Learning As He Goes Biggest Part of Challenge for Indiana Freshman Tamar Bates

Freshman guard Tamar Bates scored 13 points on Saturday, his first big offensive performance in more than two months. He's trying to keep his mind right during the slump, and he's remained confident despite his struggles. Reading, meditating and long talks with his dad have all helped.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It's not easy making the swift adjustment to college basketball and/or position changes and responsibilities, even with an impressive high school resume and advanced maturity.

It can be hard. Real hard.

Tamar Bates has learned that all too well. The five-star recruit has had his share of ups and downs this season, and he's tried to keep a level head through all of it.

He scored 13 points on Saturday in Indiana's 76-61 loss at Michigan State, and it was a nice boost for a Hoosiers team that's struggling on the offensive end lately. It tied a career high, first set when he scored 13 points in the Big Ten opener against Nebraska back on Dec. 4.

But in those two months since, Bates has struggled to get untracked. In the 13 games in between, he's gone scoreless six times, scored just two points three times and hasn't looked at all comfortable. He is just 9-for-41 shooting during that stretch, a 21.9 percent average. He's 5-of-21 inside the arc, and 4-of-20 outside. Nothing has been going right.

But he's dealing with it. He's been raised right, and he understands the value of mental health. He's keeping his head screwed on right. 

"I feel like it was a humbling experience for me, not getting too rattled and too shaken up by the so-called slump,'' Bates said on Monday. "I'm just staying the course and recognizing what was going on, and that there will be hills and valleys in this journey I'm taking. I made sure I was doing things to keep my head on straight, like reading books and meditating. Taking care of my mind was what really helped me these last two months.

"That was something I found to be really important, because everything starts up top. That's something that my dad is big on, and even last year in high school, that was something they stressed as really important, that my mental health was as important as my physical health, and I wanted to take a more serious approach to that, and put action toward it.''

He leans on his family a lot, and their constant open lines of communication are a big deal

"The main person I talk to is really my dad,'' Bates said. "I can call him, or he'll call me. He can just see a look on my face and know what's going on with me. A lot of the books I have, he mailed them to me. My dad and my brother, those are two people that I look to, and we have open conversations and I can turn to them to talk to when I'm in need.''

Bates arrived to Indiana last spring after re-opening his recruitment. Once a Texas commit, the five-star guard who played last season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He had a past relationship with Hoosiers assistant Kenya Hunter, and made an instant connection with new Indiana coach Mike Woodson.

He showed up with a swagger, confident without being cocky, and he fit in with his teammates instantly. The struggles in games does not carry over to practice, where he continues to work hard on his game and learn the nuances of high-level college basketball. 

"Just because he's not playing well in games doesn't change the way he's playing in practice and the way he approaches his game," senior guard Rob Phinisee said a few weeks ago. "He still works on his game every day. He's a super-confident kid. He really loves the game and he takes the game really serious. No one's really worried about him." 

Woodson keeps a tight leash on playing time, and Bates didn't stay on the court long when he came out struggling. But he's played at least 16 minutes in each of the last four games, and played 28 minutes against Michigan State.

Woodson knows his value, both now and down the road.

"He's kind of been up and down a little bit," Woodson said last month. "We're going to need Tamar because he's shown he can make plays from an offensive standpoint. We've got to get him better from a defensive standpoint too, so he's not giving up dribble penetration as easily. He's still a work in progress, but the beauty of Tamar is he puts the work in every day." 

Scoring points was a big deal for his confidence. It was good for his teammates, too.

"My focus was a little more fine-tuned going into the game,'' Bates said. "I feel like that was pretty good for myself personally for my confidence, and it was good for the whole team to have confidence in me, too. I would have liked to have come out with a win, that was my main focus. 

"It's not about me knocking down shots, it's more about knowing what's going to keep me on the floor. I know I will knock down shots, but staying solid defensively and doing what the coaches tell me, that's all it really is, sticking to what I know. My defense has improved the most, just recognizing more what's going on and paying attention to the scout and knowing when things are coming.''

Bates has also worked hard in learning to play off the bench, something that's always an adjustment at the college level for kids who are used to being stars in high school. 

The other thing, I've figured out different approaches to coming off the bench, and watching the game and what we're doing and seeing what we're doing right or wrong offensively and defensively, so I can exploit that when I get into the game,'' Bates said.

Bates also said he reads a lot, and meditates to keep his mind right. That all means a lot to him, too.

"The main author I've been diving into is Jon Gordon. I just finished up 'The Garden'' and another book called "Stick Together'' by him, and then "The Energy Bus.'' Those are the three I have by him.''

Indiana guard Tamar Bates (53) drives to the basket against Michigan State's A.J. Hoggard (11) ion Saturday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich,. (Dale Young/USA TODAY Sports)