Indiana Basketball poised to rise to relevance in Big Ten in 2021-22 season

Indiana Basketball has the chance to be relevant in the Big Ten next season. Indiana was good enough to be an NCAA Tournament team in 2021, according to new Indiana assistant coach and former Hoosier, Dane Fife. He stated this openly when made available to the media following his hiring at Indiana. Fife would know, having coached against the Hoosiers this past season while an assistant coach at Michigan State.

In Archie Miller’s defense, the Hoosiers did have some things go against them this year. Joey Brunk being available would have helped. Armaan Franklin being dinged up at the end of the season didn’t help either.

But let’s be real, the problems with Indiana went much deeper than that. Archie Miller’s system just wasn’t working. It obviously did at Dayton and provided he picks the right landing spot for his next coaching stop, it likely will again.

In my opinion, which holds little value to anyone but me, Archie needs to avoid any school in the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, or Pac 10. The SEC is probably a stretch too. The talent level at these schools is just too high. His offensive and defensive schemes just won’t work, and what Miller showed at IU was an unwillingness to adjust how his team plays.

That’s fine if Miller is content to coach a nice mid-major program as he did in Dayton. I can see him coaching in the NCAA Tournament again much sooner if he chooses that route. If he oversteps again, it feels like he will suffer the same fate he did at Indiana—just not quite good enough to win at the level he needs to.

Trayce Jackson-Davis’s decision to return to Indiana for his junior season was a huge one for Mike Woodson, who took over at his alma mater in the wake of Miller’s firing. Even without the great additions that Woodson and his staff have made during this crazy offseason, Indiana—with an even more improved Jackson-Davis—seemed to be good enough to be relevant in the Big Ten next season. The league, at first glance, does not project to be as strong next season as it was thought to be last season.

However, the addition of some really nice pieces appears to have Indiana poised for a dramatic improvement in 2021-22. Yes, losing Armaan Franklin to Virginia was not ideal. He was a top 25 scorer in the Big Ten Conference last season, as a sophomore. With that said, I think Franklin will thrive in Tony Bennet’s system at Virginia. The half-court game seems to fit his skill set well. The new offensive system that Mike Woodson wants to employ may not have been as natural a fit, and Franklin may have realized that.

Xavier Johnson, the Pitt transfer, who comes to Indiana with two years of eligibility, appears to be a much better fit for IU. At 6’3” he has good size and is more of an attacking type player. Johnson is a player who can get out in transition, distribute at a high level, and finish at the rim. And make no mistake, he will try to get to the rim.

Johnson, as excited as I am to see him at IU, does concern me a little. Yes, he is going to bring some fire to this team, which Indiana desperately needed last season. My concern is, could he be a little too high-strung? Will it cause chemistry issues?

Johnson apparently has the tendency to get too involved with talking to the referees and other teams at times, prompting his coach at Pitt, Jeff Capel, to tell the press this past season, “Nothing I’ve said has worked,” Capel said when asked what he says to Johnson in those moments. “We’ve been telling him for three years, two-and-a-half years now: stop talking to the refs. Stop being demonstrative. Nothing we’ve said has worked.”

Anytime your coach says something like that about you, there is a legitimate call for concern. Hopefully, in a new environment with new opportunities, Johnson can channel his inner beast toward more productive endeavors. If he does, both he and Indiana will benefit.

Indiana also lost Joey Brunk to Ohio State. We all liked Joey; the Butler transfer had been a nice fit at Indiana. With the style Archie Miller employed, Brunk would have been valuable to the Hoosier’s last season. They could have used the depth he would have added in the frontcourt.

However, I am not so sure he would have been a good fit for the offense that Mike Woodson wants to use going forward—a more NBA-style 4 out 1 in system. The ‘1 in’ is going to be Trayce Jackson-Davis, with Race Thompson backing him up.  6’9” incoming freshman, Logan Duncomb, also has the opportunity to log some minutes in the post as well, lessening the sting of Brunk’s departure.

Northwestern transfer, Miller Kopp, a 6’7” forward with a good shooting touch is also going to be a welcome addition to the Indiana roster next season. Kopp has already proven his value in the Big Ten, and his combination of size, shooting ability, and versatility should prove valuable to the Hoosiers. He reminds me of a little of a bigger, more versatile Nick Zeisloft. I will take that all day.

Another addition that has me excited about next season is incoming freshmen, Tamar ‘Scoop’ Bates. The 6’4” wing describes himself as a two-way player, who takes pride in his defense. He says that he relishes the opportunity to guard the other team’s best player. That statement alone is intriguing. Armaan Franklin was an above-average defender, and hopefully, Bates can fill his shoes on that end of the floor.

Bates has experienced an almost meteoric rise in the recruiting ranking recently. I am one who does not put a lot of stock in those rankings, but what Bate’s rise does show is that he is a player that is rapidly improving. If he keeps that trajectory over the summer, he has a chance to make an immediate impact for Indiana.

Another player that I am intrigued to watch next season is one that is not getting nearly as much press, Rob Phinisee. Assistant Coach Dane Fife recently said that he believes that Phinisee has to potential to be the best backcourt defender in the Big Ten. He believes Rob can be a next-level type defender. If anyone can get that out of him, it’s Fife. If Phinisee buys into what Fife is selling, Rob could find his niche on this team, and make himself very hard to keep off the floor. (Someone read that to Rob!)

I am also looking forward to seeing the development of Khristian Lander. Lander was just too good in high school to have the kind of season he had as a freshman. There is just too much talent there. I think that this summer is crucial for Lander. If the new coaching staff can help him regain his confidence, and begin playing the way we all believe he is capable of, the sky is the limit for him.

Let’s be real though, the level of success of Indiana has next year is going to rest squarely on the shoulders of Trayce Jackson-Davis. He has been very good for Indiana since arriving in Bloomington, but he has the potential to be great.

I personally don’t think that Jackson-Davis needs to be a three-point threat. Sure, it would be nice, but if he can just become a guy who can consistently knock down a 15 footer, he will make himself nearly impossible to guard. He nearly has been without being a threat outside of the lane.

If Trayce can develop that shot, it will not only benefit Indiana, it will benefit him. With a 15 foot jumper added, and a little more face-up game, Jackson-Davis becomes a high first-round NBA draft pick, and he deserves that. It also gives Mike Woodson the kind of jumpstart he needs as he begins his time at the helm of the Hoosier program.

Nobody wants that more than Mike Woodson. Nobody wants the Hoosiers to be relevant again any more than him. That’s why he is in Bloomington, and not New York.