Rivers found solace in transferring to IU

Sentenced to sit on the bench for all of IU’s 2008-09 season, junior Jeremiah Rivers seemed destined to be reduced to a cheerleader.

In response, the transfer point guard did the only thing there was left to do – dance.
Rivers performed in the middle of the team’s preseason circle before every game, surrounded by swaying players who cheered him on.  

“It kind of helped them forget some of the bad things and some of the negatives that they had been facing all year,” he said.

Whether it came through comic relief or taking a guy under his arm, Rivers silently attempted to lead a 6-25 team from the bench last year.

A totally revamped group with a new coach and eight freshmen in tow took to the seasoned guard.

He was the only player on the team with a college basketball resume, having played two seasons for Georgetown. He also made an appearance in the 2006 NCAA Final Four.  

When 2008’s Hoosier Hysteria rolled around, Rivers was so much a part of the team’s identity that he forgot he wouldn’t touch the floor for the season’s entirety, due to an NCAA rule regarding transfer students.

“I really felt like I was playing until that first game and I was sitting on the sideline in a suit,” he said. “It was all too familiar. It was just something you don’t like as a player.”

From the first game on, Rivers had to make his mark on the team from outside the lines. He could practice during the week, but counseling would become his primary role.

“It was tough,” he said. “Especially, as the year went on, and the losing streak continued to mount – and I just wanted to help the team.”

He stayed composed and advised players from the sidelines, picking up mannerisms to decide when he was needed. As one could guess, there were plenty of occasions where Rivers was required to help with the team struggling through 25 losses. 

He had seen success, but Rivers never separated himself from the team while they faced tough times. He said they experienced the novel circumstances of last year together. 

“They were real down and under pressure being a young team,” he said. “I understood what they were going through, even though at Georgetown I hadn’t lost more than eight games my whole career when I was on the court.

“I’d never gone through that as well, so I kind of went through it with them.”

The effect of his guidance remains a year later.

In interviews he called sophomore guard Verdell Jones his little brother, and he treated several players the same way.

“He’s a seasoned vet that we didn’t have last year,” Jones said. “Jeremiah’s played in Final Fours, won championships and he’s a lock-down defender. So he was great for me to go against every day because if I can score or go by him, I can go by anybody.”

A season with IU has given Rivers footing but he hasn’t totally established himself as a college player or leader just yet.

“As a coach, you want the leadership to be formed right now,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “It isn’t like that. He hasn’t played in a year.”

In two seasons with Georgetown, Rivers never averaged more than 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game and served mostly as a defensive specialist.

Part of that, Rivers said, is because of the pass-heavy style utilized by Georgetown and coach John Thompson III.

“Georgetown was more of a slow it down, Princeton style, which didn’t really fit my game at all,” he said.

Transitioning from defensive stopper to offensive threat, Rivers received a clean slate with IU and Crean.

“The system is completely different,” he said.

The IU offensive mirrors an NBA system, full of pick-and-rolls and unrestricted sets geared more toward opening the floor for players to operate, a facet Rivers said he looks forward to exploiting.

Crean said there is no unquestioned leader because Rivers is new to Bloomington and cannot pass down the principles of IU basketball.

“He’s won at every level,” Crean said. “Outside of high school, I’m not sure he’s necessarily been responsible for winning. He’s going to have a huge responsibility in how we play and win.” 

Rivers’ attempt to mature into what his coach expects will begin tonight at Hoosier Hysteria.