Tyrese Haliburton, Robbie Avila, and the Heart of Indiana Basketball | J. Kyle Mann

Tyrese Haliburton, Robbie Avila, and the Heart of Indiana Basketball | J. Kyle Mann

I grew up in Kentucky not too terribly far from the Indiana border it only takes 5 minutes to cross into their territory but like a lot of borders it might as well be a portal to another world that’s why for 4 days I’m planning on ambling around this state and

Dropping in on some of the basketball happenings in the Kingdom of Knight Katie and the Big O I’m going to cruise through the pastures and Rolling Hills that produced bird Bailey the Rainman and Zebo to try to take the temperature of basketball in the hooer state

Our first stop is a bit of a jog to the Northeast to Tera hot Indiana which is the home of the Indiana State sycamores I’ve never been here before the love for Sycamore basketball is still visible but the success has been infrequent in the 45 years since bird migrated on to

Legendary status ISU has only reached the tournament twice in the early ODS and again in 2011 and they’ve only won over 20 games six times during that span two of the those 21 seasons have come under Josh schz who’s in his second year at Indiana State shirtz is a newer name

On the landscape of division one basketball this is his first job at this level but he brings a proven pedigree with him from division 2 this team is tops in the country in cutting efficiency partly because they shoot the ever loving out of the ball from

Three and justifiably take a lot of them the other reason is a single person and the ultimate reason why we decided to come here it’s AA it’s like a mix of the two so it’s a v i v okay I I okay I spotting Overlook Talent is instrumental in helping a smaller School

Punch above their weight class and build notoriety as a program and the sycamores clearly succeeded in doing that when they identified the undeniable Talent of Robbie Avila this 6’9 Center who was considered a two-star player out of high school is now in my opinion the most dynamically skilled front Court player

In college basketball Avila has also drawn attention for obvious reasons his accessories draw opponents into a let’s call it a false sense of security he uses highly deliberate Pace to pull Defenders into his world and his blend of angular scoring and passing make that an uncomfortable experience but I think

Over the last year you know as I had spent time in this system with shirts I was able to kind of slow the game down a little bit more mentally and that’s why I think I was able to use my obviously slower you know abilities uh to kind of

To my advantage and to to be able to read somebody it doesn’t matter if he’s going you know two times FAS than me because I’m able to you know almost predict you know what I should do next and it’s kind of just uh help me out you know I always talk

About you know being one step slower or even two steps slower than guys you everybody expects you to be one but when you go two steps slower than a guy then you’re throwing them off you enti in jail and so yeah got jail you got you

Got to F your own will so uh being able just to use my my my patience and you know my own pace you know no matter what is uh definitely helped me you know take my game to another level so you joke a lot about the slow stuff you’re getting

More attention all the time you know this because you’re a good player but you know there’s the the glasses thing how aware of you how aware of you of like the the conversation about like your uniqueness as a player yeah no I seen it all over social media it’s just

I don’t I don’t look the part of whatever they say you know obviously the you see a big guy with goggles you know just it’s just you know it’s not your average basketball player how do you respond to being underestimated do you have CU you’re a chill guy mhm but do

You have kind of an internal what’s what’s beneath the is there is there like a raging competitive volcano do do you how do you respond to people underestimating you uh I I kind of just allow them to think what they think you know I’ve been I’ve been overlooked ever

Since I was younger and you know uh I just I’m not one of those guys that you know uses that to like get hyped you know get extra you know aggressive and stuff like that I’m kind of more of a guy that stays calm you know no matter

What and uh I allow them to you know allow of them have their own you know opinions or whatever they think you know but I’m going to do what I want to do on the court and show you why you’re wrong and the fans are going crazy inside the homet

Center I made cookies for everybody it took mere seconds for us to meet Vicky weager known usually as Miss Vicky who let us know immediately that she was the team mom her colorful style forecasted her colorful personality and I knew that we had found our liais on for this program in this

Community she launched into stories of past lives working as a news producer for NBC and she painted a vivid and [Applause] Standing 6’1 and 68 Kyle tell them your weight I felt like I was in communion with the spirit of the game and most importantly after some modellos and Tacos we were finally invited into the cathedral and it’s always important to tithe when you visit a house of worship

Luckily I’m always flush with cash Is that a two or is that a three probably and overlooking it all is the most prominent player in the history of this state the patron saint of the touch pass the hick from French Lick who could conquer worlds with a quick slick flick Larry

Legend they said that his game tape is a part of Indiana’s Public School curriculum they don’t actually say that but they probably should I’m sure they want To ladies and gentlemen Larry Bird the fact that Terah hot has featured prominently in the lives of two gargantuan basketball icons two monoliths of hoop is absolutely wild the first is John Wooden AKA The Wizard of Westwood the second obviously is Larry bird and the fact that he booed this

Program to the national championship game in 1979 is really only rivaled by what Stephen Curry nearly did at Davidson when you watch some great players from the past there’s a certain contextual pat on the head that comes with the era that they played in you watch them bbop around the court and you

Think cute but no way that would fly today because of how much of his game was predicated on quick read decisionmaking and how little was based on playing off the dribble I sincerely do not think that this is the case with bird his awareness of the geometry of ball movement was almost Supernatural

His face up game was Lethal and dynamic and he recognized how the floor was moving at all times and was skilled enough to exploit it at all Times snowfall hurried us out of Tero we’d had big plans to hop over to cooko to see Flory banga the Pogo big who’s committed to Kanas and Bill self but the Arctic Squall stranded us at the Sheran our goals would have to stay local I don’t know the word the right place

Luckily for all of the high school field houses and college hoops lore Indie is also the home to a long tenured professional team that happen to be hosting NBA All-Star weekend but Pacer optimism is stronger than it’s been in quite some time and that’s because Indiana managed to pry Tyrese halberton

Away from the Kings a Surefire Square One Piece as a blossoming Superstar scorer and playmaker I think that Caitlyn Cooper is the definitive analytic voice of the Pacers and her subscription site basketball she wrote is arguably the most incisive coverage of any single team across the NBA you know sometimes

I’ll observe people ask you like why you’re covering the Pacers though like I’ve seen someone ask you that question you seemed a little annoyed fair to say are you annoyed by that question when people ask you that it’s twofold like it’s really flattering that I have

People from other fan bases be like oh get out of the midi Midwest and like you could be getting so a small Market team the bers haven’t done anything like you would be getting so much more attention if you wrote about the Sur you wrote about the Lakers and that might be true

But also like because there aren’t a lot of people covering this team I’m not sure if my work would have stood out as much because there would have been a lot more people covering the New York Knicks and doing X’s and O’s content so because

I have been in the Midwest and also just I grew up here I grew up a fan of Indiana Pacers people know that like Jermain O’Neal was my favorite player I bought DVDs of Jermain O’Neal talking about his post foat work and I would go

To open gyms and I would work on this so it means something to me that people know like you know I am a hooer I grew up here when I cover this team it’s a team that I’ve been watching for a really long time so learning that

Caitlyn is the daughter of a high school coach and that she consumed a ton of Germaine O’Neal tape is the least surprising thing that I’ve heard in a long time I feel like your your sort of like saturation in the basketball media landscape has changed a lot the last

Couple years would you say so yeah I mean a big part of that to be completely honest is the fact that tyres halber got a Traer he’s a very unique franchise player star and that I think he’s fairly online and he reads A Lot he just loves

Basketball so the fact that he’s been as generous as he has with his platform has really been able to get what I’m trying to do off the ground but also showcase my work to other people he’s done shout outs when IND corrow got shut down he

Shared my work and said like look she has an Elite basketball M he’s talking about he’s talked about me on JJ’s podcast a few times so I think that that kind of turned the corner and getting more people to see my work and hopefully you know get more eyeballs on it so I

Think that was kind of a Terri point I’ve always thought that a player’s play style is a fairly accurate read on who they are as a person halberton is engaged in bright and hyperconscious of the impact that his choices have on his environment yeah I mean he’s just so

Inclusive and I think that in part he’s just wired to be pass first it’s almost there’s games where you can watch him and now clearly he’s dealing with the hamstring injury but there’s spots within every game where you’re like he could have been more selfish there that

Could be a shot for you and it’s almost like a surprise when it is the reverse of that it’s time to head to hle fieldhouse the home of Butler basketball and one of the more iconic hoop venues in the world field houses are a staple of the culture

Here and along those lines it doesn’t get any more iconic than Hinkle Fieldhouse the gym where Jimmy chipwood laid his master stroke the gym where Brad Stevens and Gordon Hayward LED Butler to National Prominence there’s a mesmerizing vibe in here and oh my God there’s Rick Patino from Hinkle we hurry to the high-f five for a live pod taping with the boys from ringer NBA group Chat hello and welcome to group chat live I am Justin barrier this is bigw up what up what up that’s Rob Mahoney hey guys what’s going on and that’s j p man over there the chair of so uh you all agreed that the Pacers had a 0% chance of winning the championship

Now that you’re an indie you stand by that opinion wow I know you don’t well it’s tough because halbert’s injury specifically I mean you need your hamstrings regardless I don’t if you guys have ever pulled your hamstrings it’s I had a bad CrossFit exercise one time and I like couldn’t drive home

Because I couldn’t push the gas pedal down my you were crossfitting I tried it it wasn’t for me the Hal Burton ceiling question is a good one I think cuz we we do this ranking project at the ringer I think H Burton was what the 13th ranked player in the

NBA LeBron James 13th ring player in the NBA so that’s where he is right now he’s only getting better he’s only getting more sophisticated one-onone he’s going to be a better Defender as he ages into his career I don’t think it’s crazy to say he could be a top five player in the

League I don’t think it’s crazy to say that he 100% he will have a phase of his career if it’s not already and this year might be a little bit of a stretch just because of the competition but like he’s going to have a phase where he’s on MVP

Ballots I think he’s going to be that good oh yeah we’re going to need a towel of over here probably some All Surface cleer you Indianapolis is an upand cominging culinary Hot Spot I’ve never been here when the weather hasn’t served a soul crushing Blade Runner Vibe but I promise

You it’s lovely you might caffeinate yourself with a meticulous Touch of ambron coffee and grocer or Savor the world famous shrimp cocktail at St Elmos or Chom on a delicious morning time Miracle at milk tooth it’s hard to go wrong here I could do chilies though yeah what’s your favorite chili thing I really like the the chicken tenders those crispy chicken T I think the name course there’s the the Awesome Blossom baby back ribs I am ready when you are yall I think we going to need to do a triple dier Oh a state with a Hoops history this Rich this storied this extensive requires as big a Daya download as possible so we stopped by the Indiana basketball hall of fame which is in Newcastle Indiana also home to the Steve Alford All-American in you cannot be truly success successful without peace of mind

We must not be too concerned about things over which we have no control it was in 1891 when James a naith invented the game of basketball for his physical education class cash is that and they are going to win the state championship folks here comes uh Muny Central looks like a half

Cour don’t go over there although Purdue has hogged the headlines lately it’s hard to deny that the State’s basketball identity Rises and falls with the state’s Flagship public school this place looks like it could fit in seamlessly in DC clean lines and classic Timeless architecture everywhere you look even their graphic design

Conveys warmth without Whimsy powerful lettering that stands and weathers the passing of time without knowing records or recent outcomes you’d have no idea that this is a program that’s struggled to stay consistently near the top since their polarizing Titan their iconically Fierce leader their General who led this

Program to three national titles in one 11-year span was removed from power back in 1997 there have definitely been plateaus some at my expense moments where they had the full attention of the sport but each one seems to end up surrounded by deep valleys still Hope Springs Eternal these people stand for

Their team and the hooers ethos and brand stand undeniably as a reflection of night rigid discipline and process powering a pursuit of perfection the ritual at Assembly Hall is mesmerizing especially to a filthy Kian like me but it felt like going into a restaurant that had seen their Heyday with classic

Dishes that were known throughout the world while struggling to enter a new era how do you weaponize the power of a legacy brand while staying with the times how does a program remain Fierce and modern without compromising their identity a lot of people point to the exit of Kelvin Sams the coach who’s

Revitalized Houston basketball and ushering them into the Big 12 Conference as an inflection point that depicts this dilemma Samson was hit by the NCAA for texting a recruit during a dead period where it was against the rules the rule was changed a short time later but

Samson was still fired from the job Zack ostman is an IU grad and a prominent voice around the program you can say that those were dumb rules you can point out that they got erased later on whatever he still broke them and he didn’t need to break and

Then like that’s the thing that’s always been sort of strange to me is just kind of a neutral Observer that is is you know you could understand why someone might feel like they need to you know Bend some edges and cut some Corners at Oklahoma but he didn’t need to do that

At Indiana and you know the fact that he he did just did the scale that he did it’s just sort of you know it’s kind of one of those things where if if I if I got a bunch of speeding tickets and the judge said don’t do that again or you’re

Going to jail I can’t I can’t walk into the courtroom and complain about the speed limit Mike Woodson seemed like a central enough figure to stabilize all of the important factors he played four years at IU under bob Knight he coached in the NBA and he’s networked in all of

The right places to draw Talent this team lost all of their key pieces from a year ago but in the transfer era the patience for rebuilding is lower than ever from the outside I wondered if Woodson stability raised their floor without impacting their ceiling I wondered how quickly their reserves of

Patience would deplete is this Tom creen all over again I’m not trying to damn Tom with faint praiser anything Tom got three years years of of historic losing to rebuild to a place where obviously Indiana wound up you know number one in the country won the Big 10 probably

Didn’t quite go as far as it could have in the NC tournament but still looked like that kind of program again you know Argie Miller only got four years period and we’re here in year three and Mike Woodson’s had a perfectly healthy first couple years and there’s some

Frustration already and some of that’s Justified some of it’s probably not but I think it’s also just reflective of the the further you kind of get away from it the more you know the the less patience there’s probably going to be talking to IU fans that doesn’t seem to be the vibe

And then there’s a percentage on both sides there’s extreme on both end both sides there’s extreme on both ends it’s no secret that I am a died in the wool wild cat I should despise these people it’s in my programming Joby Hall once said that he wouldn’t piss up Bob

Knight’s ass if his bowels were on fire what was that after everything that I’ve seen would I withhold in the same way I don’t think I would I would definitely put out the fire I need a trip to Chili’s to contemplate everything that I’ve seen I

Have to say it’s been an eye openening and heart softening trip I’m a little bit rattled are these people Savages are they so different from me we might sound the drums of War just for the sport of it but I think it’s a no on both counts

If anything I feel comfortable here one era of basketball in Indiana as we knew it lionized in pop culture and memorialized on the stoic walls and in the concourses of their Cathedrals and museums might be over growth in urban expansion mean the state tournament is no longer wide open commercialization of

The sport means that compensation for the individual is inextricable from the team concept so we adapt and we move on aside from pooping their pants in the tournament repeatedly Purdue has a player of the year and is thriving under Matt Painter Josh shirtz and Robbie avula have the house the bird built

Humming again miss Vicki is on top of game Tyrese halberton has Pacer fans envisioning a bright future the why of Indiana hoop passion might go unspoken but it’s anything but dormant or backward I’m seeing their history like a Tailwind sailing them toward whatever comes next let me know if you agree you

Ready yeah man God just okay

Can the culture of Indiana basketball be explored in a single weekend? In Home and Away, we tag along with The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann as he takes a road trip around the Hoosier State to find out: from Terre Haute to visit the alma mater of Larry Bird and visit with Robbie Avila, Indiana State’s brilliant, bespectacled big man; to Indianapolis for a conversation with Pacers guru Caitlin Cooper about her appreciation for Tyrese Haliburton and a live ‘Ringer NBA’ podcast; to Bloomington to check in on one of the greatest traditions in all of college basketball. That’s not to mention the colorful characters, bustling arenas, and iconic field houses we’ll encounter along the way. Buckle up.
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Script and Voiceover: J. Kyle Mann
Graphic Design: Megan Mraz
Illustration: David Shoemaker
Videography and Editing: Jacob Weaver and J. Kyle Mann
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