For the most part, coach Darian DeVries says he likes the positional size on his first IU basketball roster.
But he acknowledged on Wednesday what has been discussed for weeks by Indiana fans and media alike — the Hoosiers are undersized at center.
IU has a couple open roster spots and could make a late addition or two, but based on the current team as assembled, the Hoosiers appear to have three players who could man the five next season.
The most likely candidate to start at center is 6-foot-10 and 230-pound Reed Bailey, who arrives from Davidson. Also in the mix are 6-foot-8 Sam Alexis from Florida, and 6-foot-8 Josh Harris from North Florida.
Of the three, Alexis is the only one who has demonstrated the ability to have a meaningful impact as a shot blocker. That includes an 8.6% block rate (3.2 blocks per 40 minutes) in 2023-24 for Chattanooga. He’s clearly got good timing, athleticism and instincts in that area.
But most of Alexis’ damage as a shot blocker has come against typically undersized mid-major and low-major opponents. And that’s part of the reason why DeVries isn’t expecting his first IU team to set the world on fire when it comes to blocking shots. That’s something he both isn’t hiding, and doesn’t seem particularly concerned about.
“I don’t anticipate us having great rim protection,” DeVries said Wednesday at an alumni event. “We’re a little undersized at the five spot, but there’s a lot of different ways to have rim protection. It isn’t always blocked shots. There’s a lot of ways to protect the rim.”
DeVries’ resume as a head coach supports the suggestion he can be successful without rim protection.
His 2023-24 Drake team had a 4.6% block rate, which was nearly the worst percentage in the nation — 353rd out of 362 teams. And yet Drake finished No. 73 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency that season. They finished the season 28-7, won their conference tournament, and earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Drake only had a 7.1% block rate in 2022-23, good for just 273rd. And still the Bulldogs finished with the No. 40 overall defense, won their conference tournament, and made the NCAA Tournament.
One clear way DeVries’ teams seem to combat a lack of rim protection is to emphasize defensive positioning such that second-chance opportunities are reduced. In his seven seasons as a head coach, DeVries’ three-worst shot-blocking teams were his three best at not allowing offensive rebounds.
Indiana fans saw some variation of this chess game with Trayce Jackson-Davis under two different coaches. He was tasked with staying home and focusing on positioning under Archie Miller, and unleashed as a shot-blocker under Mike Woodson.
Defensive rebounding has been a strength for several players on IU’s roster, including Alexis, who was 43rd in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage in 2023-24, and Harris, who was 279th as a freshman this past season. Some of that positional size, with players like Jasai Miles, who ranked 276th in defensive rebounding percentage, should also come in handy.
Obviously rim protection is just one variable for DeVries as he seeks a functioning team for November. And its only one aspect of one end of the floor.
Offense — namely perimeter shooting and ball movement — seem to have been the major points of emphasis in building this roster.
Bailey shot 41.5% from three a season ago while posting 3.8 assists per game. He’ll be a floor-spacing threat in multiple ways away from the paint.
Alexis is a career 59% shooter from two, while Harris was 57.7% as a freshman. Both Alexis and Harris have shown the ability to at least serve as threats from beyond the arc, and they both have posted national top-100 seasons in offensive rebounding rate.
Are they undersized? Yes. But the new head coach likes the potential of his frontcourt — especially on the offensive end.
“Actually, I feel really good about the five,” he said. “I like the guys we have, I think they fit how we want to play offensively. I think they have the ability to really have the ball in their hands and be facilitators and playmakers. I think we have good depth there. I like what those guys are going to bring.
“There’ll be nights that they’ll be undersized on the defensive end, but there’s a lot of a lot a lot of ways to offset that. Size doesn’t always determine how effective you can be as a defender or offensive player so the right mindset goes a long ways and I think our guys will bring that mindset.”
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