After getting an assist on a Sam Alexis dunk, Tayton Conerway was pulled back by Bethune-Cookman’s Jakobi Heady on the left block. At 6-foot-1, Heady had a clear three-inch advantage over the Indiana guard.
With his hands vertical, Conerway stood firm, not giving Heady an inch of room to maneuver. When Heady was out of options, the IU point guard made his presence felt with his voice. A Conerway without a headband shouted “yes” repeatedly, each louder than the last.
As a shot rang off the rim, Conerway stood up and took the miss. That 30-second sequence midway through the first half was a snapshot of the engine he brought to No. 25 Indiana’s 100-56 rout of the Wildcats on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“Great rebounding game for him,” IU coach Darian DeVries said after the game. “Great floor game for us.”
Conerway set the tone early, scoring seven of Indiana’s first fourteen points by turning defensive pressure into transition offense. The concerted defensive effort led to quick transition runs for the Hoosiers.
He finished with nine points and showed noticeable command of the offense.
“He does such a good job of getting guys involved, and he’s so creative with the ball,” Darian DeVries said. “And he also has incredible vision.”
Last year at Troy, Conerway averaged 3.7 assists per game, which powered the Trojan offense during his senior season. Darian DeVries and the Indiana coaching staff brought the Burleson, Texas, native floor general to a high-powered offense.
After starting the season with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3:1, Conerway struggled in Tuesday’s win against Kansas State. The normally confident point guard turned the ball over a career-high seven times. He was uncharacteristically sloppy with the basketball, earning two assists.
During his meeting with the media after Tuesday’s game, Conerway appreciated the media for going easy on him about his ball security issues.
“I appreciate you guys not asking about that turnover,” he joked as he stood up and left his seat.
During the transfer to Troy, everything was done to get back on track on Saturday. Conerway eliminated turnovers from his statistical line while assisting on five baskets. He could have taken shots to increase his point total, but opted for extra passes to teammates to get a better look.
“I thought he did a good job of coming back and taking care of the ball,” Darian DeVries said. “That was a little strange for him in the game against Kansas State.
“It was definitely a different type of pressure he saw today than Tuesday.”
Over the next two weeks, Conerway and the Hoosiers promise to test.
The easy portion of the non-conference schedule is largely complete and Indiana will face bigger schedules in its next four games. Two against Big Ten opponents, Minnesota and Penn State, and two more against ranked teams in Louisville and Kentucky.
“The games are going to get harder and harder,” Darian DeVries said. “When you get into the league it becomes even more amplified.”
Indiana has already proven it can frustrate opponents on both ends. Led by Conerway and fellow trash-talker Lamar Wilkerson, the Hoosiers never hesitate to get under the skin of a team with constant banter during the game.
Conerway’s infectious energy in Saturday’s first half drew a roar from the 12,192 in the building Saturday afternoon. Before the cheers could even die down, he was sprinting in the other direction, wide-eyed, quarterbacking a fastbreak and setting the tone for a team that fuels his spark.
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