BLOOMINGTON — The record fell fast as you knew it would. Yogi Ferrell does not wait on success.
Never has.
Never will.
Indiana’s senior point guard played to a superstar billing Tuesday night, shredding Illinois’ defense at will en route to turning IU’s 103-69 victory into a sideshow to his record-breaking performance.
Specifically, Ferrell had 16 points, nine assists and three rebounds. He was 5-for-7 from 3-point range.
Nine minutes into the game, Ferrell connected with forward Max Bielfedt for a layup that gave him 546 career assists, one more than previous IU record holder Michael Lewis.
“That’s a great honor,” Ferrell said. “I played with a lot of great guys coming up — Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford.
“I like to be a facilitator for my team. I feel like I’ve gotten to know my teammates very well all four years. I know where they’re going to be on the court. I know where they like to hit 3s. I’ve got to get the ball to them, and they make the magic happen.”
Bielfeldt has seen that magic as an opponent (he played at Michigan for three years before transferring) as well as a teammate.
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“To be a part of that record, that’s awesome. It’s a heck of a record. It shows how talented he is.
“I’ve been on the other end of that trying to stop him. It’s a lot more fun to receive those passes than try to stop them.
Ferrell said he didn’t try to force the record.
“I was going to play the same game I normally play, push the tempo. I know my teammates will run with me, and I’m going to get them the ball.”
Teammate Troy Williams has been a three-year benefactor.
“He’s going to give us the ball in the right spot to make plays. He trusts us with the ball and we trust him to make the right plays.”
In the closing minutes, with victory assured, Ferrell jogged to the sidelines in acclaim and coach Tom Crean clasped his hand and raised it like a victorious prize fighter for the Assembly Hall crowd to acknowledge.
They did.
“It was my chance to show them we wouldn’t be there without them,” Crean said. “It was a spur-of-the-moment deal. Taking him out early, it was so fans could give him a little bit extra because he deserved it.”
Ferrell was a nationally renowned basketball phenom before he reached 10 years of age. He was a most wanted recruiting man, and IU won the prize, and if it hasn’t always been a smooth rise to collegiate glory, sometimes the best learning is the result.
And so it has.
“Yogi is extremely smart and has a very good basketball temperament,” Crean said. “He’s playing different positions on the court that most people have no idea that he’s in.
“It’s not the obvious that’s so good about him. He shoots it; he’s quick; he’s strong; he defends; he can push the ball. But it’s the ground he covers. It’s the covering for his teammates. It’s the communication.
Ferrell has perfected the art of scorer-passer, as his season averages of 17.1 points and 5.9 assists attest. He can shoot the the Hoosiers to victory as well as pass them to it, a skill not every player can master.
“I like to take what the defense gives me. They’ve got to take something away, and each game it will be different.
“My first strategy is to push the ball, and if I can get to the rim and score a quick bucket, I’ll do that. But I just want to push it and find my teammates.”
Even more, and it certainly wasn’t true in the past, Ferrell can lead them to victory.
“He’s growing up,” Crean said. “I know his best days are going to be at the next level (the NBA). I have no doubt about that. It’s an honor to coach him.”