5/9/2022 basketball Edit

Future Indiana guard Gabe Cupps discusses AAU circuit, IU fans and more

Keegan Nickoson • TheHoosier

Staff Writer

In my senior year at Indiana studying Sports Media and Sports Journalism. I live for the most outlandish takes on the IU boards. Fat Dan's has the best food in Bloomington.

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Indiana commit Gabe Cupps and Midwest Basketball Club have been tearing up the country's summer basketball circuit. Copious amounts of success in the 3SSB circuit and a championship at last weekend's Run 'N Slam have seen Cupps' team live up to the already weighty expectations.

The crazy thing is an argument could be made that Cupps, as talented as he already is, might be the third best player on his team.

Sharing the court with Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard and recent Cincinnati pledge Rayvin Griffith, two players ranked ahead of Cupps by consensus is a lofty task. But, it's one that Cupps has been able to manage. He doesn't change how he plays, and the three compliment each other very well.

Griffith, a playmaker, feeds off of Sheppard and Cupps ability to facilitate. However their ability to shoot paired with their unselfishness is what makes them the elite prospects they've become.

That's why it was such a surprise when Xavier Booker and George Hill All-Indy Select handled them like they did last Saturday afternoon.

"Coming into this one I think we could have been a little bit more focused. They kind of punched us in the mouth. They have a lot of really good guys on their team and they played really well together. That made it hard to get back in this one."

Gabe takes it in stride, however. Sure, there may have been ten minutes where he showed some frustration and it was evident the loss was weighing on him (in all fairness his high school team just won 40+ games in a row, he's not exactly use to losing). This tough competition makes him better.

"I'm just a competitor. I love to compete, basketball's just how I do it. Obviously I'm skilled, but at the end of the day I'm just going to compete my ass off.

"I'm trying to see what I need to be able to move to the next level. I think finishing around the rim is big for me, attacking guys off the dribble, reading ball screens."

Cupps went on to mention Woodson in staff have been watching, and give him tips every now and then on how to better his game.

"They watch as many as they can. Anytime they can give me any advice I take it, try to work on it and put it in my game."

The love from the coaching staff is felt by Cupps. Every live period he has had a coach watching him as much as they can. But it's during those dead periods, when you would expect for their to be less attention and buzz, that Hoosier fans make the trip to see their future point guard in action.

Spectators in Indiana gear were scattered amongst the stands at Turnstone in Fort Wayne, and it was the same at Finch Creek in Westfield at the beginning of April.

"It's awesome, it's one of the reasons I chose IU. The support they have, they love basketball, so do I. Its cool."