A handful of media members, including myself, were able to attend IU's Monday afternoon practice and speak with IU Coach Tom Crean afterward. A few takeaways:
- Defense and rebounding were the primary focuses at the practice, especially early on. The team began with a number of defensive screen drills. Cody Zeller and Christian Watford both looked strong in the drills, while Maurice Creek was still visibly stiff in the lower body.
- The team transitioned to several full court defensive drills using different numbers of players. Yogi Ferrell and Jordan Hulls both had impressive diving steals during this segment.
- Creek and Watford are both a bit behind the rest of the team in terms of conditioning, Crean said. From my perspective, Watford is a bit further ahead between the two of them in that regard. Even if he could still use some cardio work, he was quite physical throughout, especially when he found himself near the post.
- Perhaps the biggest surprise overall was Derek Elston, who at times outplayed and outmuscled Zeller down low. When the team broke into what were essentially first and second teams near the end practice, though, Elston was in the second group.
- Zeller was strong on defense all practice, but struggled offensively. He picked it up a bit toward the end after finding himself on the right end of a few backdoor passes and put-back baskets. He also had an entertaining tussle with Victor Oladipo for a loose ball. Frankly, though, it looked to me as if Oladipo won that one.
- Hanner Mosquera-Perea also stood out. His practice time was limited for much of the offseason with a foot injury, but he has made huge strides recently, Crean said. Crean matched him up with the tenacious Will Sheehey for most of practice and was visibly frustrated at times, but Perea also made some strong plays on defense and in transition. He ran with the first squad near the end of practice.
- Several players sported evidence of injuries. Peter Jurkin had his nose bandaged and wore a mask through much of practice. Remy Abell had his wrist taped up, while Zeller had two fingers taped together.
- At one point, Oladipo was flipped over other players in the post and fell hard. He remained on the ground for the better part of a minute as teammates and coaches stood silently around him, but got up and was back practicing at full speed within minutes.
- I'd be remiss if I didn't end with a hilarious Tom Crean analogy. To close his post-practice press conference, Crean compared his team with the "Real Housewives of New Jersey," say the team has a genuine desire to see each other succeed rather than the squabbling pain you might find on such reality television.
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