Aaron Johnson: My impressions of Hoosier Hysteria

[theronjohn1]

Aaron Johnson served as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Big Ten Network Plus stream, and here is his account of Hoosier Hysteria for BtownBanners.com.

As I sat on the sidelines at Hoosier Hysteria, I got those chills that roll down my spine every time I see the Indiana men's basketball squad enter Assembly Hall.

 

I was on the call for the Big Ten Network with the BTN Student U program, alongside Ben Wittenstein and Karley Marotta.

 

I saw Thomas Bryant, Juwan Morgan, O.G. Anunoby, Josh Newkirk, Max Bielfeldt and Harrison Niego enter Assembly Hall to be formally introduced as Hoosiers to fans and I have to say I was impressed.

 

Thomas Bryant looks massive up close. No question on that one. He's a 6-foot-10, 245 pound monster who will be a big impact immediately in the Hoosier post.

 

Juwan Morgan and O.G. Anunoby are not quite as big of surprises, but they will certainly deliver.

 

The real surprise of the night, however, had to be Troy Williams in the 3-point and dunk contests.

 

A lot of fans believed that Williams was going to take the dunk contest easily, which he did, but the junior also took the 3-point challenge over the prolific shooters on the team.

 

The junior from Hampton, Va. took down Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell, Nick Zeisloft, Robert Johnson, and James Blackmon Jr., the sharp shooters who all averaged 38 percent or better from behind the arc last season.

 

Williams was victorious in both, becoming the first player to win both Hoosier Hysteria events.

 

Williams' outstanding performance in the dunk contest proved his athletic ability for the umpteenth time.

 

A between the legs dunk sealed the victory for Williams, but I was more impressed by his first attempt; a 360-degree windmill slam that brought Assembly Hall to its feet.

 

In the scrimmage, the Cream team came away with the win over the Crimson with a 35-28 win.

 

Bryant, the freshman out of Rochester, N.Y., led the Cream with 13 points in the post, proving that he will quickly jump into the rotation, serving as the center that IU has needed since Noah Vonleh departed for the NBA.

 

Bryant also attempted the infamous Michael Jordan dunk from the free throw line during the dunk contest, but could not quite throw it down. His athleticism was amazing to watch.

 

I could not resist enjoying the introduction of the newcomers.

 

Bryant started off his career at IU in the right way; a dance performance that could not be matched. His personality and charm instantly won over thousands of fans in Assembly Hall.

 

Bielfeldt, the transfer from Michigan, knocked down a guarded three-pointer late in the scrimmage, so I can only hope that he will be a dual threat kind of reserve player.

 

Morgan and Anunoby, a pair of high school foes turned into teammates, will also act as key reserves in the post, as they averaged 18.5 points per game in their senior seasons.

 

Overall, I have good thoughts about this IU men's basketball squad.

 

Bryant will be a great addition, and he has the backups of Morgan, Anunoby, and Bielfeldt.

 

Of course, the shooters have all returned, and we can all trust that all four veteran guards will come back ready to go.

 

The Hoosiers will start off their exhibition season on Nov. 3 against Bellarmine at 7 p.m. on BTN Plus before opening the regular season on Nov. 13 at home against Eastern Illinois.

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[Gbwoolman]

How did IUBB's Overall D look?

[LIHoosier]

Good read.

Just to note, Ottawa is the 1st exhibition on 11/3, the Bellarmine game is on the following weekend.

[theronjohn1]

How did IUBB's Overall D look?

the defense looked ok, but honestly a little difficult to say because of the offensive power.

[The Ola Depot]

Good read.
Just to note, Ottawa is the 1st exhibition on 11/3, the Bellarmine game is on the following weekend.

Is Ottawa the team we lost to or was that someone else?

[FortWayneHoosier]

Is Ottawa the team we lost to or was that someone else?

no you are right last year on our canadian trip they beat us

[The Ola Depot]

no you are right last year on our canadian trip they beat us

Imagine us losing an exhibition game[emoji51]

[Hovadipo]

Imagine us losing an exhibition game[emoji51]

Ignorant people would freak out, but in reality Ottawa will be tougher than a vast majority of our non-con schedule.

[Kepner]

Imagine us losing an exhibition game[emoji51]

Don't have to imagine it, it happened last year against them on the Canadian trip.....

[theronjohn1]

Ignorant people would freak out, but in reality Ottawa will be tougher than a vast majority of our non-con schedule.

You're not wrong on this one. Ottawa was 16-12, but the record didn't show their quality.

[MartintheMopMan]

Ignorant people would freak out, but in reality Ottawa will be tougher than a vast majority of our non-con schedule.

Honestly, I would love if we scheduled our exhibition games against two very very tough opponents. They're literally two free loses and an opportunity to test your squad by fire.

[Hovadipo]

Honestly, I would love if we scheduled our exhibition games against two very very tough opponents. They're literally two free loses and an opportunity to test your squad by fire.

I agree. I think that's why schools have the "closed/secret scrimmages". They're usually against similar opponents but aren't open to the public so a loss doesn't encite a riot. I don't think we had one this year after combing Goodman's list.

[Hutch89]

Hopefully a secret scrimmage with the terps while out in MD

[MartintheMopMan]

Hopefully a secret scrimmage with the terps while out in MD

Indiana v. Maryland with no crowd influence and nothing on the line, just pride and a display of team skill?

 

That would be incredible.