IU Indy Jaguars MBB 2024-25 Preview

0
639
Photo courtesy of IU Indianapolis Athletics

A new name, a new coach, a new strategy

“What came first; the chicken or the egg?”

That trite query is often used as a metaphor to debate situations that insinuate where you have to determine cause and effect.  In my such case, it’s determining Indiana University Indianapolis finally having success and/or a fanbase.  Because, historically, they’ve had neither.

Matt Crenshaw had the best of intentions when he arrived at the school a few years ago, but for various reasons, could never develop anything past neutral.  I laid that out on a post in which I analyzed statistics to a somewhat overbearing degree, yet also addressed how his player choices were questionable, as he focused almost exclusively on defensive attributes for his team, yet his best overall performance was in his first season, where they ranked 300th.

As such, he got fired, and the program, in a rare display of gusto as opposed to apathy, hired Paul Corsaro from the university on the south side as part of an effort to finally shake off the anathema and convince both the students and the general population of Indianapolis that yes; this school does have an athletic department!

Certainly, the team couldn’t be possibly worse than they were last season, where they just had pitiful offensive output and couldn’t shoot from beyond the charity stripe, while insisting a defensive effort would be enough to stop the bleeding. The catch is that while Corsaro exudes a lot of confidence to the point he would run through a wall and has the records to back it up at the Division II level, there is a difference between coaching a program that has success and coaching at a program where success has been nonexistent (of course, don’t tell him that; he’s only concerned about the here and the now, not the statistics of yesteryear).

Good news finally came for the athletic department for a change during the offseason; the program is finally building a new arena on the site of the old Indianapolis Tennis Center, which will keep the team on campus and give the athletes a chance to use their own facilities and not have to share with gym freaks over at the White River; a huge boost in recruitment.  This also can help with getting small and mid tier events booked for the school for revenue, like, say, the Division III National Championship Game.

But for IU Indianapolis, it’s one thing to think about using the venue for non-Jaguar events; it’s the idea of making the Jaguars good enough so that when the Jaguars do play there, people actually do want to see them.  And perhaps one day, host tournament games in which the Jaguars will be successful enough to be a top seed.  In order to get there, the team has to learn to crawl before they can walk.  With that, let’s see if Corsaro’s strategy of plucking a bunch of Division II and JUCO players will pay off this year.

The Players

Paul Zilinskas – One of Corsaro’s many Division II transfer players, and one of his poaches from his former University of Indianapolis, Zilinskas should easily vouch for a starting position with the stats he had at UIndy and Quincy during his college career, averaging 12.5ppg with 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists.  A graduate student, this is going to be his last season regardless, so Corsaro is going to make it count for him.  My Outlook: Expect Zilinskas to be an important player in the rotation.

Alec Millender – Another Division II transfer, this one from Wayne State, Millender averaged 13.2ppg, with 3.2 rebounds.  His accuracy was around 44.6% overall for the Warriors, so could do a little better with his shots.  Regardless, I feel like he’s going to make the starting rotation.  My Outlook: Millender is going to start a lot of games this year.

DeSean Goode – A high school recruit from Fairmont, West Virginia Senior High School that also attended Fork Union Military Academy, he led Fairmont to back-to-back Class AAA state titles in the WVSSAC with an average of 18.4ppg.  However, because he’s a freshman, there’s a chance he could be benched… which is what I would say, had there been better players in the forward position.  I think he should see time depending on the situation.  My Outlook: We’ll see if Goode plays this season, and if he does, he may surprise you.  If not, wait a year or two.

Jarvis Walker – Another of Corsaro’s UIndy mercenaries, he started most games for the Greyhounds and averaged 13.3 points per game, and had an impressive 43.8% average from downtown, which will be needed for a team that was atrocious at 3 pointers the past few seasons.  I don’t want to assume every player from UIndy is automatically locked to the starting position, but because Walker is one of a small handful of guys with actual Division I experience from Purdue Fort Wayne, you really want to hook him up.  My Outlook: Walker is a starter, hands down.

Ron Rutland III – Another high school recruit, and a local guy this time, Rutland helped the Crispus Attucks Tigers win two straight City Tournaments, upsetting the mighty Cathedral in 2023, and was a top 10 state prospect thanks to setting and breaking school records that Oscar Robinson held; somebody that a program like IU Indy needs to encourage the local eyes.  But… he’s also a freshman, so I expect him to be redshirted just to avoid him being tossed to the wolves.  However, unlike Goode, I may see them rescind that if the team suffers the injury bug this season.  My Outlook: Don’t look for Rutland unless they have to break the glass.

Briggs McClain – Briggs is pretty much the one transfer that legit has Division I experience, having played at Manhattan and Hartford, being part of the Hawks program that made the NCAA Tournament for the first time (and was immediately rewarded by being demoted to Division III).  After a breakout 2022-23 season that was the last year for Hartford in D-I, he struggled to get time with the Jaspers.  Unlike most of the players so far, and despite Corsaro’s glowing praise, McClain is easily the first player I can say is going to be firmly planted as a benchwarmer, likely a guy that helps the other talent during practice but will only get garbage time.  My Outlook: McClain will be lucky to appear in stat sheets.

Sean Craig – Craig had some amazing stats… in high school. As part of UIndy, however, he has had to fight to get on the floor.  The good news is that his accuracy is amazing; though it comes with the caveat of having too small a sample size to verify if it’s truly skill or lucky.  It comes down to Craig just following Corsaro to IU Indianapolis rather than staying at UIndy where he would gamble getting additional play time or getting shut out by the new coaching system, and it’s highly unlikely things are going to change at IU Indy with Corsaro for Craig.  My Outlook: Craig is a warm body, pure and simple.  Being a forward doesn’t mean he’s going to beat out freshmen.

Drew Kegerreis – He is another local boy, from Roncalli High School, and he was brought in almost exclusively for his 3-point skills.  Again, as a freshman, he’s not going to see much, if any, action on the floor this season, but maybe next year, he’s going to be IU Indy’s secret weapon.  My Outlook: At least we knew we had a problem and are trying to fix it.

Caleb Hannah – Again, a transfer, albeit from the juco ranks, Hannah spent the past year at Miami Dade College, and before that was a top-30 prospect from Illinois.  Caleb’s nearly 50% accuracy last season won’t be enough to earn the starting role, but he will get minutes throughout the season and likely can come in clutch at key moments.  My Outlook: Keep your eyes out on Caleb, alright?

Nathan Dudukovich – Likely going to be a nightmare for the intern who has to fill in for Greg Rakestraw on some nights, Dudukovich is, say it with me; another Division II transfer!  GMAC’s Freshman of the Year from Rockhurst, Dudukovich is definitely going to be one of the few non-UIndy players in consideration for a starting role.  My Outlook: Nathan is going to be relevant for the Jaguars this season.

Keenan Garner – Redshirting freshmen is going to be a thing… for the guards.  But for the forwards, I think they’re going to see some play, as between Garner and Goode, there’s a chance they may show something unless they decide he’s had enough before the Horizon League.  A member of the 2024 Indiana All-Star roster and a player who led the Fishers Tigers to their first Class 4A Championship, Garner should bring an immediate impact to the program.  My Outlook: Garner will see some action throughout the year, but I won’t be surprised if he’s shut down before conference play.

Ajay Holubar – Oh, Jesus… this poor guy.  Look, he’s probably nice and everything, but in a purely analytical sense, he’s one step above the Gatorade bucket.  He’s scored eight points total last year.  Much like Sean Craig, he followed Corsaro over to IU Indianapolis, but I swear, he’s going to be lucky to get eight minutes total this season.  My Outlook: Some people at the school or online are probably going to turn him into a meme and beg he plays.  I’m not going to be that mean.

Ebenezer Ogoh – A Canadian import, he started at Harcum College last season, making him the second JUCO transfer on the squad.  Stats-wise, they’re fine, with the exception of his 61% rate from the free throw lane.  I doubt IU Indianapolis will be in a position to get many opportunities to shoot from the charity stripe, nor do I think Ogoh will be on the court that often to be the player to get that chance, but at least it’s food for thought.  My Outlook: Ogoh’s not going to play much, but when he does, it should at least matter.

Julian Steinfeld – Trust me guys, this is the final UIndy transfer.  Steinfeld’s stats, overall, are much better than Holubar’s, but he’s basically got the attributes of a reserve player who shows up when the team has a comfortable lead.  Most likely will help out with rebounds and blocked shots more than anything else as a defensive role for the squad, so that is pretty much his slot.  My Outlook: Steinfeld is going to be a primary defender for the Jaguars.

Timaris Brown – Finally, we’re done with transfers.  Brown was named to the GLVC All Second Team in 2024 and the All Freshman Team the year prior.  Stats are amazing, especially for a forward.  Do I think he’ll be a starter?  I don’t know, I’m not Paul Corsaro.  But I would definitely consider.  My Outlook: Timaris Brown is going to be vital for this team’s success.

Luke Peters – I don’t know how many other ways I can say “guy’s a freshman, he’s gonna be benched”, but that’s what’s likely going to happen to the Heritage Christian grad.  I feel bad for not going further for the last fella on the list, but what else can I say for an All-City kid? Unlike some of the other guys, he’s a forward that definitely will sit out. My Outlook: Wait for 2025-26.

What Do I Think Will Be the Starting Roster?

I’m not the coach, but based on what I’ve said, here’s how I believe the roster will look when the team plays the IU Columbus Lions on November 4th.

Forward – Timaris Brown

Forward – DeSean Goode

Guard – Paul Zilinskas

Guard – Alec Millender

Guard – Jarvis Walker

Note that the Jaguars have two centers in Ogoh and Steinfeld but they’ll be situational.

Outlook

The Jaguars have, as usual, a Quilted Northern soft schedule designed for a school that almost always rests comfortably at the very bottom of Quadrant 4.  They only face Iowa State (#6 in the NET rankings) and Xavier (#64) as far as schools that would benefit the Horizon League if the Jaguars win, and predictably, both those games are going to be blowout losses for the school.  Schools like Coastal Carolina (#319) and Florida International (#294) are more to the speed of IU Indy.

Conference play will see the team struggle, as usual, against most of the teams, but that’s to be expected when at least four of the other 10 schools seem to have their act together.  It’s seeing if Corsaro has the ability to keep the team motivated through rough patches.  I think 4 wins is worst case, 10 wins is best case for the first year.

Leave a Reply