Final Grades: Breaking Down Al Durham's 2020-21 Season at Indiana

Al Durham completed his four-year career at Indiana as a 1,000-point scorer, something that was never expected of him when he arrived in Bloomington from Georgia.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There are only 53 people in the long and storied history of Indiana basketball who have scored at least 1,000 points in their career with the Hoosiers, and senior Al Durham is one of them.

That in itself is saying something.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Lilburn, Ga., broke the barrier in his final home game at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall on Feb. 27 against Michigan. It was also Senior Day, his final game in Bloomington. His career ended three games later, and he was out the door. He's opted to play his final bonus season at Providence.

Here's a breakdown of his season, what I liked and didn't like, his best game and future prospects and – of course – his final grade.

There's also a terrific video chat with Hilltop30 Scholarship Fund winner Haley Jordan, so check that out as well:

Al Durham by the numbers

• Games played: 26 of 27
• Games started: 26 of 27
• Average minutes: 32.5 (second on team)
• Points per game: 11.3 (third on team)
• Rebounds per game: 3.1 
• Assists per game: 2.6
• Steals per game: 0.53
• Field goal percentage: 38.8 (87-for-224)
• 3-point percentage: 38.0 (38-for-100)
• Free throw percentage: 78.6 (81-for-103)

What I liked

A lot of very smart people would have never guessed four years ago that Al Durham would score 1,000 points in his career in Bloomington. He was never great, never an all-conference type of player, but he clearly found the basket quite a bit. 

That was no different this year, where he scored nine points or more in 19 of his 26 games. He averaged 11.3 points per game, one of just three Hoosiers to average in double figures.

He did it all with class, too. He worked very hard to accomplish all he did at Indiana, and had a better-than-expected career, for sure. 

What I didn't like

He was just too wild sometimes in trying to get to the basket, and that was clearly evident in his low shooting percentage numbers from two, which was only 39 percent. A lot of that might have come from the bad offense he played in, but that was the lowest percentage of his career.

He's also not a great defensive player, and that reared its ugly head far too many times. How can a guard play all those minutes and only have 14 steals in an entire season. And in the two games against Michigan State late in the season with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line, he went a combined 0-for-11 from the field. They were part of the six-game losing streak that ended the season.

Best game

He had 19 points early in a game against Providence – his future team – back at the Maui Invitational, and had 20 points in the February loss at Rutgers right after the first Michigan State disaster, but his best game by far was at Northwestern.

He hit one huge shot after another in that game, a double-overtime victory on Feb. 12. He scored a season-high 24 points, and made 11-of-12 free throws to seal the victory. 

Future prospects

He's off to Providence for his bonus fifth year. Many of you could care less what his future prospects are since it won't be at Indiana, and I get that. Much like we said about Armaan Franklin, who's off to Virginia, these Hoosiers will be out of side and out of mind.

Ed Cooley is a good coach and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's a double-figure scorer again.

Final Grade: B

B: I was at B-minus here but bumped it up a notch, because that 1,000-point mark means a lot to me. That's a solid career, and he gets a bonus point for that.

Previous 'Final Grades' stories

• TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was Indiana's leading scorer and rebounder this year, and there was no question he was the Hoosiers' best player. Here's his grade. CLICK HERE
• ARMAAN FRANKLIN: Sophomore guard Armaan Franklin made great year-over-year strides and emerged as Indiana's best perimeter threat on both sides of the floor. CLICK HERE
• RACE THOMPSON: Redshirt junior Race Thompson fought through injuries at the end of the season and battled in the post all year during his fine season. CLICK HERE
• NEXT UP: Indiana junior guard Rob Phinisee.
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