IU finds missing piece with OG Anunoby

[hmhernan 90]

When word got out that James Blackmon Jr. would be out for the season, it seemed fitting for Indiana basketball, and its fans, to begin to panic. But with the absence of their leading scorer, the Hoosiers have managed to find strength in numbers through their starters and off their bench. Freshman OG Anunoby has become a replacement for Blackmon, and so far through the Big Ten season, he has done his job well.

Anunoby doesn’t necessarily always look like a key player in the box scores, but no doubt, he is making a difference for the Hoosiers. It is no accident they have won their last three home games by more than 25 points.

 

On Saturday against Northwestern, Anunoby finished with three points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in 12 minutes. But he’s the kind of player that can be defined as being at the right place at the right time.

 

He’s versatile, but quiet. Yet he does the little things right, and the little things go a long way.

 

“We're starting to expect a lot more out of him,” coach Tom Crean said. “We're as nit-picky with him as we are with the older guys because he's capable. He's smart. His energy is a little mysterious sometimes because he doesn't always talk and he's not as vocal as he needs to be, though he's playing hard. We need more of that from him.”

 

Anunoby is averaging 14.2 minutes per game since it was announced Blackmon would miss the remainder of the season with another knee injury.

 

In Big Ten games, the forward now averages 7.3 points per game, compared to 2 points per game before Blackmon was sidelined. It seems Anunoby has it all, with the ability to show a good performance on both ends of the court.

 

In a time where IU was looking for guys to play defense, Anunoby took the opportunity. But now, he has shown some offensive capabilities that will likely make him one of the most important pieces off the IU bench.

 

“He can shoot the ball, but he's on the court because he can defend numerous people, and you can do a lot of different things with him,” Crean said. “When he's aggressive to the glass and aggressive defensively he can split out and challenge shots and keep the dribble in front of you, he's really, really important to have on the floor.”

 

When a guy like Blackmon goes down, Anunoby had to make the choice pretty quickly to fill the position. Seniors like Yogi Ferrell note Anunoby’s importance, even if Anunoby doesn’t exactly realize it yet.

 

“I think OG's awareness has gone up tremendously,” Ferrell said. “Being aware of what you need to do offensively and what you need to do defensively. I think that's sky rocketed for OG. Definitely was a quicker turnaround than I think people thought.”

 

Simply stated, IU was presented with a challenge to fill Blackmon’s role, and Anunoby stepped up to that challenge. If IU wants to keep winning, it is going to have to continue to look to guys like Anunoby to fill in the missing pieces.

 

In his first few games, Anunoby was given some chance to get comfortable on the floor and figure out what he needs to improve. Without Blackmon, Anunoby has gotten a chance to really expand his abilities and show the team what he can really do.

 

“A guy with a 7'6" wing span can jump out the gym,” Ferrell said. “We saw his potential being as high as it can be. And I feel like O.G. has definitely stepped up in that way for us.”

 

Anunoby has come a long way so far this season, and one thing to remember, the season for IU is only half way over.

[url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/iu-finds-missing-piece-with-og-anunoby-r300]Click here to view the article[/url]

[hoosierpap 14,300]

I was dead wrong about this kid. Not that I didn't believe in his ability/potential but I do remember questioning the time of the signing. IU then lost DD, HMP, and EH. Great to have OG, again, I was dead wrong.

[mdn82 25,510]

This kid has been the pleasant surprise of this class.

[Brass Cannon 24,506]

I was wrong sort of. Thought we'd be seeing glimpses of this next year with a coming out part his junior year

[OliviaPope40 6,488]

He sure has proved me wrong. 

[Demo 19,756]

Really liked him when I saw in HS. Reminded of some of those crazy long kids that Boeheim used to recruit who were way under the radar but always made his zone pretty impenetrable.
But it never occurred to me that he would be a rotation player this year. No chance. Just amazed by his adaptability and intelligence. The kid just doesn't force anything. Love him.
Btw: anybody else notice that point yesterday where he was standing next to Troy before a FT and had maybe 2" on him?

[chitown hoosier 743]

Some were questioning the committ. A 3 star from Missouri. Why not get a kid from Indiana over him. Yada yada yada. But he averaged some crazy stat like 20 pts/10 rebounds in high school. He was also tall, athletic and could shoot. I had high hopes that by sophomore year he could really start contributing. I'm happy that he's doing that his freshman year. Now I'm really excited how he's going to contribute the rest of his IU career.

[Old Friend 8,389]

I'm happiest for him.  His skill set is such that many were saying he is tne "next Oladipo" and things like that.  I talked to some AAU coaches who knew him, and all said "he's ready in the lower body, not yet in the upper body."    He's obviously done some work, and he's ready now.  A great athlete who has terrific spacial awareness, understands his role, and just plays with little fanfare.   I hope he's not disappointed anyone because he wasn't an immediate factor.

 

And he'll only get better.   Happy for him, and have to compliment Crean on this one because he's the kind of kid Indiana can succeed with long term.  I'd take 8 of him.

[Old Friend 8,389]

Some were questioning the committ. A 3 star from Missouri. Why not get a kid from Indiana over him. 

For the record, statements like this have been erroneously made for a long time.   (And I know I'm someone who's said to focus on the midwest many times).   As far as I know, the comment has never been made relative to "kids from Indiana" exclusively.  And certainly not with him.  Personally, my beef is with the "focus" on the east coast."  I don't happen to agree with that en lieu of a more local one, but that horse is dead.  

 

in fact, I know for sure I defended OG when we signed him because people were making pretty lofty comparisons, and I said to be careful and just let OG be OG because nobody needs to be "the next _________."    This is a midwestern kid who plays like a midwestern kid, understands the game, and doesn't need the ball to be successful.  If we get THIS kind of kid, we'll win the way we all want to win.  

 

I don't think it's a coincidence - given our recent success, despite the couple of weeks when we were awful  - that we don't seem to have any kids right now with low basketball IQ.   That we're playing defense, that we're sharing the ball, that we're taking good shots, that we're making other players better, that we're getting on the floor after loose balls consistently, that we're no longer standing around on offense, etc.  We have kids who understand the game and we have experience.  Those things are pretty important, and it's obvious OG has been taught all of those things prior to arriving at Indiana.

 

I think this comment is straw man.

[chitown hoosier 743]

For the record, statements like this have been erroneously made for a long time. (And I know I'm someone who's said to focus on the midwest many times). As far as I know, the comment has never been made relative to "kids from Indiana" exclusively. And certainly not with him. Personally, my beef is with the "focus" on the east coast." I don't happen to agree with that en lieu of a more local one, but that horse is dead.

in fact, I know for sure I defended OG when we signed him because people were making pretty lofty comparisons, and I said to be careful and just let OG be OG because nobody needs to be "the next _________." This is a midwestern kid who plays like a midwestern kid, understands the game, and doesn't need the ball to be successful. If we get THIS kind of kid, we'll win the way we all want to win.

I don't think it's a coincidence - given our recent success, despite the couple of weeks when we were awful - that we don't seem to have any kids right now with low basketball IQ. That we're playing defense, that we're sharing the ball, that we're taking good shots, that we're making other players better, that we're getting on the floor after loose balls consistently, that we're no longer standing around on offense, etc. We have kids who understand the game and we have experience. Those things are pretty important, and it's obvious OG has been taught all of those things prior to arriving at Indiana.

I think this comment is straw man.

I'm sorry if I you think I was targeting you. I wasn't. I was just stating that there were people killing Crean over his recruitment of OG. Mainly the fact that he was just a 3 star kid that nobody ever heard of. I'm just happy we have the kid on our team instead of Iowa. It would've sucked to face this kid 4 years in the b1g.

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

For the record, statements like this have been erroneously made for a long time. (And I know I'm someone who's said to focus on the midwest many times). As far as I know, the comment has never been made relative to "kids from Indiana" exclusively. And certainly not with him. Personally, my beef is with the "focus" on the east coast." I don't happen to agree with that en lieu of a more local one, but that horse is dead.

in fact, I know for sure I defended OG when we signed him because people were making pretty lofty comparisons, and I said to be careful and just let OG be OG because nobody needs to be "the next _________." This is a midwestern kid who plays like a midwestern kid, understands the game, and doesn't need the ball to be successful. If we get THIS kind of kid, we'll win the way we all want to win.

I don't think it's a coincidence - given our recent success, despite the couple of weeks when we were awful - that we don't seem to have any kids right now with low basketball IQ. That we're playing defense, that we're sharing the ball, that we're taking good shots, that we're making other players better, that we're getting on the floor after loose balls consistently, that we're no longer standing around on offense, etc. We have kids who understand the game and we have experience. Those things are pretty important, and it's obvious OG has been taught all of those things prior to arriving at Indiana.

I think this comment is straw man.

OG's success has nothing to do with where he is from. Period. Missouri is no basketball Mecca. Stahp.

[Old Friend 8,389]

OG's success has nothing to do with where he is from. Period. Missouri is no basketball Mecca. Stahp.

Disagree with this on a macro level.  The argument is bigger and more detailed than simple geography, and we don't need to have it again.  

[hoosierpap 14,300]

Disagree with this on a macro level.  The argument is bigger and more detailed than simple geography, and we don't need to have it again.  

This I can agree with. But feel like we have a different view on it. It isn't about geography. It just isn't. It's about the program and coaching you're coming from. There are good programs on the east coast, west coast, midwest, south, Indiana, Canada etc. There are bad programs on the east coast, west coast, midwest, south, Indiana, Canada etc. It's about identifying them. 

 

 

If you want to quantify the number of quality programs on the east coast vs the midwest producing your type of player you can if you want. You can try to make it about geography. But to say you can't get top quality players off the east coast is silly. It's about the program and coaching. You have to identify them and find the right fit, but they exist everywhere. 

[Demo 19,756]

This I can agree with. But feel like we have a different view on it. It isn't about geography. It just isn't. It's about the program and coaching you're coming from. There are good programs on the east coast, west coast, midwest, south, Indiana, Canada etc. There are bad programs on the east coast, west coast, midwest, south, Indiana, Canada etc. It's about identifying them. 
 
 
If you want to quantify the number of quality programs on the east coast vs the midwest producing your type of player you can if you want. You can try to make it about geography. But to say you can't get top quality players off the east coast is silly. It's about the program and coaching. You have to identify them and find the right fit, but they exist everywhere.

The question on OG's HS coaching is actually kind of an interesting one.
Jeff City is a pretty mediocre program in a really mediocre conference. OG probably didn't play against 5 D-1 players in his entire career. His coach was a guy named Blair Thompson, who has no reputation at all state-wide. But he was on the staff of Kim Anderson, the Mizzou Coach, at CMSU for a while. And Mizzou's problems aside, Kim Anderson is a really smart Coach, kind of a Jim Crews type. So my guess is that he was better coached than a lot of kids from higher profile programs.

[IndyHutch 1,718]

What I like about OG is simply that when you watch him play it's almost as if you're growing with him. You can see how far he has come and you know how much farther he can go. If he has made this kind of jump since the end of the non-conference season which isn't even a month's worth of time yet, can you imagine what his ceiling could be? I'm not one of those who is ready to say he's the next Oladipo because I just don't think that's right. Why put that kind of pressure on anybody. But I do think he has the potential to average in double figures, get five or six rebounds a game and make this team better on defense. I would take those kinds of numbers any day.

[hmhernan 90]

I was wrong sort of. Thought we'd be seeing glimpses of this next year with a coming out part his junior year

I agree, with the way the season started, I never thought OG would be averaging 7 points in the Big Ten. It's been fun to see him develop as a player thiis season, so I can only imagine how much he will improve once this season ends. 

 

If Blackmon was never injured, I'm not sure Anunoby gets this much playing time in the Big Ten, but nevertheless, people are starting to realize he has potential and he has been making a difference.

[hmhernan 90]

Some were questioning the committ. A 3 star from Missouri. Why not get a kid from Indiana over him. Yada yada yada. But he averaged some crazy stat like 20 pts/10 rebounds in high school. He was also tall, athletic and could shoot. I had high hopes that by sophomore year he could really start contributing. I'm happy that he's doing that his freshman year. Now I'm really excited how he's going to contribute the rest of his IU career.

I think the injury to Blackmon might have been the best thing for Anunoby, to really realize his potential early on.

 

He's taking advantage of his opportunities right now. Everyone expected Thomas Bryant to come out and be the big man for IU, and I think Anunoby was overlooked at first. 

[hmhernan 90]

I'm happiest for him.  His skill set is such that many were saying he is tne "next Oladipo" and things like that.  I talked to some AAU coaches who knew him, and all said "he's ready in the lower body, not yet in the upper body."    He's obviously done some work, and he's ready now.  A great athlete who has terrific spacial awareness, understands his role, and just plays with little fanfare.   I hope he's not disappointed anyone because he wasn't an immediate factor.

 

And he'll only get better.   Happy for him, and have to compliment Crean on this one because he's the kind of kid Indiana can succeed with long term.  I'd take 8 of him.

Anunoby certainly hasn't been a disappointment for me to watch. Seeing how far he's come, in just a month, shows he definitely has big things ahead of him. 

 

He has continued to improve from seeing a few minutes in non-conference, to really making an emergence in the Big Ten, and IU still has a lot of game left. I'm excited to see how much he can still improve during the rest of the season this year.  

[HoosierAloha 30,058]

What I like about OG is simply that when you watch him play it's almost as if you're growing with him. You can see how far he has come and you know how much farther he can go. If he has made this kind of jump since the end of the non-conference season which isn't even a month's worth of time yet, can you imagine what his ceiling could be? I'm not one of those who is ready to say he's the next Oladipo because I just don't think that's right. Why put that kind of pressure on anybody. But I do think he has the potential to average in double figures, get five or six rebounds a game and make this team better on defense. I would take those kinds of numbers any day.

 

This!  He also just seems to be taking it all in.  He seems like a kid who will make a big play but isn't excited about the big play he made, rather he wants to go watch film on the plays he made a mistake on.  You get the sense from him that he isn't as satisfied about his play as fans.  You get the sense that, while playing well, there is so much more he will be able to do in the future.  It's great we're in a position where he can come off the bench for limited time and not be relied on as a frosh.  I'm extremely excited to follow his career and watch him grow.  We got a good one in OG!

[Beowulf50 816]

I was high on OG early on but got killed for it "lack of upper body strength" they said! I have not posted for a long time because of all the negativity.

Go IU!