Thomas Bryant Answers Indiana’s Biggest Offseason Question
By Edward Koton
After anxiously waiting, Thomas Bryant has finally confirmed to Hoosier fans that this upcoming season has the potential to be better than the last.
Former McDonald’s All-American Thomas Bryant will be returning to Indiana next season for his sophomore season. He will be postponing his jump into the NBA for at least one more year, as he will be coming back to help establish what could be Indiana’s best frontcourt in a long time.
Coming into this past season, Thomas Bryant’s commitment to IU left fans to acknowledge him as the “missing piece.” With a lack in talented frontcourt options since Cody Zeller, Bryant was the guy that could differentiate this team from those prior.
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This season seems to be much of the same. If Thomas Bryant had left for the NBA, there would have been a big seven foot tall, 250 pound gap on this roster. With Bryant returning, he can now once again be that “missing piece.”
In fact, he can be more than just a”missing piece.” Thomas Bryant could become a star.
Bryant started his freshman season off slow due to some injury troubles, but once the Big Ten season began he truly hit his stride. Game after game Bryant improved and at times he even showed that he had the ability to carry a team.
Bryant shot an almost impossible 68.3 percent from the field and averaged a respectable 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a freshman. His ability to handle the ball and work in the post only improved over time and for that reason he was able to play such a pivotal role in games down the stretch of the season.
With that said, no game of his was more satisfying and impressive than his 19 point performance against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. Bryant was the face of the game plan in that game, and he took it with pride.
Just based off his instagram posts alone, it appears this guy just gets it. Saying things like, “I love my guys and I love this program,” can only reassure a fanbase of this man’s passion for the team.
It’s that passion that probably helped Thomas Bryant avoid the “Noah Vonleh Syndrome,” and stay on campus for another year.
Alongside Bryant, sophomores Juwan Morgan and OG Anunoby, senior Collin Hartman and freshman De’Ron Davis will certainly make this team’s frontcourt the best in the Big Ten and will potentially make Indiana the favorites to repeat as Big Ten Champions.
It’s also important to note that Bryant will have the opportunity to play with another Huntington Prep graduate in Curtis Jones next season as Jones is arguably IU’s biggest offseason recruit.
Thomas Bryant was a third-team All-Big Ten selection this past season. Now, with his return to the program it would be surprising if he didn’t improve upon that selection and establish the best frontcourt in basketball alongside De’Ron Davis and the rest of the returning big men.
Now we wait for just one more crucial question to be answered…
Where will Troy Williams be playing basketball next season?