Insider: Is Indiana developing ... post depth?
BLOOMINGTON -- It was perhaps the most oft-repeated question of Indiana's preseason: Where will the size come from?
With Noah Vonleh and Luke Fischer lost to the NBA and transfer, respectively, Indiana was left woefully short of proven options in the post this winter. Losing Devin Davis after his Nov. 1 car accident eliminated one of those.
Yet one quarter of the way through Indiana's (7-1) season, two unlikely bench contributors have made clear the Hoosiers are not nearly so thin down low as once believed.
Collin Hartman and Emmitt Holt have stepped into significant reserve roles so far this season, their contributions serving to backstop -- and sometimes outshine -- Hanner Mosquera-Perea's work as Indiana's primary big man.
Hartman has scored seven points per game in his last four, and pulled in 20 rebounds in that span. Holt scored 15 points in IU's win last Tuesday over Pitt, the most for any of the three aforementioned forwards this season. The freshman from New York is averaging 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, through four appearances.
Together, they combined for 15 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's blowout win over Savannah State.
"We've got to keep developing that," Crean said, when asked specifically about Hartman and Holt. "Collin and Emmitt are getting so much done because of the hustle game."
Each player's early-season success has been its own surprise.
Hartman tore his ACL in March and wasn't expected to be so close to full health by now. Crean admitted the sophomore from Cathedral is still limited in practice, but that hasn't extended to the floor, where he's averaging 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
"I've said before, we're continuing to really monitor his minutes in practice," Crean said. "He doesn't like it, but it's what's best for the long run, to continue to have him be as strong as he can be throughout the season."
Holt's story is, by now, well known, though he surely wishes it weren't.
A late signee, he joined the program at the start of the fall semester and was quietly impressing in preseason practices. But he was behind the wheel of the car that struck Davis in that Nov. 1 accident. He wasn't drunk but had been drinking, and Crean suspended him for four games, two preseason and two regular-season.
Crean and his teammates roundly supported Holt, but both player and coach have also acknowledged the emotional toll the incident had on the 6-7 freshman. Holt has acclimatized quickly on the floor, and he said recently that the support he's gotten from those around him helped him move past the car accident off of it.
"Emmitt is just going out there and doing everything he does in practice," junior guard Yogi Ferrell said. "He can finish down low. He's a great rebounder. We definitely need him out there doing that for us."
Both players -- and Mosquera-Perea -- will face what's probably their toughest opponent Tuesday, when they meet preseason All-American forward Montrezl Harrell, No. 5 Louisville's go-to big man. The Cardinals are a top-five team, and Harrell (16.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg) is a primary reason why.
Will Tuesday's game prove any more about Indiana's unexpected depth in the post than the first eight games of this season already have? Absolutely. But a rough night in New York City wouldn't undo the promise Hartman and Holt have provided thus far.
As Indiana enters the stretch run of its non-conference schedule -- with Louisville, No. 23 Butler and Georgetown still left -- consistency will be critical for that pair. They're backing Mosquera-Perea up superbly thus far. If that continues, then a persistent preseason question will have been answered.
"They come into games and they really are playing like they belong," Crean said. "They're making a difference and impacting our team."
Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.