Freshman guard Aleksa Ristic 'did some good things' in Indiana debut
A week ago, Aleksa Ristic didn’t know his teammates, hadn’t been to Bloomington, and had never worn an Indiana jersey — let alone played in a college basketball game.
On Wednesday night, the freshman guard saw 16 minutes of action in Indiana’s 98-47 exhibition win in Puerto Rico, contributing six points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one turnover in his first game with the program.
“I thought he did a really nice job out there,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said. “I thought he did some good things.”
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Ristic, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound international freshman, arrived in Bloomington on July 31. Four days later, he was on a flight to San Juan with the team.
At that point, DeVries said the staff wasn’t sure if Ristic would see the floor on the trip. But after getting through a handful of practices, the coaching staff decided it was worth giving him early game experience.
“He’s in a tough spot. But we thought it was really important to get him here, get him in a few of our practices that we’re allowed to have, and to get him out on the game floor,” DeVries said. “Obviously, he doesn’t know a lot of the stuff and the terminologies and things, but it’s a way to speed up that process for us.”
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Ristic shot 3-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 inside the arc. His first points came on a transition layup, and he later converted an and-one after a give-and-go with senior forward Reed Bailey. He missed both of his 3-point attempts and did not hit the free throw following his and-one finish.
Given the circumstances, his performance was a positive sign for Indiana’s staff, even if modest.
Ristic committed to Indiana without visiting campus, going through the recruiting process entirely over Zoom. After arriving in the U.S., he moved into a new apartment, began learning the team’s system, and met his teammates for the first time. In Wednesday’s game, he wore No. 21 — though he’s officially listed as No. 13 on the roster.
His role and understanding of the system are still developing, but Wednesday offered an early look at how he might fit into the program going forward.
Ristic’s debut won’t draw headlines for box score dominance, but considering how quickly everything came together, it was a respectable first step in what could become a longer-term contribution for Indiana this season.
