‘A Dream Come True’: Luke Goode Makes Career-High 5 3-Pointers in Win Over Sam Houston

Indiana added Illinois transfer Luke Goode in the offseason to boost the team’s 3-point shooting percentage. After a slow start this season, Goode came through in a big way during Tuesday’s win over Sam Houston.

Indiana's Luke Goode celebrates a 3-pointer against Sam Houston at Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Luke Goode remembers sitting behind Indiana’s bench, using his uncle’s season tickets at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall growing up, admiring players like Jordan Hulls.

He dreamed of playing for the Hoosiers, but didn’t get a scholarship offer out of Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., and instead began his career with three seasons at Illinois. He gained valuable experience playing for coach Brad Underwood, winning Big Ten titles and reaching the Elite Eight last season.

But when the chance to play for the program he rooted for as a child came up, he jumped at the opportunity. His Indiana career got off to a bit of a slow start, shooting just 28.6% from 3-point range through seven games – a skill the Hoosiers needed him to bring with him from Champaign. Now an experienced senior, he didn’t let that affect his process. He went through the same routine every day, and his coaches and teammates continued to pour confidence into him. 

“Every time I miss a shot, they give me high fives and say, ‘You're the best shooter that we know. This is what you do.’ So it's a lot of confidence that they give me, and I'm very appreciative of that. I think it's a good thing,” Goode said. “... “I believe in myself and know I'm one of the best shooters in the conference, and I feel that way every day.”

At some point, shots were bound to start falling for Goode, a 38.8% 3-point shooter at Illinois. Eight games into the season, during Indiana’s 97-71 win over Sam Houston Tuesday, he found his shooting stroke.

Indiana led Sam Houston 17-11 midway through the first half, just before Goode caught fire. In a matter of three minutes and 54 seconds, the 6-foot-7 wing buried four 3-pointers that extended the Hoosiers’ lead to 34-12. The Assembly Hall crowd roared louder than it had all night, and Goode seemed to embrace that feeling he longed for.

Indiana's Luke Goode shoots against Sam Houston at Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Goode praised his teammates postgame for moving the ball well in transition, which helped him get into the rhythm of the game. He called the transition game an important part of Indiana’s offense, because it’s an opportunity to score when the defense isn’t set. He acknowledged he wasn’t able to come through in that respect the first several games but thought it was a huge factor in Tuesday’s win.

Woodson said he ran a few plays to free up Goode for open looks, but many of his shots came from Indiana pushing the pace or on kickouts from the post. Goode went 3-for-9 on 3-point attempts across three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis, and Woodson said he’s been trying to get him more shots.

“He's meant a lot,” Woodson said. “He was so happy when we recruited him to bring him back home. Once he got here, he's been everything that we thought he would be. He struggled early, but it's a long season. I mean, tonight we benefited from Goode making shots, I mean, what we expect him to do when he comes into the game.”

Seeing shots fall helps his confidence too, especially with the home crowd cheering in support. After he made a few shots, Goode and Malik Reneau agreed that the floor opened up for players like Myles Rice and Oumar Ballo to score easy baskets at the rim. Goode, Reneau, Rice and Mackenzie Mgbako all finished with 13-plus points against Sam Houston.

In just 17 minutes of action, Goode scored 18 points on 5-for-7 3-point shooting. The five made 3-pointers marked a career-high for Goode across 84 career college basketball games. 

“It's super special,” Goode said. “The first game I played at home, it was kind of cool. It was like a shock. … So to be able to wear the candy stripes and go play, it's a dream come true. I hope people realize that when I go out there and play, I play as hard as I possibly can when I'm on the court to represent this program the way it should be represented. Being able to go out there and put that mentality with actually being able to hit a couple shots now is definitely a good thing.”

G👌👌DE.

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Goode knows the college game as well as any Hoosier. Only Oumar Ballo, Trey Galloway and Langdon Hatton have appeared in more games at this level than Goode. That experience has allowed him to step into a vital leadership role in his first season at Indiana.

He’s often seen talking to the team during timeouts, or calling for the Hoosiers to huddle up during a break in the action. Reneau has appreciated that encouragement and guidance, because he wants to get where Goode has been.

Indiana hit a rough patch last week in the Bahamas, losing 89-61 to Louisville and 89-73 to Gonzaga before bouncing back with an 89-73 win over Providence. Asked Tuesday what wasn’t up to par from the Hoosiers, Goode said it was “all toughness.” 

He knows this team has the potential to win a lot of games, and he’s pushing them to play with an attitude required to do so. More nights like Tuesday's 5-for-7 3-point shooting performance would certainly help, too.

“I think we have one of the most talented teams in the country,” Goode said. “The day that I got here every single guy that's getting major minutes and even the guys that aren't, the talent on this team is ridiculous. I think it's the best talent this program has had in a long time. At the end of the day, it comes down to who plays the hardest. I think we just didn't play the hardest.” 

“It's something we fixed during the week. I think we came out today and played a lot harder on defense, tweaked a couple things. Coach Woodson obviously saw something that needed to change, and we changed that today. I think it's continuing to come in every day and be the hardest playing team. I think that's something we got to preach and that's why we lost those games.”

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• INDIANA DELIVERS TENSION-FREE VICTORY: Indiana kept Sam Houston at arm's length and the Indiana bench delivered in a 97-71 triumph for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Mike Woodson spoke to the media after Indiana improved to 6-2 with the victory over Sam Houston. CLICK HERE