Indiana Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino Confident Running the Show in Postseason Play

CHICAGO, Ill. – When senior point guard Xavier Johnson went down with a broken foot at Kansas on Dec. 17, Indiana had no choice but to turn to freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson knew Hood-Schifino was talented when he recruited him, but Hood-Schifino logging every minute at point guard wasn't part of Woodson's plan. Hood-Schifino took the challenge in stride, and Woodson has seen him make major improvements from his days at Montverde Academy.

Some freshmen may have been overwhelmed in this situation, but Hood-Schifino said having the ball in his hands more frequently gave him the confidence to play his game.

From the perspective of someone who's started 122 Big Ten games, Trayce Jackson-Davis has been most impressed by Hood-Schifino's maturity.

"I just think that, especially with X going down, we relied on him heavily to be the lead ball-handler in the thick of the Big Ten season," Jackson-Davis said. "When you come in and you're a freshman and you're playing in hostile environments, Big Ten environments, and you can do the things that he's done, especially at Purdue and stuff of that nature, it just shows you his potential and how good he is."

Hood-Schifino said spending two seasons at Montverde Academy helped him the most mentally, and playing a national schedule and enduing long practices every day prepared his body for the Big Ten.

After averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists with a 36.3 3-point shooting percentage, Hood-Schifino won Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He scored a career-high 35 points at Mackey Arena to complete the season sweep of Purdue, and on Thursday, Hood-Schifino was named a finalist for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Award.

"He's made a major jump in being able to run my stuff in terms of offensive stuff, still be able to score the ball and do the things that he's capable of doing," Woodson said. "From the defensive side, I mean, he's done a lot of good things on both sides of the ball to help us win games. That's important."

Throughout January, February and into March, questions about Johnson's potential return loomed. Would he return to the starting lineup, and if so, how would this affect team chemistry so late in the season?

Johnson rehabbed his foot injury for over two months, but Indiana announced on Saturday that he will not return this season. Instead, Johnson plans apply for a medical hardship waiver in hopes of playing a sixth season in 2023-24.

"Honestly no one expected X to go out this early or to go out at all, so now it definitely put a lot of weight on my shoulders, especially running the show at point guard," Hood-Schifino said. "[Johnson] being an experienced guy, him being in college for years, he's just giving me his knowledge and helping me out when he can."

Indiana begins postseason play on Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and it's Hood-Schifino's offense to run the rest of the way.

While Hood-Schifino had one of the best seasons of any freshman in college basketball, he hasn't been without flaws. His performance against Maryland, Indiana's opponent on Friday, is a prime example. Hood-Schifino had arguably his worst game of the season on Jan. 31 at the Xfinity Center, connecting on just 1-of-14 shot attempts with four turnovers.

But perhaps his best trait has been an ability to bounce back from tough games or mistakes. Following the Maryland game, Hood-Schifino scored 16 points and made a clutch layup over Zach Edey to defeat Purdue on Feb. 4. After making an ugly turnover late in the game against Illinois on Feb. 18, he stepped up to drain a crucial jump shot that helped Indiana sneak out the victory.

Approaching his first taste of tournament basketball at the college level, Hood-Schifino is locked in and ready to go.

"At the end of the day it's basketball, so we already know what we came here to do," Hood-Schifino said. "A lot of times in this tournament we're going to play teams that we already played multiple times, so it's going to come down to the mental mistakes or whatever, so we got to stay locked in and be prepared. I feel like we've been going hard these last couple days and we're excited to get out there and play."

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