Rebuilt from 'ground zero,' Indiana State basketball is winning with nation's top offense
TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State basketball coach Josh Schertz has built his head coaching career on quickly turning around programs. In 2009, he led Division II Lincoln Memorial to a 14-14 record in his first year, a six-win improvement from the previous season.
What followed was an extremely successful 13-year run leading the Railsplitters to 11 consecutive 20-win seasons and 10 trips to the NCAA tournament while becoming just the second team in the history of Division II to post four consecutive 30-win seasons from 2014-18.
Schertz had stability at Lincoln Memorial, but he took the ultimate leap of faith in 2021 when he took over at Indiana State. A string of transfers after former coach Greg Lansing's departure and the logistical difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant Schertz joined a program with just two players officially on the roster and no way for players to visit the campus in person.
He stressed the importance of "faith over sight" to prospective recruits, using his natural charisma and stellar career at LMU to attract new players and re-recruit former Sycamores who entered the transfer portal.
Year 1 was a mix of former LMU players, three freshmen, several transfers and two holdovers from the previous regime. The result was an 11-win season, but the Sycamores did not stay down for long. Last season, Schertz orchestrated a 12-win improvement, leading ISU to a 23-13 record.
In Year 3, ISU is off to a 9-1 start and is ready to re-introduce itself to a national audience ahead of Saturday's game against Ball State at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock and serves as the lead-in to the Purdue vs. Arizona game, a possible Final Four preview.
"The two things you'd attribute (the improvement to), One, just the talent level we have. I think we've been able to over the last two years attract better players in our recruiting classes," Schertz said. "Two, the culture. When you start something new, culture doesn't come with you.
"We had to really start from ground zero in building it. And I just really like where we are, from a cultural standpoint. That championship DNA. We talked a lot about over the last couple of years, just being able to kind of go through some of those experiences, establish that culture and I think we're really much further ahead than we were in 2021."
Schertz's free-flowing offense has the Sycamores playing some of the best offensive basketball in the NCAA. Per KenPom, ISU is No. 4 in the nation in 3-point percentage and No. 5 in the nation in 2-point percentage, giving the Sycamores the No. 1 offense in the nation in effective field goal percentage, a stat that differs from regular field goal percentage because it adds extra value to 3-pointers made.
ISU has five players averaging double-figure scoring. Southern Indiana transfer Isaiah Swope leads ISU at 19.7 points per game. Sophomore center Robbie Avila is second (16.6) followed by former Pike standout Ryan Conwell (15.2), junior Jayson Kent (13.1) and junior Julian Larry (10.5).
Per ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, ISU would be one of the first four teams out of the NCAA tournament if the season ended last Tuesday. With a chance to make a statement in front of potential selection committee members, ISU is embracing its opportunity to be on a national stage.
"Anytime you get national publicity it's good for the team. It's good for the city. It's good for the state," Swope said. "Whether we were outside with no fans and no cameras, or we're in the biggest arena with everybody there on national TV, I'm happy to play basketball at the end of the day.
"You don't ever know who's watching, and that's a good thing, or it can be a bad thing. But if we focus on us and go in there focused on our game plan and what Indiana State does day to day, then I think we'll be fine."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana State basketball: 9-1 Sycamores have nation's No. 1 offense
