Wilmont's energy keys IU win

No one told Rod Wilmont that Sunday's game was supposed to be an exhibition.\nIn the first game under his new coach, Wilmont was his old self -- jumping at steals, flying into the stands, even careening into Kelvin Sampson as he raced down the sideline in hot pursuit of a loose ball. \n"He could have had that one," junior D.J. White told Sampson during the coach's post-game address. \n"My bad," Sampson replied. \nWilmont's unrestrained effort was one of the constants in IU's 95-50 win over the University of North Dakota, an uneven victory that featured plenty of points from IU but not much familiarity with Sampson's new offensive schemes. \nWilmont led the way for IU with 18 points but was joined in double digits by five other Hoosiers: White, with 10; freshman Armon Bassett, with 16; junior A.J. Ratliff, with 12; junior Lance Stemler, with 12; and freshman Joey Shaw, with 11. Bassett added six assists.\nBassett, 6-for-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from the 3-point line, was a star for IU, capitalizing on open shots on the break. When IU's offense broke down in the half court -- as it often did -- Bassett was able to create a shot for himself or for a teammate. \nSenior guard Earl Calloway, who, Sampson said, has helped coach Bassett, said he was excited for his freshman counterpart. \n"Sixteen points and six assists -- he had a great game," Calloway said. "I'm proud of him."\nThe Hoosiers were able to separate themselves from the Fighting Sioux early in the game. By halftime, the scoreboard read 48-24 thanks to IU's steals in the half court and second chances on offensive \nrebounds. \nWhen IU was running out in the break and pressuring defensively, North Dakota was severely overmatched. Within the first four minutes of the game, for example, IU had three quick open-court steals and nine fast break points. When the game slowed down, however, IU's offense failed to get into rhythm, a symptom Sampson chalked up to inexperience. \n"For the first time that they've run some of the stuff they're trying to do -- you can tell that they know (the system), but they don't know how to make it work for the guy beside them," Sampson said. "That's when an offense becomes good -- when you can run an offense that helps that guy beside you."\nSampson said he's confident the post-game film analysis that exhibitions provide will help his team. \n"I think most times your improvement comes after your exhibition games," he said. "Thanks to film, you're able to break some things down. There are a lot of areas we've just got to get better in."\nSampson added he was most proud of his team's effort and that Calloway was the key defender at the point of attack for his team. He also said Wilmont's effort would be a key for the rest of the season.\n"Rod plays hard," he said. "The thing I appreciate about Rod Wilmont is that he really wants Indiana to do well. His energy and his relentlessness will be important for this team as we go through the season." \nWilmont said despite the team's sporadic performance, his coach can rest assured he'll get a consistent effort from his players. \n"One thing he can count on us doing is playing hard," he said. "And when you play hard, good things happen"