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Analysis; How about Thomas Bryant?


IndyHutch
  • Indiana's freshman center is quickly becoming a fan favorite at Assembly Hall. Based on the way he played in the win over Creighton Thursday night, it's easy to see why.

How much fun it is to watch Thomas Bryant develop before our eyes?

 

I think it’s a blast.

 

With every game I see the big man play, I think he gets a little bit more confident.
Thursday night he had 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting from the field in Indiana's convincing 86-65 victory over Creighton. He made a 3-pointer from the right corner. He had a play in the second half where he exhibited great body control when he went up for a shot inside, hung in the air for just a second, and then banked it in softly off the glass.

 

He had four blocked shots and was active on the boards. He had a pair of assists. He made all six of his shots inside the 3-point arc.

 

But you know what I liked the most from him on Thursday night – his emotion.

 

He had a sequence in the second half where he had a block and then there was a scramble for the ball after he tried to block a second shot. The officials called a jump ball and Bryant was clearly happy to have gotten a piece of it.

 

And as his team went to a time out he was clearly engaged in the moment and was really fired up and the fans showed their appreciation with a loud ovation.

 

He had a couple of those ovations Thursday night. He had another time when he came back on the court following a timeout after he had scored a couple of buckets where the fans did the two-syllable “Thom-as Bry-ant” chant. I’ve talked to players over the years who have said there is no bigger rush than to hear your name chanted like that.

 

Bryant seemed completely focused on the defensive end as the fans chanted his name but somewhere in the recesses of his mind you have to figure he heard it.

 

And you know what, he deserved it, too.

 

Bryant is quickly becoming a fan favorite at Assembly Hall and it’s easy to see why.

 

He works hard. He plays with great intensity. He seems to take constructive criticism well and he just has a presence in the middle.

 

And when you think about that’s the biggest improvement here: a presence.

 

Indiana hasn’t had a presence in the middle since Cody Zeller.

 

Hanner Mosquera-Perea wasn’t a presence. Luke Fischer had the chance to be but didn’t stick around long enough for us to find out.

 

But Bryant has that presence and the great thing for Indiana fans is that you just feel like he is just scratching the surface of how he could potentially play as the season progresses.

 

Bryant played 19 minutes in the opener against Eastern Illinois and 21 minutes against Austin Peay. Thursday night, he played 27 minutes.

 

And here’s another great statistic from Thursday night. In 27 minutes, Bryant had one foul and one turnover.

 

If Bryant can continue to improve, play with energy, stay out of foul trouble and be that commanding presence inside for the Hoosiers, it’s simply going to make Indiana’s outside shooters even deadlier than they already are.

 

And this season is going to become very much like Bryant.

 

A lot of fun to watch.

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My dad said Thomas reminds him of Patrick Ewing the way he plays, moves and is built. I'm not old enough to clarify that. But yeah I absolutely loved watching this guy play the past 2 games. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious and I could see it pumping his teammates up too. Reminds me of a DJ White or even AJ Moye-ish.

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My dad said Thomas reminds him of Patrick Ewing the way he plays, moves and is built. I'm not old enough to clarify that. But yeah I absolutely loved watching this guy play the past 2 games. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious and I could see it pumping his teammates up too. Reminds me of a DJ White or even AJ Moye-ish.


TB reminds me more of a 32 year old Ewing than a 20 year old Ewing. That said I love his game and attitude. He appears to be a perfect compliment to our current team.

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TB reminds me more of a 32 year old Ewing than a 20 year old Ewing. That said I love his game and attitude. He appears to be a perfect compliment to our current team.

lol. Perfect description. Arthritic knees at a ripe young age. Just joking obviously too, who can't love TB?!?

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He reminds me a little of Kevin Willis. I can't really put a finger on why, but he's who came to mind first when first seeing TB play.

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He reminds me a little of Kevin Willis. I can't really put a finger on why, but he's who came to mind first when first seeing TB play.


10-4 on the slightly obscure Kevin Willis reference. Was good player who doesn't get a lot of recognition. He played a long time.

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Nice to know that we have a big man that 1)has talent 2)understands fundamentals 3)won't play scared or "small"....

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