Now in the spotlight, Malik Reneau is next posterchild for Mike Woodson’s IU project

BLOOMINGTON – Malik Reneau said Thursday he was thrilled to watch former teammates Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis drafted into the NBA last week.

Reneau, who attended Jackson-Davis’ draft party in Indianapolis, called it “super exciting” to see his teammate learn of his professional future in real time. For Indiana fans, though, the person most important to the future of their program sitting in the room that night might have been Reneau.

From the moment his team’s season-ending loss to Miami was confirmed, IU coach Mike Woodson embarked upon an offseason of substantial change in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have added three freshmen and three more players from the transfer portal, and whether Woodson fills his lone remaining scholarship his roster will include at least as many new faces as returners next season.

Reneau stands among the most important of those back from last season. A regularly-used reserve behind Jackson-Davis in the post, the Florida native flashed great potential while sometimes struggling with foul trouble playing off the bench. He also teased the possibility of adding a legitimate face-up game to his offensive repertoire, and he’s spent the offseason working on incorporating more jump shots and a stronger handle on transition offense into his game.

“This year I’ll be able to do that and show a lot more of my game,” Reneau said on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “Pushing the ball in transition, posting up, shooting 3s, all that stuff. I just want to be able to show my all-around game.”

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Yet it’s not just the technical aspects of Reneau’s growth that determine his growing importance in Bloomington.

Reneau stands as a testament to one of Woodson’s greatest proven strengths since taking the job at his alma mater: the ability to build sturdy relationships quickly in recruiting that lead to important wins on the trail and in the portal.

Not every player Indiana takes will make a major impact. But together with his staff, Woodson has landed victories in recruiting, development and, it should be said, retention (of Jackson-Davis) that have built him the reputation and momentum currently fueling a promising 2024 cycle.

The more of those players he turns into stars, the easier the sell becomes to the next wave. Indiana currently enjoys substantial appeal with a large number of rising senior guards after elevating Hood-Schifino from promising freshman to one-and-done Los Angeles Laker in the space of a year.

Whether Reneau follows his former high school and college teammate into the draft — both he and Hood-Schifino played for the same Montverde (Fla.) Academy program that now boasts a fistful of 2024 IU targets — is somewhat beside the point.

Where Woodson’s work developing Hood-Schifino and Jackson-Davis was once the shop window he could use to sell their successors on playing for him, now Reneau steps into the spotlight.

He’s undeniably talented, Reneau shot close to 57% on 153 2-point attempts as a freshman, with respectable rebounding averages and percentages across appearances in all 35 of Indiana’s games. He also teased greater offensive versatility, something Reneau has been polishing during offseason work with graduate manager Isaac Green.

“Rim running, posting up hard, catch-and-shoot 3s, trail 3s, pull-ups, stuff like that,” he said. “Trying to mix up all types of games and still working on my strong suits too.”

Also recognizing the weaknesses his freshman season exposed, Reneau has worked hard on his athletic ability, quickness and conditioning.

Long, uninterrupted five-on-five sessions have helped him stretch his legs and the time he can effectively spend on the floor. Work with Clif Marshall, IU’s director of athletic performance, has helped Reneau become a more effective defender, ideally without the problematic 6.8 fouls he committed per 40 minutes as a freshman.

“Being able to defend, like I said, all five positions, and being able to rebound,” Reneau said. “Our team’s going to be a defensive team, no matter what. … Defense is a big key to our success when we come onto the basketball court.”

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Attrition of all kinds elevated Reneau to the position of old head in Woodson’s frontcourt. Transfers Payton Sparks and Kel’el Ware may have as much or more experience, but Reneau knows Woodson, and Reneau knows that makes his leadership important this summer and fall.

But there is more than just what Reneau does. There is also what he represents. He’s a top-50 prospect, the first big man Woodson brought to Bloomington with an eye toward long-term development. A player who has obvious flaws to iron out but also potentially the kind of versatility that could make him more of a positional matchup problem than his predecessor ever was.

Now, he moves from a supporting role to a leading one, possibly in every sense. Even as Indiana changes its style of play with Jackson-Davis gone, Reneau will change with it. If he enjoys the success his teammates have known, he will become the next posterchild for Woodson’s IU project.

The page always turns in college basketball. Malik Reneau is spending the summer preparing for his chapter to begin.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Hoosiers basketball: Malik Reneau development key for Hoosiers