Indiana basketball: Miller sees a difference in this team, and that's a good sign
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana had to stretch its basketball media day over two days because coach Archie Miller and his staff were out recruiting, which is all good and well. It’s a critical time to chase new talent, and the quotes from Miller could wait a day.
Indiana’s third-year coach met with the media Wednesday, and he had a lot to stay on the eve of what is an enormously important season for the Hoosiers, who have missed out on the NCAA Tournament for three years in a row.
It’s not exactly a must-win season, but … ahhhh, who are we kidding? It absolutely is must-win time.
It started Tuesday when all 11 scholarship players talked in small groups, the first day of erasing memories of last year’s disaster — but it didn’t go particularly well. Not that it matters, but Twitter was blowing up with IU fans watching the videos online and whining about players not smiling — they didn’t, mostly — and answering questions mostly with short, monotonic answers.
First impressions.
It matters because this fan base didn’t like what went on last year, They didn’t like the 16 losses, the ugly epic 12-of-13 losing streak, or the effort or chemistry.
They don’t want to see that again. They really don't. No one does, for that matter.
But Miller did say Wednesday that the chemistry on this team is different, much different. He said this summer has been far different from a year ago, and he expects the season to be different, too. So do the players, despite not necessarily expressing it Tuesday with excited voices and hearty laughs.
“We do have a group of guys that naturally are kind of quiet-natured,’’ said Miller, who is 35-31 in his two years with the Hoosiers. “I think for me and learning how things go, especially with young people these days, they can very much stay in their own lane, on their own phone.
“You know the setting with young people these days. They very literally don't talk as much as they used to. So we try to put our guys in situations where it forces them communicate, be more active with one another always.’’
Indiana coach Archie Miller met the media on Wednesday to kick off the 2019-20 season.
That’s gone on all summer, and players and coaches alike see a noticeable uptick in team chemistry. Part of that might have to do with the fact that several guys are now in the third year of Miller’s program and there were only three new guys — two freshmen and Butler transfer Joey Brunk — to get comfortable with.
That matters. A lot. Because last year was a struggle trying to indoctrinate six newcomers, including high-proflle 5-star recruit Romeo Langford, into the system and it didn’t go well.
This year seems so very different.
“I think our newcomers, two true freshman (Trayce Jackson-Davis and Armaan Franklin) and Joey Brunk, those three guys fit in seamlessly,’’ Miller said. “They've been a pleasant surprise — not only from the summertime, but also as we've started school here. No. 1, how much they're embracing the challenge of joining the group, and also embracing the challenge of striving to be the better players on our team, the better leaders. They're not waiting around to learn.
“(The offseason has ) been uneventful, so to speak, which is very rare as you start the fall term where you don't have a lot of hiccups, ups and downs, learning each other. I think our older guys have been very calm. They've been very good with their leadership on and off the floor.’’
It clearly does make a difference that this is Miller’s third year. Being more familiar with his routine and what he wants does make a difference. The newness and the dramatic change from the Tom Crean era was extensive.
Maybe, just maybe, that comfort level has arrived.
“I think the one thing that's unique as you get older, as you have more familiarity with each other, you have more closeness. You're not as new,'' he said. "Last year's team had five true freshman and one transfer, so six new bodies. This team has two true freshman and one new guy.
“Those older guys are all back and they're more familiar with one another, with the routine, and they're more able to communicate what to do, when to do it, how to do it. So there has definitely been some step-up in that regard.’’
It’s helped that Brunk, who has two years remaining after transferring from Butler, is loud and animated, a breath of fresh air on a quiet team. He’s fit right in immediately.
“I think that's where Joey has been a great boost with his voice. His personality has really shown up in our workouts, our locker room,’’ Miller said. “I think, just in general, I think that familiarity with each other, getting a little bit older with your younger guys, and then having some influx of some new energy, that all helps. A guy like Joey can really help the cause as well.’’
That’s where the early optimism comes from, and that’s all good. It also helps that your top returning scorer — guard Devonte Green — is a senior ready to go out with a bang, and that your point guard — Rob Phinisee — is another year older and ready to be a leader from a position that requires it.
That wasn’t all that easy last year as a true freshman, especially with a team that had a lot of dysfunctional parts. Another year of maturity has him in position to take control of this team, something that matters a lot to Miller, a former point guard himself.
“It’s huge. Rob plays a big role,’’ Miller said. “I think you saw a team last year at times when Rob was playing effectively, was healthy, that he's a gamer. But with that gamer, as you get another older, there is no surprises anymore. You're expected to do it. I think he knows from my standpoint as he looks at me what I expect of him.
“As the head coach, I look at our point guards in a very different manner than I do all other positions. I think it's its most important position on the team. It's the quarterback. Rob has done a really nice job in our workouts. He's taken a concerted effort to communicate better, talk better, not be quiet.’’
The Hoosiers start practice on Monday and have their first game Nov. 5 against Western Illinois. Everyone knows what’s at stake here, and they are prepared to do something about it.
“I definitely think our team understands from a staff perspective there is a lot of pressure on us as a group of people to really come together,’’ Miller said. “To do that, I think definitely more talking, more communicating, and more situations where we're forcing them to be (talking more) is sort of the driving force behind that.
“I think that maturity will be a huge part of the development of this team, to not get carried away with the outside noise, the negatively, the cluster that everyone deals with in athletics in this day and age. You have to be able to stay tight, stay calm, and be able to have great togetherness through those times.’’
