Another Hoosier Hysteria is in the books for the Indiana University basketball program. Again with long lines extending well into the parking lots, excited Hoosier fans were invited to spend an afternoon with the program and have an opportunity to see their Hoosiers for the very first time in the 2019-2020 campaign.
The afternoon started with introductions of both the women’s and men’s team on a different setup that we have seen in years past. Last year, floor projections were used to turn Branch McCracken court into a giant projection screen. This year, the Hoosiers featured a wall-display-stage where the support staff, assistants, players, and head coaches were introduced.
With the event starting at 4:00 pm, the program ended in a speedy hour and a half. Archie Miller has been known to prefer a quick and to-the-point event without long-winded speeches and unnecessary fluff.
One-by-one, players danced their way out of the tunnel to their walk-up tune. After a brief disruption to the event due to fire alarms going off from the pyrotechnics in the middle of the men’s introductions, the event continued onward until Archie Miller was able to get on the microphone. This has been his first public appearance at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall since Indiana’s 2018-2019 season ended against visiting Wichita State in the NIT.
This team can be special this year. It can… it can be very, very special.
Archie Miller at Hoosier Hysteria 2019
Big Ten’s All-Time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney was honored this afternoon for his induction to the college basketball hall of fame. After Archie’s speech, Cheaney joined him on stage to thank the fans and show his appreciation for the event.
I’m 100 percent behind Archie and what he’s doing with this program and I hope you are, too.
Calbert Cheaney at Hoosier Hysteria 2019
Three-point contest, skills contest, and dunk contest
Winners for the evening included the pair of Al Durham and Jaelynn Penn scoring a combined 21 three point shots to win the three point contest. Although his team did not win, Jerome Hunter showed off his very consistent follow-through stroke. We are still waiting to hear if he is going to be able to show off his shooting form in actual games this season.
Durham/Penn score a combined 21 in the final to match their first round score. #iubb
Ali Patberg and Joey Brunk won hardware in the skills contest this afternoon. The players had to dribble-slalom through a number of obstacles before making a chest pass into a target. Once completed, the players had to dribble to the other end of the court to make a layup, and then return back for a three-point shot. Patberg and Brunk were the fastest this evening.
Finally in the dunk contest, five-star freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis won over the judges with a between the legs dunk with his right hand. He received a total score of 28 out of 30 from the judges. He paid homage to Calbert Cheaney with one last “victory” dunk where he put on the number 40 jersey – Cheaney’s number at Indiana University.
Although the scrimmage had been originally planned for a full 15 minutes in two halves, the scrimmage was shortened to just a single half. It had been noted well before the event that the coaching staff would not be available after the event due to recruiting obligations. Given the activities from this afternoon and the brief delay due to the fire alarm, the event was running slightly behind schedule by the time the scrimmage took place.
The Hoosiers divided themselves into the Cream team (Joey Brunk, Nathan Childress, Al Durham, Armaan Franklin, and Jerome Hunter) and the Crimson team (Damezi Anderson, Cooper Bybee, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Justin Smith, and Race Thompson).
The biggest story of the afternoon was the movement of redshirt freshman Jerome Hunter. After sitting out an entire year due to an undisclosed leg condition, he highlighted the event, well, by just playing and participating in the scrimmage. It has really been the first opportunity that Hoosier Nation has received to watch him play in a game-like setting.
On the night, Hunter hit a pull-up bank shot and long two pointer for the Cream team, who would eventually win the scrimmage with a final score of 15 to 9.
Jackson-Davis and Brunk showed off what they have been practicing behind the scenes as the two played very well against each other in the scrimmage. Jackson-Davis ultimately got the nod with two buckets, including a put-back dunk of a Bybee missed shot. Brunk’s only points on the evening came from a putback of his own miss and a goal tend on Jackson-Davis late in the scrimmage.
Seniors De’Ron Davis, Devonte Green, and sophomore Rob Phinisee were held out from the events this afternoon as a precautionary measure. Indiana’s SID J.D. Campbell noted that “Some players may be held out of scrimmage and skills competitions as a precaution. We have no serious injuries.”
