INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

July 19, 2022

Jordan Geronimo

Press Conference

Q. To what degree has your off-season been built around developing perimeter skill, and what degree are you focused on trying to be ready to play or be prepared to play small forward, and what are some things you've seen in your game now that you didn't see a couple months ago when the season ended?

JORDAN GERONIMO: Well, during this off-season, I am really just working on, or I have seen improvement in just making the right decision on the perimeter and just also my jumpshot has been getting better. Also handling is getting better.

I would say overall, I see a lot of improvement in just my decision-making and just knowing when to make the right play and move the ball wherever.

And what's the second part of that question?

Q. Well, connected to that, are you focused on trying to play the small forward? Are you trying to get minutes in the three? Is that important for you?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I'm more likely just trying to expand my game where I'm able to play as a three so I can be more productive from my team and just be able to produce more. That's really the idea of it, but mostly just expanding my game to the point where I can play the three and the four.

Q. Along those lines, as you think about playing some three at least, are there things within the offense or within the defense, like schematically that are different that you have to learn, like how to cover ball screens better or things you have to read on the offensive end, things like that?

JORDAN GERONIMO: Yeah, the that's actually the harder part, really. But it's learning things like transition defense. As a big man, as a four I guess, I would just run to the rim, you know what I mean, protect the rim on transition.

As a guard or as a three, as a three would be able to try to stop the ball in transition, you know what I mean. So that's something that I keep in mind. Also, I'm fighting over ball screens now, you know what I mean, so that's the kind of stuff that's different.

But also the plays, you know what I mean. The fours and the threes have different positions and plays, so I have to remember all that kind of stuff. So it's a lot to it.

Q. We've talked to a couple other players so far this summer, and one thing they continue to talk about is the competitiveness in summer workouts. Is that something that you see, too, and is that also something that's contributed to the increased talent level from top to bottom all the way to the seniors and the newcomers now on the roster?

JORDAN GERONIMO: Oh, for sure. I mean, like I feel like everybody is competitive, you know what I mean. Especially Indiana Basketball. We all want to win and we all know what we're fighting for, so we all try to push each other to play our best.

One of our mottos is "iron sharpens iron." That's from Coach Clif, you know what I mean, so we are supposed to push each other to be better and I guess it is a sign that, you know, there's talent throughout all different people in our roster.

Q. Thinking back to that Wyoming game in the NCAA Tournament that, was your highest-scoring game of the season. How do you know that performance helped your confidence and also becoming more comfortable in terms of looking for your shot and finding your shot on the offensive end?

JORDAN GERONIMO: That game was needed. I feel like just, you know it, just kind of told me like, hey, you know, I can do this, you know what I mean. Like it's not, you know, something that I can't do.

I just kind of used that game as like a foundation to like, you know, just work on my game, you know, outside of that. So I would just watch the film and just try to expand on my game, you know what I mean, and try to see how I can do better.

Q. I don't know if you can take us behind the decision-making process during the off-season to come back, and obviously with Race and Trayce coming back, you know, it's going to still be a fight for minutes, and did possibly playing some small forward play into that decision?

JORDAN GERONIMO: What was the question?

Q. Just your decision-making process in terms of deciding to come back for your junior year here, and given the amount of players that are in the front court here and having to compete for minutes.

JORDAN GERONIMO: Well, the ultimate factor of me coming back was I have trust in Mike Woodson and I have trust in the program that, you know, like it's bigger than myself, really. I want the program to be successful and to -- we're fighting for a championship. We're fighting for that, you know what I mean. So I want to be a part of that program, and seeing other players that came in, everybody that's coming back, and I'm like, I feel like it's something I can't be not a part of.

I trust the coach and I trust the staff, the players, and I feel like it's a good decision to come back.

Q. You kind of showed the last two seasons, you've showed flashes of your potential. What do you think the key is to reaching that full potential? Is it something more the mental side of the game? Physical? What do you think the key is to reach your full potential?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I think the key is more of a mental kind of standpoint. Because I feel like I'm already athletic. I'm already athletic. I feel like if I was to always just be consistent and keep pushing myself and play hard every single time, the athleticism is going to like, shine, you know what I mean.

So I feel like the next step into improving my game or showing my actual game is just being positive, always having like a battery, always just trying to, you know, make the extra play, you know what I mean. I feel like that would really show my potential.

Q. I hope you're doing well. You just talked about knowing your athletic abilities. Going back to when you were first recruited and you came here, it seemed like you were -- didn't have the greatest confidence in the world as far as you didn't think that you would end up at a D1 school as big as Indiana. But now, you've gone from that to where you are with great potential to seeing your own athletic potential and the confidence that you're getting, almost a 180-swing. Just talk about the differences between being that young kid that didn't have the greatest confidence in the world to now someone that's looking to being a part of a Big Ten champion and then going on from there even?

JORDAN GERONIMO: Right. It feels great. I mean, because it's just a testament of, you know, showing that hard work pays off, you know what I mean, because when I first came here, I feel like I had to prove myself and I put in the work to be able to prove myself. You know, what happened, happened, you know what I mean.

So I feel like me in the position where I'm at now is just proof that, hey, just keep your head down and work hard and you'll get to where you want to go eventually.

Q. I kind of wanted to ask, just kind of how the summer has been in terms of you observing Coach Woodson, he just wrapped up his first year. How do you think this summer is different from last year's summer and how he's kind of taken the younger guys in this new team with such expectations under his role?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I wouldn't say it's much different than last summer. I mean, he's still taking the freshmen under his wing. This summer is really just working on our games and getting our game better. But also, it's just to get the freshmen and the new people accustomed to the system. So that's really what has really been going on in the summer.

Q. We've asked you about improving your game and different things, but a question on sort of the process. How do you, when you're allowed kind of the time of an off-season, you're not caught up in sort of the game, practice, game, practice rhythm, do you study film? Do you look at games where you played well last season? Do you look at games where you feel like you struggled to try and find things you can improve? How when you have such a large period of time to focus on getting better individually, how do you approach that, I guess, beyond the obvious getting in the weight room, extra time on the court? Are there things that you do specific to your game that you like to study or process to get better?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I guess I would say film would be the main reason, main way to just get better. I watch film a good amount and I feel like film can be as helpful as practice sometimes. Just, you know, knowing, figuring out, how -- just watching yourself is a really good learning tool. I feel like I would say film is really important, and -- I was going to say something else, I had a brain fart, not going to lie. Lost me. My bad.

Q. Want to get back what you said about what you're working on as far as the perimeter is concerned, you said you've been working on the handle the and the decision-making in particular. What have you been doing to work on your handle? How much better is it? How would you describe the improvements you've made handling the basketball? And how would you describe the improvements you've made in decision-making? What are things you're making a point or situations that you think you're making smarter decisions than you have in the past? What's different there? What have you worked on there?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I guess I would say spacing is something that I really worked on.

In terms of decision-making, like that goes both ways, on-ball and off-ball. On-ball, meaning like I'm getting better at just, you know, knowing when to try to attack, knowing when to shoot the ball, knowing when to pass the ball, you know what I mean. That's the on-ball kind of stuff.

But off-ball, knowing when to cut and knowing when to set some actions like down screens, off-ball screens, something like that. But those are the kind of improvements I mean when I say I'm getting better in decision-making.

In terms of handle, it's just reps, really. I mean, I'm not going to say I'm like Kyrie Irving but it's just better, you know what I mean. It's getting better and seeing improvement is a good sight.

Q. I guess on that note of kind of NBA players, you talk about watching film, are there players that you watch in the league that you try to model yourself after that you can see yourself kind of progressing in the same way that they have?

JORDAN GERONIMO: Yeah, so one player I like to watch a lot is Deandre Hunter from the Hawks. I've watched his games since UVA. My sister went to UVA; that's how I found out about him. Just watching his game, he keeps expanding and keeps getting better as a two-way forward. He can bring the ball up. He can defend, you know, get a bucket. I like his game a lot so that's somebody who I watch a lot in NBA.

Q. As far as being able to play the three and kind of extending on to the perimeter a little bit, was that something Coach Woodson approached you about? Was that your idea that you came to him with? What was that kind of conversations like of really trying to expand your game on the perimeter?

JORDAN GERONIMO: It was more of me asking that question and me bringing it up. It was more me bringing it up because I wanted to expand my role as a player.

Q. When you see opponents like North Carolina and Kansas on the non-conference schedule this year, does that add any added sense of urgency in the off-season knowing that you guys have to be ready for some big-time opponents kind of right when the season starts? And I guess with that, how do you think those early season games will kind of prepare you for the Big Ten?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I feel like those big out of conference games doesn't really add urgency to this off-season because we are already working hard, you know what I mean. One thing our coach always says is stay ready so you don't have to get ready, you know what I mean.

So it's a point to always just work hard regardless of what's going on. But of course those big games are going to really help us in conference play because it's going to just -- playing against good opponents like that is only going to help us get better, so that's good.

Q. One of the things I wanted to ask you, when I asked you before, going from one end to the other, now do you have personal expectations? I know the team goals are always No. 1 and that is the focus, but within that, what are your personal goals that you want to achieve for yourself, get to, whether it's being a starter, whether it's playing X number of minutes a game or scoring X number of points a game, do you have personal goals that you want to achieve that you see that will help the team reach their goals?

JORDAN GERONIMO: I don't really have any specific goals because I kind of stay way from that. So like I won't try to like, you know -- because I almost have too high expectations, and sometimes I meet them and sometimes I don't, and I'm kind of hard on myself. I tend to kind of avoid creating goals for myself but focus on trying to get better, really. Just trying to be more of an impact. That's really the answer to that.

Q. We've heard from a lot of different people now, potential for break out players on this team and this roster so far. Has there been anyone that specifically kind of caught your eye in terms of the growth you've seen them make over the last, whether it be month or from this point of last season?

JORDAN GERONIMO: Can you ask that question again.

Q. Have you seen anybody step up in the way that they have played so for this summer, any sort of break out candidate that you can see that maybe someone's not talking about up to this point.

JORDAN GERONIMO: Someone's not talking about? I like Kaleb Banks a lot. I feel like he has game. The rate he's working out and just getting better and what he has right now, his physical abilities, I feel like he's going to be a sleeper.