JonDMiller
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First Look: Iowa Basketball | Hawkeye Nation
Here are my player ‘evaluations’ from watching the opening game, with some general comments after. I use the term evaluation loosely, as it’s the first game of the year in a new system and without their best player as Matt Gatens sat this one out.
Eric May: This kid has quite a ceiling. Higher than Gatens, in the Haluska mold but more explosive than Adam was on the drive. He isn’t yet the smooth shooter Haluska grew into, but he’d start for several Big Ten teams right now or at worst be in a top seven rotation. Really excited for his future; he and Gatens will really compliment each other well this year. Gatens will see far more open looks because of May’s abilities, along with Gatens’ new trimmed down physique. May will be a 1,500 point scorer at Iowa.
Cully Payne: He just looked uptight to me…back to back traveling calls with shaky footwork. This will be an anomaly for him, regardless of the opponent. In fact it looked like several players were just trying to hard on Sunday. I can’t fault them for that. They were probably excited to show Iowa fans that this isn’t the same old same old.
Jarryd Cole: Is what he is at this point; big body, works hard, not great balance at the rim but a good guy in the paint, average offensive game. He scored 17 (7 from the foul line) and could have had 25 if he would have gotten the short stuff to fall, but we have seen that before and he is a senior now. Some players just don’t have that knack around the basket. It’s not a sin, is is a solid player and I am glad he is on Iowa but he’s not going to be a big time scorer unless he can convert the close looks with contact.
Melsahn Basabe: I see tremendous upside in this kid. Already knows how to rebound and that will improve…however quite unrefined on the offensive end, and that’s going to take an out of season to get in line. He’s a true freshman, so that can come with the territory. Kids with his rebounding ability and body that have a refined offensive game go to Kansas. Iowa is getting a talented player and betting on the come…it looks like he has the foundation to get there…the work will come next April through October; it’s real tough to build an offensive game in season…sort of like trying to change your golf swing on the course. That happens on the driving range.
Zach McCabe: He can play three positions for you on the floor and can even dribble the ball well. He can shoot the long ball and has the makings of a solid dribble drive game. He also looked a bit tight, but it’s to be expected in his first career game. When I think of the 2011-2012 Iowa season, which is next year, I really get excited thinking about McCabe, May and Gatens on the floor at the same time in some sets. These guys are a solid core to build on for the future, as all three will be dangerous jump shooters a year from now; Gatens and May already are.
Andrew Brommer: I realize he is listed as a junior, but you might as well call him a freshman, playing wise. He showed a lack of court awareness today, which is understandable given how Lickliter used him…or didn’t use him. He showed some raw post skills on Sunday night, and he was just trying too hard. He reminds me a bit of a young Alex Thompson, or really Alex’s entire career, in that he just goes through things very fast and gets out of control and out of balance. However, McCaffery is going to use Brommer a lot more than Lickliter did and I think Brommer has a chance to improve exponentially as this season goes along as he gains confidence and plays in long stretches.
Devyn Marble: Improving his quickness will be the work he’ll have to put in this next out of season. He has the makings of a good floor game and is long enough to be active on the glass and disruptive in the passing lanes. Of course, he’ll need to work in the weight room, too. Foot quickness is something that can be improved upon and once he gets there, he’ll have more success on the dribble drive. I think right now, his first step isn’t going to get past many players in the Big Ten. But, he’s a freshman and it’s not a crime.
Bryce Cartwright: Like Payne and several of his teammates, Cartwright looked wound tight tonight. He is quick and he was a must get for McCaffery to have another point guard in the program. It’s hard to draw any conclusions on anything after the first game, but especially so based on what I saw of Cartwright and Payne. We’ll need several more games to get a feel for what he can bring.
Iowa had 14 turnovers in the first half and looked like a team trying too hard and therefore played real uptight. Of course, no one wanted to see a loss, the second straight year Iowa opened it’s season with a loss to a lightly regarded team.
But we knew this season was going to be long, however watching the game was more enjoyable for me than most games last year because Iowa is going to play a style I have spent most of my life watching Iowa teams play.
This team is young and they are going to play uptight at times, but they are also going to be fun to watch and win more than they did a year ago. They probably won’t finish above .500, but this year is about establishing a foundation on which to build for the future.
Had Gatens played in this game, I doubt Iowa would have lost. He didn’t, and they did.
I am far more interested in watching these players develop this year than I am fretting over wins and losses in a year where there is little chance of a post season. This is the year where the heavy lifting takes place. No pain, no gain.
So expect some pain…and down the road they’ll reap the rewards.
Here are my player ‘evaluations’ from watching the opening game, with some general comments after. I use the term evaluation loosely, as it’s the first game of the year in a new system and without their best player as Matt Gatens sat this one out.
Eric May: This kid has quite a ceiling. Higher than Gatens, in the Haluska mold but more explosive than Adam was on the drive. He isn’t yet the smooth shooter Haluska grew into, but he’d start for several Big Ten teams right now or at worst be in a top seven rotation. Really excited for his future; he and Gatens will really compliment each other well this year. Gatens will see far more open looks because of May’s abilities, along with Gatens’ new trimmed down physique. May will be a 1,500 point scorer at Iowa.
Cully Payne: He just looked uptight to me…back to back traveling calls with shaky footwork. This will be an anomaly for him, regardless of the opponent. In fact it looked like several players were just trying to hard on Sunday. I can’t fault them for that. They were probably excited to show Iowa fans that this isn’t the same old same old.
Jarryd Cole: Is what he is at this point; big body, works hard, not great balance at the rim but a good guy in the paint, average offensive game. He scored 17 (7 from the foul line) and could have had 25 if he would have gotten the short stuff to fall, but we have seen that before and he is a senior now. Some players just don’t have that knack around the basket. It’s not a sin, is is a solid player and I am glad he is on Iowa but he’s not going to be a big time scorer unless he can convert the close looks with contact.
Melsahn Basabe: I see tremendous upside in this kid. Already knows how to rebound and that will improve…however quite unrefined on the offensive end, and that’s going to take an out of season to get in line. He’s a true freshman, so that can come with the territory. Kids with his rebounding ability and body that have a refined offensive game go to Kansas. Iowa is getting a talented player and betting on the come…it looks like he has the foundation to get there…the work will come next April through October; it’s real tough to build an offensive game in season…sort of like trying to change your golf swing on the course. That happens on the driving range.
Zach McCabe: He can play three positions for you on the floor and can even dribble the ball well. He can shoot the long ball and has the makings of a solid dribble drive game. He also looked a bit tight, but it’s to be expected in his first career game. When I think of the 2011-2012 Iowa season, which is next year, I really get excited thinking about McCabe, May and Gatens on the floor at the same time in some sets. These guys are a solid core to build on for the future, as all three will be dangerous jump shooters a year from now; Gatens and May already are.
Andrew Brommer: I realize he is listed as a junior, but you might as well call him a freshman, playing wise. He showed a lack of court awareness today, which is understandable given how Lickliter used him…or didn’t use him. He showed some raw post skills on Sunday night, and he was just trying too hard. He reminds me a bit of a young Alex Thompson, or really Alex’s entire career, in that he just goes through things very fast and gets out of control and out of balance. However, McCaffery is going to use Brommer a lot more than Lickliter did and I think Brommer has a chance to improve exponentially as this season goes along as he gains confidence and plays in long stretches.
Devyn Marble: Improving his quickness will be the work he’ll have to put in this next out of season. He has the makings of a good floor game and is long enough to be active on the glass and disruptive in the passing lanes. Of course, he’ll need to work in the weight room, too. Foot quickness is something that can be improved upon and once he gets there, he’ll have more success on the dribble drive. I think right now, his first step isn’t going to get past many players in the Big Ten. But, he’s a freshman and it’s not a crime.
Bryce Cartwright: Like Payne and several of his teammates, Cartwright looked wound tight tonight. He is quick and he was a must get for McCaffery to have another point guard in the program. It’s hard to draw any conclusions on anything after the first game, but especially so based on what I saw of Cartwright and Payne. We’ll need several more games to get a feel for what he can bring.
Iowa had 14 turnovers in the first half and looked like a team trying too hard and therefore played real uptight. Of course, no one wanted to see a loss, the second straight year Iowa opened it’s season with a loss to a lightly regarded team.
But we knew this season was going to be long, however watching the game was more enjoyable for me than most games last year because Iowa is going to play a style I have spent most of my life watching Iowa teams play.
This team is young and they are going to play uptight at times, but they are also going to be fun to watch and win more than they did a year ago. They probably won’t finish above .500, but this year is about establishing a foundation on which to build for the future.
Had Gatens played in this game, I doubt Iowa would have lost. He didn’t, and they did.
I am far more interested in watching these players develop this year than I am fretting over wins and losses in a year where there is little chance of a post season. This is the year where the heavy lifting takes place. No pain, no gain.
So expect some pain…and down the road they’ll reap the rewards.
