Q. When you evaluated your exhibition, what did you think of your point guard play?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: I was impressed. I thought Christian was really good, and I thought Jordan did a lot of really good things as well. I thought Jordan picked us up when he came in the first time and scored seven quick points. I thought Christian in the second half was spectacular. So I think those two guys give me great confidence moving forward.
Q. You weren't pleased with the consistency of your defense; what have you guys worked on since then?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: I wasn't really pleased with the consistency of anything, to be honest with you. And it's kind of been the trend since June. We look good some days; we look just okay some days. Individually, there's days when guys are absolutely spectacular, and then there's days when they go missing. That's not uncommon for a young team.
That's the challenge. We have to get more consistent with our execution offensively, whether that be our half court offense, our transition game, our ball movement, defensively same thing. Post defense, transition pick-up, communication defensively, all of that kind of stuff. It's okay at times, but you can't win at this level by playing in spurts. Our defense was good in a spurt in each half. I mean, really good.
Well, it's got to be really good all the time. That's a challenge we face every day when we come to work is to get whatever team you're coaching to play that way all the time, and it's often harder, obviously, with younger guys. But we do have depth. We do have length. We do have a bigger, stronger, more physical team than we had last year, even though they're not as experienced. So I'm confident that we'll be able to get it fixed.
Q. Have you seen consistency from the veteran players?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: For the most part, yes. Ahmad Wagner's one of those guys; I thought he was really good. Even though his stat line didn't look like it, I thought he had a really good game. And he's had really good practices. I thought Uhl -- and this happens a lot with Uhl -- sometimes I'll watch the game and then I'll watch the film. He's always way better when you break the film down than you remember him being in the game, and that's rare.
Usually I'm spot on. I know exactly how well a guy played. But he's one of those guys, he does a lot more things that you don't appreciate. Then you appreciate when you break the film down. That's why he's in the starting lineup. I thought Pete was terrific he was on fire there, but didn't hunt shots and moved the ball and I thought played good defense.
Q. What stands out as you watch the film that you don't necessarily see?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: He runs the floor. His activity level, his ability to make plays off the dribble. He feeds the post, he threw some really nice passes inside to Tyler. He just understands what we want done, and that's what you need from him especially being that he's a junior.
Q. You averaged just over 10 turnovers a game last year. What's a realistic number for a younger team? You had 15 the other night in the exhibition.
FRAN MCCAFFERY: I don't think that number changes based on youth or experience. If you want to be good, you can't turn the ball over. ou have to come down and get a shot at it. My teams are always going to have a few turnovers because we're going to attack and we're going to run, but sometimes that helps too because we quick shoot the ball. If you don't make a ton of passes, you're not going to turn it over or get a shot up.
So I think that's in the philosophy. So that number's got to be lower than 15, no question about that.
Q. You talked about debating whether or not to bring Baer off the bench or put him in the starting lineup? Why are you leaning toward the starting lineup at this point?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: He deserves to be in there. He does too many good things at both ends. On the glass, with the ball. He can make threes. He can put it on the deck. He can handle the ball. You're getting intense, half court, man-to-man defense... he's going to be able to handle it, move it. He's got a low-post game, and he's really smart.
He knows where he's supposed to be, where everybody else is supposed to be, and he communicates that information to the younger guys. He's valuable in that area.
Q. In these early games, what is going to serve as tangible improvement for you? What is the marker for you?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: This will be our first game, so I expect us to play well. I think the tangible improvement will be moving forward from there because what's happened so far, we've had practice, we've had exhibition game, scrimmage... this is different. This is, see what these guys do in games and who can perform well when the lights come on. Then from there the tangible improvement area will come into effect in my opinion.
Q. You went about 11 deep the other night?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Yeah, except we had two guys hurt, and they both would have played. So we'll see how that goes. Getting 13 in would be pretty tough. But I don't know that I've ever had a team, quite honestly, that had a lot of guys that kind of deserved to play. They all do. It's going to be interesting to see how that shakes out. Kriener's a little banged up. I think he'll be ready to go in the game. He'll probably practice tomorrow. Dale Jones' knee swelled up on him a little bit, so we'll see how he does He's not going to practice today. That may be ongoing throughout the whole season. I hope not, because he really hasn't had any swelling, but he did the last couple days. So we're going to be protective of him; we'll see how that works out when the game comes.
Q. Brady's back?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Yes. He had a really good practice yesterday.
Q. Have you had those thoughts on if you are going to redshirt anyone this season?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Had a lot of thoughts and discussion. We haven't decided to do it yet.
Q. Is it possible you wouldn't red shirt anybody?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: It's very possible, yes.
Q. What are your thoughts on Luka?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Thrilled with Luka. I saw him two years ago now and fell in love with his game. What's interesting is how his game has transformed. I loved his game initially. He was an incredible shooter for a guy that big. He was big, thick and physical, and he has subsequently changed his body. He lost 30-35 pounds. He's quicker, he's more mobile, he's bouncier off the floor, he uses his length.
So he's a rare combination of a guy with a really good low-postgame who can stretch the floor and make threes and who understands how to compete on every possession, and that's a rare combination when you get a guy who is 6'10" and a 7'3" wing span and can stretch the floor and play smash mouth inside. Up and unders and jump hooks, and those kinds of moves, you don't see a lot of that anymore. He's effective.
He's a gamer, on top of which he's got a phenomenal attitude and an incredible work ethic. So you put all that together, you've got something special.
Q. Is that a position you really wanted to target, or is that one more that you really like the player and you're going to make him fit?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Well, I think obviously after Woodbury graduated last year we really only had one center, and Luka can play power forward or center, it doesn't really matter. That was a position we weren't looking at. But it's still a skillset that you're going to try to put on your basketball team, if you can. And we committed to him right away. We put the offer on the table and really recruited him hard. Others were a little more wait-and-see. And then, of course, at the end of the summer he was playing as well as anybody in the country, and that's why all the scholarships came his way at that time.
I was happy to see him have that experience and earn that kind of respect and recognition. You don't always look for competition when you're trying to get a guy to commit. But I had tremendous respect for how he trained and how he prepared and how he got himself to that point.
Some guys have 39 major offers when they're in ninth grade. It took a little while for him. And to watch a guy earn it like that is impressive. I'm very proud to have him in a Hawkeye uniform.
Q. Does he remind you of anybody you've had here at Iowa, his style?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: He reminds me a little bit of Kevin McHale.
Q. And somebody said Marc Gasol, too.
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Yeah, because he stretches the floor like that. You just don't see that combination inside and out. But he can pass it too. You can run your offense through him either in the high post or the low post.
When you watch him run, he doesn't look like he's running well, except he's always down the floor faster than everybody else because he runs as hard as he possibly can every time. That's a gift. That's special.
FRAN MCCAFFERY: I was impressed. I thought Christian was really good, and I thought Jordan did a lot of really good things as well. I thought Jordan picked us up when he came in the first time and scored seven quick points. I thought Christian in the second half was spectacular. So I think those two guys give me great confidence moving forward.
Q. You weren't pleased with the consistency of your defense; what have you guys worked on since then?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: I wasn't really pleased with the consistency of anything, to be honest with you. And it's kind of been the trend since June. We look good some days; we look just okay some days. Individually, there's days when guys are absolutely spectacular, and then there's days when they go missing. That's not uncommon for a young team.
That's the challenge. We have to get more consistent with our execution offensively, whether that be our half court offense, our transition game, our ball movement, defensively same thing. Post defense, transition pick-up, communication defensively, all of that kind of stuff. It's okay at times, but you can't win at this level by playing in spurts. Our defense was good in a spurt in each half. I mean, really good.
Well, it's got to be really good all the time. That's a challenge we face every day when we come to work is to get whatever team you're coaching to play that way all the time, and it's often harder, obviously, with younger guys. But we do have depth. We do have length. We do have a bigger, stronger, more physical team than we had last year, even though they're not as experienced. So I'm confident that we'll be able to get it fixed.
Q. Have you seen consistency from the veteran players?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: For the most part, yes. Ahmad Wagner's one of those guys; I thought he was really good. Even though his stat line didn't look like it, I thought he had a really good game. And he's had really good practices. I thought Uhl -- and this happens a lot with Uhl -- sometimes I'll watch the game and then I'll watch the film. He's always way better when you break the film down than you remember him being in the game, and that's rare.
Usually I'm spot on. I know exactly how well a guy played. But he's one of those guys, he does a lot more things that you don't appreciate. Then you appreciate when you break the film down. That's why he's in the starting lineup. I thought Pete was terrific he was on fire there, but didn't hunt shots and moved the ball and I thought played good defense.
Q. What stands out as you watch the film that you don't necessarily see?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: He runs the floor. His activity level, his ability to make plays off the dribble. He feeds the post, he threw some really nice passes inside to Tyler. He just understands what we want done, and that's what you need from him especially being that he's a junior.
Q. You averaged just over 10 turnovers a game last year. What's a realistic number for a younger team? You had 15 the other night in the exhibition.
FRAN MCCAFFERY: I don't think that number changes based on youth or experience. If you want to be good, you can't turn the ball over. ou have to come down and get a shot at it. My teams are always going to have a few turnovers because we're going to attack and we're going to run, but sometimes that helps too because we quick shoot the ball. If you don't make a ton of passes, you're not going to turn it over or get a shot up.
So I think that's in the philosophy. So that number's got to be lower than 15, no question about that.
Q. You talked about debating whether or not to bring Baer off the bench or put him in the starting lineup? Why are you leaning toward the starting lineup at this point?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: He deserves to be in there. He does too many good things at both ends. On the glass, with the ball. He can make threes. He can put it on the deck. He can handle the ball. You're getting intense, half court, man-to-man defense... he's going to be able to handle it, move it. He's got a low-post game, and he's really smart.
He knows where he's supposed to be, where everybody else is supposed to be, and he communicates that information to the younger guys. He's valuable in that area.
Q. In these early games, what is going to serve as tangible improvement for you? What is the marker for you?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: This will be our first game, so I expect us to play well. I think the tangible improvement will be moving forward from there because what's happened so far, we've had practice, we've had exhibition game, scrimmage... this is different. This is, see what these guys do in games and who can perform well when the lights come on. Then from there the tangible improvement area will come into effect in my opinion.
Q. You went about 11 deep the other night?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Yeah, except we had two guys hurt, and they both would have played. So we'll see how that goes. Getting 13 in would be pretty tough. But I don't know that I've ever had a team, quite honestly, that had a lot of guys that kind of deserved to play. They all do. It's going to be interesting to see how that shakes out. Kriener's a little banged up. I think he'll be ready to go in the game. He'll probably practice tomorrow. Dale Jones' knee swelled up on him a little bit, so we'll see how he does He's not going to practice today. That may be ongoing throughout the whole season. I hope not, because he really hasn't had any swelling, but he did the last couple days. So we're going to be protective of him; we'll see how that works out when the game comes.
Q. Brady's back?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Yes. He had a really good practice yesterday.
Q. Have you had those thoughts on if you are going to redshirt anyone this season?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Had a lot of thoughts and discussion. We haven't decided to do it yet.
Q. Is it possible you wouldn't red shirt anybody?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: It's very possible, yes.
Q. What are your thoughts on Luka?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Thrilled with Luka. I saw him two years ago now and fell in love with his game. What's interesting is how his game has transformed. I loved his game initially. He was an incredible shooter for a guy that big. He was big, thick and physical, and he has subsequently changed his body. He lost 30-35 pounds. He's quicker, he's more mobile, he's bouncier off the floor, he uses his length.
So he's a rare combination of a guy with a really good low-postgame who can stretch the floor and make threes and who understands how to compete on every possession, and that's a rare combination when you get a guy who is 6'10" and a 7'3" wing span and can stretch the floor and play smash mouth inside. Up and unders and jump hooks, and those kinds of moves, you don't see a lot of that anymore. He's effective.
He's a gamer, on top of which he's got a phenomenal attitude and an incredible work ethic. So you put all that together, you've got something special.
Q. Is that a position you really wanted to target, or is that one more that you really like the player and you're going to make him fit?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Well, I think obviously after Woodbury graduated last year we really only had one center, and Luka can play power forward or center, it doesn't really matter. That was a position we weren't looking at. But it's still a skillset that you're going to try to put on your basketball team, if you can. And we committed to him right away. We put the offer on the table and really recruited him hard. Others were a little more wait-and-see. And then, of course, at the end of the summer he was playing as well as anybody in the country, and that's why all the scholarships came his way at that time.
I was happy to see him have that experience and earn that kind of respect and recognition. You don't always look for competition when you're trying to get a guy to commit. But I had tremendous respect for how he trained and how he prepared and how he got himself to that point.
Some guys have 39 major offers when they're in ninth grade. It took a little while for him. And to watch a guy earn it like that is impressive. I'm very proud to have him in a Hawkeye uniform.
Q. Does he remind you of anybody you've had here at Iowa, his style?
FRAN MCCAFFERY: He reminds me a little bit of Kevin McHale.
Q. And somebody said Marc Gasol, too.
FRAN MCCAFFERY: Yeah, because he stretches the floor like that. You just don't see that combination inside and out. But he can pass it too. You can run your offense through him either in the high post or the low post.
When you watch him run, he doesn't look like he's running well, except he's always down the floor faster than everybody else because he runs as hard as he possibly can every time. That's a gift. That's special.
