Why Are Banks, Gunn Playing So Little After Woodson Expected 'Some Big Things'?

Playing time has decreased in recent weeks for sophomores CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks as coach Mike Woodson searches for production from a bench that hasn't given Indiana enough this season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Indiana lost 61.2 points per game from Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Race Thompson, Miller Kopp, Tamar Bates and Jordan Geronimo, plus all the defense and leadership that came with them, coach Mike Woodson knew he needed to hit the transfer portal and get more from the roster's few returners. 

He put a lot of that weight on senior guards Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway, naming them team captains. But he also challenged his sophomore class: Malik Reneau, CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks.

“I'm expecting some big things,” Woodson said of that trio at Big Ten media days in October. “I can't wait on them. I need them to be ready to play this season."

Reneau has perhaps exceeded Woodson's expectations as he leads Indiana with 16.4 points per game, a 10.3-point increase from his freshman season serving as the backup to Jackson-Davis and Thompson. Most of Reneau's production comes from soft touch and precise footwork inside, but he has become a quality 3-point shooter at 37.1%, too. Woodson is still pushing Reneau to improve his rebounding and defense. Wins like Tuesday's at Ohio State, where he scored 26 points, reaffirm that Reneau as an invaluable piece for the Hoosiers. 

Gunn and Banks, on the other hand, have not made the sophomore jump Woodson was hoping to see. Gunn didn't play at Illinois, and he has played just seven minutes per game and scored three total points over his last four appearances. Banks has fallen out of the rotation completely. He hasn't played since Jan. 19 at Wisconsin, and he's played just 13 combined minutes in his last four appearances.

Woodson was asked Thursday what has prevented Gunn and Banks from taking the next step.

"I wish I knew because they have worked. I mean, in practice they work," Woodson said. "I just got to find some confidence somewhere in one of them, if not both, because it's tough. You can't just play six guys. I mean, [Anthony] Walker played a little bit in that game. I played Payton [Sparks] very little. Anthony [Leal] played a big chunk of minutes along with the starters."

Indiana's CJ Gunn (11) shoots over North Alabama's Jacari Lane (5) during the first half of the Indiana versus North Alabama men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, December 21, 2023 :: Rich Janzaruk/USA TODAY Sports

Gunn holds the Lawrence North High School (Ind.) all-time record for average points per game, 23.5. Banks was a 2,000-point scorer and Georgia 4A Player of the Year in high school. But neither has found a consistent role in college, and they are losing minutes to Anthony Leal and Mackenzie Mgbako, especially.

As a sophomore, Gunn is averaging 3.2 points per game while shooting 32.1% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range across 22 games. Add 20 games from his freshman year, and Gunn is 10-for-50, or 20%, on 3-point attempts in his Indiana career. 

Gunn was one of, if not the first, option off the bench early in the season. He played at least 13 minutes in 11 of Indiana's first 18 games, plus five games of at least 20 minutes. 

He played a key role in several wins this season, most notably at Michigan on Dec. 5, when he scored eight points with four steals and two rebounds. In the Hoosiers' home win over Ohio State on Jan. 6, the 6-foot-6 guard scored 10 points – one shy of his career high – and hit big shots down the stretch. But those flashes have been few and far between. 

The drop off in minutes for Banks is even more drastic. After playing 9-plus minutes in 14 of Indiana's first 15 games, plus five games of 16-plus minutes, he has not played in the last four games. In 19 games, Banks, a 6-foot-7 wing, is averaging 2.7 points while shooting 38.8% from the field and 26.3% from 3-point range. 

Indiana Hoosiers forward Kaleb Banks (10) shoots the ball in the first half against the Wright State Raiders at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Bench players have given Indiana little to nothing in most recent games, combining for eight points at Ohio State, three points against Penn State and two points at Illinois. Six of those points against Ohio State came from Leal, who played 26 minutes, the third most in his career.

Woodson hasn't given up on Gunn and Banks, though, because he knows Indiana needs a higher level of bench production to be successful.

"I just got to keep working and trying to get them where I need them to be, man," Woodson said. "We still got a lot of basketball left, and my thing is when I put them in there, maybe I'm putting too much pressure, they're feeling too much pressure to have to perform. I don't want them to feel that way, so I just got to – that part of it I got to figure out." 

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• KEL'EL WARE INJURY UPDATE: Indiana center Kel'el Ware's status for Saturday's game at Purdue is uncertain after suffering an injury late in Tuesday's game at Ohio State. Coach Mike Woodson said Ware had the day off Wednesday to get treatment. CLICK HERE
• MEET THE OPPONENT, PURDUE: Purdue is having its way in Big Ten play again, posting a 10-2 conference record and seven consecutive wins. Led by reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey and plenty of 3-point shooters, this could be the year Purdue breaks through in the NCAA Tournament. Here's a full breakdown of Indiana's Saturday opponent, the Purdue Boilermakers. CLICK HERE
• GAME STORY: Indiana came back from an 18-point deficit to defeat Ohio State 76-73 Tuesday in Columbus. Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 26 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and Trey Galloway scored 25 points. Though he only attempted one shot, Anthony Leal hit the biggest one all night. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: Anthony Leal did a lot of good things Tuesday night, but it was his one and only made basket — a three-pointer with 22 seconds to go — that gave Indiana some life again after a thrilling 76-73 win over Ohio State. The Hoosiers came back from 18 points down in the second half. CLICK HERE