Indiana Basketball Freshman Guard 'Closer and Closer' to Return from Injury

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana men's basketball's backcourt is poised for reinforcements.

Indiana coach Darian DeVries said Monday evening on the Inside IU Basketball radio show that freshman guard Aleksa Ristic, who hasn't played this season due to a lower-body injury suffered during practice in September, is nearing his return to the court.

"He's getting closer and closer, so we're excited about that," DeVries said. "He's someone, again, that gives you just another ball handler, another decision maker, another guy that really understands what we're trying to do. He's going to add to our depth and really give us a valuable piece as we continue on throughout the season."

Ristic, who nails from Nis, Serbia, went through pre-game warmups for the first time this season before Indiana's 100-56 win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 29. He was ruled out on the pre-game availability report, but his participation in warmups marked a clear step forward.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Ristic committed to Indiana on June 16 and officially signed with the Hoosiers on July 8, but he didn't report to the team until July 31.

Still, Ristic played during the Hoosiers' three-game exhibition series in Puerto Rico, which spanned from Aug. 5-12. He averaged 4.3 points, three assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while going 6-for-13 shooting from the field and 1 of 4 from beyond the arc.

DeVries acknowledged Indiana hasn't seen much of Ristic at full capacity. He only practiced a few times with the Hoosiers before flying to Puerto Rico, and he suffered his left foot injury "fairly quickly" upon returning to practice, DeVries said.

The Hoosiers had only 11 scholarship players before securing Ristic's commitment. DeVries said they discovered him through connections to the coaching staff, and Indiana grew intrigued by his size, ball handling, decision making and ability to play both on and off the ball in the backcourt.

“I tell you, he has a great understanding of the game," DeVries said. "That's what's been very impressive as someone on the sideline and having to pick stuff up, whether it's our playbook or opponent's playbooks.

"Incredible understanding of what teams are trying to do and he really learns very quickly all the terminologies and things. So that's going to make his transition even more smooth."

Ristic is one of three injured Hoosiers still working back to full health, joining junior guard Jason Drake and sophomore forward Josh Harris. Like Ristic, Drake warmed up for the first time before facing Bethune-Cookman and appears closer to returning than Harris, who's often watched warmups from the bench with a boot on his right foot.

No. 22 Indiana (7-0) opens Big Ten play against Minnesota (4-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside Williams Arena in Minneapolis.