Indiana Basketball Returner Focus: Sophomore Guard Gabe Cupps

The Indiana basketball program is going to look a whole lot different with many new faces coming in this season however, they will bring back a very strong returning core from a season ago.

While there are many new faces to the program, the Hoosiers will return six players with the experience to help lead the new group.

While we will be looking at every player for the upcoming 2024-25 Indiana basketball season, we are going to kick things off with our Indiana basketball Returner Focus series looking at all the returning stars for the Hoosiers.

For today, we take a look at sophomore guard Gabe Cupps and look back at last year plus his role for the 2024-2025 Indiana basketball season.

Other Players in the Series: Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako

Watch: Talkin’ Bout the Hoosiers: 2023-24 Indiana basketball Player Recaps – Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps & Jakai Newton

Last Season Reflection

The 6-foot-2 guard out of Centerville, Ohio came into the Indiana basketball program as already one of the fan favorites on last year’s team. Coming to Indiana a few years prior to coming to Bloomington, Cupps grew as a strong advocate when it came to supporting the program before he even put on a jersey for Mike Woodson.

Going into his freshman season, it was expected by many that it would be more of leaning year than anything for the young guard. The thought going in was that he was going to be taken under the wing of senior guard Xavier Johnson, playing behind him in spot minutes, really leaning what it takes to be a Big Ten guard and the main ball-handler for a top tier program.

Very early in the season, the role that Cupps was expected to be in changed in an instant.

When injures occurred to Xavier Johnson once again, Cupps was thrusted into the starting back court along with Trey Galloway. His first start occurred in December vs Maryland and would go onto to start in a total of 22 games for Indiana basketball as Xavier Johnson was inconsistent when it came to being available for the Hoosiers.

With an already very depleted back court, Cupps was forced into a situation that in all honesty, he was not ready for. However, Cupps was forced to learn in real time as Indiana basketball really nowhere else to turn when it came to guards. In 33 games, the freshman guard averaged 2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists. He would average 21.7 minutes per those 33 games, much more playing time than he was originally expected to get his first season.

Regardless if Cupps was ready or not, Mike Woodson opting to insert Cupps into the starting lineup last year when Johnson went down showed the trust that he had in his young guard. Even though this was not the plan ahead of the season, it was valuable experienced that Cupps was going to gain no matter what.

Even when Johnson was healthy enough to play, Mike Woodson opted to keep Cupps as one of the starting guards. He would start the final 12 games of the season.

“Gabe is giving us everything that I thought he would give us,” Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson said last season. “He was coached by his dad, who did a hell of a job with that young man in high school. And, it’s been a nice carry-over into his freshman year because he’s not very big, he hasn’t shot the ball like I thought he would shoot, but again, I think that will come in time.

“But the fact that he competes, man, that’s a big part of playing this game. You gotta be a competitor and want to compete and he leaves it out there on the floor when he’s out there.”

Cupps was a player that was obviously trying to find himself on the floor last season. Even if Cupps was not technically ready for the moment and was just a little hesitant at times, you could never question his toughness and competitiveness on the floor when he was in.

It was a rough, challenging freshman season for Cupps, but the experience he got was only going to benefit him heading into his sophomore season with Indiana basketball. He embraced the challenge of being one of the primary lead guards for the Hoosiers as a freshman, and honestly did the best he could in the situation he was put in.

Role for 2024-25 Season

Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

Cupps was one of the six players that opted to return to Indiana basketball for another season, which really came as no surprise given how much he loves the program. The great thing for Cupps coming into his sophomore season is that the pressure he had his freshman year, is not there this time around.

Even with Cupps, Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal and Jakai Newton all returning for the Hoosiers this upcoming season, Mike Woodson literally had no choice but to go out and upgrade the guard position in the transfer portal. He did that with adding Washington State guard Myles Rice and Stanford guard Kanaan Caryle. The addition of those two dynamic guards gives Indiana’s back court so much more depth and the most amount of depth that Mike Woodson has had during his tenure as head coach of the Hoosiers.

No matter what the depth looks like, Gabe Cupps still has himself a role for this upcoming season. Even though he is only a sophomore, he technically is one of the more experienced guards on this Indiana basketball roster due to the role he was forced to play last season. When you start 22 out of 33 games played as a freshman, you automatically get experience at this level.

When looking at the specific role for Cupps next season, you can pretty easily say that unless a situation calls for it, Cupps will not be a starter in the back court for the Hoosiers. With guards Trey Galloway, Myles Rice, and Kanaan Caryle ahead of him when it comes to the depth chart, Cupps will be one of the key rotation pieces off the bench for the Hoosiers. The amount of minutes he will play will be way less than the 21.7 he played his freshman season, but that is not a bad thing at all because it tells you just how much more improved Indiana’s back court is. If Cupps can play 10-14 min a game, you know Indiana back court rotation is in good shape.

Where you want to see Cupps improve in his ability to be a shooter and playmaker. He freshman season, Cupps was pretty hesitant to get a shot off at times and would often pass up good looks and when he did get a shot off, he only went 14-for-39 (35.9%) from three. The percentage was not terrible as a freshman, but the volume from his spot on the floor was not ideal. Cupps, during his high school days, was known as one of the best playmakers at that level so if he can improve in that area and become a player that can not only create for others but for himself as well, that adds yet another dynamic piece for the Hoosier back court.

From seeing offseason workouts, Cupps has noticeably gotten bigger and has looked to have added more strength and size to his frame. The improvement in his frame is going help him a ton when it comes to going at the high level guards he will be going up against this upcoming season. It will also help him become a more sturdy defender and will pair well with his competitive fire on that end.

The pressure for Cupps next season is not as high as it was his first year in Bloomington, which is going to be a great advantage in a lot of ways. Cupps got a lot better in letting the game come to him and with a little more limited role next year, it will allow him to play his type of game.

The potential for Cupps is still as high as it was to be a top tier guard in the Big Ten for years to come.

Notable Quotes

“He’s got one of the best work ethics I’ve ever seen,” Calbert Cheaney said last season. “He’s just all about trying to be the best he can be. He’s not the biggest kid, he’s not the fastest kid, but he makes up for it with a huge heart and determination. And, that’s rare.”

“I think I’ve done a good job in practice of just coming consistently and pressuring the ball all the time,” Cupps said last season. “When I get out here, guys usually aren’t as fast or strong as X that I’m guarding every day in practice. I feel confident that if I can get up and pressure X every day, then I can come out here and pressure guys up the floor the whole time.”

“There’s a lot of room for growth, and the growth is he’s got to be able to make shots, and he’s going to be able have to have to run pick-and-rolls where he can find the spots where the ball needs to go,” Woodson said last season. “Defensively, he’s been fine in that regard. He picks things up, you know, fairly quickly. But you know, those are the things coming down — as a sophomore, junior, senior, those are areas where he’s got to grow more. I think eventually he will. He’ll get there.”

SEE ALSO: One question facing all 12 Indiana basketball players entering the summer

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