With 10:49 remaining in the first half, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was filled with cheers and applause as Nick Dorn made his Indiana basketball debut, entering the game for the first time this season.
And within one minute of play, the junior guard — who had been battling a preseason foot injury — made his presence known in the Hoosiers 101-70 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Dorn sunk his first shot attempt from the corner — originally a 3-pointer but later changed to a two-point basket — and tallied an assist in his first 61 seconds on the court. In his first rotation on the floor, Dorn showed his ability to make an immediate impact for the Cream and Crimson.
“I think you saw why we were excited to get him (Dorn) out there,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “His first possession he's firing up a three and knocks it down.”
With Dorn still working to get back to game shape, his playing time was limited, though his impact was definitely felt. The 6-foot-7 guard finished the night with 8 points on 3-of-6 shooting with three rebounds and one assists in just seven minutes on the floor.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native transferred to Indiana this season from Elon University. Throughout his career, he averaged 12 points per game and shot 38.2% from the floor. The guard adds another 3-point shooting threat to the team as he has 134 career 3-point makes with a 35.6 percentage from beyond the arc.
“He gives us another guy that can go out there and make four or five (3-pointers) in a night,” DeVries said. “Like he shoots it at a high, high level and is a big, strong guy, too. So, it just gives us a lot of versatility from our bench right now.”
Indiana has dealt with a plethora of preseason injuries and has felt its impact early on. In the Hoosiers 100-77 victory over Marquette on Nov. 9, Indiana dealt with serious foul trouble that could have been costly with a lack of bodies on the bench.
By the end of the matchup with Marquette, redshirt senior guard Conor Enright fouled out, sixth year senior guard Tayton Conerway and redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries both had four fouls, and senior forwards Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis each had three.
Now, having Dorn as another person to throw into games like that is a big win for Indiana and something that Darian emphasized postgame.
“Even in the Marquette game where we have all the foul trouble, would've been great to have another guy that we could have put in there,” he said.
Dorn provides another positive addition to the Hoosiers' already impressive offense. Through three games of play, Indiana has put out 299 points and 73 assists. The group is built on unselfish play and shooting from long range.
Dorn’s abilities and playing style fits right in the first-year head coach’s style of play and will provide depth to the roster moving forward.
“As he continues to work back, it's nice that we got another person that can go in there and not only just do — go in and do what we ask,” Darian said. “But he's one of those guys that can change a game when he comes in.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
