The 2019 edition of Hoosier Hysteria could've very well resembled the quickly approaching Indiana Men’s Basketball Season.
Both being full of intrigue, surprise and a world of unknown.
A new-look roster with no Juwan Morgan or Romeo Langford -- along with a new McDonald’s All-American and a graduate transfer -- made for a different looking group on Saturday afternoon. There was also a stage entrance to the court, a new addition to traditional Hoosier Hysteria festivities.
And besides all that, topping it off was an unexpected fire drill, momentarily interrupting the team's introductions.
Following the introducing of sophomore guard Robert Phinisee, the fire alarm and a safety notification announcement came over the PA. Briefly, people started to file out the exits before being told to stay put.
The Hoosiers can’t avoid the fire drills as of late. Just a little over a year ago, the program had one during its media day before beginning the 2018-2019 season.
After the little hiatus, the real fun began.
Freshman @TrayceJackson set a high bar with his first appearance inside Assembly Hall, winning this year's #HoosierHysteria dunk contest.
?: @kurt_spitler #iubb pic.twitter.com/iSDShl7N3z
— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) October 5, 2019
Head Coach Archie Miller addressed the crowd with high praise for his players, the program and the fanbase before introducing Hoosier great Calbert Cheaney to the tune of a massive roar of the crowd.
“This team can be special this year,” Miller said. “Very, very special.”
The competitions featured juniors Al Durham and Jaelynn Penn winning the three-point competition, redshirt juniors Joey Brunk and Ali Patberg taking the skills challenge title and Trayce Jackson-Davis being the champion of the dunk contest.
Finally, a 15-9 scrimmage win for the Cream over the Crimson offered a glimpse of the roster and its capabilities.
Observations from the scrimmage
It’s tough to accurately evaluate a scrimmage, but the game still brought some insight on the roster.
Jerome Hunter was the biggest standout. After being officially cleared last week to participate in all basketball activities, Hunter wasted no time making his presence known. He moved fluidly around the floor with a nice drive and layup along with converting a smooth fadeaway jumper.
Joey Brunk could be a real force for this team. Brunk easily stood out being the biggest body on the floor while also dominating the boards. Brunk gave a lot of effort, including a put-back layup after his own miss and a nice block on Race Thompson on the defensive end.
Trayce Jackson-Davis asserted himself and looked little like a freshman. He had an emphatic dunk and ran the floor well. He also swatted a shot of the veteran Brunk. His play earned him a warm welcome from the fans.
Miscellaneous Notes
Following Trayce Jackson-Davis’ dunk contest win, he had an encore slam while wearing Calbert Cheaney’s No. 40 jersey in honor of him:
Victory dunk to honor the great.@TrayceJackson ? @calbertcheaney pic.twitter.com/N4ZWy7vUxa
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) October 5, 2019
A press release from IU Athletics was sent out during the event stating that no serious injuries were sustained during the first week of practice, but Phinisee, De’Ron Davis and Devonte Green were held out of the scrimmage.
A number of recruits were on visit.
- 2020 Indiana commitments, Anthony Leal (Bloomington South) and Trey Galloway (Culver Academies) were on official visit.
- 2021 priority target for Indiana, Khristian Lander, a five-star point guard of Evansville Reitz High School was on official visit as well. He officially visited Louisville last week.
- Other in-state 2021 targets, Caleb Furst (Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian) and Trey Kaufman (Silver Creek) were both on unofficial visit. Both players are considered four-star prospects, are consensus top 100 prospects and play the power forward position.
Indiana will have four new walk-ons as part of the roster this season. Adrian Chapman, a senior guard and 2016 graduate of Brownsburg High School, was announced as a new walk-on today, hours before Hoosier Hysteria. Chapman joins junior Jacquez Henderson, who was announced as part of the team last week, junior Cooper Bybee and freshman Nathan Childress. Last year, the Hoosiers also had four walk-ons.
