2010-2011 Season in Review: Devon Archie

At 6'9" 225 lbs, Devon Archie looks like a man that was born to play basketball. He has long arms and a very good vertical for a guy his size. However, that athletic ability hasn't quite translated into basketball talent. He's like that prospect in every baseball fan's farm system, that has the tools to be a good player but he just never develops. He is like the prospect that can hit the ball a mile long when he makes contact, the problem is he doesn't make contact very often. For those very knowledgeable in baseball, Archie is like Greg Halman (Mariners farm system, Google him if you don't know).

Archie will be a redshirt Senior next year, and after four years of college ball (two years at Iowa), the only thing that has developed is his knack for grabbing rebounds. In his 8 minutes per game this year (only 23 games played), Archie pulled down 24.87% of the opposing team's misses, and corralled 18.06% of Iowa's misses. Those are pretty insane rebounding numbers, even if they are only in 8 minutes stints. Other than the rebounding, Archie has flashed the ability to make a nice post move or block a few shots, but nothing real consistent. Going into next year, Archie is probably a bigger question mark than Brommer is. Like I mentioned with Marble and May, Archie has the tools, he just needs to put them together. The difference is, that unlike the other two, who have multiple years remaining, Archie only has next year to do it.

Strengths:

• Rebounding- This is the biggest tool in Archie's arsenal. The problem is, that only playing 8 minutes per game limits him from racking up more than about 2 or 3 rebounds per game. If he would have put up the same defensive rebounding rate and offensive rebounding rate, but played more minutes per game, Archie would have finished first in the Big 10 in offensive rebounding and third in defensive rebounding. If he were to increase his minutes to 20 minutes per game, and still grab rebounds at the same 0.36 rebounds per minute pace, he would average 7.17 rebounds per game. That would be pretty valuable for Iowa. The main question is can he do enough in practice, to make Fran get him some playing time? Because his rebounding ability is pretty useless on the bench.

Weaknesses:

• Free Throw Shooting- Saying Archie is bad at shooting free throws is an understatement. A more descriptive adjective would probably be something more like horrendous. Of his 23 attempts from the free throw line this year, he made only 6 (26.09%). Even more than that, he also had two airballs from the free throw line. One in partciular, I think during the last game vs Purdue, he had one that not only came up short of the rim, but it looked to be wide right of the rim also. If I remember correctly, it was so bad that it made Sportscenter's Not Top 10. Ummm.... So, yeah. Work on that Devon.

2010-2011 Season in Review: Andrew Brommer

Andrew Brommer is a bit of an enigma. For every 12 point, 6 rebound, and 3 block game like he had at Ohio State this year, there were ten games similar in nature to the 2 point, 2 rebound, 2 block, and 5 foul game like he had at Michigan State. Then you have his season stats, which are just as enigmatic. Brommer's 56.94% eFG%, was second best on the team. His 0.25 points per minute, however, was second to last on the team. His offensive rebounding rate of 8.87% was pretty good, finishing nineteenth in the the Big 10. His defensive rebounding rate of 13.97%, on the other hand, was twenty eighth in the Big 10. Brommer actually showed a pretty good talent for finding the cutter in the lane, as he had a decent assist rate for a big man, at 11.1%. Unfortunately, he also showed a pretty good talent for giving the ball to the other team, as his 28% turnover rate was third worst in the Big 10. Add to all of that, the fact that he had major fouling problems this year, and you see why he was an enigma. Basically, for every good thing Brommer did, he also had one equally or worse bad thing that he did. Which, leaves Iowa fans wondering what they can expect from him next year, when he will most likely need to step into a bigger role. Brommer's senior year will be now or never, and I hope the answer is now.

Strengths:

• Shooting- Brommer went from a 38.4% eFG% (10-26 FG) last year, to a 56.9% eFG% (41-72 FG) this year. Brommer's shooting was helped by the fact that he took 55 shots in the paint, where he just so happened to shoot 67.86% on field goal attempts from there. Unlike, like some other players on the team, Brommer actually played to his strength this year.
• Offensive Rebounding- Brommer's offensive rebounding rate has taken a step forward every year since his freshman year. This year he pulled down 8.87% of all available missed shots by Iowa this year, while he was on the court. That number is not great, but it's decent. The reason I put it in strengths, is because since it has increased every year, it's pretty realistic to think that it could jump up to about 10% next year. For reference, Jarryd Cole had a 10.63% offensive rebounding rate this year. If Brommer can get that up to about 10%, and keep himself in the game for longer than the 12.52 minutes per game he averaged this year, then he could be a nice asset on the offensive glass next season.

Weaknesses:

• Turnovers- I've already mentioned in a few of these posts, that Iowa was a turnover plagued team this season. Well, Brommer was the most turnover prone player on the turnover plagued Hawkeyes. His 28% turnover rate was third worst in the Big 10 this season. If you take the non-conference games out of the picture, then Brommer's 33.3% turnover rate (!) was the worst in the Big 10. It wasn't just worse by a little, either. He was almost 3% worse than the number two player, who just so happened to be Iowa's own Zach McCabe (We so dominated at turning the ball over this year). If you go beyond Iowa's turnover twins, Brommer was worse than Keith Appling by almost 5%. Also, unlike his offensive rebounding rate, Brommer's turnover rate is trending in the wrong direction. In Brommer's freshman year, he had a 22.5% turnover rate. That increased to 25% his sophomore year, and then to 28% this year. Knock it off, Andrew.
• Free Throw Shooting- He wasn't the worst on the team (it's hard to be worse than Archie at free throws), but he was the second worst free throw shooter for Iowa this year. In 33 free throw attempts this year, he made only 14 (42.42%). If you want another example of Brommer being enigmatic, well then look at his free throw shooting. His freshman year, he made 5 of his 22 free throw attempts (22.7%). During his sophomore campaign, he made 18-24 from the line (75%). He then built off of that good showing, by going 14-33 this year. So, who knows what the hell he'll do next year? He could go 30-40, or he could go 18-40. Neither would surprise me.
• Fouling- To get an idea of how much of a fouling problem, Brommer had this year, one should look at his stats adjusted to 40 minutes per game. If a Brommer were able to play a full 40 minute game, and continued to foul at the same rate, he would average 6.80 fouls per game. Technically, he wouldn't actually be able to reach 6.80 fouls per game, as he would have fouled out just before the 30 minute mark (29 minutes and 23 seconds to be more precise). But, to get an idea of how often he fouled the opposing team, here is a graph comparing his fouls per 40 minutes to other stats he would compile in the same amount of time:

2010-2011 Season in Review: Zach McCabe

Unlike fellow freshman Devyn Marble, whose playing time increased as the competition got tougher (Thanks in part to Eric May). Zach McCabe's playing time went the opposite direction as Big 10 play started. Here's a handy graph:

Now, McCabe is sort of a "tweener." He lacks the ideal height for a power forward and the athleticism for a small forward. So, he goes back and forth between positions on the court. As Basabe and Marble's playing time increased, and May's never dipped below 20 minutes per game, there was less playing time left for the struggling McCabe.

Though, his season may not have ended the way he would have liked it, McCabe did show some promise. He flashed some shooting ability from downtown at times (when he was on he was on, but when he was off....) and he was also a pretty good rebounder. He didn't have a great season overall, but he was only a freshman. With some more development, McCabe definitely has the talent to be a very good role player for Iowa for the next couple of years.

Strengths:

• Rebounding- McCabe's 15.25% defensive rebounding rate and 6.64% offensive rebounding rate, finished the season right between Iowa's post players and wing players. He was nestled nicely between Brommer and Marble. His defensive rebounding rate was good for twenty second in the conference. While, his offensive rebounding rate was good for twenty sixth in the conference. Both numbers are pretty good when you consider that McCabe spent a lot of time out behind the arc.

• Free Throw Shooting- McCabe was easily Iowa's second best shooter from the free throw line this year. His 80.43% free throw percentage was only worse than Gatens' on the team, and was better than third place by about 9%. If there was one thing that McCabe was consistent in shooting this year, it was free throws.

Weaknesses:

• Shooting- McCabe made only 51.02% of his shots in the paint. Easily, worst on the team by about 10% (team average = 68.86%). McCabe also made only 28.57% of his three point attempts (team average = 31.40%). As you will see later, both of these categories took a huge hit when McCabe started playing against Big 10 opponents. Overall, his 42.01 eFG% was pretty underwhelming. Let's hope this improves next year.
• Turnovers- McCabe, like most freshmen, had a bit of a turnover problem. His 24.3% turnover rate was tenth worst in the Big 10 this year. However, Andrew Brommer and Eric May were even worse this year. That's right. Iowa had three players in the top 10 at coughing up the ball this year. If you want to expand it to the worst 15, Iowa adds Cartwright and Basabe to the mix. That's 33.3% of the top 15. Easily the best. Yay! We won at something!

2010-2011 Season in Review: Devyn Marble

Devyn Marble, as everybody knows, is the son of the all time leading scorer in Iowa Men's Basketball history. However, coming out of high school, Devyn (Roy Jr.) wasn't as heralded as his father was. Instead, he came to Iowa as a developmental guy. He's long and athletic, but he still needs a lot of polish. The potential is there, though. You can see it flash at times (ex: Iowa's first game vs Indiana, and second game vs Michigan).

On most Big 10 teams, Marble would have redshirted. But, Iowa's lack of depth, did not allow McCaffery the option of putting the redshirt on him. So, to start the season, Marble was Iowa's back up shooting guard to Matt Gatens. Then Cully Payne went down to injury, and Marble became Iowa's back up point guard too. He performed about as well as you could ask from him, playing a position that he was clearly not suited for. He wasn't good, but he wasn't horrible (ex: Purdue game when Cartwright was injured). And really, that that sums up Marble's season in one sentence. He wasn't good, but he wasn't horrible either.

Strengths:

• Shooting in the Paint- Notice how I said "in the paint." Marble was one of the worst shooters on the team this year, but when it came to scoring in the paint, he was one of the best. He took 41 shots inside the paint this year, and connected on 32 of them. His 78.05% FG% in the paint was second on the team to Jarryd Cole. 
• Defense- This is based more on potential, than actual results. In reality, Iowa had a bad defense this year. But, at the end of the year, when Marble was inserted into the starting lineup, Fran made it a point to put him on the opposing team's best scorer at times. He wasn't always successful, as guys like Darius Morris could tell you, but he was better than the other options. Cartwright is good at a lot of things, but defense is not one of them. Gatens is a pretty good defender at times, but his lack of foot speed regularly got him beat on back door passes this year (ex: Northwestern) Eric May, well, does anybody know what went on with him this year? All three of those problems, left Marble looking like the best option for Iowa on defense. What did Marble bring to the table? Well, Marble has a lot of upside on defense. He's a quick enough to stay with athletic wing players, and also has long enough arms to help keep his man in front of him. I'm not saying he will develop into a lockdown defender, but he can definitely be a good one down the road.

Weaknesses:

• All Other Shooting- Once Marble starts moving away from the basket, he becomes a very inefficient shooter. He made only 25% of his two point shots outside of the paint (team average = 28.17%) and 26.83% of his three point field goal attempts (team average = 31.40%). You can even add free throw shooting to this category. Marble only made 53.03% of his free throw attempts this year (team average = 67.55%). That was better than only Devon Archie (26.09%) and Andrew Brommer (42.42%), which is not at all a compliment. Marble was easily the worst on the team by a wing player, as Eric May was the next worst, shooting 60.38% from the charity stripe. Now, all of this is not to say that Marble won't get better. I certainly expect him too, as he was only a freshman this year. But, this is to say, that he needs to do a lot of shooting this offseason. 

2010-2011 Season in Review: Jarryd Cole

On a young Iowa Hawkeye team, Jarryd Cole was the lone Senior in the starting lineup. Considering Cole's story is probably fresh in your mind from the lead up to the Senior Day game against Purdue, I won't repeat it. That isn't what this post is about anyways. This post is to review his Senior year, which turned out to be a pretty good one.

It began a little shaky in November, as he started the season with an injury (foot?), which led to him playing only 18.86 minutes per game. However, even with limited playing time, he still averaged 0.32 points per minute in November, while grabbing a 5.71% offensive rebounding rate and a 18.23% defensive rebounding rate. In December, Cole's playing time increased, his points per minute stayed steady, and his rebounding exploded. His offensive rebounding rate for the month was an insane 22.92% (small sample sizes, but wow!), and his defensive rebounding rate was 23.89%. He was at the top of his game.

Then January came, and Cole went silent. His offensive rebounding rate fell back down to around 5%, and his defensive rebounding rate came down to an okay, but not great 14.66%. Not to mention, his points per minute fell to 0.24 (yikes!). I was a little worried, thinking that the tougher competition was getting the best of Cole. No worries, though, as he just needed the Calendar to turn. In February/March, his points per minute shot up to his best of the year, topping out at 0.36. It was partially due to a little good luck, as he shot an unsustainable 64.18% eFG% in those ten games (small sample sizes!), but he was still good. His offensive rebounding rate in February/March, was a more realistic 9.39%, as was his 20.09% defensive rebounding rate (both very close to his season averages). Even though Cole had some rough spots this season, he was still one of the most dependable players on the team. Especially, down the stretch.

Strengths:

• Rebounding- With a 10.63% offensive rebounding rate, that was good enough for ninth best in the Big 10. Not to mention, a 19.25% defensive rebounding rate, that finished eighth in the conference. It's pretty safe to say that rebounding was a strength for Cole. Basabe and Archie were the two best rebounders on the team, but Cole wasn't too far behind. He actually outperformed Basabe on the defensive boards in December and February/March. So, he definitely deserves some credit.
• Getting to the Free Throw Line- Not including Devon Archie, who only attempted 32 field goals this year, Cole led the team in free throw rate (free throws attempted per field goals attempted). On the year, he took 93 free throws compared to 162 field goal attempts, good for a 0.57 free throw rate. Never once, did he drop below 0.42 for any month (team average = 0.34). In fact, in December he had a ridiculous 0.86 free throw rate. He attempted 25 free throws compared to 29 field goals. Just to see crazy his December was, here's a graph:

• Shooting- Even though Cole isn't known for his scoring ability, he was actually a very efficient scorer. He finished his career with 59.60% eFG% (never dipping below 56.7% in his four years at Iowa), and he averaged 1.20 points per scoring attempt this year (second best on the team). I should also mention, that his 78.41% FG% on shots in the paint was the best on the team, and his 31.51% FG% on two point shots outside the paint was second on the team, behind only Gatens. Just for reference, the team average FG% on shots in the paint was 68.86% and 28.17% for two point shots outside the paint. Have I made Jarryd's case yet? He was a pretty damn good shooter.

Weaknesses:

•  Blocks- This is probably nitpicking, and I'm not saying he wasn't good on defense. I don't recall yelling at my TV because Cole had some mental lapse on defense. He actually looked good on defense, mostly because he had a big physical body, that could bang with the bigger post players. However, he was an undersized center. So, it probably isn't that surprising that he was not that great at rejecting opponents shots. But, considering he never topped a 2% block rate his entire career at Iowa, is kind of surprising to me. Blocks aren't a huge deal, but Cole's game was pretty well-rounded during his Senior year. He wasn't a huge scoring threat, but he was never seen as the top scoring option on the team. He also cut his turnovers this year, by a lot.  And so he didn't really leave much for me to complain about. Feel free to let me know if I'm missing anything, but I think Cole had a very nice Senior season.

2010-2011 Season in Review: Melsahn Basabe

Make no mistake. Melsahn Basabe looks to be a star. I still find it hard to believe that if Fran McCaffery hadn't been hired at Iowa, Basabe could have been dominating the MAAC last year. Instead, he was dominating the paint in one of the toughest basketball conferences in Division I. Iowa fans knew Basabe had some talent when he showed up in Iowa City and dominated the Prime Time League. Not that the Prime Time League is necessarily something you want to evaluate a player off of, as defense is not of much importance in the "pick up" style games that are played. So, expectations were still pretty tempered for Basabe coming into his freshman campaign. This is where his season became pretty much the opposite of Eric May's.

November was a pretty good month for Basabe, as he averaged 0.35 points per minute on a 54.29% eFG%. He also had a 10.19% offensive rebound rate and 21.43% defensive rebounding rate. If he kept those numbers up all season, nobody could have complained. Those are solid numbers, especially for a true freshman. However, Basabe wasn't fine with those numbers. Instead, he decided to up his scoring, shooting, and offensive rebounding. He finished the season averaging 0.45 points per minute (best on the team) on a 57.21% eFG% (also best on the team), pulling down 13.29% of all offensive and 19.83% of all defensive rebounds available while he was on the court. Those were his numbers as a freshman. Let me say that one more time. Basabe was only a freshman this year. If he keeps this up, he is going to be one of the best players to ever put on an Iowa jersey.

Strengths:

• Scoring- Basabe was the best on the team at putting the ball in the basket this year. His 0.45 points per minute, was tied with Trevor Mbakwe for number 12 in the Big 10 this year. However, if you cut that list down to freshmen, Basabe came in fourth, behind only Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas, and Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. Need I say more? Well, one more thing. A graph!

•  Shooting- Not only did Basabe put the ball in the hoop at a fantastic rate. He also did it very efficiently. As I mentioned in the intro, his 57.21% eFG% was the best on the team. Not to mention, his 1.21 points per scoring attempt was also number one on the team this year. Whenever Basabe put's a shot up, especially in the paint, it's going to drop more often than not.
• Rebounding- Basabe was the best rebounder on the team, who actually played a majority of the games (Archie was a rebounding machine when on the court). His 19.83% defensive rebounding rate finished sixth in the Big 10. His 13.29% offensive rebounding rate finished third in the Big 10. However, during conference play, Basabe stepped it up and came away with a 15.27% offensive rebounding rate, which was the best in the Big 10. Yeah. He was only a freshman.
• Blocks- When you look at Basabe, one of the things you notice about him is his long arms. The man has a pretty good wingspan. So, it should not come as any surprise that he was one of the best in the conference at swatting away opponents shots this season. Basabe blocked 6.08% of all opponents shots, while he was on the court last year. That was good enough for fifth in the conference, behind only Dallas Lauderdale, Ralph Sampson III, Mike Tisdale, and JaJuan Johnson. Pretty good company, eh? 

Weaknesses:

• Turnovers- Basabe had a bit of a problem giving the ball to the other team this year. His 22.1% was sixteenth worst in the conference. While it wasn't as bad as some of his teammates, it's still too high. A lot of times his turnover problems came from reacting way too late to double teams. The game at Illinois springs to mind. He needs to realize that other teams know that he is Iowa's best player. That means that he is going to see double teams when he catches the ball. He needs to get rid of the ball before that second man comes over and tries to trap him. Whether, that means him making a quick post move and putting up a shot, or kicking the ball out to an open teammate on the perimeter. The good news is, he has plenty of time to fix this.
• Fouling- I could have labeled this inconsistency, as usually when he had his worst game, it was because he got in early foul trouble and took himself out of the game. When you get two fouls in the first half, you know Fran is going to yank you. Basabe is one of the the last players, that Iowa can afford to see come out of the game early. When he can string the big games together, without having one or two where he takes himself out of the equation, that will be when he takes the next step. Once again, he's young. He'll learn with experience. 

2010-2011 Season in Review: Eric May

Eric May's season could probably be summed up by this one graph:

Thanks for reading. See you next time. Kidding. But, this season was pretty much a nightmare for Eric May. I remember before the season started, there were people predicting he would have a breakout season and end up the best player on the team. Well, they would have been right, had the season only lasted one month and ended in November. Because once December started, May fell off a cliff, and just kept falling until the end of the season. His big November was largely the result of an unsustainable 60.42% eFG%. His eFG% came back down in the following months: 40.38% in December, 44.44% in January, and 42.71% in February/March. As May's shots stopped going in the basket as much, he looked like he started to lose confidence in his game. This led to May taking fewer and fewer shots per game. Let's see, taking fewer shots and making fewer shots, doesn't seem like a great recipe for success. Yet that's exactly what happened with Eric May. Now, this offseason becomes crucial for May, as he tries to fix whatever the hell went wrong this year.

Strengths:

• Athleticism- May is one of the best athlete's on the team (I say "one of" because Basabe and Archie are pretty damn athletic too). Every Iowa fan sits on the edge of their seat when Eric May gets out in front on a fast break. The anticipation of his thunderous dunks are almost as exciting as the dunks themselves. His athleticism also allows him to be one of the best guys on the team at creating his own shot. May tied Marble this year, for third on the team in creating their own shot, as 50% of his field goals were of the unassisted variety. May is a raw talent. He's the guy that just oozes athletic ability, and you hope he can be developed into a complete basketball player.

Weaknesses:

• Turnovers-  May finished the season ninth worst in the Big 10 in turnovers, with a 24.7% turnover rate. What's really disappointing about that number, is that it is about 4% worse than his freshman year, where he had a turnover rate of 20.4%. Iowa, as a team, had a big turnover problem this year. Eric May was just a small part of it. Which means, this isn't the last you will hear of turnovers in the weakness column. 
• Free Throws- May took almost the same exact number of free throws this year (53), as he did last year (57). However, he made about 6% less of them this year (32 compared to 38). His 60.4% free throw percentage trended the wrong way this year. Hopefully, next year it well trend back toward 70%. 

2010-2011 Season in Review: Matt Gatens

Gatens had an up and down year. Before the season started, in October, Gatens injured his thumb. As a result, he missed the first two games of the season. When he returned, he was clearly not healthy. His injured thumb caused him to average 0.33 points per minute (8.20 points per game) shoot a 33.33% eFG%, and connect on only 21.05% of his three point attempts. When December rolled around and his thumb was feeling better, Gatens went off. He averaged 0.45 points per minute (16.17 points per game) on a 58.57% eFG%, and making 36% of his three point attempts. In January, he improved to 41.86% from behind the arc, but his points per minute dropped to 0.39 (13.50 points per game) as he saw more difficult competition. Still good, though.

However, the ten games in February and March, weren't particularly kind to Gatens. His three point percentage took a dive, falling to 27.45%. His eFG% was still a decent 45.63%, but because of his shooting dip, his points per minute fell to 0.34 (12 points per game). Very similar to his 0.33 mark he put up in November when he was injured. Gatens finished the season shooting 33.1% from downtown, and making many fans wonder what happened to the player who hit 40.3% of his three point attempts during his freshman year. It was a solid year from the lifelong Hawkeye (he did average 12.62 points per game), but it still left a lot of people questioning whether or not he was overrated.

Strengths:

• Scoring- Gatens took a step forward scoring-wise this year. His 0.38 points per minute was up from his 0.32 his freshman year and his 0.33 his sophomore year. It's even more impressive, when you consider he put up the equivalent to his sophomore average of 0.33 points per minute, in November, when he shot very poorly because of his injured thumb. Even when he's injured, he will still put points on the board.
• Outside Shooting- A lot of people are down on Gatens' shooting this year. His 48.4% eFG% was better than his Sophomore campaign (45.5%), but worse than his Freshman campaign (52.3%). His three point field goal percentage was the same way: 33.1% this year, compared to 32.8% last year and 40.3% his freshman year. However, the injury and the cold streak he was on during the last month of the season really hurt him. In December and January, Gatens shot 38.71% from long range, which is much closer to that 40% mark that everybody has been waiting for Gatens to repeat. If Gatens hadn't been hurt in the first month, his overall three point percentage probably would have been much better, and would have been able to withstand the terrible February and March that he had shooting the three. Not to mention, that his 37.04% FG% on two point attempts outside the paint was the best on the team. When you consider that Iowa, as a team, shot 28.17% from out there, Gatens looks very good. The guy is a shooter. 
• Free Throws: Gatens 87.36% free throw percentage is almost 7% better than Zach McCabe's, who is number two on Iowa. I should also mention that Gatens finished number one in the Big 10 in this category for the second time in his three year career. The other time, was when he made 90.4% of his free throws during his freshman year. A lot of his comparisons go back to his freshman year.

Weaknesses:

• Quickness: Gatens isn't the most fleet of foot, and this has caused him some problems. I can remember multiple times where this has gotten him beaten on defense this year. Specifically, back door passes against Northwestern, quickly come to mind. This also limits his offensive game, and explains pretty well why he gets so much of his value from shooting the three point shot. He's not a threat to take the ball to the basket.
• Finishing at the Basket: Speaking of which, Gatens has always seemed to struggle when taking the ball to the hoop. He doesn't always go up strong, and that allows the opposing team's big men to contest or block the shot without Gatens drawing the foul. It's such a small part of his game, that it isn't necessarily a big deal for Gatens, except for games like at Minnesota this year, where he shot 1-6 (16.67%) on shots in the paint. But, it is interesting to note, that Gatens' 61.82% FG% on shots in the paint, was second worst on the team behind McCabe who shot a horrible 51.02%. The team average was 68.86%. So, yeah. That is why I listed this under weaknesses.

2010-2011 Season in Review: Bryce Cartwright

Bryce Cartwright came out of nowhere for Iowa fans. Literally, nowhere. The point guard (who announcers loved to remind us was straight out of Compton) showed up on campus mysteriously for a visit last June. Four days later, he verbally committed to the Hawkeyes. He wasn't very hyped, and I, like most Hawkeye fans, didn't have high expectations for Cartwright this season. I mean, he committed in June, and everyone knows there aren't any good players waiting to sign in June. Well, Cartwright was a pleasant surprise. The expectations bar was set low, but Cartwright didn't just walk over it. He launched himself over it. Iowa's incumbent starting point guard, Cully Payne, went down for the season, and Cartwright was the only healthy point guard on the roster. He wasn't really anything special in November or December, but once Big 10 play kicked off, Cartwright exploded onto the scene. His 43.01% assist rate, finished number one in the Big 10 in conference play (he finished number two, overall, in the Big 10 in assist rate, behind Darius Morris). He wasn't perfect, as he was not the most efficient scorer, and did have a bit of a turnover problem. However, he exceeded all expectations that anybody had of him coming into the season. Coach McCaffery found a diamond in the rough.

Strengths:

• Passing the Ball- Cartwright became one of the best passing point guards Iowa has had in a long time. I have vivid memories of him threading that bounce pass into a streaking Jarryd Cole vs Purdue, throwing up close to half-court alley-oops to Eric May vs Michigan State, and delivering beautiful bounce passes on pick and rolls to Andrew Brommer for easy dunks. 
• Transition- Cartwright was at his best this year, when he was in transition. Like I mentioned above, the bounce pass to Cole and the alley-oops to May, all came in transition. Cartwright also seemed to be at his best when he brought the ball up court, and immediately tried to get into the paint. That left him the option of taking the high percentage shot or finding Basabe or Cole for an easy layup.  

Weaknesses: 

• Shooting- Cartwright could put points on the scoreboard, but as his 42.08% eFG% shows, it often times took him a lot more shots than many would have liked. As you will see below, that also probably had a lot to do with the kinds of shots he takes. It still remains funny to me how an inefficient shooter like Cartwright, is Iowa's go to guy at the end of a game. I'm not a big believer in somebody being "clutch" (I use the term, but don't actually think that clutch is a talent), so I would prefer someone like Gatens taking the shot (who everybody says is the most unclutch guy on the team), since the percentages say he is the better shooter. However, Cartwright did hit key end of game jumpers at Indiana and vs Purdue. Not to mention, that he did hit six buzzer beating shots at halftime this year. He would have had seven, if he would have gotten that full court heave against Michigan off in time. This is nothing against Cartwright, I just don't believe in "clutch." I believe that one guy shoots a disproportionate amount of end of game shots, so he is more likely to make a few, and have the "clutch" label applied to him. Just my opinion. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
• Turnovers- Cartwright had a propensity to force some passes into guys who weren't open at times. His 24.05% turnover rate, was second worst only to Ohio State's Aaron Craft, in turnover rate by Big 10 points guards. I can't complain a whole lot, though, because that same aggressiveness that led to a few too many turnovers, is also the same aggressiveness that allowed him to rack up his conference play leading 43.01% assist rate.

Iowa vs Michigan State Round III Recap: 61-66 L

Well, the season is now officially over for the Hawkeyes. I can't really complain. Iowa's record wasn't amazing, but nobody expected it to be. All fans ask from a young team like this, is for improvement. I think we all have seen that improvement this year. Which means, Fran has kept his promise so far. He has got this fanbase excited about basketball again. So, thank you Fran. Let's do it again next season.

Just like eight days ago, life prevented me from watching Iowa play Michigan State. Although, this time I was actually able to listen to the first half on the radio. But, what follows is, once again, what I noticed from looking over the box score. It's weird to think that last year, I missed Iowa play Michigan in the Big 10 Tournament, because I was in a European Politics class. This year I missed it, because I had to work. Life needs to stop interfering with my sports.

Iowa vs Purdue Round II Recap: 67-65 W

WOOOOOOO!!!! That was easily the best win of the season, and a signature win for McCaffery. But, even better, it was also a the best possible way to send Jarryd Cole out. I'm sorry Jarryd had to be witness to such a down period in Iowa basketball, but I'm glad he got to exit Carver in style. Awesome. Fucking. Game.

Bullet Points!

• Shooting-wise, holy shit (I swear when I'm excited), Iowa went and did what Purdue did to them in the first match up. Iowa didn't shoot great, putting up a 45.8% effective FG%, themselves. However, they held the Boilermakers to a 39.9% effective FG%. Iowa made 46% of their two point shots, 30% of their three point shots, and 63.2% from the free throw line. Purdue made 45.4% of their two point attempts, 20% of their three point attempts, and 58.8% from the charity stripe. A clean sweep for the Hawkeyes. That hasn't happened very much in Big 10 play. 

What is Wrong With Eric May?

Coming into the season, a lot of people thought that, by the end of the year, Eric May could be the best player on the team. In November, he clearly looked the part. Now, though, he has become a role player, who doesn't seem to know his role. So, what the hell happened? Let's look at some numbers.

First, lets look at his points per minute and points per scoring attempt.

Clearly, Eric May shot out of his mind in November. He put up 1.20 points per scoring attempt that month, which helped him score 0.47 points per minute. Since then, however, he has pretty much dropped off the map. His points per minute have declined every month, and February is currently his worst scoring month this year.

Last year, May averaged exactly 1 point per scoring attempt. He is at 1.01 for the season thanks to his monstrous November. But, it's pretty clear to see over the last three months, that he is not putting the ball in the basket as efficiently as he is capable of.

So, what has led to the dip in shooting efficiency? Well, let's look at his shooting percentages.

Iowa vs Purdue Round II Preview

Hopefully, every single Hawkeye fan at Carver today will give Jarryd Cole a standing ovation. He has been through the darkest period in Iowa basketball history, and he's been nothing short of classy about the whole situation. He has been a solid guy on the court, and a quality character guy off of it. I for one, am going to miss Jarryd Cole. It's too bad he never got a chance to be a part of a winning Iowa Hawkeye team. He deserved better. Thank you, Jarryd.

Now, the preview.

Last time:
Iowa vs Purdue Preview 
Iowa vs Purdue Recap: 55-72 L

Iowa Offense vs Purdue Defense

Iowa's offense is in for a fun one today! Purdue's defense is really damn good. After the Michigan State debacle, Iowa is still 1% below the NCAA average in effective FG%. Purdue, on the other hand, is 8% better than the NCAA average at contesting shots. Their 45.6% opponent effective FG%, is number one in the Big 10. Last time, Purdue held Iowa to a 38.5% effective FG%. While I wouldn't expect Iowa to shoot that horrible again, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they do either.

Iowa vs Michigan State Round II Recap: 66-85 Loss

For the record, I didn't actually watch this game, as life got in the way of me enjoying this 19 point ass-kicking at the hand of the Spartans. That means that this post will be straight from the box score, since I didn't see what actually happened on the court, and it'll probably be pretty truncated too. I do, however, have this game on DVR. But, after looking over the box score, I'm not so sure I want to sit down and put myself through that kind of pain.

Anyhow, Bullet Points!

• Let's start with shooting. Iowa shot a lowly 41.07% effective FG%. They made 52.27% of their two point shots (good), 60.61% of their free throws (bad), and 0% of their three pointers (ugly). Michigan State, on the other hand, put up a 60.91% effective FG%. They converted on 54.55% of their two pointers, 50% of their three's, and 66.67% of their free throw's. You aren't going to win many games when you get out shot by that margin.
• Looking at rebounding, Michigan State grabbed 53.62% of all rebounds, compared to Iowa's 46.38%. The Spartans also beat the Hawkeyes on the offensive glass, 30% to 28.21%, and on the defensive glass, 71.79% to 70%. After they grabbed 40% of their own misses in the last game against Iowa, I'm surprised they only came down with 30% this time. 
• Iowa ended 16.74% of their possessions with an assisted field goal. They also ended 15.35% of their possessions with a turnover. Those two totals were good for a 1.07 assist to turnover ratio. Michigan State finished 27.87% of their possessions with an assist, while only giving the ball up on 18.12% of them. Good for a 1.54 assist to turnover ratio. If you haven't noticed, there wasn't much that Iowa won this game. 

Iowa vs Michigan State Round II Preview

Iowa Offense vs Michigan State Defense

Shooting-wise, Iowa is still a slightly below NCAA average shooting team. However, Michigan State is only slightly above average at contesting opponent's shots. This was seen in the first game between these two teams, when Iowa shot a 60.6% effective FG%, about 12% above their season average. That's probably way higher than I would expect Iowa to shoot this time. But, I could see Iowa shooting somewhere in the 52-54% range.

The battle between Iowa going for offensive rebounds and Michigan State going for defensive rebounds, should be pretty interesting. Iowa has been 7% above NCAA average at grabbing offensive boards this year. While, Michigan State is 9% above NCAA average at pulling down defensive rebounds. In the last game, Michigan State outrebounded Iowa, both offensively and defensively. However, Iowa did grab 34.8% of all of their misses, which is basically their season average of 34.82%. So, it's not like Iowa underperformed on the offensive boards last time.

Iowa probably won't see the free throw line all that much. They are 11% below NCAA average in free throw rate (free throws attempted per field goals attempted), and Michigan State is 7% above average at not letting opponents get there. Last time, Michigan State held Iowa to a 0.21 free throw rate, which is way below Iowa's season average of 0.34. Iowa shot 11 free throws that game, with Basabe taking none of them and Cole taking two of them. I expect Basabe to have a better game, so I also expect Iowa's free throws to go up a little bit. I would say Iowa get's to the line about 16 times, with Basabe and Cole getting about 8 of those attempts.

Basabe's Future

Part 1 of this series is here

In the first post on Basabe, I looked at the kind of freshman year he is having. With this post, I want to look at what he could develop into. To do that, I want to compare his freshman year, with the senior year's of Greg Brunner and Reggie Evans. This should be able to give us an idea of where his development could go.

Let's start with playing time:

Unsurprisingly, Brunner and Evans got more playing time their senior campaigns, than Basabe has in his freshman season. Part of that has also been a little bit of foul trouble for Basabe too.

Next, shooting:

Basabe is a pretty damn good free throw shooter for a big man. Already, much better than Brunner and Evans.

Basabe, has also had a better year shooting than both Evans and Brunner. (Oddly enough, Brunner had a much worse shooting year as a senior, than he did as a freshman) His 57.07% effective FG% is good enough for eighth in the Big 10 right now. In his freshman year, Basabe is already a more efficient scorer, than Evans or Brunner. If he improves upon that number, he is going to be out of this world. But, even if he just stays consistent, he's going to be damn good.