Cody Zeller to IU players: 'Hold yourself to a higher standard'

A bit of irony in the Indiana University basketball player misbehavior saga: Cody Zeller will be at the university this weekend signing and promoting his parents' book on how to raise good boys.

Called "Raising Boys the Zeller Way," the book tells the story of how Zeller and his two older brothers, Luke and Tyler, were disciplined, praised and taught the values they needed to make good life choices by their parents, Steve and Lorri.

So when former IU star Cody Zeller, 22 and now a player for the Charlotte Hornets, was asked if he had any advice for the IU athletes who have been getting into trouble of late, he had plenty to say.

"I think they're figuring out that IU basketball players are going to be held to a higher standard," he said. "I saw 234 drinking tickets written by the excise police that weekend. Of course, the two you hear about are the Indiana basketball players."

Those two players were sophomore Emmitt Holt and freshman Thomas Bryant, who were cited for illegal possession of alcohol at a convenience store just up 17th Street from Assembly Hall. The citations are the latest in a string of public off-the-court problems that have plagued the program, starting with Hanner Mosquera-Perea's OWI arrest in February 2014.

Zeller said he wasn't making a judgment call on whether athletes should be called out.

"Not to say it's right or wrong that they had the alcohol," he said. "It just goes to show that you're the name that is going to pop up if you're in a situation like that. You're not just a normal college kid. You have to hold yourself to a higher standard."

Growing up the youngest of the three boys, Zeller said his parents were strict disciplinarians, especially in elementary and junior high school.

"They were really strict with us as far as doing well in school, being around the right people," he said. "As we got older in high school and college, they almost became more of friends than parents. By that (I mean) that they would tell us, 'We taught you your values. You have to live with your own mistakes at this point.'"

Zeller said each of the three boys made mistakes and learned their own lessons.

"I think that was good because a lot of times kids go to college and it's the first time they've had freedom in their lives," he said.

Of course now, Zeller is on his own, living in Charlotte playing in the NBA -- and that's been an adjustment, especially on the court.

"It's a lot different game. They always say it's a grown man's league," he said. "They're all huge guys, especially the guys I'm guarding."

He's playing 82 games compared to 30-some games a season.

"And it's the best players in the world every night," Zeller said. "In college, you might get two or three really good game match-ups in a year."

In the NBA, you might play the Spurs, the Thunder, the Heat, the Pacers all within four days, he said.

And when he does play the Pacers, he still feels the love from his home state.

"It's always fun to be back and see a lot of the Indiana fans," he said. "It's always fun to play at Bankers Life. I have a lot of memories in Indiana."

The book delves into the pranks and fun the Zeller boys had growing up in Washington, Ind. How they played basketball in the driveway and how "we always made everything into a competition," Zeller said.

And while the book is officially penned by the Zeller parents, each of the boys was given a rough draft of the book before its publishing and got to add their own twist to the stories told.

Zeller will be at the book signing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Cook Hall. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at Zellerbook.com.

Follow Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.