21. Indiana
How long is Bob Knight likely to keep his new cool? Until his undersized squad, led by A.J. Guyton, comes up short
Posted: Wednesday November 18, 1998 02:15 PM
| |
Guyton leads the Hoosiers' perimeter-oriented attack. John Biever |
Granted,
it's early. But one can't help wonder whether Bob Knight is
finally mellowing. After a summer spent hunting, fishing
and golfing
all over the
country, the slimmed-down Indiana coach was scarcely recognizable
at preseason practices. More teacher than tyrant, he
eschewed obscenity and raised his voice loudest to razz New
Jersey Nets forward Brian Evans, a former Hoosier who was
working out in
Bloomington during the NBA lockout. "He might be going kind of
easy on us now," says junior point guard A.J. Guyton.
"We'll see what happens after we lose a few
games."
That might take awhile. Though young, Knight's 28th team at
Indiana has four starters back from last year, including
Guyton, who spent his summer helping the U.S. win a gold
medal at the Goodwill Games. Also back is sophomore
swingman Luke
Recker, who
is so confident after holding his own
(sort of) against Michael Jordan at His
Airness's camp that he's considering turning
pro after the season. Those two potential
All-Americas will get help from hard-nosed guard Michael Lewis,
a starter last year, and
6'4" freshman Dane Fife, the younger, more talented
brother of former Michigan guard Dugan
Fife.
| |
| STARTING LINEUP |
| POS. | HT. | CLASS | KEY STAT |
| SF Luke Recker* | 6'6" | So. | 12.8 ppg |
| PF Lynn Washington | 6'7" | Jr. | 17.5 ppg** |
| C William Gladness* | 6'8" | Sr. | 54.2 FG% |
| SG Dane Fife | 6'4" | Fr. | 25.9 ppg† |
| PG A.J. Guyton* | 6'1" | Jr. | 16.8 ppg |
'97-98 record: 20-12
Final rank (coaches' poll): unranked
*Returning starter
**ppg as juco soph
†ppg as high school senior
|
|
|
If the backcourt is an embarrassment of riches, the
Hoosiers are impoverished on the blocks. With the departure
of center Jason Collier—a Norm Peterson regular in
Knight's doghouse, who transferred to Georgia Tech in the
middle of last
season—the
Hoosiers are left with
no
upperclassman taller than
6'8". That means force-fed minutes for Kirk Haston, a
6'10" freshman from Lobelville, Tenn. "We'll have
to play quick and help each other out on defense,"
says Guyton. "But I think we're headed in the right
direction."
A program that claimed two NCAA
titles in the 1980s, Indiana has won but one tournament
game since '94 and is overdue for a breakthrough season.
The strength of the guards will ensure that the Hoosiers
contend in the watered-down Big Ten, earn an
NCAA berth for the 14th straight year and perhaps even neutralize
Knight's Vesuvian temper. But unless Indiana can magically
spackle the chasm in the middle, its shot at a bigger
prize—like this team's
talent—is strictly outside.
—L. Jon
Wertheim Top 25 | Rest of the Best
|
