Hey folks,
Just got back from Tom Crean's pre-Wake Forest press conference. Read below to see what he had to say. Look out for our pregame coverage in tomorrow's paper as well.
If you an audial learner rather than visual, you can just listen to the press conference audio here. Take it easy.
Seeing improvement offensively Crean didn't think the Hoosiers had any special interest in changing their offensive gameplan against Wake Forest. Instead, he said his team would "stay true to form," a form he thinks has improved of late.
He is particularly pleased with the following: "getting the ball inside out," getting to the post, either with a pass or driving into the lane, ball reversal and pushing in transition.
Verdell Jones update Jones hasn't suffered any setbacks so far after being stretchered off in a scary moment against Cornell. Crean said Jones is with the team and will be at practice, though he also said Jones almost assuredly would not practice.
"That can change, but I don't anticipate (Jones practicing Tuesday)," Crean said.
Road warriors This trip to Winston-Salem will mark the first time the Hoosiers truly go on the road this season, though they did play three of their six games in the Maui Invitational. Crean said he thought Maui was a good test for his inexperienced team, most of which has never really experienced a hostile collegiate environment, but admitted that going into Wake Forest will be a challenge.
"Going on the road in Maui, it's not home," Crean said. "But there's nothing that gives them an experience like this other than going on the road. There's no other way to look at it other than we're going to play a very good team."
Hoosiers look to limit running game With plenty of athleticism on the opposite bench tomorrow, Crean said it will be key for his team to be stubborn in transition defense. The Hoosiers love to get out and run the floor as much as anybody, but they're going to have to stop Wake Forest from doing the same, according to Crean.
"If we let this turn into a running game with Jeff Teague just getting all over the court and throwing the ball all over the court and their athletes ... it won't be good. We've got to get back and make them face four and five people as much as possible," Crean said.
Ghost of Errek Suhr The Hoosier coaching staff showed their players a video of former guard Errek Suhr's game two years ago in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge against Duke two years ago. Suhr scored five points in 24 rather spirited minutes in the 54-51 loss, and Crean and his coaches wanted these new Hoosiers to see what kind of intensity Suhr played that game with.
"It's all about heart and grit and toughness, and there's got to be a message in everything we show, and we want there to be different ways for them to see that," Crean said.
The IU coaching staff has used highlight videos and other similar material as an extra teaching tool/motivator at times this year, and Crean said the Suhr video won't be the end of it.
Practice facility slowly emerging from the ground Crean didn't have a specific update on the practice facility, but he said he "didn't have any reason to believe it was off schedule either." What was for most of the summer and fall a wide pit is starting to rise out of the ground in the shape of a building (who knew), and Crean expects it to keep coming along.
He said the tool has been invaluable with recruiting, and that the staff has a virtual tour they show every recruit they visit.
Apparently, Crean and women's basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack both tacked on one suggestion as the building comes to shape: padding for the practice gym walls.
"We're not gonna play within out-of-bounds very much," Crean said. "We don't in Assembly Hall, so we won't in there."
I'll add a bit more later today (it was a rather long press conference). Enjoy this in the meantime.
