Indiana’s Gabe Cupps In Ideal Situation Entering Freshman Season

Though the return of senior Xavier Johnson may limit freshman point guard Gabe Cupps’ immediate role, he'll benefit greatly from going up against a sixth-year veteran every day in practice.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Xavier Johnson wasn’t supposed to be at Indiana for Gabe Cupps’ freshman year, but it may end up being the best outcome for everyone.

The NCAA granted Johnson a rare sixth year of eligibility after a broken foot held him out of 24 games last year. Indiana could have made a deeper tournament run with Johnson, but the situation allowed Jalen Hood-Schifino to grow into the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a first-round NBA draft pick, which has helped coach Mike Woodson on the recruiting trail.

And now having Johnson back in Bloomington gives the Hoosiers a strong veteran presence at point guard. He also can help mold Cupps into a backcourt leader for years to come, putting Cupps in an ideal long-term situation entering his freshman year.

“It’s super valuable,” Cupps said. “Just going against him in practice every day is probably the biggest thing … I don’t know if I’ve ever played against somebody that’s that fast and that strong.”

Indiana freshman guard Gabe Cupps talks to the media during the Indiana University basketball media day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 :: Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cupps may have had a larger role this year if Johnson stayed healthy last year and was no longer around, but there’s always a risk that comes with playing any freshman major minutes, especially at the point guard position. With Johnson on the roster, Cupps has less pressure to perform well immediately, and he has a mentor to lean on.

It’s been a stark contrast from going up against fellow high schoolers to defending and running the offense against a 24-year-old. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Cupps said Johnson’s physicality and quickness has been the biggest challenge on a daily basis, but he feels himself improving as a result. He’s approached the college level by embracing a mindset of knowing that there’s going to be contact, but not expecting any foul calls going his way.

And by all accounts, Cupps has been ready for the challenge.

“The battles have been tremendous because [Cupps is] a competitor and X is a competitor, which I kind of like,” Woodson said. “They’ve been going at each other, and that’s how it should be.”

“I can’t imagine people going as hard as we both do against each other every day,” Cupps said. “It gets scrappy. It gets intense sometimes, but we know at the end of the day we’re just trying to make each other better.”

“He didn’t expect me to be here,” Johnson said. “But it’s going pretty good. Gabe loves to compete, just like myself, and he loves to get better.”

Woodson said Cupps is going to have to play some minutes for Indiana this year, and it’s his responsibility to get Cupps up to speed on the offense and feel comfortable running it. He also recognizes playing point guard is tough for freshmen, especially when asking them to be the first point of attack on defense and distribute the ball as needed on offense.

It’ll ultimately be up to Woodson on how many minutes he plays, but Cupps envisions his role on this year’s team as being a menace on defense, bringing everyone together as a leader, creating shots for himself and teammates, and doing whatever Woodson needs to help the team win.

In order to adjust to the physicality of the college game, Cupps has maintained the unwavering work ethic he had in high school. He’s taking advantage of a more advanced workout regimen with Clif Marshall, Indiana’s director of athletic performance, as well as recovery sessions with athletic trainer Tim Garl and access to the cold tub.

But he’s stayed true to one routine in particular. Cupps and the Centerville High School program coined their before-school workouts as the “Breakfast Club,” which has become a habit he’s brought to Bloomington.

Cupps said he has some 8 a.m. classes this year, but he’s often getting shots up earlier, around 6 a.m., which has caught the coaches’ attention.

“A lot of coaches have told me that I work out too much and stuff like that,” Cupps said. “But I always tell them that my body’s been doing this for 10 or 11 years now straight, so it doesn’t know anything else.”

Cupps even has an NIL deal related to his morning routine.

The Breakfast Club is officially open. The Breakfast club is a morning workout that allows you to get better while everyone else is still sleeping. Give yourself a head start on the day! Join ‘The Club’ now and improve daily. pic.twitter.com/8sZlNQ9TWz

— Gabe Cupps (@CuppsGabe) October 19, 2023

With Johnson still on the roster, Cupps will have to wait a season for his chance to crack the starting lineup. But with unproven depth behind Johnson and Trey Galloway in the backcourt, meaningful minutes are up for grabs. The path is there for Cupps, if he can make outside shots and defend like he did in high school as a state champion and Ohio Mr. Basketball.

In the even bigger picture, Indiana is eagerly awaiting a decision from five-star recruit Boogie Fland, who’s set to announce his college decision between Indiana and Kentucky at 2 p.m. ET Friday. This decision could impact Cupps’ role next season, as Fland is considered by some to be the top high school point guard in the nation, and No. 3 at worst.

Woodson showed at the start of the 2022-23 season a willingness to play two ball-handlers together, starting Johnson and Hood-Schifino together before injury struck. Though their skill sets differ, Cupps and Fland also could play together. That’s a conversation to entertain a year from now, though, as Cupps hasn’t played in a college game yet and Fland still hasn’t made a college commitment. 

But so far, Cupps has been just what Woodson expected when he recruited him as a four-star prospect out of Centerville, Ohio.

“He’s just steady,” Woodson said. “He knows how to play, man. I have no complaints with him at all. He works, and he’s just smart as hell.”

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GABE CUPPS NEXT GENERATION PROFILE: Gabe Cupps has been hanging out in the gym with his dad since he was a little boy, and he's grown into a state champion point guard who's excited about playing at Indiana. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIER HYSTERIA DETAILS: 2023 Hoosier Hysteria will take place Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and can be streamed on Big Ten-plus. Here are the full event details. CLICK HERE
• DREAM COME TRUE FOR PAYTON SPARKS: Payton Sparks was a dominant force for Ball State in the Mid-American Conference, and now he’s challenging himself at Indiana, the school he grew up rooting for. CLICK HERE
• AP TOP-25 POLL: Indiana received three votes, but was left of the preseason AP top-25 poll. Three Big Ten teams made the top 25, headlined by Purdue at No. 3 and Michigan State at No. 4. CLICK HERE
• BOOGIE FLAND DECISION DATE: Indiana basketball recruiting target Boogie Fland, a five-star guard in the class of 2024, is set to announce his college decision on Friday at 2 p.m. ET. Other contenders include Kentucky and Alabama. CLICK HERE
• SOPHOMORES NEED TO STEP UP: Malik Reneau, CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks played backup minutes as freshmen, but with six key rotational players gone from last season’s team, Indiana coach Mike Woodson needs this trio of sophomores to contribute. CLICK HERE
• MCNEELEY COMMITS, MORE TO COME?: With small forward Liam McNeeley picking Indiana over Kansas on Sunday, coach Mike Woodson has now landed five-star recruits in three consecutive classes: McNeeley, Mackenzie Mgbako and Jalen Hood-Schifino. Woodson is not stopping there, though, as he continues to pursue five-star guard Boogie Fland and five-star center Derik Queen. CLICK HERE