HAWK TALK

November 2014

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53 has versatility and can play either the 3 or 4. McCaf- fery believes a year of college basketball under his belt is what Uthoff needed aer redshirting his first two seasons. "He had some great games for us last year," said Mc- Caffery. "Jarrod's going to get more opportunities to do more things, and be encouraged to do a lot more things, now that Melsahn Basabe and Zach McCabe have graduated. Physically, he's in a good place." Iowa's frontcourt consists of junior Adam Woodbury (5.7 ppg and 3.9 rpg), senior Gabriel Olaseni (6.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg), freshman Dom Uhl, and White. Uhl was a first-team All-Group 1 and first-team All-Ocean his senior season. McCaffery hints at the possibility of see- ing 7-foot-1 Woodbury and 6-foot-10 Olaseni on the floor at the same time this season. "I'm excited about those two guys, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them both on the floor together at some point," McCaffery said. "Gabe is a completely different player from a confidence perspective than he was last season and the year before. Adam had a strong finish last year, which propelled him into a terrific summer." Olaseni was one of four players in the country to ac- cumulate more offensive rebounds (82) than defensive (81) rebounds in 2014. Woodbury has started all 71 games at center and established career bests in every statistical category as a sophomore. Iowa's 2014-15 schedule features 18 games in Carver- Hawkeye Arena. e Hawkeyes ranked 17th in the country a year ago in attendance and have defended their home court — winning 31 home games the last two seasons. McCaffery and the team are thankful for the fan support. "Our fans love basketball and the Hawkeyes," said Mc- Caffery. "We'll continue to put the kind of product on the floor that our fans deserve and they, in turn, will continue to respond to our team in a way that helps us win." In addition to playing a challenging conference sched- ule, which includes Big Ten newcomers Rutgers and Maryland, the Hawkeyes' nonleague slate features a number of tests. "We want to provide maximum exposure for our program moving forward and that's what we're doing," McCaffery said. T he University of Iowa men's basketball program has built a winning foundation under head coach Fran McCaffery and the Hawkeyes have their sights set on another winning season in 2014-15. Iowa has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons, includ- ing two upper-division finishes in the Big Ten, and went from NIT runners-up in 2013 to competing in the NCAA Tournament in 2014. e Hawkeyes, who were ranked in both major polls 16 consecutive weeks last season, return 10 experienced players, including nine upperclassmen. e Hawkeyes lost leading-scorer Devyn Marble (17 points per game) to graduation and the NBA, but return their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Aaron White (12.8 ppg and 6.7 rebounds per game). e senior forward, who is a two-time third- team All-Big Ten honoree, will lead a team that aver- aged 81.5 points per game a year ago — its highest scoring average since 1995. "He was tremendous last year," said McCaffery. "Aaron knows he can score in transition, at the free-throw line, and in the post. He's smart and continues to diversify his game. He can also be one of the rebounding leaders in our league." White had a productive offseason, as the Strongsville, Ohio, native was invited to and participated in two elite summer camps hosted by NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James. e 6-foot-9 forward enters his senior season as the first Hawkeye to amass 1,300-or-more points, 650-or-more rebounds and 100-or-more assists through his junior year. Iowa has plenty of depth in the backcourt, returning juniors Mike Gesell (7.8 ppg and 3.9 assists per game) and Anthony Clemmons (2.4 ppg and 1.7 apg), and sharpshooters Josh Oglesby (6.6 ppg and 1.3 apg) and Peter Jok (4.4 ppg). e Hawkeyes add junior college All-American Trey Dickerson and freshman Brady Ellingson. Dickerson was the top-rated JUCO point guard last season, while Ellingson was a second-team all-state honoree in the state of Wisconsin as a senior. "We've got depth, size, quickness, and shooting," Mc- Caffery said. "Mike and Anthony can play either spot, and we can play Josh and Peter on the wing at either the two or three. We also have Trey, who is bullet- quick, and gives you another dimension, especially in pick-and-roll situations. Brady is another guy that can shoot the 3, who has an incredible basketball IQ." Jarrod Uthoff returns for his junior season aer averag- ing 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in his first season of competitive basketball since 2012. e 6-foot-8 wing

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