Collin Hartman’s Season Recap: The Ultimate Glue Guy
By Brian Fox
Indiana’s proverbial “glue guy” had another strong if unspectacular campaign
To the casual basketball fan, it may have been a questionable decision for Tom Crean to make Collin Hartman a starter for most of the season. After all, Hartman only contributed 4.9 points and three rebounds per game. So what makes Hartman so valuable to the Hoosiers?
For starters, there may not be a more hard-working player on Indiana. Hartman had never been known as the type of player who can create his own shot by driving to the hoop, so he spent his offseason getting himself in the physical shape necessary to be that type of player. He surprised both opponents and his own teammates with his increase in versatility, especially important because his three point percentage dropped to just 36.5 percent (not bad, but worse than his usual lofty standards).
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Even with Hartman’s offensive improvement, his defense is still what earns him so much court time. In the past, Hartman had primarily been used as a four or sometimes even as a five in small-ball lineups. But this season Hartman was able to guard well on the perimeter, too. This gave Crean the freedom to play bigger lineups, a rare luxury for Indiana. Hartman was one of the guys who really bought into to the Hoosiers’ rededication to defense, and helped improve that unit by leaps and bounds.
Hartman did get himself into trouble a fair amount by simply being too aggressive. If it seemed like Hartman was in foul trouble a lot, it’s because he was. Only five players in the Big Ten committed more fouls than Hartman’s 100. Even Thomas Bryant, who seemed to perpetually be in foul trouble during the Big Ten season, didn’t foul quite as often as Hartman. That’s really the next step for Hartman–understanding the nuances of defending a little better, and playing more under control on that side of the ball.
“Glue guy” is one of those basketball clichés that gets thrown around a lot, referring to guys who hold the team together by doing all the little things well. Even though it’s such an overused term, I can’t help but use it to describe Collin Hartman’s impact this past season. He’s not always going to overpower people with superior talent, but he absolutely will outwork anyone he has to. And yes, at his best he is yet another deadeye shooter that teams have to deal with. The Hoosiers will once again be loaded with wings and frontcourt players next year, but expect Hartman to continue to play a prominent role thanks to all that he brings to the table.