Hoosiers Notebook: Vonleh’s prowess, rise of HMP
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – How does a freshman launch his career with six double-doubles in nine games?
To Indiana coach Tom Crean, it’s pretty amazing.
“We’ve got an 18-year-old out there getting double-doubles, playing with a relentless fervor,” Crean said.
Hoosiers star Noah Vonleh continued his tear on Saturday by scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against North Florida. It essentially put Vonleh on pace to match the school record of 23 double-doubles.
That mark was set by Archie Dees in the 1957-58 season. Earlier this year, Vonleh produced four straight double-doubles, the most by a freshman anywhere since Michael Beasley had one in 12 straight games in the 2007-08 campaign.
“That’s a pretty special thing. I mentioned to the referee, if there was a call made every time he got grabbed going for a ball at the glass, he might be averaging about three more free throw attempts and rebounds,” said Crean, whose Hoosiers are off to a 7-2 start.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T FOR HMP: If there’s one guy on the Hoosiers who’s getting better by the week, it’s Hanner Mosquera-Perea. Saturday, within a minute of checking into the game in the middle of the first half, the backup center grabbed a defensive rebound. Nine seconds later, he knocked down a pair of free throws. About midway through the second half, he came up with a steal just 3 seconds after checking in. Then he made two more free throws, blocked a shot at the rim, beat the Ospreys downcourt for a transition jam, had another basket on a leak-out and snared two more rebounds.
Mosquera-Perea finished the game with a career-high-tying eight points in just eight minutes. He was 2-for-2 from the field, giving him four outings with at least two baskets – after making five shots all of last season.
But he made his biggest impact with energy and defense. The Ospreys shot just 2 for 5 at the basket and committed four turnovers during Mosquera-Perea’s three stints in the game.
“[He is one] of the guys who come in with us and do extra work,” Austin Etherington said. “I feel like him having a good game will help us going forward, getting [his] confidence, letting [him] know that [he] can come in and do things just like everyone else can. I think that’s very important.”
That kind of belief and resolve was not always there during Mosquera-Perea’s freshman year, which began with a nine-game suspension imposed by the NCAA.
“Everybody’s trying to get better and our guys are learning what they’re capable of,” Crean said. “We had eight guys that were in this morning at 10. Some of those guys that were in at 10, Hanner and Stan (Robinson) and Austin, did a fantastic job. Learning more and more what they’re capable of. We just want to build on it. When guys are ready and locked into impacting the game the way it needs to be impacted, it’s amazing how much easier the game becomes.”
FOUR AT THE DOOR: Saturday night marked the fifth time this season the Hoosiers had four scorers in double figures. They accomplished the feat 24 times last season. In their opener on Nov. 8, they had six players reach at least 10 points. Interestingly, in 27 of their last 36 victories, at least four guys scored in double figures. What’s it all mean? That Indiana is a program predicated on balance and ball movement, especially when its starting point guard Yogi Ferrell has a stellar day orchestrating the offense (14 points, seven assists, three turnovers). The Hoosiers had a season-high 17 assists and a season-low 11 turnovers. … Etherington snapped a massive drought with two 3-pointers in the first 26 minutes. Coming into the game, Etherington had just one 3-pointer in his previous 14 games. He had made a total of three attempts in 164 minutes at Indiana before Saturday.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
