Finally healthy, Luke Fischer making his case
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Co-Editor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Luke Fischer’s college career started in forgettable fashion. His shoulder hurt, and his numbers were nonexistent.
He made four shots – most in garbage time – and had just 13 points through eight games.
But, as is always the case with freshmen, the impact gets better with time.
On Sunday, the 6-foot-11 center broke through with several key contributions on both ends for the Hoosiers in their 24-point win over Kennesaw State.
“Maybe he had a block or steal on one end, ran down, had a dunk on the other end,” Will Sheehey said. “He is posting hard, playing hard on defense, which translates into offense as well. If he continues to do that, he’ll be a very good player for us.”
Recovered from a shoulder sprain that required Fischer to wear a brace early on, he is showing coaches more and more of what he can do for Indiana. He scored 10 points with three blocks, two rebounds and an assist against the Owls, playing a season-high 19 minutes.
“He’s really getting into shape and getting more comfortable,” coach Tom Crean said. “It’s a better understanding. He’s playing through mistakes. He’s playing up to a fatigue level.”
Fischer played with confidence and purpose on Sunday.
With the Hoosiers up seven midway through the first half, Fischer positioned himself nicely for a two-hand jam and then on the subsequent Kennesaw State possession forced a miss by the Owls’ center with in-your-grill post defense.
Off that miss, a sprinting Fischer beat everyone down the floor, caught a long outlet from Evan Gordon and dunked again.
“I’ve been a lot more comfortable ever since that shoulder brace got off, it’s been a lot better, a lot more movement,” Fischer said. “The brace restricted how high I could raise my arm. I’m not afraid to re-hurt it anymore. Just feels like back to my old self. A lot more emotion.”
Fischer’s old self skied for a block with 5:23 left in the half, then two Hoosiers possessions later found a cutting Troy Williams with a left-handed pocket pass to give Indiana a 16-point lead.
Fischer blocked another shot, grabbed two defensive boards and made a layup with Indiana up 14 and 3:12 before intermission. The only play of Fischer’s day that screamed confusion was him leaving his feet to pass and throwing one that was easily intercepted.
Fischer’s advantage is that he is a true center on a roster with only one other. While Peter Jurkin remains raw and unplayable, Fischer is supposed to bring some underlying skill while doing all the fundamental stuff.
The 230-pounder from Wisconsin scored six points against North Florida on Dec. 7 and had six points and six rebounds versus Oakland on Dec. 10. Sheehey said Fischer’s development was evident in practices.
“He’s more comfortable in practice, really been more aggressive,” Sheehey said. “That has really been translating into the games.”
Following a loss to Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic last weekend, Crean had his team scrimmaging full court in practice, which triggered Fischer’s success and additional minutes.
“I think that’s the main reason,” Fischer said. “Coach really had us running. We’ve been doing it all week long. That translated to games.”
Crean, who said he is still unsure of his bench rotation entering Big Ten play, acknowledged that starting center Noah Vonleh and Fischer are likely to play more alongside one another. Vonleh is a natural power forward. Fischer was performing so well against the Owls that Crean considered starting that pair in the second half.
Fischer finished 4-for-5 from the field, but the Hoosiers know that stat won’t always illustrate his impact.
“He had seven deflections at halftime,” said Crean, who hinted that he’s thinking about giving Fischer a more significant role. “Luke is knocking on the door right now of being a really productive player for us.”
Fischer’s been slow to show his value this season for the Hoosiers. Consider Sunday afternoon just the beginning.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
