‘That just leaves spaces for guys like me to come in there and shoot’: Luke Goode shared insight into his role and much more on the new look IU Basketball

When Mike Woodson took over as the head coach of IU Basketball he emphasized the importance of shooting, so when his teams struggled to shoot from three over his first three years it was a big disappointment. That and other weaknesses were the focus for Woodson this offseason as he looked to address them this offseason.

Lucky for Woodson, there happened to be a 6-foot-7 sniper in the portal who’s a career 38.8% three-point shooter and also comes from an Indiana background. It was the perfect match as Woodson got his shooter and Luke Goode found a new home he had strong ties to after leaving Illinois after three seasons.

“My dad played football [here], my mom went to school [here], and my brother’s actually at school here now. So it was one of those things,” Goode said during an interview with The Sleepers during their Draftapalooza NBA Draft Live Show. “I helped win a couple of championships at Illinois, got my degree, and it was time to move on and I went to a spot that I’ll have a lot of opportunity and fill a big need for a team that has the potential to be really good next year.”

The need Indiana had for a shooter stuck out to him as he knew he would fill a big role for IU Basketball. Woodson has always wanted to space the floor but has not had the shooting to do so consistently in his first three years.

Luke Goode to play the Miller Kopp role for IU Basketball

© Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Not only did the style of play Woodson preached appeal to Goode, but it was also his potential role.

“[Woodson] compared my game to Miller Kopp. Miller came from Northwestern as a spot-up guy and turned him into somewhat of a playmaker being able to go off the dribble, come off ball screens,” Goode said. “Obviously my goal is to play at the next level so to be able to do that I feel like my game’s got to expand.”

Both at 6-foot-7 Kopp and Goode’s game resemble one another and their roles in Woodson’s system will likely be very similar. Goode has primarily been a catch-and-shoot threat and that will likely continue, but he will also have more responsibilities when he has the ball in his hands.

Similar to when Kopp played for IU Basketball, the team will once again have a dominant force in the paint to help open the floor for shooters. For Kopp, it was Trayce Jackson-Davis, for Goode it will be Arizona transfer Oumar Ball and Malik Reneau dominating the paint.
That potential spacing was another thing that stood out to Goode when he entered the portal.

“I saw them get Ballo and I played with Kofi [Cockburn] and I know how much space he creates,” Goode said. “Teams have to double especially with Malik [Reneau], too. Malik and Big O together, that’s tough so now you got teams trying to pack it in and that just leaves spaces for guys like me to come in there and shoot.”

The lack of shooting on the roster disabled the half-court offense for IU basketball at times last season. When teams would double Reneau or Kel’el Ware, there was not a play that could consistently hit shots when the Hoosiers passed out of the double teams that came.

After adding Ballo in the transfer portal, Woodson wanted to make sure he would not have that problem again especially since he would likely be starting to post players once again. In today’s game, you need to space the floor on offense and the addition of Goode gives IU basketball just that.

RELATED: IU basketball needed shooting and found it in Luke Goode — ‘He’s shown he can make shots’

Despite only being with Woodson for a short period, Goode had a lot of praise for his new coach.

“I know [Coach Woodson] gets a lot of hate but I think he’s one of the better coaches I’ve been coached by already,” he said. “He knows what he’s doing. He really respects relationships and everybody loves to play for him.”

Goode’s feelings about Woodson are not an uncommon one from his players. Internally Woodson is loved by his players, but the external pressure and a disappointing season last year have led to the unrest about Woodson from a large portion of the fanbase.

A big part of last season’s struggles was the lack of shot-creators off the dribble. Woodson and his staff made sure to address that need with the additions of Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle in the portal.

“Myles [Rice] is special. He is tough. I like him a lot. He’s gonna be a really good player and Kanaan [Carlyle] is gifted too. He’s super quick, he’s probably the second fastest player I’ve played with other than Terrence [Shannon Jr.] in terms of having the ball in the open floor,” Goode said.

“It’s gonna be fun to play them for sure because they can both pass, too. Myles averaged 15 last year and he comes into practice and we run fives and he’s getting five, six, seven, eight assists a game so he’s special.”

Rice averaged 3.8 assists per game last season, but that number could easily skyrocket with the talented players around him.

Playing with two guys who can both create shots off the dribble for themselves and their teammates was another thing that intrigued Goode.

He knows he won’t have many opportunities to create for himself, so having teammates who can get him good looks consistently was a big selling point for Goode.

Goode also had high praise for another guard who has somewhat gone under the radar this offseason after playing a big role a season ago.

“Gabe [Cupps] is one the most personable guys I’ve ever met in my life. The day that I got to campus he was the first person I talked to, the first guy I hung out with. We get dinner probably 3-4 times a week,” Goode said. “He’s just that dude, he’s in the gym before everybody working out and he’s the last to leave in the locker room.”

As a freshman, Cupps was thrown into the fire due to injuries and Goode praised him for that. While his numbers weren’t great, Goode emphasized the difficulties of playing as a freshman and how much it’ll help his development moving forward.

With the additions of Carlyle and Rice, Cupps’ role for next season is a bit murky, but he figures to be an important part of IU Basketball moving forward.

With the new arrivals comes high expectations for IU Basketball and Goode is accustomed to expectations after winning two Big Ten Championships with Illinois. Now in Bloomington, he’ll look to add another to resume with the Hoosiers.

“My favorite thing to do is win championships and I think this team has a good chance to win a championship this year.”

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