The Indiana basketball program is going to look a whole lot different with many new faces coming in this season plus the new versatile style of play that is expected to take place.

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

Earlier this offseason, we took a look at all the new players in our Indiana basketball Newcomer Focus series. Now, we will focus on the guys that will return for Mike Woodson and Indiana this upcoming season.

For today, we take a look at sophomore forward Malik Reneau and look back at last year plus his role for the 2023-2024 Indiana basketball season.

Other Players in this series: Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal

Last Season Reflection

Malik Reneau came into last season as the second player in back-to-back offseasons to commit to Indiana under Mike Woodson in the spring after decommiting from a previous school.

Due to a coaching change, Reneau decommited from Florida and reopened his recruitment which then allowed Mike Woodson the opportunity to bring him to Indiana. Reneau would come on a visit to Indiana after helping lead Montverde Academy, alongside former Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, to the 2022 GEICO High School National championship.

While on his official visit in Bloomington, Reneau would commit to Indiana. This commitment was one of the biggest in the Mike Woodson era because at the time, it was uncertain if Trayce Jackson-Davis would be returning to the Hoosiers for his senior season.

When it was announced that Jackson-Davis would be returning to the Hoosiers last year, the idea of a front court rotation that featured him, Reneau, and Race Thompson was an exciting one.

For the majority of this past season, Reneau was often the first big off the bench for Indiana subbing in for either Thompson or Jackson-Davis. He would appear in all 35 of Indiana’s game last year which included three total starts.

Reneau averaged 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds and 14.9 minutes played per game. He also shot 55.3 percent (89-of-161) from the field.

Four of his first five career games resulted in double-digit points, however once he got into Big Ten play, his production was inconsistent. He would have just three double-digit outings his remaining 30 games and had eight games with two points or less.

The transition to the college level from the high school level was a learning curve for Reneau. The potential was shown all season long but there were obvious areas that Reneau really struggled in.

Arguably, the biggest struggle for Reneua last season was foul trouble. In the 35 games he appeared in, he averaged 2.5 fouls per game. He led the entire Indiana basketball team in personal fouls last season.

Last year, many saw just a sample size of what the Miami (Fla) native could do. Reneau stuck to more of what Jackson-Davis was doing on the floor.

When on the floor last year, Reneau often played the role that either Jackson-Davis as well as Thompson was assigned. What was great about Reneua’s skillset was that he was versatile enough to be placed in almost any role he was assigned.

While he was not able to show off his full skillset for what he was recruited for, Reneau did a overall good job of filling any role he was asked to do last year. The defensive inconsistency was a struggle, but the long-term offensive potential was very high.

More: Player Q&A: IU basketball forward Malik Reneau discusses offseason development

Role for 2023-24 Season

Coming back for his second season in Bloomington, Reneau returns as the most experienced front court player for this Indiana basketball roster. While bigs such as Anthony Walker and Payton Sparks may have been in college longer, Reneua is the only front court player that knows what to expect when it comes to Mike Woodson’s system.

Reneau’s role for Indiana this season is going to look much more increased. He, alongside Kel’el Ware and the other Indiana front court pieces, are going to have help fill the void that is left with the departures of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson.

The sophomore will be looking to show more of his all-around game this upcoming season.

While last season Reneau played more of the role that Jackson-Davis was playing, this season, fans should see his versatility on the offensive end a lot more. He’ll be looking to stretch the floor, push the ball in transition and much more that modern day power forward does in today’s game.

Reneau has been working extremely hard on his overall game this offseason.

“Having individual workouts every day with my trainer and just working on the things that we need to work on like rim-running, posting up hard, catch-and-shoot threes, trail-threes, pull-up stuff like that,” said Reneau earlier this summer. “Just trying to mix up all types of games and work on my strong suit, posting up, working on my hooks too. Just working on everything every time I step on the court.”

For Reneau to take that next step for Indiana this season, he will need to show more consistency on the defensive end. Reneau has a chance to be Indiana’s best front court piece next season and foul trouble from Reneau could be really troublesome for the Hoosiers.

What made Jackson-Davis such an elite big was that he was extremely disciplined and versatile on the defensive end and was able to defend without fouling. If Reneau to going to fill any part of that void, he will need to improve in that area.

“Some of the things I need to improve on is being able to defend on the perimeter, which I have been in the gym working on my defensive side, really guarding the smaller guys when I switch onto them,” Reneau said. “Trying to defend and stay away from putting my hands on the defenders and picking up those ticky-tack fouls. Just being aware of what I am doing on the court and understanding that I can get those ticky-tack fouls when I put two hands on a defender.”

You should also see a lot of pick-and-roll action from Xavier Johnson and Reneau this upcoming season. The pick-and-roll game that Johnson and Jackson-Davis did over the past few years was extremely affective for the Hoosiers and with Reneau’s talent and skillset, he should be able succeed in that role just as well.

To sum it all up here, Reneau is one of the key pieces for Indiana basketball next season. Reneau has a lot of weight on his shoulders to lead the front court of Indiana and if he can develop into that leader while also bringing his game to that next level, he could be a big factor into the success rate of the Hoosiers next season.

Notable Quotes

“Being able to do everything on the court and this year I think I’ll be able to do that and show a lot more of my game,” Reneau said during media availability earlier this summer. “Being able to step out and shoot the three ball, grab it off the rebound and push it. Just doing all the stuff that I am used to doing and just making it where I’m not making a lot of mistakes when I am doing it. Pushing the ball in transition, posting up, shooting threes, you know all that stuff. I just want to be able to show my all-around game.”

“Being a leader on the team since we are bringing in so many people. Helping out the other players with the defense… like X (Xavier Johnson) or Gallo (Trey Galloway),” Reneau said. “Being one of those guys cause I understand the defensive side and know what coach Woodson wants us to do. Being a guy they can look to to help them out when there’s a defensive breakdown and need help to understand something.”

SEE ALSO: ‘Our team is going to be a defensive team no matter what’: Malik Reneau looks to build on Mike Woodson’s defensive philosophy in year two with Indiana basketball

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