Indiana Basketball Has Shooters. Darian DeVries Sees 'Strength' in 3-Point Efficiency

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Darian DeVries promised this on his first day on the job. You just might have been too numb from years past to believe him.

Indiana basketball's first-year coach said at his introductory press conference March 19 that shooting is a critical component to his offensive philosophy. He wants his team to play fast and score quickly. In roster construction, he prioritizes depth in the shooting department. Without shot makers, he says, you can't win.

Early indications from DeVries' first Hoosier squad suggest he backed up his talk with actions.

Indiana's open-to-media practice July 30 revealed a team with plenty of capable, if not potent, 3-point shooters — even during an off day.

“I actually thought (it) was a pretty bad day shooting-wise for the group,” senior forward Tucker DeVries told Indiana Hoosiers On SI after the practice. “But I would say this group's pure shooting is definitely up there with one of the better ones I've ever been on.”

Senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, a 44.5% 3-point shooter last season at Sam Houston State, and Tucker DeVries, who shot 47.3% from distance in eight games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year at West Virginia, are the two headlines.

But senior guard Conor Enright, a career 37.1% shooter from long range, shot the ball well this summer, as did fellow senior guard Tayton Conerway, though he shot only 27% from distance last season at Troy. Senior forward Reed Bailey shot 41% from beyond the arc last year at Davidson. Freshman forward Trent Sisley went 6-for-10 shooting from distance in three Puerto Rico exhibition games.

Indiana has a diverse group of scorers and shooters, and DeVries — even before the Puerto Rico trip from Aug. 5-12 — liked his team's makeup.

"I think we've got a group that really understands offense," DeVries said July 30. "They understand screening and finding windows to get opportunities to find and locate those shots. They've done a really good job to this point of being unselfish, moving the ball, sharing the ball, taking care of the ball.

"And guys have taken advantage of those opportunities when they've gotten them. I do like the fact that we do have some versatility from a shot-making perspective."

Indiana's offense battled hot and cold stretches in Puerto Rico, but the Hoosiers averaged 90.7 points across three games. They had 20-plus-point comebacks against Serbian professional team Mega Superbet on Aug. 9 and Aug. 11. DeVries said Indiana always scored enough to compete, but its defense lacked in spurts.

The Hoosiers' 3-point shooting also didn't translate over the Atlantic Ocean. Indiana went 9-for-33 shooting in Game 1, 10-for-29 shooting in Game 2 and 7-for-25 shooting in Game 3.

Collectively, the Hoosiers were 26-for-87 shooting from distance in Puerto Rico, equaling a 29.9% clip. Their 34.5% effort in the second game marked their lone performance better than 30% from long range.

However, it's far from concerning.

In its last two games, Indiana used a FIBA ball, which is the same size as a regular NCAA basketball but has a noticeably different feel. Besides the ball, DeVries also noted the foreign exhibition setting isn't necessarily conducive to strong performances, so the statistics aren't entirely representative of Indiana's true shooting ability.

"With the trip and everything, the excursions, all that, there's a lot that goes into these games that aren't ideal for playing a regular-season game," DeVries said. "You treat it a lot differently."

There were still several encouraging qualities DeVries saw in his team. In a 98-47 victory over Univerisdad de Bayamon, a local college team, in Game 1 of the tour, DeVries was most pleased that the tempo, ball movement and selflessness he'd seen in practice carried over into a game.

Moments after watching Indiana shoot only 27.2% from distance, DeVries said his biggest priority centered on the Hoosiers executing the things he's preached in practice. And they did, be it through sharing the ball — Indiana tallied 32 assists on 41 made shots — or scoring in transition — the Hoosiers scored 31 fast-break points.

DeVries remained satisfied by the end of the trip. He acknowledged he hadn't seen Indiana's shot charts, but at least from his perch at the front of the bench, the Hoosiers' playing style mirrored his offensive vision.

"I think stylistically, yeah, we're playing to how we want to play," DeVries said. "It's just things that, when we get fatigued, we got to continue to fight. And most of that comes down to that movement, being able to give yourself up so that we can get another guy an open shot.

"And hopefully on the next possession, someone else is giving themself up with a cut or a screen, so we can get an opportunity for another guy. Those are the things, as an offense, I think we'll continue to get better at. It just takes some time to work through. But again, there are some great things."

Perhaps most important, Indiana's offense proved adaptable. The Hoosiers have shooters, but they also have guards who can get to the rim and big men who can space the floor. It all goes hand-in-hand, and it was on display in Puerto Rico.

During the second game of the trip, Indiana trailed Mega Superbet 48-35 at halftime. DeVries said Mega applied immense on-ball pressure and denied passing lanes, which forced the Hoosiers to get into the paint and attack.

Indiana followed DeVries' halftime command, and it scored 32 points in the third quarter and 26 points in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers found success getting to the rim, which drew fouls — they went 15-for-19 at the free throw line — and opened 3-point opportunities because Mega's defense had to collapse and protect the basket.

It offered a glimpse at what Indiana can be on both ends of the floor, but it also showed the Hoosiers can win offensively in a variety of ways — and how their versatility directly enhances other aspects of their offensive ceiling.

Mega Superbet took a similar defensive approach in the first half of the third game, and Indiana's offense lacked movement, keeping its shooters covered. The Hoosiers trailed 50-30 at halftime.

In the second half, Indiana ran more actions, had more movement and called pin-downs for Wilkerson, who scored all of his 17 points over the final 20 minutes in an 81-80 come-from-behind victory.

DeVries and his staff flew back to Bloomington undefeated and with a wealth of lessons, including that Indiana, even with off nights from shooters and intense defensive efforts to limit Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries, has enough scorers to survive and conquer.

"I think our versatility and our depth, our balance, is going to be a strength of ours all year," DeVries said. "There's going to be nights they'll take those guys away, but I think we have enough other guys that can go take advantage of those opportunities and the way the floor gets spaced if they're going to stay hugged up on those two shooters."

Conerway is perhaps the most critical component. Though DeVries struggled last season at Troy, DeVries said he's shot a "great percentage" in live five-on-five periods this summer.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Conerway is also proficient at attacking the rim. He drew nine fouls and went 9-for-10 shooting at the foul stripe in the Puerto Rico finale.

And if he carries his summer shooting momentum into the regular season, his scoring versatility and evident talent as a distributor will unlock more of Indiana's upside.

"Tayton's put a lot of time into his three-point shot this summer," DeVries said. "He's done a great job of developing that game, and he's very confident with it right now. So, I think that's going to be a piece he has added to his game because of the work he's put into it."

Indiana expects Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries to shoot at a high level. Enright and Bailey have productive shooting seasons on their resume, and Conerway has provided optimism around his 3-point development.

DeVries' teams have historically shot the ball well. His injury-riddled West Virginia team made only 32.6% of its attempts last season, but it was the first time in his seven years as a coach that his team shot below 34.4%. In four of his six years at Drake, his teams shot between 36.1% and 37% from distance.

Indiana shot 32% from deep in prior coach Mike Woodson's final two seasons. With a new-look roster and a coaching staff hungry for 3-pointers, the Hoosiers expect to make triples much more often this season.

After all, Indiana's three-game exhibition slate underscored its buy-in to DeVries' offense. The next box to check? Hitting 3-pointers — and DeVries has little doubt the shots will eventually fall.

"We have a lot of faith in our shooters," DeVries said. "We want them to play with confidence. I think for the most part, they all take shots that are within what they're capable of making, and we play to that strength."

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