New look next season for Iowa
Tom Kakert | Editor
Peter Jok lead the list of returning players for the Hawkeyes.
USA Today Sports
The final chapter of the Iowa careers of Adam Woodbury, Mike Gesell, Jarrod Uthoff, and Anthony Clemmons were written this season and 89 wins later, they have certainly made a huge impact on the Hawkeye program.
The end came on Sunday and while it wasn’t the conclusion they were looking for, they certainly have left Iowa Basketball in a much better place than the found it when they arrived in Iowa City.
Now the page turns for Fran McCaffery’s team to a new era of Iowa Basketball because the Hawkeyes will certainly have a different look when they hit the court next season. With four senior starters moving on McCaffery’s lineup and rotations will have almost a completely different look to them in the 2016-17 season.
Iowa will be looking to replace 57% of their scoring, 75% of their assists, and 55% of their rebounds from this past season. No matter how you look at it, those voids will be significant and challenging to fill.
JOK RETURNS
The good news for Iowa is that Peter Jok, a 2nd team All Big Ten performer this past season, returns for his senior season. Jok had a breakout year this season, averaging 16.1 points per game and shot 40.2% from beyond the arch, making a team high 80 three point field goals.
In many ways, Jok’s senior season feels a lot like the final year of Adam Haluska back in 2007. With a strong group of seniors departing in 2006, Haluska was the main returning starter and averaged 20 points a game while being the focus of every opposing defense that the Hawkeyes played.
WHO PLAYS POINT GUARD?
The obvious choice is Christian Williams. The freshman guard didn’t see much playing time until the latter portion of the season, but he certainly played very well when he received his opportunity. Williams played in 20 games this year and averaged just 1.4 points per game, but he has a Devyn Marble type game that he brings to the table and seems to be the odds on favorite to run the offense to start next season.
Dom Uhl will see his playing time grow next season
USA Today Sports
WHICH RETURNING PLAYERS EMERGE?
Opportunity is going to be knocking for Iowa’s big men and guards that are returning. With the departure of Woodbury and Uthoff, Iowa will have a new front line next year. The Hawkeyes are going to have to go smaller and it certainly seems like Ahmad Wager, Dom Uhl, and Nicholas Baer are the odds on favorites to earn more playing time.
Wagner played better as the season went along, seeing action in 32 games and averaging 2.6 points per game. He has an active and strong frame and his focus will be on developing his overall offensive game moving forward. Uhl bulked up this season and struggled early on before catching fire in Big Ten play from beyond the arch. He played in every game this season, starting one game, and averaged six points a contest. Baer was Iowa’s energizer bunny off the bench. He’s going to need to add 10-15 pounds of muscle in the off-season, but perhaps his 15 point performance on Sunday against Villanova where he attacked the rim is a sign of things to come. This season, the redshirt freshman averaged 4.8 points per game.
Dale Jones is the wild card in the frontcourt heading into next season. The junior college transfer was starting to play pretty well this season before tearing his ACL for the second time in his college career. Jones shot 45% from beyond the arch and averaged 5.5 points per game in six contests. He is slightly ahead of schedule in his rehab, but how much he can contribute will be up in the air until he is cleared to return to the court later this summer.
In the backcourt, shooting guards Andrew Fleming and Brady Ellingson return. Ellingson was a main rotation player for a good portion of the season before giving way to Williams. He struggled with his three point shooting, making just 27% from beyond the arch. Prior to the start of the season, Fleming appeared to be in position to earn playing time as a freshman, but that never emerged on a regular basis. Fleming appeared in just 11 games and averaged 2.2 points per game.
THE REDSHIRTS
The great unknowns on the current roster heading into next season are Isiah Moss and Brandon Hutton. The two Chicago area products were redshirted in their freshman seasons, so we don’t really have a feel for their best fits in terms of a position or their overall progress working with the scout team. McCaffery has said they are both improving as players and getting a better grasp on the Iowa offensive and defensive structure.
Both have the ability to help quite a bit next season, but how much and in what role are still very much an open question.
THE FRESH FACES
There will be a significant opportunity for all four incoming freshmen to help the Hawkeyes in their first season on campus. The most likely early contributor is four star forward Tyler Cook. The St. Louis native averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds a game and won a state title this past weekend. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Cook is going to play a lot in his first year and the Iowa coaches are extremely high on his potential.
The next most likely contributor is Jordan Bohannon from Linn Mar High School. Bohannon was recently named Mr. Basketball in the state of Iowa after averaging 25.8 points per game and shooting 42.8% from three point territory. With Gesell and Clemmons moving on, Iowa will need help at the point guard position and Bohannon in the most likely player to provide that contribution. He could also see some minutes at shooting guard next season.
Cordell Pemsl and Ryan Kriener will also be joining the Hawkeyes next season. Pemsl finally got healthy in his senior season after knee issues limited his time on the court last spring and summer. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 21.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this year and could factor in at the power forward position. Kriener could see some minutes in the post for the Hawkeyes next season. He has the size, at nearly 6-foot-10 and the frame to compete well in the post. This season, he averaged 22.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
THE LINEUP
The question Iowa hoops fans are wondering is what will the starting lineup look like to start the season next year?
Right now there appears to be only two sure things as far as the starting lineup. Peter Jok will certainly start and the best guess is Christian Williams will likely start at the point guard position. After that, it’s a whole lot of guess work.
The early guess work seems to be that Iowa could have a fairly big starting lineup in the backcourt, with Williams at the point and Jok at the two guard. Wagner seems like a logical choice, perhaps at the five, with Cook a potential option at the four. Dom Uhl has said this year he likes playing the three, so perhaps he moves back there next season. While he certainly could end up starting, McCaffery will probably opt to continue to bring Nicholas Baer off the bench to provide energy and leadership with the second group.
Tom Kakert | Editor
Peter Jok lead the list of returning players for the Hawkeyes.
USA Today Sports
The final chapter of the Iowa careers of Adam Woodbury, Mike Gesell, Jarrod Uthoff, and Anthony Clemmons were written this season and 89 wins later, they have certainly made a huge impact on the Hawkeye program.
The end came on Sunday and while it wasn’t the conclusion they were looking for, they certainly have left Iowa Basketball in a much better place than the found it when they arrived in Iowa City.
Now the page turns for Fran McCaffery’s team to a new era of Iowa Basketball because the Hawkeyes will certainly have a different look when they hit the court next season. With four senior starters moving on McCaffery’s lineup and rotations will have almost a completely different look to them in the 2016-17 season.
Iowa will be looking to replace 57% of their scoring, 75% of their assists, and 55% of their rebounds from this past season. No matter how you look at it, those voids will be significant and challenging to fill.
JOK RETURNS
The good news for Iowa is that Peter Jok, a 2nd team All Big Ten performer this past season, returns for his senior season. Jok had a breakout year this season, averaging 16.1 points per game and shot 40.2% from beyond the arch, making a team high 80 three point field goals.
In many ways, Jok’s senior season feels a lot like the final year of Adam Haluska back in 2007. With a strong group of seniors departing in 2006, Haluska was the main returning starter and averaged 20 points a game while being the focus of every opposing defense that the Hawkeyes played.
WHO PLAYS POINT GUARD?
The obvious choice is Christian Williams. The freshman guard didn’t see much playing time until the latter portion of the season, but he certainly played very well when he received his opportunity. Williams played in 20 games this year and averaged just 1.4 points per game, but he has a Devyn Marble type game that he brings to the table and seems to be the odds on favorite to run the offense to start next season.
Dom Uhl will see his playing time grow next season
USA Today Sports
WHICH RETURNING PLAYERS EMERGE?
Opportunity is going to be knocking for Iowa’s big men and guards that are returning. With the departure of Woodbury and Uthoff, Iowa will have a new front line next year. The Hawkeyes are going to have to go smaller and it certainly seems like Ahmad Wager, Dom Uhl, and Nicholas Baer are the odds on favorites to earn more playing time.
Wagner played better as the season went along, seeing action in 32 games and averaging 2.6 points per game. He has an active and strong frame and his focus will be on developing his overall offensive game moving forward. Uhl bulked up this season and struggled early on before catching fire in Big Ten play from beyond the arch. He played in every game this season, starting one game, and averaged six points a contest. Baer was Iowa’s energizer bunny off the bench. He’s going to need to add 10-15 pounds of muscle in the off-season, but perhaps his 15 point performance on Sunday against Villanova where he attacked the rim is a sign of things to come. This season, the redshirt freshman averaged 4.8 points per game.
Dale Jones is the wild card in the frontcourt heading into next season. The junior college transfer was starting to play pretty well this season before tearing his ACL for the second time in his college career. Jones shot 45% from beyond the arch and averaged 5.5 points per game in six contests. He is slightly ahead of schedule in his rehab, but how much he can contribute will be up in the air until he is cleared to return to the court later this summer.
In the backcourt, shooting guards Andrew Fleming and Brady Ellingson return. Ellingson was a main rotation player for a good portion of the season before giving way to Williams. He struggled with his three point shooting, making just 27% from beyond the arch. Prior to the start of the season, Fleming appeared to be in position to earn playing time as a freshman, but that never emerged on a regular basis. Fleming appeared in just 11 games and averaged 2.2 points per game.
THE REDSHIRTS
The great unknowns on the current roster heading into next season are Isiah Moss and Brandon Hutton. The two Chicago area products were redshirted in their freshman seasons, so we don’t really have a feel for their best fits in terms of a position or their overall progress working with the scout team. McCaffery has said they are both improving as players and getting a better grasp on the Iowa offensive and defensive structure.
Both have the ability to help quite a bit next season, but how much and in what role are still very much an open question.
THE FRESH FACES
There will be a significant opportunity for all four incoming freshmen to help the Hawkeyes in their first season on campus. The most likely early contributor is four star forward Tyler Cook. The St. Louis native averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds a game and won a state title this past weekend. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Cook is going to play a lot in his first year and the Iowa coaches are extremely high on his potential.
The next most likely contributor is Jordan Bohannon from Linn Mar High School. Bohannon was recently named Mr. Basketball in the state of Iowa after averaging 25.8 points per game and shooting 42.8% from three point territory. With Gesell and Clemmons moving on, Iowa will need help at the point guard position and Bohannon in the most likely player to provide that contribution. He could also see some minutes at shooting guard next season.
Cordell Pemsl and Ryan Kriener will also be joining the Hawkeyes next season. Pemsl finally got healthy in his senior season after knee issues limited his time on the court last spring and summer. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 21.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this year and could factor in at the power forward position. Kriener could see some minutes in the post for the Hawkeyes next season. He has the size, at nearly 6-foot-10 and the frame to compete well in the post. This season, he averaged 22.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
THE LINEUP
The question Iowa hoops fans are wondering is what will the starting lineup look like to start the season next year?
Right now there appears to be only two sure things as far as the starting lineup. Peter Jok will certainly start and the best guess is Christian Williams will likely start at the point guard position. After that, it’s a whole lot of guess work.
The early guess work seems to be that Iowa could have a fairly big starting lineup in the backcourt, with Williams at the point and Jok at the two guard. Wagner seems like a logical choice, perhaps at the five, with Cook a potential option at the four. Dom Uhl has said this year he likes playing the three, so perhaps he moves back there next season. While he certainly could end up starting, McCaffery will probably opt to continue to bring Nicholas Baer off the bench to provide energy and leadership with the second group.
