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| Melsahn Basabe was an absolute force last year. Hawkeye fans should thank their lucky stars he followed McCafferey to Iowa City. |
Coach: Frank McCaffery – 11-20 (.355)
Lost:
F Jarryd Cole, PG Cully Payne (transfer)
Returning: G Matt Gatens (Sr), F Melsahn Basabe (So), G
Bryce Cartwright (Sr), G Eric May (So), F Zach McCabe (So), F Andrew Brommer
(Sr), F Devon Archie (Sr), G Roy Devyn Marble (So)
New faces:
SG Josh Oglesby(122), C Gabe
Olaseni, PF Aaron White
Preview: Last year the Hawkeyes showed drastic
improvements in McCafferey’s first season. Unfortunately they still finished
4-14 in the Big Ten and their second best player graduated. There’s plenty to like about the future
though. Bryce Cartwright is an exciting
player who led the conference in assists per game and Eric May showed flashes
of being a reliable complimentary player.
What’s got to get you excited if you’re a Hawkeye fan is the how this
year’s recruiting class is shaping up.
No, it’s not a top 10 class but it is leaps and bounds better than the
ones brought in by Todd Lickliter. Aaron White and sharpshooter Josh Oglesby
may start from the get-go while Gabe Olaseni offers a nice developmental player
who should make an impact as an upper classman.
Furthermore, Melsahn Basabe was the first or second best freshman in the
conference last season and was at times unstoppable (vs. OSU last year he put
up 22-13 and 6 blocks while guarding Jared Sullinger). He’s a future All Big
Ten player in the making. This program
is definitely moving in the right direction but it’s still at least two years
away from making an NCAA Tournament appearance.
That’s really too bad for Matt Gatens who is a heck of a player but is
underrated due to having been on some awful teams. Gatens suffered from
Lickliter’s offensive style and was constantly misused due to having no other
impact player on the floor with him for two years. Here’s to hoping for a breakout season from
the hometown senior.
Shot in the dark at the starting 5:
PG Bryce
Cartwright
G Matt
Gatens
G Josh
Oglesby
F Aaron
White
F Melsahn
Basabe
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