3 APG
-As if Hulls wasn’t an impressive three-pointer shooter enough, he improved his three-point field goal percentage from 41 to 49 this year. After scoring just seven points in 80 minutes of action during a three-game stretch (Northwestern, @Iowa, North Carolina Central) in February, Hulls was in double figures in eight of the final nine games of the season. He has started 77 straight games in an IU uniform and even with Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell heading to Bloomington next seasons it’s hard to imagine a lineup without Hulls.

Sophomore forward Victor Oladipo
2010-2011 Stats: 7.4 PPG and 3.7 RPG
2011-2012 Stats: 10.8 PPG and 5.3 RPG
-Oladipo started all but two games this season and even spent some time handling point guard duties this season. When Oladipo had his best offensive games this season the secret was attacking the rim and getting to the foul line. His three-point percentage dropped from 30.8 to 20.8 percent this year. If he can find a consistent outside shot and stay under control in driving to the rim, Oladipo should be primed for a breakout season in 2012-2013.

Sophomore forward Will Sheehey
2010-2011 Stats: 4.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG
2011-2012 Stats: 8.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG
-Sheehey saw the most consistent jump across all categories this season among his teammates. He got off to a torrid start to the season winning MVP at the Hoosier Invitational. After battling a leg injury late in December, Sheehey bounced back to start the final nine games of the season. The sophomore forward almost doubled his scoring average to 8.6 a game and improved his three-point shooting to 38 percent.

Junior forward Christian Watford
2010-2011 Stats: 16 PPG and 5.4 RPG
2011-2012 Stats: 12.6 PPG and 5.8 RPG
-IU fans have had their battles with Christian Watford over his three years in Bloomington. He is by far one of the most talented players on the IU roster and seems to play his best against tougher competition. Watford was terrific down the stretch and now the question becomes: does that late play make him think about forgoing his senior season? He became a more complete defender this season but another year in college would benefit him needing to become more consistent and explosive to play at the next level.

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Ferrell represents IU at McDonald’s All-American Game

By Kevin Bowen | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 9:08 am on March 29, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell became the 26th Indiana Hoosier to take part in the McDonald’s All-American game while playing for the West team on Wednesday evening.

Fresh off leading the Park Tudor Panthers to their second straight IHSAA 2A State Championship, Ferrell headed up to Chicago for this week’s McDonald’s All-American festivities.

The three day event culminated on Wednesday evening with Ferrell contributing a team-high eight assists in the West’s 106-102 victory over the East.

The Indianapolis native was just 1-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from the foul line but routinely penetrated the East defense and found open shooters.

Ferrell came off the bench for the West team and played 22 minutes.

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Should Watford stay or should he go?

By Connor O'Gara | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 8:41 pm on March 24, 2012 | | | Comments (5)

Junior forward Christian Watford shoots during IU's 102-90 loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Chet Strange, IDS

IU junior forward Christian Watford has not come out and said he’ll forgo his senior season to enter the NBA Draft. But Watford also hasn’t definitively come out and said he’s returning to IU.

Last night, Watford was asked by a media member if he would test the draft waters. According to Inside the Hall’s Alex Bozich, Watford said he wasn’t ready to talk about that.

“I’m going to leave that where it’s at right now,” Watford said.

Obviously Watford’s mind was anywhere but focused on his draft stock following the season-ending loss. While that media member was premature by asking the question, it was a question that is on the minds of IU fans entering the offseason.

Watford has been slotted anywhere from the middle of the second round to undrafted. So why would Watford want to roll the dice, risk getting undrafted and miss out on #TheMovement?

The truth is, Watford’s stock might not be higher than it is right now. He already proved that he can score from anywhere on the floor. He doesn’t have much more room for physical development. Watford will likely see an even more diminished role given what IU has coming in next season.

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Three-Man Weave: What a Run

By Avi Zaleon, IDS men's basketball columnist | Avi Zaleon, IDS men's basketball columnist

Posted at 3:17 am on March 24, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

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Live Chat: Kentucky vs. Indiana

By Kevin Bowen | IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 3:00 pm on March 23, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

Check back here 15 minutes before tip and join IU media members for a live chat during tonight’s Sweet Sixteen match-up.

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