Indiana Basketball: Player Preview

In the lead up to Indiana’s basketball season, Hoosier State of Mind is previewing IU’s players. First up is junior Yogi Ferrell.

2013 stats: 17.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.6 TPG, 41.3 FG%, 40.0 3P%

As a sophomore, Ferrell went from being just a cog in the wheel to one of the team’s leaders. He became Indiana’s leading scorer and a legitimate three-point shooter in the process, and at most times last year, he was IU’s lone and best offensive option. But as good as Ferrell was, he couldn’t do it on his own.

When you really think about it, Ferrell didn’t have much help around him. Will Sheehey underacheived as a starter. As a big man, Noah Vonleh needed someone to get him the ball in order to be effective on offense. Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson were just freshman getting adjusted to the college game, and the likes of Austin Etherington, Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Mosquera-Perea just weren’t good offensive players.

So, the onus was on Ferrell to not only score but get others involved as well. Talk about exhausting. There were plenty of times when the ball ended up in Ferrell’s hand with the shot clock running down and he had to force up a bad shot because the offense was so ineffective.

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This year though, things should be much easier for Indiana’s floor general. Help has arrived in the form of prized freshman James Blackmon Jr. Blackmon Jr. will score, therefore drawing attention away from Ferrell. Williams and Robinson are going to be better and the addition of Nick Zeisloft should get the Hoosiers to spread the floor.

Ferrell should be able to get back to playing like he did as a freshman — more of a facilitator rather than a scorer. I’m not saying he won’t score. He certainly can and will. All I’m saying is that the pressure to carry the offense shouldn’t keep him awake at night. You saw this during the Hoosiers’ games in Canada. Ferrell averaged 15.4 points (less than his 2013 average) and 4.2 assists (more than his 2013 average) per game. Others — namely Blackmon Jr. and Williams — were able to put up plenty of points. Ferrell’s scoring will still be needed this year, but it won’t be the most important facet of his game.

Feb 15, 2014; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Yogi Ferrell (11) brings the ball up court against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeats Indiana 82-64. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

As far as things to improve on, it’s turnovers and mid-range jumpers. Ferrell gave the ball away 2.6 times per game and that’s simply too many. I expect that number to go down because Ferrell shouldn’t have to have the ball in his hands as much this season. Last year, he was the team’s only qualified ball-handler. The introduction of Robert Johnson, Blackmon Jr. and Zeisloft should ease the burden on Ferrell.

Ferrell has showed he can attack and make threes, but anything from the mid-range has been rocky. It’s time he became a complete offensive player. Ferrell made just 31.2% of his two-point jump shots. If he wants to take his game to the next level, he needs to be able to come off the pick-and-roll and make jumpers a la Russell Westbrook. This is the next step for Ferrell and it would add a dangerous element to IU’s offense.

To close, this is Ferrell’s team. He’s the top dog and the rest of the Hoosiers will follow his lead. If IU wants to get back to the NCAA tournament he will need to be Indiana’s best distributor, leader and on-the-court teacher.

2014-15 Prediction

14.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.0 TPG, 46.4 FG%, 41.3 3P%

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Indiana Basketball: Player Preview – Yogi Ferrell

By Kyle Grand | Oct 21, 2014