PTL Assessments
Tom Kakert | Editor
Freshmen Jack Nunge and Luka Garza made a strong impression this summer.
Later this week the Prime Time League will hold their semifinals in Waterloo as they wrap up their season this weekend.
Having gotten a look at the Hawkeyes over the course of six games this summer, it’s a pretty good sample size to look at some of the statistics and maybe make a few assessments.
Now, a reminder, it’s the PTL, so drawing any sort of grand conclusion is a dangerous proposition. This isn’t Big Ten conference level basketball and as I’ve said for many years, the only real concern you can ever have is if a player looks completely out of place.
The good news is no one from the Iowa roster looked out of place. In fact, the two incoming freshmen looked like they should be significant contributors this winter.
We will get another small sample of the future of Iowa basketball for this season when the Hawkeyes travel to Europe in early August for four games against good competition. Until then, here are the stats and a few thoughts on what we learned this summer in the PTL.
THE FRESHMEN ARE GOOD
The incoming freshmen are usually the story of the PTL and this year was no exception.
Jack Nunge averaged 31 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Fellow freshman Luka Garza also averaged 31 points per game and pulled down 12 rebounds a contest.
They are very different types of players on the court. Garza is more of a traditional back to the basket big man who can step out and shoot all the way out to beyond the three point line. The general feeling about Garza from the Iowa players is they are impressed by his constant effort and motor. He doesn’t take plays off and he plays with an edge that will serve him well in the Big Ten.
Nunge is a more physically developed version of Jarrod Uthoff. He has a similar skill set as a long 6-foot-11 frame, but physically, he’s further along than Uthoff was at the same stage. He is very comfortable working from the perimeter and shooting the three, but he’s also a very good ball handler that can get to the basket.
Both will have to become stronger with the ball and improve on the defensive end of the floor. Those areas will come with time and it’s going to be hard to picture an Iowa team that doesn’t have them in the rotation this winter.
KRIENER MAKES A STATEMENT
With all the hype surrounding the new big men, many Iowa fans were starting to forget about Ryan Kriener.
Well, he’s made quite a statement this summer that not only is he here, but he’s more than willing to fight for the starting center spot in the Iowa lineup. Kriener averaged 29 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the PTL this summer and was frankly one of the best players in the league this year.
His game hasn’t changed a whole lot from what we saw last year. Kriener is still a very good pick and pop big man who can knock down shots. He’s also a very capable low post scorer and isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint.
In the Big Ten you can never have enough good skilled big men and now Iowa several good options. Remember, we didn’t even see Cordell Pemsl this summer and he will also be a factor in the post. I’m going to be curious to see what Fran McCaffery does with Kriener during the games in Europe and right now I’d say there’s a decent chance that he’s in the starting lineup to begin the season. One thing to remember, he is very comfortable with point guard Jordan Bohannon and that might be a consideration for McCaffery this season.
COOK AND BOHANNON CONTINUE TO GROW
There’s a bit of a PTL narrative that developed this summer that Iowa’s top two returning scorers, Tyler Cook and Jordan Bohannon, were basically going through the motions.
Nonsense.
If we are going to compare their PTL play from last year to this year, Cook is averaging about the same amount of points, 22.6 this year to 22.3 last year, and he’s pulling down more rebounds per game as well. Bohannon’s scoring average jumped from 20 per game last summer to 24.8 this year.
One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that incoming freshmen come in and probably try to impress the Iowa fans out of the gate. That’s only natural. As the summer season’s go by, players tend to play a more mature and controlled game. I think that’s what we have seen from Cook and Bohannon. They are playing smarter and moving the ball more this summer, which is a good thing. They are also using the PTL to work on various parts of their overall games. For example, Bohannon has been working on a floater and Cook has been testing out a fade away jumper, particularly from the baseline.
MOSS IS READY FOR A BIGGER ROLE
When Peter Jok played his final game in an Iowa uniform, there was a huge offensive void that was created. Jok led the Big Ten in scoring and played more than 30 minutes a game.
The most obvious choice to take over part of that scoring load and eat up many of those minutes was Isaiah Moss. The sophomore wing showed off his all around game this summer averaging nearly 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in the PTL.
Moss seems like the most likely option for the Hawkeyes at shooting guard and he did what you would want from someone playing that position, shooting well from the outside and also continuing to get to the basket from the wing.
BAER MAKES HIS CASE TO BE A STARTER
There’s no question that Nicholas Baer should be in the starting lineup. However, there remains a question as to whether he will actually be in the starting lineup. Last year, Baer should probably been a starter all season long, but Fran McCaffery wanted his high energy play off the bench. Make no mistake, when it was crunch time, Baer was usually on the floor, even though he didn’t start.
Baer did it all this summer, averaging 25.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and a team high 5.7 assists per game. He’s the odds on favorite to be named MVP of the summer league and had the best performance of any player in the league, scoring 43 point, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists in the win.
McCaffery may want to continue to bring Baer off the bench, but his best starting lineup has to include the junior forward.
WHO IS THE BACKUP POINT GUARD?
One of the biggest questions facing the Iowa basketball team this year will be who handles the backup point guard duties.
The obvious choice is Christian Williams, who started last year at point guard before handing the job over to Bohannon early in the season. Bohannon never looked back and Williams struggled most of the season. The results this summer were somewhat uneven for Williams. He averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. There were times when he looked solid running his team and then other times where his game just seemed off.
There’s a good chance that during the European trip that McCaffery and his staff explore other options running the team that could include Brady Ellingson or perhaps Maishe Dailey. Ellingson really played well this summer, averaging nearly 23 points and just over 5 assists per game. He showed pretty decent point guard skills and that seems worth exploring in small doses. Dailey is a long and pretty athletic guard who could play a variety of positons and handles the ball pretty well. He’s also a natural passer who averaged 13 points and 2 assists per game this summer.
THE FORGOTTEN VETS
With the influx of talent the last couple of years, a couple of veterans might get lost in the shuffle. Dom Uhl heads into his senior year with plenty of competition for playing time at the three and the four in Iowa’s lineup. Wagner faces the same challenge at the four spot as he enters his junior season.
Uhl had an uneven junior year where he seemed to lose his spot in the regular rotation. This summer he missed time at the end of the PTL due to a minor injury and averaged nearly 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. The hope is that his trip to his home country of Germany next month will serve as a springboard to a big senior year.
Wagner has been one of Iowa’s steadiest performers in the last year. That includes this summer when he averaged 24 points and 7 rebounds per game. He will find a role this fall because of his leadership and solid and consistent play, but the competition for minutes is going to be much tougher this year.
Tom Kakert | Editor
Freshmen Jack Nunge and Luka Garza made a strong impression this summer.
Later this week the Prime Time League will hold their semifinals in Waterloo as they wrap up their season this weekend.
Having gotten a look at the Hawkeyes over the course of six games this summer, it’s a pretty good sample size to look at some of the statistics and maybe make a few assessments.
Now, a reminder, it’s the PTL, so drawing any sort of grand conclusion is a dangerous proposition. This isn’t Big Ten conference level basketball and as I’ve said for many years, the only real concern you can ever have is if a player looks completely out of place.
The good news is no one from the Iowa roster looked out of place. In fact, the two incoming freshmen looked like they should be significant contributors this winter.
We will get another small sample of the future of Iowa basketball for this season when the Hawkeyes travel to Europe in early August for four games against good competition. Until then, here are the stats and a few thoughts on what we learned this summer in the PTL.
THE FRESHMEN ARE GOOD
The incoming freshmen are usually the story of the PTL and this year was no exception.
Jack Nunge averaged 31 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Fellow freshman Luka Garza also averaged 31 points per game and pulled down 12 rebounds a contest.
They are very different types of players on the court. Garza is more of a traditional back to the basket big man who can step out and shoot all the way out to beyond the three point line. The general feeling about Garza from the Iowa players is they are impressed by his constant effort and motor. He doesn’t take plays off and he plays with an edge that will serve him well in the Big Ten.
Nunge is a more physically developed version of Jarrod Uthoff. He has a similar skill set as a long 6-foot-11 frame, but physically, he’s further along than Uthoff was at the same stage. He is very comfortable working from the perimeter and shooting the three, but he’s also a very good ball handler that can get to the basket.
Both will have to become stronger with the ball and improve on the defensive end of the floor. Those areas will come with time and it’s going to be hard to picture an Iowa team that doesn’t have them in the rotation this winter.
KRIENER MAKES A STATEMENT
With all the hype surrounding the new big men, many Iowa fans were starting to forget about Ryan Kriener.
Well, he’s made quite a statement this summer that not only is he here, but he’s more than willing to fight for the starting center spot in the Iowa lineup. Kriener averaged 29 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the PTL this summer and was frankly one of the best players in the league this year.
His game hasn’t changed a whole lot from what we saw last year. Kriener is still a very good pick and pop big man who can knock down shots. He’s also a very capable low post scorer and isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint.
In the Big Ten you can never have enough good skilled big men and now Iowa several good options. Remember, we didn’t even see Cordell Pemsl this summer and he will also be a factor in the post. I’m going to be curious to see what Fran McCaffery does with Kriener during the games in Europe and right now I’d say there’s a decent chance that he’s in the starting lineup to begin the season. One thing to remember, he is very comfortable with point guard Jordan Bohannon and that might be a consideration for McCaffery this season.
COOK AND BOHANNON CONTINUE TO GROW
There’s a bit of a PTL narrative that developed this summer that Iowa’s top two returning scorers, Tyler Cook and Jordan Bohannon, were basically going through the motions.
Nonsense.
If we are going to compare their PTL play from last year to this year, Cook is averaging about the same amount of points, 22.6 this year to 22.3 last year, and he’s pulling down more rebounds per game as well. Bohannon’s scoring average jumped from 20 per game last summer to 24.8 this year.
One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that incoming freshmen come in and probably try to impress the Iowa fans out of the gate. That’s only natural. As the summer season’s go by, players tend to play a more mature and controlled game. I think that’s what we have seen from Cook and Bohannon. They are playing smarter and moving the ball more this summer, which is a good thing. They are also using the PTL to work on various parts of their overall games. For example, Bohannon has been working on a floater and Cook has been testing out a fade away jumper, particularly from the baseline.
MOSS IS READY FOR A BIGGER ROLE
When Peter Jok played his final game in an Iowa uniform, there was a huge offensive void that was created. Jok led the Big Ten in scoring and played more than 30 minutes a game.
The most obvious choice to take over part of that scoring load and eat up many of those minutes was Isaiah Moss. The sophomore wing showed off his all around game this summer averaging nearly 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in the PTL.
Moss seems like the most likely option for the Hawkeyes at shooting guard and he did what you would want from someone playing that position, shooting well from the outside and also continuing to get to the basket from the wing.
BAER MAKES HIS CASE TO BE A STARTER
There’s no question that Nicholas Baer should be in the starting lineup. However, there remains a question as to whether he will actually be in the starting lineup. Last year, Baer should probably been a starter all season long, but Fran McCaffery wanted his high energy play off the bench. Make no mistake, when it was crunch time, Baer was usually on the floor, even though he didn’t start.
Baer did it all this summer, averaging 25.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and a team high 5.7 assists per game. He’s the odds on favorite to be named MVP of the summer league and had the best performance of any player in the league, scoring 43 point, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists in the win.
McCaffery may want to continue to bring Baer off the bench, but his best starting lineup has to include the junior forward.
WHO IS THE BACKUP POINT GUARD?
One of the biggest questions facing the Iowa basketball team this year will be who handles the backup point guard duties.
The obvious choice is Christian Williams, who started last year at point guard before handing the job over to Bohannon early in the season. Bohannon never looked back and Williams struggled most of the season. The results this summer were somewhat uneven for Williams. He averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. There were times when he looked solid running his team and then other times where his game just seemed off.
There’s a good chance that during the European trip that McCaffery and his staff explore other options running the team that could include Brady Ellingson or perhaps Maishe Dailey. Ellingson really played well this summer, averaging nearly 23 points and just over 5 assists per game. He showed pretty decent point guard skills and that seems worth exploring in small doses. Dailey is a long and pretty athletic guard who could play a variety of positons and handles the ball pretty well. He’s also a natural passer who averaged 13 points and 2 assists per game this summer.
THE FORGOTTEN VETS
With the influx of talent the last couple of years, a couple of veterans might get lost in the shuffle. Dom Uhl heads into his senior year with plenty of competition for playing time at the three and the four in Iowa’s lineup. Wagner faces the same challenge at the four spot as he enters his junior season.
Uhl had an uneven junior year where he seemed to lose his spot in the regular rotation. This summer he missed time at the end of the PTL due to a minor injury and averaged nearly 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. The hope is that his trip to his home country of Germany next month will serve as a springboard to a big senior year.
Wagner has been one of Iowa’s steadiest performers in the last year. That includes this summer when he averaged 24 points and 7 rebounds per game. He will find a role this fall because of his leadership and solid and consistent play, but the competition for minutes is going to be much tougher this year.
