Published: November 08, 2009 12:19 am         

ISU Basketball Notebook: Former ISU assistant Gouard impressed by this year’s Sycamores; Kelly optimistic

Indiana State’s men’s exhibition basketball game vs. Indianapolis was a homecoming for its visiting coach, Stan Gouard. Gouard was an ISU assistant coach for three seasons, recording a 9-18 record in his first season coaching the Greyhounds last year.

“It’s always good to go back,” Gouard said. “I have so many great memories when I was here. Made a lot of relationships, still have a lot of friends here. It was good to see some familiar faces that I haven’t seen or talked to in a long while.”

“But I understood coming in it was a business trip. That’s always a tough thing when you’re going back to a place where you once coached. It’s one of those deals where you got to get in there a little bit early, say your hellos and try to get your guys ready.”

Gouard spoke glowingly of the current crop of Sycamores.

“They are a lot deeper, deep at the guard spots,” he said. “You take Harry Marshall coming off the bench … you’re a good basketball team. Aaron Carter coming off the bench. I recruited both those guys. For those two guys to come off the bench, I knew we were going to have some problems.

“They wore our first group down and those guys came in and took it to the next level. They’re going to make some noise in [the Missouri Valley Conference] and they’re fun to watch.”

• • •

• Carter returns — Aaron Carter sat out ISU’s first exhibition game vs. Rose-Hulman on Tuesday due to contracting the H1N1 virus (swine flu).

“He got that on Tuesday, then they cleared him for practice on Thursday,” McKenna said. “He practiced very well, didn’t miss a beat. Practiced well [Friday] and had a good game today. Thirteen points and six rebounds in 14 minutes is pretty good for having swine flu three days ago.”

• Reed did not play — ISU senior guard Rashad Reed was in street clothes for the Indianapolis game. Reed suffered an injured knee in the Rose-Hulman game attempting to block a shot and landing awkwardly out of bounds near the ISU bench.

“He’s day to day right now,” McKenna said. “I asked him today at shootaround ‘if today was the Missouri Valley Conference championship game, would you be playing?’ He goes, ‘oh yeah, I’d be playing.’

“I think he’s a couple days away yet. We didn’t want to rush him. The one thing about Rashad is he’s had a lingering, nagging groin problem. My thinking is if his knee heals up, the groin will get some rest too. Then he will be full go on Friday for our first game.”

• Odum plays well again — Freshman guard Jake Odum, a former Terre Haute South standout, continues to impress after two exhibition games.

Odum played 11 minutes vs. Indianapolis, with a line of four points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and only one turnover. Against Rose, he had 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

“He played a little bit today and played very well,” McKenna said. “He sticks his nose in there … he’s just a scrappy player. He’s doing what we thought he could do.

• Kelly adjusting well — Former Marshall, Ill., Carmel and University of Iowa player Jake Kelly, a junior at ISU, feels he is fitting in well in his new playing situation.

“Being a point guard, brand new here, I don’t know any of the plays right now,” Kelly joked. “I’m just trying to get us into the offense, do the best I can.”

“Early on in my career at Iowa I was basically a defender, a spot shooter,” Kelly added. “I developed and gained confidence from [Iowa] coach [Todd] Lickliter, he gave me more freedom. But this year I think I’ve got that freedom from the get go from coach McKenna.

“I’m just trying to build faith for my teammates. I don’t want to force things too early. By the time the Missouri Valley season starts, man, I really think we’ve got a good team and we’re going to be top of the league.”

• Wabash Valley connections — Lucas Eitel, Logan Eitel and R.J. Mahurin all entered the ISU lineup with just 1:05 remaining. Despite not getting much playing time, Mahurin’s block led to a fast break basket by Lucas Eitel — accounting for ISU’s final points.

Former Terre Haute North and Gardner-Webb player, Nate Blank, is a new member of the Indianapolis team. He played 34 minutes, tallying five points, four rebounds and two steals — going an uncharacteristic 0 for 6 from the field.