It may only be October and it may only be an exhibition game, but freshman guard Armaan Franklin and freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis showcased how much of an impression they could make this season.
The small two-man recruiting class for the Hoosiers only ranked No. 53 in the country, according to 247Sports. But both could be asked to play an intricate part early on. In the 84-54 win over Gannon University on Tuesday night, the duo combined for 24 points, 17 rebounds and five assists.
Despite the contribution on the offense end, both showed how they could play key roles on the defensive side of the ball.
“Both guys have been very good from the first day on campus to now,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “Neither guy is afraid. They’re going to add a lot of value. They’re going to play a big role on this team.”
With senior guard Devonte Green and junior guard Al Durham sitting out due to injuries, the starting point guard job went to Franklin for the night. The usual starting point guard, sophomore Rob Phinisee, played 14 minutes but was used primarily to spell Franklin at times.
Miller mentioned how Franklin surprised him a little bit. He played out of position for the whole 34 minutes and didn’t know a single play at point guard.
As the lone guard in the starting lineup, Franklin was aggressive on defense early. He made his presence felt by consistently attacking the passing lanes and getting up in the face of the ball handler.
Within the first 29 seconds, he had the opening bucket and a steal. His applied defense gave IU the ability to run the floor in transition where he’d find teammates like Jackson-Davis and junior forward Justin Smith for open shots.
“They played confident,” Smith said. “They were aggressive, and they really didn’t shy away from the competition or really try and be a little bit passive. They really went at it.”
For Jackson-Davis, he got lost at times in the transition defense but made up for it with a couple key blocks.
In the second half, he chased down Gannon senior forward DeAnte Cisero after an IU turnover. Once he arrived in the paint, Cisero passed the ball off to his teammate trailing behind him, but Jackson-Davis quickly turned around and palmed the ball with his left hand to stop the action within a split second.
It was just one of his three blocks, but each swat electrified the crowd and ejected energy into his teammates.
For a team that ranked third in the Big Ten with 154 blocks last season, Jackson-Davis proved he can contribute on the defensive end even on nights where his offense isn’t there.
It’s tough to buy much stock in an exhibition game, but Miller and his players are confident in how much Jackson-Davis and Franklin can already contribute.
“You thrust those guys in there and they get their feet wet, next thing you grow up right before your eyes," Miller said. “Those guys are competitive, they're winners, they're good teammates and they’re two really important pieces to what we’ve been trying to do.”
