This is the second in a series of Big Ten men’s basketball previews.
Heading into Steve Alford’s second year as coach of the Hawkeyes, the team has the highest expectations of any Iowa squad in recent memory.
Last year, Alford’s first after taking over for Tom Davis, the Hawkeyes went 14-16, their first losing season since 1994.
But with steady senior point guard Dean Oliver returning, and a cast of talented newcomers, the Hawkeyes believe they can turn the team around and win the Big Ten.
“We have a lot of new faces, and things are looking real good,” said Oliver, who last year averaged 13.6 points and 4.2 assists per game. “Last year was my first ever losing season in basketball, and I never want that to happen again.”
Heading the list of newcomers is Indiana transfer Luke Recker. After his sophomore season in Bloomington, Recker bolted for Arizona.
But a few months before he was supposed to begin life in Tucson, Recker, who averaged 14.5 points in two years for the Hoosiers, was involved in a near-fatal car crash, leaving him injured and his girlfriend paralyzed.
The 6-foot-6-inch guard/forward stayed only one semester at Arizona before transferring again, this time to Iowa, to be closer to his family and girlfriend.
Now Recker, a junior, is healthy and more than ready to hit the court.
“It feels great to be able to play again,” Recker said. “Last year was tough, and it challenged me as a person.”
Recker said he’s excited to play for Alford, who is a former Hoosier player himself.
“He brings such intensity to the game, and he’s been a winner in everything he’s done,” Recker said. “It’s an honor to play for a man like him.”
After Oliver, the Hawkeyes’ second leading returning scorer is 6-foot-7-inch junior Duez Henderson, who averaged 6.9 points a game last year. Henderson prepped at River Rouge High School in Detroit.
This year’s Iowa team also has a Lansing connection. Freshman Courtney Scott, who played second fiddle to MSU freshman Marcus Taylor at Lansing Waverly High School, will try to add to Iowa’s frontcourt.
“Courtney is really playing well, and he’s getting a good feel for our offense,” Oliver said of the 6-foot-6-inch, 245-pounder.
Scott is one of five freshmen on the Hawkeye team this season. The most highly touted is 6-foot-11-inch freshman Jared Reiner of Tripp, S.D. Reiner turned down scholarship offers from the likes of Duke and Kentucky to play for the young Hawkeyes.
“Last year we had to play all year with a 6-foot-8 center (Jacob Jaacks), but now we have more versatility,” Alford said. “Jared will allow us to do a lot of things we couldn’t last year.”
When Iowa played at Indiana last season, much was made of Alford’s return to Assembly Hall in Bloomington. He said the return was blown out of proportion, adding Hoosier head coach Bobby Knight’s presence will be sorely missed in the Big Ten.
“In my mind Coach Knight was the greatest coach ever in collegiate sports,” Alford said. “He’s a guy who pretty much ran this league.”
