Iowa Basketball: Why Hawkeyes Will Make NCAA Tournament
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
With football season in full swing, it’s easy to forget that Iowa basketball starts in less than a month. With the Iowa Hawkeyes struggling in football this season, many people are ready for the basketball season to start. Besides, one of the best times in the year is when football and basketball are going on at the same time.
Despite finishing the season 22-11 and being ranked as high as third in the AP Poll during the 2015-16 season, there are many questions surrounding the Hawkeyes this season. They lost four starters from a season ago and will have a much more youthful starting lineup. Not to mention that Peter Jok will need to assert himself as the leader of the team.
Despite the worries some people might have with Iowa in 2016-17, Fran McCaffery has a solid track record with the Hawkeyes. He’s led Iowa to the NCAA Tournament in three of his six seasons, including beating Temple in the first round a season ago before losing to the eventual champion Villanova Wildcats in the second round.
Iowa might be overlooked heading into the season, especially with All-American Jarrod Uthoff now in the NBA. That being said, there is still hope that the Hawkeyes will find a way to make the NCAA Tournament in a season where many think they will struggle. Here’s why Iowa will be in the Big Dance for the fourth straight season.
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Fran McCaffery’s Track Record
Turnover is a constant factor in college basketball. Iowa is in a tough position this season as they try to replace four starters. Sure, other teams like Kentucky and Duke might face these problems every year it seems like, but they also attract multiple four and five-star recruits. Iowa doesn’t, which puts even more pressure on Fran McCaffery.
That being said, McCaffery has quietly made Iowa a very respectable program every year. Since finishing 11-20 in his first season, Iowa has finished above .500 in each of the past five seasons and are on a four-year streak of winning at least 20 games, and have also made the past three NCAA Tournaments. Not to mention in 2012-13, the last time the Hawkeyes failed to make the NCAA Tournament, Iowa finished the season with 25 wins and made it to the NIT Championship Game.
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Iowa did have the fortune of three four-year seniors, such as Mike Gesell, Adam Woodbury and Anthony Clemmons, to help turn the program around. Still, McCaffery turned a bottom-dweller team in the Big Ten into a team who was ranked in the AP Poll top-10 for six consecutive weeks in 2015-16.
Even though he’s had a solid framework, he’s been able to deal with losses of star players like Aaron White and Roy Devyn Marble, while turning Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok into two of the best players in the Big Ten. Players buy into his system and it’s worked very well over his six-years with Iowa.
One of the most important things for coaches at non-powerhouse schools is knowing how to maximize their players’ skill sets. It’s why Villanova, a mid-major who is consistently a top-25 team, won the NCAA Tournament last season. While Iowa isn’t a mid-major, they don’t attract numerous top-100 recruits, making McCaffery’s leadership and game plan even more important.
Replacing four starters sounds like a daunting task, however Iowa has the tools to replicate the production Gesell, Clemmons and Woodbury gave Iowa last season. The question is whether Iowa can score without Jarrod Uthoff. Although, McCaffery has replaced star players before without losing a beat, which should give everyone confidence he’ll do the same in 2016-17.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Peter Jok is Already a Star
It was Jarrod Uthoff’s team a season ago, there’s no doubt about that. Uthoff was named an All-American and became one of the most versatile players in the Big Ten. Although, that didn’t stop Peter Jok from coming into his own, as well, and becoming one of the better players in the Big Ten.
In the Big Ten, Jok finished the season ranking eighth in points per game (16.1), sixth in steals per game (1.3) and seventh in threes made per game (2.5), shooting 40.2 percent from deep . Not to mention that his production increased to 17.3 points and 1.5 steals per game during Big Ten play.
Uthoff never became the second option on the Hawkeyes, however there was a point where Jok started to pull even with him and became Iowa’s best player at times. It’s evident when looking at his production month-by-month:
November: 12.0 PPG, 0.6 SPG, 32.1 3P%, 5.6 3PA
December: 15 PPG, 1.9 SPG, 42.9 3P%, 6.0 3PA
January: 17.5 PPG, 1.6 SPG, 42.9 3P%, 6.1 3PA
February: 19.2 PPG, 1.4 SPG, 44.2 3P%, 6.1 3PA
March: 14.8 PPG, 0.2 SPG, 35.1 3P%, 7.4 3PA
As the season progressed, Jok’s scoring and three-point percentage increased while he consistently averaged at least one steal per game. Even though Jok is a reliable three-point shooter, his style of play will have to change some this season.
He’s no longer the second option, therefore Iowa can’t solely rely on his outside shot. He’ll need to make his mid-range game and driving to the basket a bigger part of his offense. He did that in the middle of the season, however started to get away from it a little as the end of the season neared.
In fact, in the NCAA Tournament, he attempted 17 threes in two games. His 29.4 three-point percentage during Iowa’s two games hindered the offense at times. It also showed how important his versatile arsenal is if a team is able to shut down his outside shot.
Expectations and Jok’s role will be completely different this season. He has taken huge strides in every department over his first three seasons. He’s not going to be Jarrod Uthoff, however Jok has a chance to match Uthoff’s 18.9 points per game as a senior and become an even bigger threat from the outside.
Overall, he showed signs last season of what he might become, and he’s a lot better than what he showed in March. Uthoff overshadowed him in 2015-16, but Peter Jok is ready to become a household name.
Tyler Cook is a Freshman Stud
Iowa doesn’t land the Harry Giles or Jayson Tatum‘s of the world. That being said, Fran McCaffery gave the Hawkeyes recruiting class a huge boost in 2016 when he landed Tyler Cook.
Cook, a freshman from Chaminade High School in St. Louis Missouri, was teammates with Jayson Tatum. ESPN ranked Cook as the 38th best player in the nation, second best (behind Tatum) in the state of Missouri, and the eighth best power forward in the nation. Not to mention McCaffery landed Cook with offers from Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Iowa State, and many others on the table.
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Just like any freshman, Cook will have a learning curve at the start of his season. He needs to improve as an outside shooter to become a modern-day stretch-four, and has struggled at the free-throw line. He only shot 56.5 percent from the line and 32.2 percent from three during the PTL Summer League this year.
The good news is that Iowa will give him every chance to grow early in the season. He’ll be the outright starter from day one and should be a big part of the Hawkeyes game plan. Besides, shaky free-throw and three-point shooting is common in freshmen big men.
Cook flashed a lot of positive signs during the PTL Summer League, which featured many good players, including Iowa players such as Dom Uhl and Peter Jok. Cook finished PTL averaging 22.1 points (fourth in PTL) and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54.2 percent shooting.
While Cook needs to become a more consistent shooter from three and mid-range, he gives the Hawkeyes a dominating big man in the paint. His 6-9, 240 pound frame is not easy to contain, especially when considering he’s extremely athletic for his size.
Cook has an innate ability of finishing at the rim using either hand. Plus, he can take his defender off the dribble and has no problems rising above the rim for easy dunks. Simply put, Cook has stardom written all over him. The Hawkeyes need someone to step up and be a reliable second option behind Peter Jok, and many people believe Cook can be that guy as a freshman.
When it comes down to it, Tyler Cook is the best recruit Fran McCaffery has landed at Iowa. They relied heavily on the three-ball last season, although Cook adds a dynamic to the offense that they haven’t had under McCaffery. He’ll have poor games here and there, like any freshman, but Tyler Cook is someone everyone should be talking about because he can win the Hawkeyes games this season.
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