Bloomington Leader

No Backing Down – Hood-Schifino ‘Grinding’ with the Hoosiers

Back down? Not a chance. Jalen Hood-Schifino ain't wired that way.

"I hate for somebody to ever say they got the best of me," Indiana's freshman guard says.

Back in the day, growing up in Pittsburgh, a blue-collar city whose tough tradition is personified by the NFL's Steelers, Hood-Schifino faced older players, including a pair of cousins (DeAndre and Sherron Schifino) who, like his mother (Adrianne), were once Penn Hills High School standouts. DeAndre went on to play college football at Pitt. Sherron plays college basketball (starting at Youngstown State, now at Point Park).

Mercy was left for cookouts.

"They used to bully me," Hood-Schifino says.

Basketball courts, particularly the one in the backyard of Hood-Schifino's grandparents, were battle grounds, survival-of-the-fittest tests primed for developing basketball manhood.

As Hood-Schifino competed -- at age 6, then 8, then 10 -- an edge emerged.

"They pushed me every day. It got to the point -- I would say when I was 12 -- that I was able to compete with them.

"Once I hit probably eighth, ninth grade, I was wining some games. Now, it's like, I don't lose no more."

A laugh. A pause.

"It bred me into who I am now."

Who is Hood-Schifino? He's a 6-6, 215-pound winner who insists his favorite thing to do is to "be in the gym" and who grew up wanting to be "the best defender," unique given the offense-rules mindset of most elite prospects.

He has a pair of high school national titles on his resume, and with a No. 17 national ranking via Rivals.com, is the Big Ten's highest rated recruit.

Reality check -- that means nothing when he goes against such Cream 'n Crimson veterans Xavier Johnson, Anthony Leal, Tamar Bates and Jordan Geronimo in summer scrimmages.

It is, in many ways, been there, done that. He even spent part of the spring in California working out with professional players, including the Los Angeles Clippers' Paul George.

"I've been playing against older guys all my life," he says.

"It's been great learning from everybody. Just grinding, working on my game and being around the fellas and the coaches."

Hood-Schifino understands he's not the player he hopes to be. He doesn't have an inflated sense of his ability and team standing. He is not ready to run the show the way Johnson can, although Hood-Schifino has three inches and 15 pounds on him.

Everything must be earned. Playing point guard under Mike Woodson means challenges Hood-Schifino has never faced before. He must recognize situations and understand the ways to beat them in Woodson's system, which is in so many ways the way it's done in the NBA, which is where Hood-Schifino wants to be some day.

That day is not now, and he is aware. It's why, in fact, he's a Hoosier.

"I'm still young. I have to get better at everything -- keeping up with my body, being a leader, being vocal, shooting. I'm nowhere near as good as I can be."

So, Hood-Schifno works -- with IU coaches and teammates, with strength coach Clif Marshall, and with just himself, a ball and a basket.

"Just keep working on everything. The next thing I really have to showcase is probably my three-ball. I'm in the gym every day working on it."

For now, work comes away from the limelight in Cook Hall and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. That will change once the season starts, especially on Nov. 30, when the Hoosiers host potential top-ranked North Carolina in perhaps the marquee game of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

"People will see a lot of my game," Hood-Schifino says, "and how much better I've gotten since the high school season and how much more expanded my game is. I think it's going to be good."

Expansion comes with Woodson's offensive and defensive twists rich in NBA elements. Hood-Schifino absorbs all of it.

"It's everything, defense and offense, but really getting up and down. Coach Woodson is big on live actions because that's how you get better.

"We do a lot of scrimmaging, and some of the biggest things I've learned is he just want his guys to play hard. He's big on defense, and that's a big part of my game."

So is film watching, which includes last season's Hoosier games.

"I watched everything. I'm big on film. I like to see how they played and how Coach Woodson coaches and everything just to see if I can fit in."

Here's a hint -- he can.

"I still watch the games to make sure I'm on top of everything, just looking at some of the defensive schemes, looking the offense.

"Now that I'm here, I get to break down film with the coaches. It's been good."

Hood-Schifino and fellow freshmen CJ Gunn, Malik Reneau and Kaleb Banks figure to have significant roles in an upcoming season full of title-winning expectations. There's little time for them to play like newcomers, and coaching demands reflect that.

"We are the new guys," Hood-Schfino says, "so the coaches are tough on us. They push us, but it's tough love. Outside of the basketball court, they are loving. We have great relationships with each other.

"But whenever we're on the court, they are really tough on us. They make sure we're on top of our game, because Coach Woodson always says we have to speed up the process."

Woodson's system thrives with versatile players. That suits Hood-Schifino.

"I'm a true point guard, but at the end of the day, I'm a basketball player. I'm versatile. I can play wherever the coach needs me to play, but I'm definitely a point guard. I love getting my teammates involved, love leading."

Hood-Schifino says he bases his game on great NBA guards past and present, including Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Luka Doncic. Now he gets a close look at elite point guard play from Johnson, who by the end of last season was as good as any point guard in the Big Ten.

"The way (Woodson) wants to play fits my game perfectly," Hood-Schifino says. "He wants to play fast, get the ball out.

"Playing alongside Xavier Johnson, that would be great. I think we both complement each other's games pretty well."

They got to know each other in Pittsburgh. Johnson played three years at Pitt. Hood-Schifino was a high school standout in the city who was once committed to Pitt before ultimately becoming a Hoosier.

"Prior to coming into Indiana, I already had a relationship with Xavier," Hood-Schifino says. "I started to talk to him with Instagram. I even played pick up with him a couple of times. We had already built that bond.

"Now, I get to practice with him and get a feel for everybody. It's going to be great."

Greatness includes the physical benefits of working with Marshall, and it's not just in the weight room.

"Aside from him being a strength coach," Hood-Schifino says, "he's just a great guy. Outside of the weight room, he does a great job of sending motivational messages.

"As far as in the weight room, he does a great job with us on our body making sure we are staying on top of our nutrition.

"I got here June 2 and from when we started our workouts until now, I see a difference in my body. It's been great."

Adjusting to major college basketball should be eased given Hood-Schifino's experience the last two years at Montverde Academy in Florida. It's a national power known for developing great players and teams under coach Kevin Boyle. Montverde won the last two GEICO high school national titles.

"For me, playing at the highest level of high school basketball, playing at Montverde, a powerhouse, we were playing against some of the top guys in the country," Hood-Schifino says.

"Obviously, transitioning from high school to college is definitely a big difference.

"But for me, I already had the body and worked on my game all the time. So really just some of the small things, some of the terminology, and I'm pretty much good. It's learning every day, learning from the older guys and watching film. Pretty much, that's it."

At Monteverde, Hood-Schifino was more of a role player as a junior before becoming a starter last season.

"My junior year at Montverde was a different year for me," he says. "Coming off the bench a little bit, and not getting as much minutes as I would like was different.

"I think it was good because sometimes you might be put in situations like that. I think that prepared me if I have to come across that in the future."

Montverde's practices -- although not as demanding as college -- were a step up from what Hood-Schifino was used to.

"It's a prestigious program," he says. "Coach Kevin Boyle and Coach Rae Miller have been in it, for, what, 30-plus years. They have the track record; if you look at the players they have, they have NBA All-Stars and things of that nature.

"The everyday grind at Montverde, people don't know what we put into it. It's almost like college practice. You're practicing three-plus hours every day.

"It really prepared me for now."

Once the season starts, will see how well.

Original source can be found here.