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BLOOMINGTON – Jeremiah Rivers faked an alley-oop toss toward the rim and then smiled as he passed the ball to 5-foot-10 Daniel Moore during layup drills.
It was a light moment in a night filled with them.
Indiana officially opened the 2009-10 basketball season with Hoosier Hysteria on Friday night at Assembly Hall.
“Tonight we have fun,” Indiana coach Tom Crean told the crowd of 13,321. “Tomorrow we work.”
The Hoosiers held a three-point contest (which Crean ruled a tie between Matt Roth and Jordan Hulls).
Steven Gambles won a slam dunk contest via fan vote. Some of the judges in the early round included women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack, baseball coach Tracy Smith and former IU basketball player Brian Evans.
There was also an exhibition against the musical group Straight No Chaser (complete with an appearance during a break by Jared Fogle from those Subway commercials).
“We won six games last year, we have to win every game we can win,” Crean said jokingly.
The night ended with a 15-minute team scrimmage.
“The whole team is excited. It’s great to see (the fans) all come out and support us,” Rivers said. “Even through a year like last year, it was real tough, they are still here. Even more than they were last year. It’s amazing. We’re real proud of that and happy to be at Indiana.”
Rivers had a unique perspective on last year’s 6-25 season. He sat and watched as the losses piled up, unable to play because of transfer rules.
“It was tough last year watching the team go through that, being part of that, it was real tough for everybody,” the junior said. “For me, especially, it was a good year to work on my game and come in this year and help the team get those (wins).
“I’d be here early in the morning with (assistant) coach (Tim) Buckley and (assistant) coach (Roshown McLeod) and late at night, 10 or 11, really just working on the post game, three-point shooting; really all areas of my game to come out here and be solid overall for the team.”
The son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Jeremiah has been impressed with what he’s seen from the team’s six freshmen during workouts.
“They have come in here with a great attitude and ready to work,” Rivers said. “I’ve been real surprised to see how much they want to get better and help this team. It’s been real good for us.”
Rivers averaged 18.6 minutes during his last year at Georgetown, averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds.
“I think I could lead this team. I got some good experiences at Georgetown,” he said. “I want to carry those over here at Indiana. It was a rough year last year, and this is a whole new year for us. I think it will be a fresh start, and I’ll be able to help them through difficult times and good times as well.”
Note: Practice is open to the public at 4 p.m. today.
