Hoosiers Notebook: Etherington’s expanding role
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Editor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After playing 11 minutes against Notre Dame and then 17 against Penn State when Jeremy Hollowell was removed from the rotation, the Hoosiers’ Austin Etherington seemed a likely candidate for a progression of playing time as Indiana figures out a lot of things about its personnel.
Indeed, that uptick continued on Tuesday night, as the backup forward played 18 minutes and collected his most rebounds in a game this season (four) to go along with an alley-oop finish. Etherington had five points against the Nittany Lions.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore is being used as an unconventional power forward, and coach Tom Crean even employed Etherington as a center on some key defensive trips down the stretch. “Austin was playing really well with that,” Crean said of Etherington’s service as a big man.
ASSEMBLY HOLLERS: Having a reputation as one of the loudest arenas in the country, Assembly Hall is at its best when creating noise, lots of noise. The Hoosiers have one of the best home records in college basketball (45-4) since the fall of 2011. On Saturday, the sound was deafening, from Noah Vonleh’s 3-pointers early in the game to Yogi Ferrell’s clutch plays late. The visiting Badgers, though an experienced team, appeared to struggle to fight off the roar of Indiana’s crowd, while the raucous atmosphere clearly motivated the Hoosiers.
“We were playing solid but, with our crowd, went to great,” Crean said. “Our crowd was exactly what we’ve become accustomed to them being. We got down. Our crowd got us back. I thought that was the absolute turning point in the game because our guys fed off that. It was a matter of changing the momentum of the game and the crowd did a great job helping. Their energy was the best it’s been all year. I never take them for granted.”
After Indiana trailed 52-42 midway through the second half, Indiana quickly put the Badgers on their heels. Players credited the yelling, foot-stomping fans for helping the Hoosiers make stops, push the ball and fuel the tempo.
“For me, being the first time in Assembly Hall with that atmosphere, I know that helped me personally and then the team as well,” freshman Stanford Robinson said. “It joined us together down the stretch. I mean, I’m sure everybody was tired. Just hearing that crowd go crazy like that, I know I got a lot of energy. I wasn’t tired after that.”
DEMON EXORCISED: Senior Will Sheehey’s teams had never beaten Wisconsin. In fact, Indiana had lost 12 straight to Bo Ryan’s Badgers. But the streak is no more, and that brought a smile to Sheehey’s face.
“It’s something we’ve been working for all season,” he said. “They stick their principles. We stuck to ours today.”
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
