By MVC correspondent Brian Doolittle
There’s been no shortage of great players coming through the Indiana State men’s basketball program over its 124-year history. Jordan Barnes is poised to join the ranks of these elite players in Terre Haute.
For head coach Greg Lansing, it’s crucial that Barnes makes that leap to greatness if his Sycamores are going to be a winning team this season.
“We know we want to turn the program around. I take it personally that I want be the guy that gets the program in the right direction,” Barnes said.
Barnes, a 5-11 junior guard, was voted the Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved Player last season. He made a significant leap from his freshman season, averaging 17.2 points per game while making 117 shots from 3-point range on 42 percent shooting.
Barnes made just one less 3 than Oklahoma superstar and current NBA rookie Trae Young, who played one more game.
“The last couple years weren't good enough, and we need to get back up where we belong and contending for championships,” said head coach Greg Lansing. “ We’ve talked about that with Jordan, being a leader for us.”
Lansing, in his ninth season, lost three starters from last season’s 13-18 (8-10 MVC) team. He believes Barnes can trigger the program’s turnaround after a rough past couple of seasons.
The Sycamores were picked to finish sixth in the MVC preseason poll, which would be a duplicate of last season’s finish.
“We lost those close games last season in the last couple minutes. We didn't handle things the right way. Winning those games comes with toughness and playing for each other. And that is all on me,” Lansing said.
Barnes said: “Having been in those situations myself, I can lead the newer guys in those situations when that times comes.”
It was not all gloom last season, as the Sycamores made headlines with a 21-point early-season victory over Indiana at famed Assembly Hall. Indiana State drilled 17 shots from 3-point range in that game, which set a new mark for a visiting team.
Oh, and they also beat Final-Four bound Loyola - at their place. It was the only home game that the Ramblers lost the entire season.
Barnes should not be a one-man show this season. His primary sidekick will likely be sophomore guard Tyreke Key. A player who has drawn ample intrigue over the past two years, Key had a sluggish, yet impactful, freshman season. He averaged 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, but shot only 36 percent.
When asked about his progress, Key emphasized that he’s “being more vocal than I was last year. Talking more has really came far for me.”
He added: “A lot of games came down last year to two or three plays that decided the game. I think this team has the pieces to get over those stretches.”
With his transition season behind him, expectations are high for the Tennessee high school legend. Key scored 37.3 points per game as a senior at Clay County High School in Tennessee. He scored 54 points in a state tournament game.
“We have a lot of new faces, but starting with these two guys (Barnes and Key) they know what changes we have to make,” Lansing said.
“If people don’t know about him (Key), they’re going to find out. He can score in a variety ways and is very dynamic,” Lansing added. “He lives in the gym, and wants to be good and wants to work for his team, just like JB.”
Lansing lost Brenton Scott, Qiydar Davis (10.7 ppg) and Brandon Murphy from last season. Scott averaged 14.5 points and finished as the program’s fourth leading scorer.
Newcomers include graduate transfer 6-7 guard Allante Holston, from North Texas, and fellow transfers Christian Williams and 6-4 guard Cooper Neese. Williams and Neese become eligible following the fall semester.
Neese, a redshirt freshman, is the seventh leading all-time scorer in Indiana high school basketball. Williams, a 6-5 junior guard, has Lansing excited because of his versatility and could crack the team’s rotation quickly.
Lansing has a career mark of 133-126. He was previously an Indiana State associate head coach beginning in 2006. He has solid support from his current associate head coach, Marcus Belcher. In his eighth season under Lansing, Belcher seems on track to be a head coach somewhere soon himself.
The Sycamores open the season at Ball State on Nov. 6. It will mark the 133rd time these programs have clashed. Indiana State’s first MVC game will be quite a test when they play at Loyola on Jan. 2.
A program rich in history, Indiana State will celebrate its finest moment when it celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1978-79 team that reached the national championship game. The festivities take place on Jan. 19 at the Hulman Center when they host Loyola.
That team went 33-1 before losing the title to Michigan State in the highest-rated NCAA tourney game broadcast ever. Ever heard of Bird vs. Magic?