O’Connor: Hoosier Hysteria highlights new faces
By COLLIN O’CONNOR
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Last season, when Hoosier Hysteria opened up, everyone knew who the headliners were. Victor Oladipo sang a song, threw down a couple of dunks and entertained the crowd while Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford buried some threes and Cody Zeller threw down some two-handed dunks.
It was like re-connecting with old friends.
This season though, save Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey, the program had a completely different look at last Friday’s version of the annual event.
“It’s really like having a brand new team,” coach Tom Crean said. “It’s a talented group, there’s no question that there’s talent, it’s just going to take time for all of that to mesh.”
That talent was in full swing on this night as well as several freshmen put on a show in the dunk contest and three-point shootout. Devin Davis and Stanford Robinson showed off their athleticism in the dunk contest with Davis even being named the eventual winner. Noah Vonleh, the highest rated recruit in the class, showed off his range while participating in the three-point shootout and holding his own against the best shooters on the team.
Unfortunately, injuries prevented Troy Williams and Luke Fischer from participating in the festivities and playing in the scrimmage, but Williams still participated as a judge in the dunk contest and eventually told winner Devin Davis that he would have won himself had he not been injured.
Moving forward, though, the development of these freshmen could be the key to the success of this team. There is not a lot of veteran experience to lean on with a total of just four players who have been in the program for more than just one season.
“I think the bottom line with this team, if you had to sum it up, across the board we have a lot of old habits to break and a lot new habits to build,” said Crean. “And I have no idea what the timeline is going to be on that.”
So, while what the image of this team will be is still in question, some pieces were revealed in the first open practice of the season. Now it’s just a 20 day wait until Assembly Hall opens again for the Hoosiers’ first exhibition game and this new team in a new era will show off as a single unit for the first time.
