Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Basketball Notebook Leading Up To Hoosier Hysteria presented by Smithville Fiber
10/18/2015 7:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A newly renovated Assembly Hall will open its doors to the public for the first time for Hoosier Hysteria presented by Smithville Fiber on Saturday.
And nobody needs to remind Yogi Ferrell what that means.
"It means the season's almost here," the senior guard said at Big Ten Media Day. "I think it's a real fun time for the fans and us to go out there and put on a show."
The annual open practice serves as the official tipoff for the men's and women's basketball seasons and features team introductions, 3-point shootouts, a dunk contest and team scrimmages. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the women beginning the evening with a team shootaround.
Indiana University graduate and co-anchor of E! News Weekend Catt Sadler will host this year's action. Admission is free, but fans are encouraged to bring canned goods to benefit Hoosier Hills Food Bank.
"We're excited," junior forward Troy Williams said. "It's my third year here, but only my second time participating in it… So, just go out there and have fun."
Williams has brought the Assembly Hall crowd to its feet on more than one occasion with his high-flying in-game dunks. He finished runner-up in last year's dunk contest but said he doesn't have plans to choreograph any dunks in particular for this year's Hoosier Hysteria.
"Oh, no," Williams said about his plans. "Every time I go into it, I never think about it before. I just do it."
Fans will just have to wait and see.
Blackmon Jr. At "100 Percent"
If James Blackmon Jr. is holding anything back, head coach Tom Crean can't see it.
The sophomore guard returned to practice on schedule after suffering a torn meniscus in the summer and hasn't had any setbacks as he prepares for his second season in Bloomington.
"He's come back with no fear," Crean said at the beginning of practice. "He's come back on the attack."
Blackmon had surgery in early July to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee. He spent the latter half of the summer rehabilitating the injury to be ready for official team activity in the fall.
A little more than three months since surgery, Blackmon said he's at full-go.
"I'm feeling great," Blackmon said. "With the injury, it was more of a frustration thing. I don't think that it hurt my game in any way. When I was out, I watched a lot of film and worked on my shot and my ball handling. I did a lot of stuff. I'm back to 100 percent."
Blackmon is one of four returning starters and averaged 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season. He started in all but one of Indiana's games, missing IU's loss to Wisconsin with a minor injury.
Blackmon is expected to play with the ball in his hand more this season, splitting time with Ferrell at point guard after being almost exclusively a shooting guard last season. He averaged 1.5 assists per game last season, good enough for fourth-best on the team.
"In practice, I've been working on point guard skills," Blackmon said. "Just running the point and becoming more comfortable with that."
The injury was frustrating for Blackmon, who said he was having his best summer to date before the surgery. A sharpshooter, Blackmon's early task has been getting back into a shooting rhythm. He finished eighth in the Big Ten in scoring as a freshman, and sixth in the conference in made 3-point field goals per game.
Although Blackmon's scoring will no doubt be needed, Crean challenged him to become a better defender in 2015-16. Crean said he hopes to apply more ball pressure this season, which starts with his guards.
"He's got an awareness more and more defensively right now," Crean said. "I'm hopeful he understands that's going to have a lot to do with his playing time this year.
Hoosiers Enjoy Trip To Baltimore
Indiana spent a weekend getaway in the Baltimore area on a team-bonding and leadership trip over fall break from class.
The Hoosiers visited the Naval Academy, the Baltimore Ravens and the Johns Hopkins Lacrosse team to study how other successful teams prepare for games. They also spent time visiting with kids at the Goodnow Youth Center, the last active Police Athletic League building in Baltimore.
"It was just good to have the opportunity to see some of the leaders of our nation at the Naval Academy," sophomore guard Robert Johnson said. "Just looking at the way they had to be disciplined and the different things they had to do throughout the day was something that stood out to us."
With the Baltimore Ravens, the players had a chance to speak with Ravens coach John Harbaugh and watch his team practice and play a game against the Cleveland Browns.
"My favorite part was going to the practice and seeing how they prepared for the game," Blackmon said. "They were really locked in. I feel like our team learned a lot from that."
And nobody needs to remind Yogi Ferrell what that means.
"It means the season's almost here," the senior guard said at Big Ten Media Day. "I think it's a real fun time for the fans and us to go out there and put on a show."
The annual open practice serves as the official tipoff for the men's and women's basketball seasons and features team introductions, 3-point shootouts, a dunk contest and team scrimmages. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the women beginning the evening with a team shootaround.
Indiana University graduate and co-anchor of E! News Weekend Catt Sadler will host this year's action. Admission is free, but fans are encouraged to bring canned goods to benefit Hoosier Hills Food Bank.
"We're excited," junior forward Troy Williams said. "It's my third year here, but only my second time participating in it… So, just go out there and have fun."
Williams has brought the Assembly Hall crowd to its feet on more than one occasion with his high-flying in-game dunks. He finished runner-up in last year's dunk contest but said he doesn't have plans to choreograph any dunks in particular for this year's Hoosier Hysteria.
"Oh, no," Williams said about his plans. "Every time I go into it, I never think about it before. I just do it."
Fans will just have to wait and see.
Blackmon Jr. At "100 Percent"
If James Blackmon Jr. is holding anything back, head coach Tom Crean can't see it.
The sophomore guard returned to practice on schedule after suffering a torn meniscus in the summer and hasn't had any setbacks as he prepares for his second season in Bloomington.
"He's come back with no fear," Crean said at the beginning of practice. "He's come back on the attack."
Blackmon had surgery in early July to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee. He spent the latter half of the summer rehabilitating the injury to be ready for official team activity in the fall.
A little more than three months since surgery, Blackmon said he's at full-go.
"I'm feeling great," Blackmon said. "With the injury, it was more of a frustration thing. I don't think that it hurt my game in any way. When I was out, I watched a lot of film and worked on my shot and my ball handling. I did a lot of stuff. I'm back to 100 percent."
Blackmon is one of four returning starters and averaged 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season. He started in all but one of Indiana's games, missing IU's loss to Wisconsin with a minor injury.
Blackmon is expected to play with the ball in his hand more this season, splitting time with Ferrell at point guard after being almost exclusively a shooting guard last season. He averaged 1.5 assists per game last season, good enough for fourth-best on the team.
"In practice, I've been working on point guard skills," Blackmon said. "Just running the point and becoming more comfortable with that."
The injury was frustrating for Blackmon, who said he was having his best summer to date before the surgery. A sharpshooter, Blackmon's early task has been getting back into a shooting rhythm. He finished eighth in the Big Ten in scoring as a freshman, and sixth in the conference in made 3-point field goals per game.
Although Blackmon's scoring will no doubt be needed, Crean challenged him to become a better defender in 2015-16. Crean said he hopes to apply more ball pressure this season, which starts with his guards.
"He's got an awareness more and more defensively right now," Crean said. "I'm hopeful he understands that's going to have a lot to do with his playing time this year.
Hoosiers Enjoy Trip To Baltimore
Indiana spent a weekend getaway in the Baltimore area on a team-bonding and leadership trip over fall break from class.
The Hoosiers visited the Naval Academy, the Baltimore Ravens and the Johns Hopkins Lacrosse team to study how other successful teams prepare for games. They also spent time visiting with kids at the Goodnow Youth Center, the last active Police Athletic League building in Baltimore.
"It was just good to have the opportunity to see some of the leaders of our nation at the Naval Academy," sophomore guard Robert Johnson said. "Just looking at the way they had to be disciplined and the different things they had to do throughout the day was something that stood out to us."
With the Baltimore Ravens, the players had a chance to speak with Ravens coach John Harbaugh and watch his team practice and play a game against the Cleveland Browns.
"My favorite part was going to the practice and seeing how they prepared for the game," Blackmon said. "They were really locked in. I feel like our team learned a lot from that."
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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