I'm going to start by previewing every team in the Big Ten and Big 12, one by one, leading up to the start of the season. My blog, my rules, meaning I will go at my own pace. But look for three to four team previews a week.
To get my feet wet, I'm going to start with the team I know best: THE Iowa Hawkeyes.
Head coach: Todd Lickliter, 3rd season
2008-09 finish: 15-17 overall, 5-13 Big Ten (10th)-good thing there's 11 teams in the Big Ten
Players lost-F Cyrus Tate (graduation), G JR Angle (graduation), G Jake Kelly (transferred to Indiana State), PG Jeff Peterson (transferred to Arkansas), F David Palmer (transferred to DII) and G Jermaine Davis (transferred to DII)
Players returning: G Matt Gatens (soph), G Anthony Tucker (soph), G Devan Bawinkel (sr), F Jarryd Cole (jr), F Andrew Brommer (soph), F Aaron Fuller (soph), and G John Lickliter (rs freshman)
Newcomers: F Brennan Cougil (Sioux City), G Eric May (Dubuque), and PG Cully Payne (Schaumburg, IL), F Devon Archie (jc transfer from Indianapolis)
Outlook: Last year, the Hawkeyes showed signs of improvement, but also displayed some of the same mistakes from Lickliter's first year on the sideline. The former National Coach of the Year (his final season at Butler) is finally getting more of his recruits to Iowa City and instilling his style of basketball, which is A LOT of ball screens and A LOT of three pointers. The sophomore class, Lickliter's first true batch of recruits, looked very solid for the most part of last season and looks to be the team's strength this year as they have more experience. His second class has received some attention over the summer. Lickliter nabbed the two best in-state players, and adding Payne to fill the void at point guard was a much need signing. Most media and fans around these parts agree that May and Payne can and will contribute right away, and see Cougil as more of a project that is a year or two away. Archie is an interesting prospect to me. He is athletic and has displayed talent on defense, but I'm not so sure he has the necessary tools to contribute on offense, and he lacks the bulk to bang inside. I would feel better if he were a freshman, but as a junior he doesn't have the time to be a project like Cougil does.
Iowa took a trip overseas to Greece and Italy during the summer, going 2-1 in exhibition games against European teams (the one loss was by a single point, just fyi). At the time, the team only had seven players, meaning everyone got to play valuable minutes. Fuller blossomed, averaging a double-double, and many including me think he has a breakout year ahead of him. Gatens was solid in his first season wearing black and gold, the only player to start all 32 games. He will have an even bigger role this year, and is motivated by getting robbed out of the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Tucker is another player who shined in the Prime Time League, the summer league in North Liberty that all Hawkeyes play in. He is a cold-blooded killer from the 3 and beyond, and I'm excited to see what he can do in a full season of competition.
As for the transfers, I'm not too concerned, hence me leaving it till the end. The guys Iowa lost weren't buying in to the program and Lickliter's team-first philosophy, and the Hawkeyes are better off without them. Most analysts are picking the Hawks to finish last place in the Big Ten, but I see them surprising a lot of people and maybe even themselves. You know they will be good at home, they just need to play .500 ball on the road. They have the tools in place, they just need the confidence to get them going.
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