Scouting Notes: Florida Gulf Coast

IU basketball gets its 2023-24 season underway on Tuesday night as it welcomes in Florida Gulf Coast to Assembly Hall.

Indiana enters this season after a 23-12 record last year.

Florida Gulf Coast is coached by former Penn State head coach Pat Chambers. He enters his second year on the sidelines for the Eagles after a 17-15 record in year one. Last season, they were one of the slowest teams in the country, with an adjusted tempo of 66.2 rating in KenPom, ranked No. 226 in the country. They ranked 175th in offensive efficiency with a 104.9 rating. The Eagles also shot just 43.7 percent from the field. Defensively, the Eagles ranked 196th in defensive efficiency with a rating of 106.0 — also allowing opponents to shoot 43.5 percent from the field. Overall, they are ranked 185th in KenPom entering the season.

Here is a deep dive into some of the challenges Florida Gulf Coast could give the IU basketball program.

Key Players:

The Eagles’ success starts and ends with point guard Isaiah Thompson. The former Purdue guard was a preseason All-Conference selection after averaging 14.9 points and 3.2 assists last season. Thompson, while the leading scorer for FGCU, wasn’t efficient. He shot just 38.3 percent from the field and only 39.2 percent on 2s. He is still best known for his ability to shoot 3s — a career 38.4 percent shooter in 128 games. He had 21 games with at least two made 3s, including 10 games with at least four makes. He also had 10 games with 20+ points. In total, 58.6 percent of his shot attempts and 59 percent of his made field goals last year came from three. Indiana needs to do a good job of running Thompson off of the three-point line and force him inside the arc. He has good quickness to get into the lane, but that’s not what he wants to do.

Alongside Thompson in the backcourt is Chase Johnston. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is a terrific shooter as well. He’s a career 38.4 percent shooter from three in 88 games between Stetson and FGCU. Last season Johnston primarily came off of the bench and was second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg). Like Thompson, the majority of his shots — both attempts and makes — come from three. 60.1 percent of attempts and 54.3 percent of his makes are from three. For his career, he averages 2.9 made 3s per game. He also had 21 games with multiple made 3s, including eight games with at least four makes. Most of Johnston’s work comes off of the ball. He has a terrific release, one that is quick as well. If he’s run off of the three-point line, he tends to utilize a floater from around 15-feet. Johnston is not someone who likes a lot of contact — nor seeks it out. He only averaged 1.3 free throw attempts per game last year and had 18 games without attempting a single free throw.

Zach Anderson returns in the front court and brings with him a very versatile skillset. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game a season ago. He has the versatility to play out on the perimeter and has the touch to keep the defense more than honest, too. He shot 37.3 percent from three last year on 2.6 attempts per game last year and shot 40.6 percent from three the year before. Anderson has the skillset to take someone off of the dribble as well as play with his back to the basket, however. He has good length and a strong frame to convert in the paint. Anderson is very efficient all around the court. He converted on 47.9 percent of his attempts last year, including 52.7 percent on 2s. He also had seven games with at least four assists, seven double-digit rebounding games and scored at least 15 points in eight games. Indiana needs to force the ball out of his hands before he gets into the lane, or he’ll be able to cause some fits with IU’s weak side rotations through two exhibitions.

Andre Weir plays next to Anderson in the front court and has great size at 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds. While Weir has some ability to stretch the floor, he’s best used near the rim. Most of his best work is done on offensive rebounds — averaging nearly three per game. His offensive rebound rate last year was 13.6 percent. For reference, IU basketball forward Trayce Jackson-Davis had an offensive rebound rate of just 12.1 percent last season. Weir had the highest usage rate for the Eagles last season at 26.9 percent.

Key Tendencies:

FGCU is going to slow things down and make sure possessions are long and drawn out. As noted above, they ranked 226th in tempo a season ago and ranked 238th in average length of possession (18.1 seconds). In the half court, it’s going to be live or die by the three-ball. The Eagles ranked 13th in the nation last year with 38.3 percent of their points coming from three — with 45.1 percent of shot attempts coming from beyond the arc — attempted 26 3s per game. Because of that, they aren’t a very aggressive team attacking the basket. They ranked just 267th in points off of free throws (16.9 percent).

Defensively, FGCU is a solid and athletic team that can cause some issues when it comes to creating plays for others. They will force opponents to beat their defender off of the dribble and score for themselves — sometimes with no help at all until you get to the rim. A key for Indiana has been three-point shooting. The Eagles held opponents to just 33.4 percent from three last year. Typically, there won’t be many ‘non-steal’ turnovers against the Eagles — just 7.3 percent of turnovers last year.

Projected Starters:

G- Isaiah Thompson (Senior; 6-1, 170)

2022-23 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 3.2 apg, 37.6% 3pt

G- Chase Johnston (Senior; 6-2, 185)

2022-23 Stats: 12.7 ppg, 37.3% 3pt

F- Dakota Rivers (Senior; 6-8, 208)

2022-23 Stats: 5.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg

F- Zach Anderson (Junior; 6-7, 205)

2022-23 Stats: 11.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 37.3% 3pt

F- Andre Weir (R-Junior; 6-10, 265)

2022-23 Stats: 9.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg

Key Newcomer:

F – Keeshawn Kellman (Princeton: 7.9 pts, 4.5 reb in 16.9 min last season)

Key Notes:

• FGCU picked 2nd in the A-SUN Coaches Poll
• The Eagles return 10 players from last season
• The Eagles held opponents to to 61 points or less in 12 games last season (10-2 in those games)
• They set a program record in non-conference play with a 10-3 record last season
• Pat Chambers has three wins (one in Bloomington) against Indiana
• IU basketball is 19-1 against teams currently in the A-SUN conference

SEE ALSO: Mike Woodson previews IU basketball opener against FGCU

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