With the beginning of faculty basketball season approaching, we’ve moved from our take a look at different Large Ten packages to our player-by-player previews of the 2024-25 Indiana roster.
Right this moment, our participant profiles proceed with sophomore Gabe Cupps.
Beforehand: Bryson Tucker, Jakai Newton, Myles Rice, Mackenzie Mgbako
Gabe Cupps was thrust into a bigger function than anticipated as a freshman at Indiana.
The No. 94 participant within the 2023 class – based on the 247Sports Composite – Cupps was anticipated to be Indiana’s backup level guard.
Nevertheless, the 2022 Mr. Basketball in Ohio performed main minutes as a result of accidents to Xavier Johnson. Johnson, IU’s fifth-year level guard, was out and in of the lineup for many of the season.
Slightly than easing his method into the rotation, Cupps performed in all 33 of IU’s video games as a freshman and made 22 begins. He was one in all 5 freshmen within the Large Ten to begin 20 video games. His manufacturing, nonetheless, was a lot decrease than you’d anticipate for a participant logging that many minutes.
The 6-foot-2 guard from Centerville, Ohio, averaged 2.6 factors, 1.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and .7 steals. He shot 35.9 % on 3s (39 makes an attempt), 36.7 % on 2s (49 makes an attempt) and 61.5 % from the foul line (13 makes an attempt).
Cupps scored in double figures as soon as as a freshman, in a 104-76 blowout loss to Auburn. In three of IU’s last 4 video games final season, he went scoreless regardless of logging a median of twenty-two minutes in these contests.
Slightly than enjoying with the aggressiveness he displayed in highschool, Cupps was timid offensively. He hardly ever seemed to create a shot for himself. Defenses knew Cupps wouldn’t be an offensive risk, usually making it look like the Hoosiers had been enjoying 4-on-5.
“I really feel like I used to be just a bit bit passive, not as aggressive as I ought to be,” Cupps mentioned at media day final month. “Coach Woodson made it very clear that he needs me to be aggressive. Even final season, he was telling me to be aggressive however I type of felt like I used to be in a job on the staff already. I feel I improved on that this summer time and hope to hold it into the season, too.”
Well-known for arriving early to the gymnasium and staying late, Cupps used the offseason to refine his shot.
Whereas the change won’t be simple to identify when the season begins, the Ohio native moved his left hand extra on the facet of the ball. He mentioned the transfer got here after conversations with the assistant coaches, Woodson and his father, Brook Cupps.
The slight tweak of his shot mechanics required numerous hours to grow to be comfy with the change.
“I modified my kind on my leap shot just a little bit, simply to make it extra constant,” he defined. “That’s in all probability the largest factor. That requires 1000’s, tens of 1000’s of reps.”
He additionally emphasised “enjoying and speaking with confidence” over the summer time. With Indiana’s guard rotation modifications, Cupps ought to have a extra clearly outlined function as a sophomore. Myles Rice would be the staff’s start line guard and the Hoosiers even have Trey Galloway and Kanaan Carlyle, who’re each able to enjoying the place.
Cupps is hungry to indicate he’s a much more succesful contributor in yr two, no matter how usually he performs.
“I really feel like I’ve simply been like chomping on the bit ever since final season,” he mentioned. “That’ll get a competitor going, a season that you just really feel such as you didn’t do very effectively personally, you didn’t do very effectively as a staff, like that’ll get someone going who actually cares concerning the recreation, cares about what they’re doing.”
Backside line: Cupps is a frontrunner for Indiana basketball on and off the ground. The minutes he logged final season will likely be precious for his long-term growth. His minutes per recreation will go down as a sophomore, however not many groups have a backup level guard who averaged greater than 20 minutes and made greater than 20 begins. Whereas his numbers might by no means stand out on a stat sheet, Cupps is a competitor who’s invested in staff success above all else.
Quotable: “I feel simply coming in, enjoying a number of minutes and never enjoying to what I do know I can play, enjoying as much as that potential, I feel that has motivated me all through the summer time to simply preserve getting higher. I feel simply getting these minutes underneath my belt has been actually necessary for me, too. Simply to really feel extra comfy across the teaching workers, really feel extra comfy round my teammates, it’s going to do nothing however assist me.”
Media day interview with Cupps:
Filed to: 2024-25 season preview, Gabe Cupps
