Indiana basketball practices start with coach Tom Crean instructing players to tilt their heads toward the rafters.
"He has us look up at the banners and tells us we're going to win one one day," sophomore guard Verdell Jones III said recently at Big Ten media day in Chicago.
Like Jones said, it's hard to ignore tradition at Indiana, which won five national championships in its glory days.
But Indiana is as far from a title as the Assembly Hall hardwood is from the banners dangling from the ceiling.
Read: Tom Crean opens 2nd season IU with lighthearted approach to Hoosier Hysteria
In his second season with the Hoosiers after leaving Marquette, where he recorded nine 20-victory seasons, Crean sees a foundation being laid in Bloomington.
"The best thing for all of Indiana is we're on the upswing," he said. "When we're in practice, when we're recruiting, when we're planning, we feel good about the direction, and the team is getting better. The program's moving forward."
The Hoosiers finished last season 1-17 in the Big Ten. They challenged teams like Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State and even Michigan State in games, but their lone conference victory came against Iowa.
"We carry ourselves with a lot more confidence," Jones said. "Even though we lost games, we still had confidence we could win them."
With Jeremiah Rivers cleared to play after sitting out a season following his transfer from Georgetown, the Hoosiers have a bona fide playmaker. Crean's first full freshman class also arrives to add depth to last season's leaders in Devan Dumes (12.7 points per game), Jones (11.0) and Tom Pritchard (9.7).
To make strides in the Big Ten, which is projected to be the best it's been in a decade, the Hoosiers need to cut down on turnovers and improve on free-throw shooting.
Read: IU Basketball: Found In the Madness
Ultimately, Crean wants the Hoosiers to exemplify ball movement.
"Some coaches take away practice jerseys, some coaches take the locker room away when they're not playing well, we took the dribble away [at one practice] because we were a dribble-abusive team," Crean said.
Jones said he thought fans were sympathetic toward the Hoosiers' woes last season. Crean said they were probably more empathetic.
The goal eventually is to raise and meet the expectations for Indiana basketball.
"The one thing that became very apparent last year to our guys is that it's a constant quest and desire for improvement," Crean said. "If it's practice, individual instruction sessions ... during the mornings or at night, that they are constantly being monitored and measured and pushed and prodded to get better."
"He has us look up at the banners and tells us we're going to win one one day," sophomore guard Verdell Jones III said recently at Big Ten media day in Chicago.
Like Jones said, it's hard to ignore tradition at Indiana, which won five national championships in its glory days.
But Indiana is as far from a title as the Assembly Hall hardwood is from the banners dangling from the ceiling.
Read: Tom Crean opens 2nd season IU with lighthearted approach to Hoosier Hysteria
In his second season with the Hoosiers after leaving Marquette, where he recorded nine 20-victory seasons, Crean sees a foundation being laid in Bloomington.
"The best thing for all of Indiana is we're on the upswing," he said. "When we're in practice, when we're recruiting, when we're planning, we feel good about the direction, and the team is getting better. The program's moving forward."
The Hoosiers finished last season 1-17 in the Big Ten. They challenged teams like Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State and even Michigan State in games, but their lone conference victory came against Iowa.
"We carry ourselves with a lot more confidence," Jones said. "Even though we lost games, we still had confidence we could win them."
With Jeremiah Rivers cleared to play after sitting out a season following his transfer from Georgetown, the Hoosiers have a bona fide playmaker. Crean's first full freshman class also arrives to add depth to last season's leaders in Devan Dumes (12.7 points per game), Jones (11.0) and Tom Pritchard (9.7).
To make strides in the Big Ten, which is projected to be the best it's been in a decade, the Hoosiers need to cut down on turnovers and improve on free-throw shooting.
Read: IU Basketball: Found In the Madness
Ultimately, Crean wants the Hoosiers to exemplify ball movement.
"Some coaches take away practice jerseys, some coaches take the locker room away when they're not playing well, we took the dribble away [at one practice] because we were a dribble-abusive team," Crean said.
Jones said he thought fans were sympathetic toward the Hoosiers' woes last season. Crean said they were probably more empathetic.
The goal eventually is to raise and meet the expectations for Indiana basketball.
"The one thing that became very apparent last year to our guys is that it's a constant quest and desire for improvement," Crean said. "If it's practice, individual instruction sessions ... during the mornings or at night, that they are constantly being monitored and measured and pushed and prodded to get better."
