HAWK TALK

November 2017

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17 T here is a palpable buzz surrounding the University of Iowa men's basketball program with players, coaches, and fans eager for the start of the 2017-18 season. Iowa returns 74 percent of its offense from last year's squad that finished fih in the Big Ten. Nearly half of Iowa's offensive production a year ago came from talented freshmen Jordan Bohannon, Tyler Cook, Isaiah Moss, and Cordell Pemsl. Bohannon had a historic season directing the offense as a true freshman, earning All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors while averaging 10.9 points and 5.1 assists. e native of Marion, Iowa, became one of only two players in the country over the last 25 years to post 175 assists and 85 3-pointers as a rookie. McCaffery says Bohannon will see time at both guard positions as a sophomore. Moss, who averaged 6.5 points last year, is Iowa's other returning backcourt starter. Other Hawkeyes in the mix on the perimeter include Brady Ellingson, Maishe Dailey, and Connor McCaffery. Many feel Iowa's biggest strength will be versatility and frontcourt depth. Head coach Fran McCaffery believes this team has the most length and is the deepest he has ever coached. Tyler Cook averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds as a freshman power forward, earning All-Big Ten Freshman Team accolades. Cook finished his rookie campaign making his last 18 field goal attempts, spanning Iowa's final three games. Part-time starters Ahmad Wagner and Pemsl return for their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. Wagner started 18 games, while Pemsl was in the starting rotation 14 times. Pemsl averaged 8.9 points and five rebounds, and broke the school's field goal percentage record, making 61.7 percent of his attempts as a freshman. Wagner was the recipient of the team's Kenny Arnold Spirit Award aer ranking third on the team in blocked shots (14), fourth in steals (27), and fih in assists (46). But who starts is not as important to McCaffery as who is on the floor at the end of games. "Last year was indicative of that because there were a number of times where we had different lineups on the floor and a lot of times there were lineups you wouldn't expect playing together at the end of the game," McCaffery said. Iowa has two upperclassmen on the roster, senior Dom Uhl and junior Nicholas Baer, both versatile forwards. Last year, Baer was voted Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and became the only Big Ten player over the last 25 years to amass 250 points, 40 blocked shots, 45 steals, and 45 3-pointers in a season. Uhl is playing the best basketball of his life as he enters his final season. Other bigs who will have a significant impact on this year's team include sophomore Ryan Kriener, and freshmen Luka Garza and Jack Nunge. Garza joins the Hawkeyes aer being named the 2017 Gatorade D.C. Boys Basketball Player of the Year, while Nunge was a finalist for Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana. Going through the 18-game Big Ten schedule is a grind, but McCaffery believes this team has the mental makeup to go through the highs and lows to compete for a championship. "I think it helped us last year to start slow and then have the pressure to finish the way we did," said McCaffery. "We had to figure out the importance of playing both ends and the importance of getting quality play from so many different people. You get excited when you see young guys figure it out, compete, improve, stay together, and remain confident." NOVEMBER SCHEDULE Nov. 2 Belmont Abbey (Exh.) Nov. 10 Chicago State Nov. 12 vs. Alabama State Nov. 16 vs. Grambling State Nov. 20 vs. Louisiana Nov. 21 vs. Wyoming or S.Dakota State Nov. 22 TBD Nov. 28 at Virginia Tech

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