Photo of Xavier Johnson With Indiana Teammates Just Before Tipoff Goes Viral

Even though Indiana senior point guard Xavier Johnson hasn't been able to play since mid-December because of a broken foot, his teammates say he's still a very valuable piece of this team, both as a leader and a mentor to freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino. A picture of him with the five starters just before tipoff Friday went viral.

ALBANY, N.Y. — Indiana's five starters were walking out to center court for the opening tip of their first-round game against Kent State on Friday, and just seconds before the game would start, they put their arms around in other in one last huddle.

The five of them, plus injured senior point guard Xavier Johnson. Johnson, who hasn't played since mid-December after breaking his foot at Kansas, is still very much a part of this team, and the players said that his final words of encouragement — and leadership — meant a lot to them.

He's still their leader, they all said Saturday when asked about the photo of the six of them that went viral during Friday night's game. They all talked at length about the value he still provides this team, even while being out with that broken foot.

Injured Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson huddles with his teammates just prior to tipoff on Friday night. They talked about Johnson's value, even though he can't play because of a broken foot. (HoosiersNow.com photo by Tom Brew)

"Xavier, even though he's been hurt, he's a huge part of our team,'' Indiana All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis said. "Even in the locker room, I remember against Northwestern, he got us really fired up. He was trying to fire us up and get us going, and we came out and started playing well.

"He does stuff like that. Even though he's not on the court, he's still our point guard, he's still our leader. He's using his voice and being vocal, hyping us up on the bench, and we need it from him because it gives our players confidence.''

Kopp loves how engaged Johnson stays in the game on the bench.

"You see him on the bench, a shot goes up, he's the first one to put his hand up, saying it's three ball,'' Kopp said. "He's the biggest cheerleader on the bench really, him and Anthony Leal, I think, and hego nuts over there. It means a lot because he can't affect the game on the court, but he's impacting the team and the game off the court, on the bench, in the huddles, in the locker room, and stuff like that. He's definitely doing as much as he can while he can't play.''

Senior forward Race Thompson appreciates Johnson being such a great teammate. Thompson has dealt with injuries himself throughout his career, so he feels for Johnson not being able to contribute on the floor.

"Yeah, he's been a great teammate. You couldn't ask for a better teammate than X,'' Thompson said. "Like they said, he's the first one cheering. He's paying attention in the scout. That's how he knows what's going on. He's hollering out plays.

"Again, he's a leader in the locker room, just keeping everybody together, keeping it light when it needs to be light, being serious when it needs to be serious. So I think just him being that great teammate and being a really good leader has helped us get to this point.''

Indiana senior Xavier Johnson sits on the bench at Assembly Hall with a boot on his right foot. (Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Indiana coach Mike Woodson said he could have never imagined going almost a full season without Johnson. But he said he's still been a great mentor to freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, and he's doing all he can to still help the 23-11 Hoosiers, who take on Miami in a second-round game on Sunday night.

"He's like another coach,'' Woodson said. "He's been excellent for Jalen and guys that handle the basketball up front. He's been good in that area. Coming into this season, none of us thought we would lose Xavier Johnson because he was such a big piece to the puzzle last year. 

"He's continued to work a little bit, can't do much still, and we're working our butts off to try to bring him back for next season. And only time will tell if that will happen. But he's been a major positive for our ball club even though he hasn't been able to dress and play.''

Johnson and Hood-Schifino played together in Indiana's first seven games, all victories, including a Big Ten/ACC win over previous No. 1 North Carolina. Then Hood-Schifino missed three games with a back injury and they played just 6 minutes, 9 seconds at Kansas before Johnson got hurt. 

He was hoping to return for the end of the season, but the bone in his foot is still not fully healed. He's going to apply for a medical redshirt so he can play one more season in 2023-24.

Indiana guard Xavier Johnson (0) writhes in pain after breaking his foot against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse in mid-December. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY)

He's been a great mentor for Hood-Schifino, a heralded point guard recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida.

"When we set out to recruit Jalen Hood-Schifino, I was his biggest fan.'' Woodson said. "I couldn't get enough of going to AAU tournaments and going and watching him in high school. I made it very clear I have to get Jalen Schifino in an Indiana uniform. That was my first really priority. 

"And it's worked out because, again, I never thought I would lose Xavier. I really didn't. I thought Xavier, even though I was going to start them both, Xavier would teach him and tutelage him along the way. We just never got to it enough. Basically, we've thrown Jalen to the wolves, and he's kind of handled it, man. I mean, he's been poised. He's had his ups and downs, man, but for the most part, we are siting here playing Miami because Jalen Schifino has had a good freshman season.''

With an assist — another one — from Xavier Johnson.

Miller Kopp's hilarious 2:34 a.m. TikTok video

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