NBA Draft Blog Interview with Yogi Ferrell
By Ed Isaacson
The state of Indiana is synonymous with basketball, and within the state, there’s not many grander stages than Indiana University basketball. There is a rich history of Indiana high school basketball stars going on to play for the Hoosiers. Names like Steve Alford, Damon Bailey, Jared Jeffries, Eric Gordon, and Cody Zeller all made their impact on Indiana University basketball, and over the last four years, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell has made his own major imprint on the school’s history.
A McDonald’s All-American from Indianapolis, Ferrell’s four seasons have become a prominent part of the Hoosiers’ record book. He is in the top ten in career scoring, assists, field goals made, three-point field goals made, and career games played. Incredibly, Ferrell did not miss a game during his Indiana career.
Now, Ferrell is ready to make his mark at the NBA level, and after witnessing his college career, it would be silly to doubt that it will happen. Through the pre-draft process, Ferrell’s name has been one that has made NBA personnel enthusiastic about the impression he made.
As the draft gets closer, Ferrell is able to look back and reflect on how the past four seasons have gotten him to the verge of fulfilling an NBA dream, including how he has become a better player and person for his time at Indiana.
“I definitely matured during my time at Indiana, and that helped me to approach this year differently,” said Ferrell. “I learned not to try and do too much and let the game come to me. The maturity also made me a better leader, setting the example for my teammates, and holding them, and myself, accountable.”
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From the moment he stepped on campus, Ferrell became a key member of the team. After a strong freshman year where he was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team, Ferrell broke out as a sophomore, averaging 17.3 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.
After going to the Sweet Sixteen as a freshman, the team struggled in his sophomore year. Even though Ferrell was breaking out individually, he still took a lot of the struggles onto himself, as a leader would. “I felt a little pressure my sophomore year, and maybe listened a little too much to what people said,” Ferrell said. “It allowed me to grow though, learning to not buy too much into hype, and focusing more on meeting, and exceeding, expectations.”
His sophomore year also helped strengthen the bond between Ferrell and Coach Tom Crean, and he credits Crean’s influence for a lot of his development on and off the court. “Coach Crean not only taught us about every aspect of basketball, but of life,” explained Ferrell. “The big message was hard work over everything. Coach would bring in all of these guys to talk to us, former players like Dwyane Wade, and the one thing they all had in common was they were hard workers.”
Ferrell shined again as a junior, averaging 16 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game, hitting over 40 percent from three from the second consecutive year, and helping lead Indiana back into the NCAA Tournament. Ferrell was named First Team All-Big Ten, but the best was yet to come.
All of the hard work Ferrell put in was on display his senior year. He finished the year averaging 17.3 points, shooting 46 percent from the floor, and an outstanding 42 percent from three-point range, both career highs.
On top of that, Ferrell also averaged career highs in assists, almost 6 per game, rebounds, 3.8, and steals, 1.1, all while playing almost 35 minutes per game, and being named First Team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year, a member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, an All-American by numerous publications, as well as one of the five finalist for the Cousy Award for the nation’s top point guard.
Ferrell led Indiana to 27 wins, and the top offensive rating in college basketball, an incredible 119.2 points per 100 possessions. The Hoosiers earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, making a run to the Sweet Sixteen after beating Chattanooga and long-time rival Kentucky, setting up a game against top seed North Carolina.
Indiana came up short in that Sweet Sixteen match-up, though Ferrell finished his college career in a big manner, scoring 25 points, including 4 of 9 from long-range, to go with 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
Though his season and career didn’t end the way he hoped, looking back, Ferrell was able to take a lot away from it. “It wasn’t the way I wanted it to end; we didn’t reach our goals,” said Ferrell. “I was focused on that right after the game, but later on, it definitely hit me that was the last time I’d put on the Indiana uniform, and I was glad how far we came. I gave my all to Indiana.”
With his college career behind him, Ferrell has been focused on showing all he can do to NBA teams. As of today, Ferrell has had 16 NBA team workouts, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix, Boston, New Orleans and Orlando.
The feedback Ferrell has been receiving from teams has been incredibly positive and encouraging, and some NBA personnel think he could find himself chose in the early-to-mid second round. From all of this, Ferrell has a great idea of what parts of his game are attractive to these teams. “My intelligence on the floor is my biggest strength, the ability to read plays and defenses,” said Ferrell. “I’m a big film guy, and I learned how to watch and learn from the film while at Indiana, and I’m able to take a lot away from that, and make adjustments.”
Ferrell brings more than a high basketball IQ though. “I’m an energy guy, and I like to talk a lot while I’m on the floor,” Ferrell explained. “When I’m talking, I become more engaged, which also makes my teammates more engaged.”
Ferrell’s ability to knock down jumpers has also been impressive, and he’s been hard at work tightening up others aspects of his game to make the transition to the NBA game easier. “I’ve worked a lot on learning to make different reads in the pick-and-roll,” said Ferrell. “Watching guys like Chris Paul or Isaiah Thomas, I’m learning more about how to take advantage of the angles and coverages defenses show you, as well as learning to change paces more, knowing when to use my speed.”
As he spends time with NBA teams and coaches, Ferrell has a good notion of what role he can play for any team right away. “I can lead the second unit, giving starters a little bit of rest, but keeping the same pace and energy that they bring,” said Ferrell. “The most important thing though will be getting my teammates involved.”
Ferrell’s skill on the floor is more than enough to make him one of the better point guards in this draft class, but it’s the intangibles he brings which will make him a favorite among coaches, teammates, staff, and fans.
“I’m a high character guy, a guy who can fit in easily with any team’s culture,” said Ferrell. “I just have a love for the game, and that’s what makes me want to be the best I can be.”
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