Indiana got an informal start to the Darian DeVries era Wednesday night, coming away with a 98 – 47 victory over Central University of Bayamon. See the full box score below:
Now the first thing to notice here is all but two scholarship players saw significant action in this exhibition, in part because of how much more talented and athletic the Hoosiers were than their competition. This was not representative of what Indiana fans should come to expect when the real season rolls around.
That’s the point of exhibitions though, to get players some experience together, and for some guys, their first taste of post-high school ball. That was the case for Trent Sisley tonight, who led Indiana with 21 points, going a perfect 3 for 3 from beyond the arc.
This isn’t to say there won’t be a learning curve for the freshman, and there will be stiff competition for minutes up and down the roster, but it’s good to see him playing with so much confidence so early in his career. This is what you hope for when you sign a kid from a program like IMG.
Also notable tonight were Tucker DeVries team-high seven assists. When the season starts, expect him to look more like a shooter, but as one of the leaders for this brand new squad, it’s good to see him getting his teammates involved early.
As a team, Indiana attempted 33 3-pointers, hitting just nine. Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson accounted for 20 of those attempts on their own, a good sign for two guys who have shot well over the courses of their careers.
While it likely wasn’t the team’s real offense (the game was not televised), it’s clear that this is a new-look Indiana team, emphasizing shooting and ball movement on the offensive end.