Iowa’s game against Ohio St.
In what might be the most positive sign I’ve seen from the Iowa Hawkeye football team in two years they scared the hell out of an Ohio St. Buckeye team that hasn’t lost in game in the Urban Meyer era. The Hawkeye’s came out of the tunnel with a game plan that was more than give the ball to Mark Weisman and hope the Buckeyes screw up. The coaches realized that trying to play with speed against OSU was a foolish notion and decided to go 3 TE sets and use a not only a power running game but a power passing game. Never heard of that before, neither have I but that’s what I’m calling it. CJ Fiedorowicz, Jake Duzey and Ray Hamilton were used at the same time over and over again and even George Kittle got in on the TE action. Duzey was the star of the game for the Hawkeyes and OSU had no answer for him. My favorite part was listening to the color commentator talk over and over about OSU’s speed and then watching Duzey catch a pass down the sideline and outrun the entire Buckeye defense 85 yards. The Hawkeye’s haven’t figured out how to finish a game and maybe the strangest stat of the year so far is that Iowa has led all seven of their games at halftime yet they are 4-3. The Hawkeyes need a new motto for the rest of the season and I think it should be, to paraphrase a great movie villain, “FINISH THEM”. Just a suggestion. The Hawkeye’s got beat by a superior team and there is no shame in that but the game had far more positive marks than negative ones and one last thing to Urban Meyer and all Buckeye fans…Bradley Roby deserved to get tossed. When a guy hits a 6’7 TE in the head with his helmet when he had ample opportunity to tackle him correctly that is the definition of targeting. I don’t agree with the NCAA’s stance that one incident in a game gets you ejected but that is the rule and he broke it. Yes the NCAA should revisit this rule in the offseason and the ejection should only come after a second such hit but what Roby did was targeting and by the way he got away with a helmet-to-helmet hit on Damon Bullock on the sideline just before that play. Hopefully the Hawkeyes can carry over the best parts of their game against OSU and finish a game off properly against the Northwestern. Just in case they don’t, don’t worry Hawkeye fans basketball season is right around the corner and here is my basketball preview.
2013-2014 Iowa Hawkeye Men’s Basketball Preview
Fran McCaffery is entering his fourth year as head coach of the Iowa men’s basketball team and he is about to erase any memory of the Lickliter era by taking this team to the NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes haven’t made an NCAA tourney since 2006 but this team is poised to end that drought. The talent and depth that McCaffery and his staff have put together is impressive and the coaches have finally embraced the truth that this team is better with Devyn Marble running the point. It took a late season injury to Mike Gesell to force McCaffery into playing Marble at point guard and the team took off from there. Gesell is not a bad point guard and he certainly can handle the position but Marble is the best player on the team and he is far more effective with the ball in his hands. The team took a European trip during August which gave them a chance to practice and play together for a few extra weeks and it gave McCaffery a head start on figuring out his rotation. The coach’s biggest problem is one that most coaches would love to have and that is going to be finding minutes for everyone. Let’s take a look at each player at each position and I’ll try to predict how lineups will work and I may even take a stab at who will start and at which position they will start.
Guards:
Devyn Marble Senior
Marble is the best player on the team and this team will go as far as he can take them. At 6’6 he is unusually tall for a point guard but he just seems to play more comfortably from that position. He isn’t the traditional passing point guard but he gets Iowa into their offense and he can be a matchup nightmare for opposing guards. Marble is a streaky 3-point shooter but he is more comfortable from midrange and he’s pretty good at taking it to the lane and getting to the foul line. He hasn’t been as strong at finishing in the lane when he’s taking contact and he isn’t overly athletic but he is one of the best guards in the Big Ten and I expect him to be one of the top scorers in the league. He’s a lock to start at the point guard and he’ll play on the wing in certain lineups. Playing the point guard position is also good for Marble’s future because he lacks the athleticism to get him noticed as a shooting guard by NBA teams but if he can prove he can play point guard at 6’6 scouts will take notice.
Mike Gesell Sophomore
Gesell was the starting point guard last year for most of the season until he got injured. He also played off the ball a bit at the beginning of the year when Anthony Clemmons was starting alongside him. Gesell brings a bulldog mentality to the floor and he’s always hustling. He’ll slide over to the shooting guard spot this season to allow Marble to run the team and that might be best as Gesell is a good outside shooter and the Hawkeyes will be able to better utilize that skill of his. Marble and Gesell will form the starting backcourt and on defense Gesell will take the opposing teams PG while Marble will get the bigger SG. Gesell seems to get dinged up a lot because of the way he plays and luckily the Hawkeyes are deep enough to make up for him missing a game or two but it would be a good idea for McCaffery to get Gesell to take care of himself a little more.
Anthony Clemmons Sophomore
Clemmons began last year as a reserve and then moved into the starting lineup for a bit before he returned to the bench and played an important role as the third guard. Clemmons brings speed, athleticism and another ball handler to the floor when he is paired with either Marble or Gesell. Clemmons is at his best at point guard also so he brings an interesting mix when he plays with both Gesell and Marble because all three of them can get the ball and start the fast break.
Josh Oglesby Junior
No one is as hard on Oglesby as I am because while Coach McCaffery liked to talk about how great of a shooter Oglesby is in practice it seldom showed up during games. When your designated 3-point specialist shoots under 27% for the season from behind the arc you have to consider designating someone else to shoot. The report coming out of media day is that Oglesby has consulted a sports psychologist and I think that is a wise decision. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the mechanics of his shot as his form is flawless so looking for help at his mental approach is a good place to start. Oglesby has to shoot well because if he doesn’t he will quickly fall behind this next player and being the fifth guard on this team is going to seriously limit your minutes.
Peter Jok Freshman
Jok is the one freshman addition to this veteran Hawkeye team and while it may seem like a tough task to crack this lineup Jok has the skills to do it. One skill in particular is his outside shooting. The Hawkeye’s 3-point shooting was abysmal last year and Jok excels at it. At 6-6 200 lbs. Jok is physically ready to contribute to the team this season and he brings a lot of athleticism along with that shot. As with most freshman the question will be how does he do on defense but McCaffery makes no secret that you must play defense if you want to play and Jok has the ability to be a good defender.
Forwards:
Aaron White Junior
White spent the summer playing for USA basketball against tough international competition and his game should see great improvement. White is an all-around player that hasn’t excelled at one thing he just brings many good attributes to the court. He could really break out this season and it is his versatility that is most valuable to the Hawkeyes. White can play both the small forward and power forward positions and along with Jarrod Uthoff he gives McCaffery the ability to go with either a big or small lineup. White could make the jump to an All-Conference type of player and the Hawkeyes need him to make a leap to take some of the pressure off of Marble.
Jarrod Uthoff Sophomore
The 6’9 transfer from Wisconsin is coming home to Iowa and after two years of inactivity (his redshirt year at Wisconsin and his transfer year at Iowa) but he might be the key to this team taking a major step. Uthoff left Wisconsin because even though he’s the size of a power forward he has small forward skills and he wants to use them. The Hawkeyes have every intention of using Uthoff’s versatility and his ability to play the wing will create serious matchup problems for Hawkeye opponents. White and Uthoff are going to give the Hawkeyes size, length and versatility at the forward positions like no one else has.
Melsahn Basabe Senior
Basabe was the recruit that followed McCaffery from Siena to Iowa four years ago and he was the one glimmer of hope that first season that McCaffery might actually know what he’s doing. As McCaffery has recruited better players Basabe hasn’t been quite the focal point he was his freshman year but he has stepped up at the times the Hawkeyes have needed him. McCaffery trusts him and has talked about how he could blow up this season and my guess is he will be the starter at power forward to start the season. I don’t believe he’ll hold onto the spot because White and Uthoff will eventually be the starting forwards but Basabe will play at crunch time and he’s a very skilled power forward his only drawback is he is slightly undersized.
Zach McCabe Senior
McCabe is the lunch pail guy that comes in, sets screens, gets rebounds, muscles his way around the opposing big men and hits a big shot here and there. Every team needs a McCabe and luckily Iowa has the McCabe. He can be frustrating to watch sometimes but he gets his teammates fired up and he doesn’t complain if he plays 2 minutes or 32 minutes. He’s good depth with a good basketball sense and he can frustrate an opponent just by playing hard.
Centers:
Adam Woodbury Sophomore
Woodbury is the 7’0 center that McCaffery got after he said no to North Carolina. He’s an Iowa boy and that makes a difference but he is also living proof that McCaffery can recruit with the big boys. At media day McCaffery said that Woodbury was “hungry and in great shape” and that should scare everyone in the Big Ten. Woodbury is one of the few legit 7’0 centers in college basketball and his potential is astronomical. If he could become a dominant big man and avoid foul trouble this team reaches a whole new level. Woodbury’s development could be the difference between this team making the NCAA tournament and this team making an Elite 8 run. Dominant big men are hard to come by in college basketball.
Gabe Olaseni Junior
Olaseni is one of the best examples of coaches developing talent at Iowa. Olaseni came to Iowa as a very athletic but raw prospect and the coaches have turned him into a legitimate Big Ten big man. He isn’t going to dominate on the offensive end but his defense is pretty good and he can rebound. He’s a very good backup to Woodbury and given Woody’s propensity to foul Olaseni is a nice option to have. Coach McCaffery says they are experimenting with playing both centers together and given the multitude of lineup possibilities the Iowa depth allows I’m sure we will see it at some point.
Five guards, four forwards and two centers give Coach McCaffery and his staff 11 legitimate players to find playing time for and I didn’t even mention redshirt freshman power forward Kyle Meyer or junior Darius Stokes. It is going to be a juggling act at the beginning of the year as McCaffery figures out rotations and who plays best with who and how to distribute the minutes. The number of starting five combinations is ridiculous and this may be the team that proves it isn’t who starts that matters it’s who finishes. I believe the starting five will begin with Marble, Gesell, White, Basabe and Woodbury but I don’t believe McCaffery will stick to that starting lineup very long. Uthoff is the X-factor for this team and he should eventually join the starting lineup alongside White at forward. The combinations McCaffery will use at any given time will be dictated by the opponent. Marble, Jok, Uthoff, White and Woodbury would give the Hawkeyes a lineup with no one under 6’6, a serious height and length advantage, while Gesell, Clemmons, Mable, Uthoff and White would provide a speedy athletic lineup with three ball handlers that could run an opponent out of the gym. McCaffery’s coaching style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (hotheaded is one way to describe it, I prefer passionate) but there is no denying he knows what he’s doing. Other than his inexplicable loyalty to Oglesby last season (even when he couldn’t hit water from a boat) there weren’t any awful coaching decisions to complain about. McCaffery has an excellent coaching staff working under him (and he has from the start) and it has been a really long time since Iowa could claim that in the basketball program. Kirk Speraw, Sherman Dillard, Andrew Francis and new Director of Operations Billy Taylor have a lot of experience and are tireless recruiters. Something I find truly refreshing about McCaffery is he isn’t afraid to speak the truth about his players and he hasn’t shied away from the expectations for this year’s team. Most coaches try to down play expectations when a team looks like it is just about to break out after a long rebuilding job but McCaffery knows he has something special and he has let his team know it. The media and the fans expect a top 5 finish in the Big Ten and an NCAA berth, I think the reason McCaffery hasn’t backed off of those expectations are that his are even higher.
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