Rick Bozich Indiana Sports Beat

Rick Bozich from WDRB News, the FOX affiliate in Louisville, KY, joined Indiana Sports Beat on Tuesday to give his take on Justin Smith’s decision to enter the transfer portal.

“I get the sense that he wanted to go somewhere where you can show or improve qualities that the NBA feedback guys gave him,” Bozich said.

Over three years with the Hoosiers, Smith averaged 8.4 PPG across 98 games, and only shot 25 percent from beyond the arc during his career for Indiana.

“He was way too comfortable taking three-point shots,” Bozich said. “In today’s basketball, you got to have a small forward that can shoot, and you got to have a small forward that can help other guys get good shots.”

According to ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello, Smith had heard from as many as 20 schools as of May 23. Big Ten schools featured on the list include Northwestern, Purdue, and Maryland.

“Justin Smith and I had a conversation recently where we discussed his future, the feedback from the NBA and he has made the decision to graduate and transfer for his final season of eligibility,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said. “I support his decision and wish Justin and his family all the best in the next chapter. I’m proud of his growth as a person. He’s a great young man and has been a terrific role model off the court and in the classroom.”

Last season, Indiana used a rotation at times consisting of Trayce Jackson-Davis, Joey Brunk, and Smith— all 6’7” or taller.

“When you have a frontcourt of Trayce Jackson-Davis, Joey Brunk, and Justin Smith, who are three guys that don’t have to be guarded from 15-feet out, that made Indiana easier to defend,” Bozich said. “If you have another guy that can shoot from the perimeter, force the defense to come out and play a little bit more honestly, and create more driving lanes, it should help the offense become more efficient.”

As for potential replacements for Smith at the small forward position, Bozich provided several options that could slide right into the starting lineup.

“Could Jerome Hunter do that? I thought at the end of last season, he started to come on. Can Jordan Geronimo do that? Maybe, probably not right away the first year,” Bozich said. “For Indiana to move back into top ten, top twenty status, you got to have a dude at that position who is really good.”

Through three seasons, Indiana has failed to make the NCAA Tournament under Miller. However, the Hoosiers were projected to make the field of 68 this past year, before the pandemic cancelled the remainder of the season.

“They [Indiana] need to beat Purdue for sure. Losing seven in a row to Purdue, that’s got to end. You can’t be losing games to Penn State, you can’t be losing games to Rutgers. They need to win,” Bozich said. “Can’t be coming down to winning one or two games in the Big Ten Tournament. Next year, it’s got to be comfortably in the NCAA Tournament.”

For there to even be a college basketball season next year, however, the condition surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has to improve. As some schools are loosening restrictions on determining when student-athletes are allowed to return to campus, every university is on a case-by-case basis.

“I think every university president is going to have a different level of comfort doing it forward. I think there are going to be more people being on the cautious side and waiting to see how it goes in other places,” Bozich said. “The real date to remember is probably mid-July. That’s when everybody says the football players will need to be back so they have that six-week period to really get in shape in time for the start of the football season.”

The final subject Bozich spoke about on Indiana Sports Beat is remembering New Albany great Lee Kelly, who passed away Monday morning.

“When you look at what he achieved with his radio/TV program at New Albany High School it was sort of a standard in the whole state of what you could do,” Bozich said. “He was Mr. New Albany High School. If you wanted to listen to a game, you listened to Mr. Kelly call it.”

Kelly is credited for launching WNAS, the first high school radio station in the United States. WNAS has been in operation for nearly 40 years.

“It’s sad for his wife, Sally, and the rest of his family,” Bozich said. “Tragically, his son Josh was a really good baseball and football player at New Albany. He passed away several years ago, so now he and Josh could be back together.”

To hear the complete interview and the entire episode, view the tweet below.