Aleksa Ristic 'Did Really Nice Job' in Indiana Basketball Debut — With One Week of Practice

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The play itself wasn't as important as the reaction.

Indiana freshman guard Aleksa Ristic shuffled from left to right, defending a drive from Universidad de Bayamon guard Harris Santiago. Ristic stayed square, sealed Santiago's lone path to the basket and watched as the ball bounced off Santiago's knee and rolled out of bounds.

Each of Indiana's six active players on the bench stood up to cheer. Most clapped and yelled. Senior guard Conor Enright emphatically whipped his towel toward the ground.

On the court, freshman forward Trent Sisley extended his right hand to pat Ristic's back. Senior forward Tucker DeVries clapped his hands three times while approaching the 19-year-old Bosnian to deliver a left-handed high-five.

One week prior, none of them had met Ristic.

Between a late deal — Ristic committed to Indiana on June 16 and signed his letter of intent July 8 — and Ristic's role as the lead guard on Serbia's National Team in the FIBA EuroBasket Under-20 tournament, Ristic didn't arrive in Bloomington until July 30.

He put on his jersey for the first time July 31, and he boarded the plane to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 4.

Two days later — and exactly one week after landing in the United States — Ristic was the ninth man off Indiana's bench and played over 16 minutes in the Hoosiers' 98-47 exhibition victory Wednesday night.

Ristic finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one turnover in his college debut.

"I thought he did a really nice job out there," Indiana coach Darian DeVries said. "I thought he did some good things."

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Ristic went 3-for-6 shooting from the field. He scored his first basket on a transition layup, and he made 3 of 4 attempts inside the arc, including an and-one layup after a give-and-go with senior forward Reed Bailey. His lone miss inside came on a contested layup in transition late in the third quarter.

Ristic missed both of his 3-pointers and failed to convert at the free throw after his and-one, but his presence on the floor alone was a pleasant outcome for DeVries and his staff.

Following Indiana's open-to-media practice July 30, DeVries said he wasn't sure if Ristic would play in Puerto Rico. The Hoosiers didn't want to put Ristic in a position he wasn't ready to handle, adding urgency to his week-long acclimation process.

And while Ristic still knows little of Indiana's system, DeVries believes there's value in letting him learn under fire.

"He's in a tough spot," DeVries said, "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. 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."

Ristic didn't visit Bloomington before committing to Indiana as his recruitment took place over Zoom. Within the span of a week, he moved into a new apartment, met his teammates and coaches, grew accustomed to an entirely new country, flew to Puerto Rico and, finally, played in a game with a jersey that wasn't his — he wore No. 21 in the exhibition but is listed as No. 13 on Indiana's roster.

He'd be forgiven if he's still learning names — but his presence in Puerto Rico, with all it took to get there, shows he's committed to making Indiana fans remember his.