PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas – Sophomore guard Gabe Cupps has returned to practice, at least in limited action, after missing Indiana’s past two games. Whether Cupps is available for this week’s games in the Battle 4 Atlantis remains to be seen.
IU coach Mike Woodson, speaking with reporters after the Hoosiers’ practice Tuesday here in The Bahamas, said Cupps has “practice a little bit” in recent days following an undisclosed injury. Redshirt freshman guard Jakai Newton remains benched by a hamstring problem.
“I don’t know,” Woodson said, when asked if either player might be available this week. “Gabe has practiced a little bit. Jakai is still slow coming back, I don’t know if he’ll dress or play tomorrow. Gabe hasn’t had a lot of practice time under his belt since he went down.”
Newton’s road back to full health has been littered with obstacles, after a knee problem cost him all of last season. The Atlanta-area native saw limited action in the preseason, and in the Hoosiers’ Nov. 10 win against Eastern Illinois. He played eight minutes in that game, scoring two points, pulling down two rebounds and logging a steal.
But Newton has missed the past two games dealing with that hamstring problem, with his status for this week also potentially in doubt.
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Per Woodson’s assessment Tuesday, Cupps could be closer to a return. The sophomore from Ohio has been a valuable ball-handler/defender from the bench early in this season, after seeing substantial action last winter as a freshman.
Whether the Hoosiers can call on Cupps this week in Atlantis remains to be seen. With the sheer physical demands of three games in three days, Woodson will hope to have as many hands on deck as possible.
“We’ll just see, you know? If Gabe tells me he can play, if he’s ready to play, then if I find minutes for him, I’ll throw him in there,” Woodson said. “But right now, I don’t know the rotations in terms of who’s gonna play, who’s not gonna play. If you’re in uniform, you’ve just got to be ready to play when called upon.”