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August 9th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Iowa
Hawkeyes
Overall Rank:
#94
Conference
Rank: #9 Big Ten
2005-06:
25-9, 11-5, 2nd (t)
2005-06
postseason: NCAA
 With
a senior heavy team last year, the 2005-2006 campaign was
supposed to be the big year for
Iowa. And that was
the case with a second place finish in the conference and a
trophy in the Big Ten Tournament. Yet, the ending left a bad
taste in the mouth of Hawkeye fans and it may take a year or two
of rebuilding for Coach Steve Alford and his squad to garner
such high expectations once again.
Who’s Out:
Greg
Brunner led the conference in rebounds, Erek Hansen led the
conference in blocks and Jeff Horner was second in the Big Ten
in assists. That’s an impressive group to lose and it doesn’t
end there. Doug Thomas and Alex Thompson, who is transferring
to Iowa State, were the depth in the frontcourt. Carlton Reed
showed some promise in little playing during his freshman
campaign, but has transferred to Northern Iowa. Little used
Justin Wieck has also run out of eligibility.
Who’s In:
Kurt Looby,
J.R. Angle and Dan Bohall all redshirted last season. Looby
will the make the biggest impact of the bunch and will battle
for a starting spot. The 6-10 power forward is a little raw,
but has the ability to battle on the inside with the more
experienced big men in the Big Ten. Cyrus Tate is a solid power
forward who seems to keep getting bigger and stronger. Justin
Johnson will add some athleticism to the wings and can hit the
outside shot with some consistency and walk-on Drew Adams will
provide some emergency depth to the backcourt. The big signing
for the Hawkeyes is small forward Tyler Smith. The 6-7, 210
pound forward is a tough, athletic player and might see minutes
at the three and four this year, if Coach Alford wants to have a
small lineup on the floor. His jumper lacks consistency, but it
has improved over his year at prep school.
Who to Watch:
The
backcourt returns a dynamic duo in Adam Haluska and Mike
Henderson. Haluska averaged 13.9 points as a junior and will be
asked to take over the scoring load for the departed players.
His shot seems streaky, but the overall shooting numbers aren’t
that bad. Haluska won’t be able to disappear for games at a
time if Iowa expects to return to the postseason. Henderson
quietly started all 34 games last year, averaging 7.6 points and
2.0 assists. The point guard is expected to take over a
leadership role this year and his numbers should benefit. Tony
Freeman was the first guard off the bench and may find himself
in a starting role this year. However, if Freeman starts, the
lineup will be small and the backcourt depth will be nearly
non-existent.
Final
Projection:
The frontcourt
is worrisome with junior Seth Gorney battling for a starting
job after averaging 4.0 minutes in 22 appearances. The
newcomers will have to step up and try to produce half as well
as Brunner, Hansen and Thomas did. If they can, Iowa has a shot
at the NIT. Otherwise they’ll need another crazy run in the Big
Ten Tournament to have a shot at a postseason.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Mike Henderson,
Senior, Guard, 7.6 points per game
Adam Haluska,
Senior, Guard, 13.9 points per game
Tyler Smith,
Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Cyrus Tate,
Sophomore, Forward, DNP last season
Kurt Looby,
Junior, Center, DNP last season
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