New Indiana Basketball Culture Rooted in Energy, Enthusi

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Indiana men’s basketball began its hour-long, open-to-media practice July 30 at Cook Hall, the sudden outburst of claps and energetic yells was almost startling.

It felt unsustainable for an entire practice, especially one which featured an abundance of 5-on-5 periods, sprints and defensive-oriented drills — and still ended five minutes early.

Yet the new-look Hoosiers never wavered.

It wasn’t a facade for a day in front of the media. The practice, Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said, was par for the course — and an introduction to the new Indiana basketball culture.

“I think this group has been great,” DeVries told Indiana Hoosiers On SI in his press conference. “We’re two months into it, but they’ve been terrific in terms of their approach every day. They come with a smile on their face. They bring great energy. What you saw today has been every day these last couple of months.

“They come with that type of energy, enthusiasm. Their voices are heard. We want a loud gym. And that’s something I think they’ve done a great job of responding to and bringing every day.”

Indiana’s practice jerseys flip inside out, one side colored red and the other white. There were several competitive 5-on-5 periods of starters red-jersey versus white-jersey rotational players, and a blend of the two against graduate assistants, practice players and walk-ons.

But the competitiveness never fostered outward frustration. It never crossed the line. It was fueled by the right ingredients of a culture built on character.

“I think the guys have been awesome to work with this summer,” DeVries said. “They’ve done a great job of just being receptive to coaching. They’re all trying to do what we ask, and that’s all we ask of them. They’re not going to be perfect. We don’t expect them to be perfect.

“But the progress they’ve made from June until now has been really good. I’ve been really happy with it. I think they’re going to continue to do that because I think they want to. They’ve got great togetherness, they’ve got great energy and enthusiasm.”

One of Indiana’s warmup drills centered around drive-and-kick passes. Players catch a pass, drive toward the rim, jump-stop and spread the ball to the perimeter before the cycle repeats. Over and over again.

Outside of the drill, DeVries has been impressed by his team’s selflessness. He said the group shares the ball well, a particularly key trait for a roster with several players who were ball-dominant scoring options at previous destinations.

The Hoosiers have shot-making versatility, DeVries said, as they can score from a variety of spots on the floor. They’re further ahead offensively than defensively at this stage of the summer.

Indiana has already found efficiency and productivity in its practices. Due to their three-game series in Puerto Rico, the Hoosiers secured 10 additional practice periods, and DeVries is pleased with the way his team has maximized its time together.

That sentiment applies as much to Indiana’s skill and chemistry development as its culture, and each characteristic blends together to give the Hoosiers a strong summer foundation.

“From June all the way until the end of the season, it’s a long year. We think you’ve got to approach it every day with some energy and enthusiasm,” DeVries said. “Guys are going to get tired. It allows other guys to pick you up on those days. So we put a huge emphasis on that.

“I think creating that type of talk and energy on a daily basis leads to productivity on the floor, too. And then the pace that we practice, we try to really kind of simulate how we want to play out on the game day floor.”

DeVries wants his team to play fast, aggressive and keep the pace of play moving. His practices don’t have much downtime, and there’s minimal talking off to the side or between drills. There were two or three water breaks that spanned one minute during the open-to-media session.

If Indiana can translate its pace and efficiency from practice to games, DeVries feels his first Hoosier squad can reach intriguing heights.

“I like the potential of this group, and they’ll continue to work, which they have,” DeVries said. “I think there’s certainly some possibilities there on what this group can achieve.”

DEVRIES TALKS: Indiana men’s basketball head coach Darian DeVries spoke with reporters Wednesday for the first time since fall practice began in June. CLICK HERE.

PRACTICE TAKEAWAYS: Here’s three things we learned at Indiana men’s basketball’s open practice Wednesday. CLICK HERE.

IU GETS ‘BABY JOKIC’: From an open gym in Crown Point, Indiana, to the development plan ahead, here’s how Indiana basketball’s signing of Andrej Acimovic came to be. CLICK HERE.