Garza

[Auger]

Wonder if Fran got in his ear after the DePaul game? Garza is a great 1 move post scorer. In the DePaul game he was trying to out finesse the DePaul bigs once he got the ball in his hands and as a result he was 3-9 in the paint. Kriener was 5 for 5 in that game coming all of catch and shoot post moves.

These last few games Garza's been back to mostly 1 move post moves. Competition has been weak but he has also been dominant. I know he's been talking about all of these new moves he and his dad have been working on but I don't think they're ready yet against quality competition.

 

[Pepperman]

I still feel like his go-to move is to:

1) Catch the pass
2) Duck his head
3) Get smacked across the face
4) Try to score

It is working out ok, but it looks goofy most of the time and I swear he gets hit in the head more than any other player I can remember (not called much either).

 

[icwesthawk]

Leading scorer in the BIG

 

[LUC8]

Garza is so efficient that he almost makes it looks awkward while he loads up the basket. He's not exactly the most athletic or possessing some huge vertical so he uses what he can which is his basketball IQ and his polished technique. Fran commented that he's one of the most hard working players he's ever been around. I think that hard work is really starting to show. He'll likely take a step back against tougher competition but he's the heart and soul of the team at this point.

 

[cleotishaywood]

He even swatted 3 shots to boot!

 

[BirdistheWord]

Could you imagine if Garza had a lick of athleticism, he would be insanely good. Guy is one of hardest workers i have ever seen.

 

[BirdistheWord]

Garza is #13 in country in scoring and only Center among top 100

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/statistics/player/_/stat/scoring-per-game/sort/avgPoints

 

[Ronman]

If he shot his FT's as well as he did last season, he would be in the top ten.

 

[TJHawkeye]

Garza is a lot more athletic than you think. Remember Acie Earl? Acie made running down the court look like he was running in water, but look what he accomplished. Luka may look awkward to you, but he moves better than Acie.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

His awkwardness and non smooth movement is an advantage. Opposing bigs are not used to playing against it regularly. Throws off their timing.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Garza is a lot more athletic than you think. Remember Acie Earl? Acie made running down the court look like he was running in water, but look what he accomplished. Luka may look awkward to you, but he moves better than Acie.

Maybe. Earl had quicker reactions on defense and was a far superior shot blocker than Garza will ever be. Just different guys.

The amount Garza has improved is a testament to his work ethic. He will never be a great defender (he just can't move) but he's improved by understanding what he can do and by being stronger. To the original poster saying whether Fran "got in his ear" after Depaul. Maybe. Is the recent good play by Iowa due to really playing better, or to the last couple of opponents being much worse than DePaul? We will find out next week.

Garza and Wieskamp are good players. For Iowa to beat anyone very good, both of them have to play really well, and then have a couple of other guys have good nights. They'll knock off some people, but will also take their lumps a bunch too.

 

[lovedwatchingLester]

Wonder if Fran got in his ear after the DePaul game? Garza is a great 1 move post scorer. In the DePaul game he was trying to out finesse the DePaul bigs once he got the ball in his hands and as a result he was 3-9 in the paint. Kriener was 5 for 5 in that game coming all of catch and shoot post moves.

These last few games Garza's been back to mostly 1 move post moves. Competition has been weak but he has also been dominant. I know he's been talking about all of these new moves he and his dad have been working on but I don't think they're ready yet against quality competition.

I'd bet Fran gets in everybody's ear after a game ,win or lose. More about how the player takes what's given and reacts to it. I like this team

 

[justinjdry]

Garza is already averaging a double-double per game. He is listed as the #12 points per game scorer on ESPN and in the top 25 for rebounds per game. I get that they haven't had much competition yet but those stats speak for themselves. I would like to see Fran build his team around Garza much in the way that Ethan Happ played such a crucial role for Wisconsin.

 

[kceasthawk]

I'd bet Fran gets in everybody's ear after a game ,win or lose. More about how the player takes what's given and reacts to it. I like this team

I'd agree, and I think Garza is a young man who takes that instruction and uses the coaching to become better. Not all players do. Its also obvious that Luka's father and Grandfather, who were both players have had, and still do have a positive impact on his development.

 

[BirdistheWord]

Garza is a lot more athletic than you think. Remember Acie Earl? Acie made running down the court look like he was running in water, but look what he accomplished. Luka may look awkward to you, but he moves better than Acie.

I have to disagree, and not taking away from his overall impact, but vs. other players at this level he would be below average (quickness, lateral movement, jumping ability, etc.). Obviously he has some athleticism, but below average relative to other players. What he doesnt have he makes up for with effort, smarts, technique and has developed a nice outside shot. I love the guy, and was really just dreaming if you could combine a little more athleticism + his effort/smarts/technique.

 

[kceasthawk]

I have to disagree, and not taking away from his overall impact, but vs. other players at this level he would be below average (quickness, lateral movement, jumping ability, etc.). Obviously he has some athleticism, but below average relative to other players. What he doesnt have he makes up for with effort, smarts, technique and has developed a nice outside shot. I love the guy, and was really just dreaming if you could combine a little more athleticism + his effort/smarts/technique.

If he were such a player, he probably would have been a top 10 recruit, and wouldn't be playing in Iowa, so.....I'll take the guy we have for the next year and a half....

 

[Hawks2405]

It’s pretty simple. DePaul was fast and athletic. He’s had good games against terrible competition. They are going to struggle immensely when they get back to playing real teams such as Texas Tech.

 

[RocknRollface]

Wonder if Fran got in his ear after the DePaul game? Garza is a great 1 move post scorer. In the DePaul game he was trying to out finesse the DePaul bigs once he got the ball in his hands and as a result he was 3-9 in the paint. Kriener was 5 for 5 in that game coming all of catch and shoot post moves.

These last few games Garza's been back to mostly 1 move post moves. Competition has been weak but he has also been dominant. I know he's been talking about all of these new moves he and his dad have been working on but I don't think they're ready yet against quality competition.

Finess? I would say that's the opposite of what he was trying to do.

They were doubling hard and he was trying to duck his shoulder and muscle his way between the double teams.

I hope what Fran told him is that the way to beat double teams is with passing, because hes probably going to see allot of doubles and he has a history of not passing much.

The rest of these small teams they've been playing aren't relevant. Garza has always been able to dominate smaller teams but hes often had trouble with guys his own size who are athletic.

 

[Hawksfor3]

His awkwardness and non smooth movement is an advantage. Opposing bigs are not used to playing against it regularly. Throws off their timing.

Good footwork and over the summer he worked on moves under the basket, is paying off.

 

[briggshawk]

It’s pretty simple. DePaul was fast and athletic. He’s had good games against terrible competition. They are going to struggle immensely when they get back to playing real teams such as Texas Tech.

Oh, so you mean the best team in the country? Glad you cleared that up.

 

[Hawks2405]

No, they’re ranked 12th. That means they’re not the best team in the country. It’s just the next real team Iowa faces on the schedule. We’ll see how they do against someone other than Cal-Poly.

 

[mro78]

Garza is a lot more athletic than you think. Remember Acie Earl? Acie made running down the court look like he was running in water, but look what he accomplished. Luka may look awkward to you, but he moves better than Acie.

I'm surprised you went all the way back to acie when you had woodbury and his negative verticle jump to choose

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Luka does get mugged. He should be shooting easily 4-6 more free throws a game.

He's shown some good up and unders, some real nice hooks and a more than adequate face up shooter from out to three point range. He's stronger and getting better rebounding position-like Laimbeer. He's playing a little better defense.

Like C McC, Luka is an ESPN 4* top 100 player and we should expect improvement every season. Thus far he's improved substantially and appears to show a steady upward trend from an already decent baseline.
I do think he will be a sort of dominating like scorer and a top five kind of rebounder. While the competition gets better he will be playing a more minutes. If Nunge is gone Luka's PT will increase substantially since Ryan will need to spend more time at the 4 spot. Luka will get raped by the officials in some games but will score a lot of points in most games. At 6'11" and 265 there just aren't going to be that many guys bigger than Luka and getting the ball to Luka near the basket seems to be a priority this season.

 

[HawkRugged17]

Luka does get mugged. He should be shooting easily 4-6 more free throws a game.

He's shown some good up and unders, some real nice hooks and a more than adequate face up shooter from out to three point range. He's stronger and getting better rebounding position-like Laimbeer. He's playing a little better defense.

Like C McC, Luka is an ESPN 4* top 100 player and we should expect improvement every season. Thus far he's improved substantially and appears to show a steady upward trend from an already decent baseline.
I do think he will be a sort of dominating like scorer and a top five kind of rebounder. While the competition gets better he will be playing a more minutes. If Nunge is gone Luka's PT will increase substantially since Ryan will need to spend more time at the 4 spot. Luka will get raped by the officials in some gamesbut will score a lot of points in most games. At 6'11" and 265 there just aren't going to be that many guys bigger than Luka and getting the ball to Luka near the basket seems to be a priority this season.

 

[Raptorpeeps]

Garza is already averaging a double-double per game. He is listed as the #12 points per game scorer on ESPN and in the top 25 for rebounds per game. I get that they haven't had much competition yet but those stats speak for themselves. I would like to see Fran build his team around Garza much in the way that Ethan Happ played such a crucial role for Wisconsin.

#6 in the league in blocks so far too.

Warrior.

 

[Ronman]

The way teams are allowed to beat on Luka, the football staff may have to fit him for a helmet before long.

 

[moondog24]

I'd agree, and I think Garza is a young man who takes that instruction and uses the coaching to become better. Not all players do. Its also obvious that Luka's father and Grandfather, who were both players have had, and still do have a positive impact on his development.

Agreed, he seems like a real quality young man who willingly accepts coaching and has confidence without being cocky. He may struggle against more athletic big men, but it won’t be because of lack of effort.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

I love Luka, especially his nonstop hustle and desire to win. He is really skilled offensively, but is going to have a MUCH harder time going forward. The B1G has some stud centers. I would like to see more inside-out offense, especially when CJ, JoeW, and JBo are spotting for 3s. It hurts some to have only Pemsl as the other big, because he has no game outside 10 ft.

 

[Hawksfor3]

I love Garza's footwork and moves around the rim. Hopefully he recognizes the double-team fast enough to kick it out. If possible, I would "feed the beast" as much as we can. Others have to work to get in position to receive the pass.

We need Cordell as a beast on the glass with Garza, Kriener, and Joe T.

That's right, Joe T. He loves to drive, defend, and rebound. If we can limit the turnovers, play decent defense (including the 3/4 ct. press), then maybe we can compete to some degree.

 

[2432Hawk]

Garza is a lot more athletic than you think. Remember Acie Earl? Acie made running down the court look like he was running in water, but look what he accomplished. Luka may look awkward to you, but he moves better than Acie.

Acie's feet were so big he had to have his knees near his chest to get his foot off the floor to run