2022-23 Non-conference opponent preview: Jackson State

Indiana’s 2022-23 non-conference schedule was finalized on July 1 and Contained in the Corridor can have a team-by-team take a look at all 11 opponents. At the moment: Jackson State.

Within the third and closing sport of the Thanksgiving week Hoosier Traditional, Indiana will play Jackson State College in Bloomington on Friday Nov. 24. The Tigers, members of the Southwestern Athletic Convention, are coming off an 11-19 season with a 9-9 convention file.

This matchup will mark the second consecutive season Indiana will host Jackson State, because the Hoosiers posted a dominant 70-35 win final November. Nevertheless, rather a lot has modified for the Tigers since that matchup.

Probably the most notable modifications to the Jackson State crew comes within the type of a brand new head coach, Mo Williams. Williams, a Jackson native, was most not too long ago the pinnacle coach at Alabama State College, the place he boosted the Hornets into the highest 4 within the SWAC in scoring, assists, three-point discipline objective proportion, free throw proportion and blocked photographs.

Within the 2021-22 season, the Jackson State was final within the SWAC in scoring (61 ppg) and free throw proportion (63.4%). Williams’ arrival may show to be what the crew must rise to the highest of the convention.

Williams additionally holds 14 years of NBA expertise, by which he performed with a complete of seven groups. He made the most important impression with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the place he performed at first and finish of his skilled profession, each when Lebron James was on the crew in 2008-10 and when the Cavaliers received the NBA Championship in 2015-16.

Mike Woodson was teaching within the NBA throughout Williams’ taking part in profession, and the 2 would have seemingly crossed paths when Woodson was the pinnacle coach of the New York Knicks from 2011-14.

Williams is bringing with him junior Hint Younger, a former three-star guard out of highschool. At Alabama State, Younger averaged 11.7 factors and 5.4 rebounds per sport within the 2021-22 season. He entered the faculty scene as a participant with loads of potential, and after beginning his profession sturdy below Williams at ASU, it’s no shock he would need to proceed on along with his coach. Standing at 6-foot-8, Younger will be capable to contribute on each ends of the ground, so long as he can stay constant — one thing he’s struggled with previously.

Incoming gamers to observe moreover Younger embody level guards Chase Adams and Keionte Cornelius, who each have good ball-handling expertise and the power to attain on the rim and from past the arc.

Adams performed on the College of Portland from 2019-21 the place he averaged 6.2 factors and three.3 assists per sport. In 2021-22, he stepped away from Division I basketball to play at Salt Lake Group Faculty and was capable of finding his sport once more, enhancing to common 11.5 factors and 4.2 assists per sport.

Adams additionally went viral in center faculty after a YouTube video was posted exhibiting off his ball-handling expertise. He’s comparatively small at 5-foot-8, however has proven these center faculty expertise weren’t a fluke and that he can compete with anybody. Adams will reenter the Division I surroundings with extra expertise and motivation that may very well be simply what the Tigers want.

Final season, Cornelius performed at Schoolcraft Faculty, a NJCAA Division II faculty, and put up 25.6 factors and 4.5 rebounds per sport, whereas capturing 41.5 % from past the arc. Cornelius was initially dedicated to Alabama State, however introduced his dedication to Jackson State the identical day Williams was named the brand new head coach in March.

One other massive change the Tigers program underwent within the offseason was the departure of Jayveous McKinnis, who transferred to Ole Miss. McKinnis, who averaged 12.2 factors and led the Tigers with 10.1 rebounds per sport final season, was named 1st Group All-SWAC and SWAC Defensive participant of the 12 months for the third time after the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. He was the one Tiger to put up double-digit block numbers with a whopping 77.

Nevertheless, the lack of McKinnis doesn’t imply the Tigers received’t retain a few of their high gamers. Bart Torvik lists guard Jonas James III as returning to Jackson State, and as a captain within the 2021-22 season, James would carry expertise and confidence to the crew very like Younger. James averaged 8.2 factors and three assists per sport final season and performed within the inaugural HBCU All-Star sport in March. He additionally led the Tigers with 34 steals.

Ken Evans Jr., a 6-foot-5 guard who led the crew in 3-pointers with 35 as a redshirt freshman final 12 months, can be returning. He’ll be joined by Gabe Watson, who, whereas solely taking part in seven video games final season attributable to damage, averaged 14.9 factors per sport. Watson was the one Tiger to place up double-digits in opposition to Indiana with 13 factors.

As a complete, Jackson State will enter the 2022-23 season with most of its roster nonetheless intact. The lack of McKinnis will necessitate some restructuring and new methods, however that’s inevitable with a brand new head coach.

Indiana’s protection was in a position to stifle nearly every thing from Jackson State within the two groups’ final encounter, and the Hoosiers’ beginning 5 dominated offensively. Jackson State was largely outmatched, and it seems that tune could keep it up into this sport, as Bart Torvik places Jackson State at No. 244 within the nation heading into the 2022-23 season.

Identical to final 12 months, this matchup may very well be a time for Indiana to fine-tune what it must earlier than coming into the extra aggressive a part of its non-conference schedule. However with a brand new coach and a few new faces, the Tigers may make some waves within the SWAC.

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