Darian DeVries Admitted His Indiana Basketball Mistake. Sam Alexis Has Thrived Since

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — He backed down his defender, jump-stopped in the line, reversed his pivot and, with his left hand, Sam Alexis sent the basketball off the backboard and through the net.

Teammates on Indiana basketball's bench rose to their feet. So, too, did crimson-clad fans in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. On his way back to play defense, Alexis high-fived senior guard Conor Enright and yelled emphatically.

It was the exclamation point on Alexis' most dominant span in his first year as a Hoosier. The senior forward scored 9 consecutive points, helping withstand, if only for the time being, Wisconsin's latest surge.

"Oh, my," FOX announcer Kevin Kugler said on the broadcast. "He is putting on a show."

Indiana ultimately outlasted Wisconsin, 78-77, in overtime Feb. 7. The Hoosiers survived because of resiliency, because of sixth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson's late-game heroics and because of Alexis.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Alexis scored fewer than 9 points in 16 of Indiana's first 23 games. After checking in at the eight-minute, 15-second mark in the second half, he scored 9 points in less than three minutes. He tallied 13 points, previously his season high in Big Ten play, in the second half alone.

There was a turnaround jumper here, an and-one layup there, and an offensive side of Alexis — one marked by a crafty, nuanced bag of moves — that hasn't been displayed much this season.

Alexis said his production came through the flow of the offense. Enright viewed it differently.

"He was cooking," Enright said postgame. "So we kept giving it to him."

Indiana's offensive game-plan this season has rarely revolved around Alexis, who entered the Wisconsin game averaging 7.2 points on 4.2 shots per game.

But the Badgers inadvertently helped Indiana reach a potential season-changing conclusion: Alexis can be a threat offensively, too.

Wisconsin aggressively switched in the second half, which helped the Badgers stay in front of Indiana's guards but gave Alexis advantageous matchups inside. He capitalized. So, the Hoosiers ran more plays for Alexis. Again, he capitalized.

Alexis finished with a season-high 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and five blocks against Wisconsin. He was, by all accounts, an interior menace.

Indiana coach Darian DeVries and his staff recognized as such. The Hoosiers gave Alexis the chance to do it again two days later, when they faced Oregon on Feb. 9. Alexis responded with a similarly dominant performance.

The Apopka, Fla., native was perfect from the field, scoring 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting while adding five rebounds, two assists and one block in a 92-74 victory at Assembly Hall.

DeVries appeared hesitant to say Alexis has reached another level. Instead, perhaps surprisingly, he admitted something else.

"I think it's a little bit of us maybe figuring it out, too," DeVries said after beating Oregon. "He's given us, these last two games, some low presence that maybe we haven't utilized enough, to be honest with you. Sometimes as coaches, you got admit your mistakes."

Indiana initially started senior forward Reed Bailey over Alexis for the first nine games this season. The Hoosiers pivoted to Alexis in a Dec. 9 win over Penn State, and he's held the starting job ever since.

But starting didn't inherently mean more playing time.

In the 14 games spanning Alexis' first start and the end of the Hoosiers' west coast swing Feb. 3, Alexis averaged 19.5 minutes per game to Bailey's 20.2. Bailey tallied 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Alexis notched only 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

For the season's first three months, Alexis and Bailey largely split playing time. Then came the second half of Indiana's 81-75 loss to USC on Feb. 3.

Alexis played 15 minutes and scored 6 points on 3-for-3 shooting, adding two rebounds, two assists and one block. Bailey played three minutes and scored 3 points on an and-one layup. He committed two fouls and didn't grab a rebound.

In the two games since Indiana returned from the west coast, Alexis has played 59 minutes — arguably his best as a Hoosier. He's scored 35 points on 17-for-18 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked six shots and dished three assists.

Bailey's role has subsequently diminished. The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder has played 26 total minutes and scored just 4 points on 1-for-3 shooting while pulling down one rebound.

Alexis has more than doubled Bailey's minutes, and he's flourished as a result. DeVries acknowledged Alexis capitalized against Wisconsin's switches, but his performance against Oregon — one where he found success against preseason All-Big Ten center Nate Bittle and also dished a few important kick-outs to shooters — may have been more telling.

Now, Indiana plans to run more offense through Alexis moving forward.

"That's something we're going to continue to try to utilize," DeVries said after the Oregon game. "Getting some more paint touches, whether it's off dribble penetration, cutting, or post-ups, certainly helps our offense and frees up our shooters maybe even a little bit more."

Over his past five games, Alexis has played 116 minutes. He's made 24 of 25 field goal attempts and committed only three turnovers in that span. He's proven smart and responsible inside — he takes quality shots, won't force unless he must and is a willing passer when opportunity arises.

But long before Alexis made his mark on the court, he elevated Indiana's culture off the floor. His day-to-day approach, senior forward Tucker DeVries said after beating Oregon, leaves an indentation on the Hoosiers' locker room.

"He kind of is our motor and enthusiasm every day," Tucker DeVries said. "I think that leads to the success he's had as of late, too. He's so versatile at that position. It's a tough matchup for guys."

After the Hoosiers made it back to Bloomington from their six-day stint in Los Angeles, several players became sick leading into the battle with Wisconsin. The team, subsequently, was flat and low-energy, Enright said.

So, Alexis, the team-appointed energy guy, took it upon himself to set the tone. He scored, he rebounded, he blocked shots and he helped Indiana get a significant bounce-back win to regain momentum upon its return home. Then, he did it all over again two nights later.

The first time Darian DeVries met with reporters to discuss Indiana's roster came last June at Huber's Winery in Borden, Ind., before an NIL event. DeVries didn't shy away from questions about the Hoosiers' size, rim protection or general paint presence.

Instead, DeVries admitted then size may be an issue. Eight months later, he's watching Alexis prove the Hoosiers have a plenty-capable big man already on their roster. And, once again, DeVries made an admission.

Indiana's coaching staff is willing to adapt. Alexis has forced the Hoosiers' hand. Now, he's changing games — and raising his team's ceiling — on the floor, much like he's done the past eight months off it.

"His energy spreads to other people," Enright said. "He's been doing that every day in practice, in the weight room. It's contagious. Him just being around has been awesome for us."