Harty: Appreciate what little time is left with Gesell and Clemmons
IOWA CITY, Iowa – By now, we almost take Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons for granted.
At least, I do.
Iowa’s two senior guards and close friends have been playing together or sharing playing time for so long that it’s easy to overlook their impact.
Neither player has achieved star status in college, but together, they give Iowa coach Fran McCaffery something that is extremely rare in college basketball these days, which is two experienced senior guards who complement each other in so many ways on and off the court.
“I can’t think of a time when I’ve had that,” McCaffery said Friday on a teleconference.
McCaffery said the closest he has had to Gesell and Clemmons was on his best teams at Siena when Ronald Moore and Kenny Hasbrouck formed his backcourt. Moore led the NCAA Division I in assists as a senior in 2009-10, while Hasbrouck played one season for the Miami Heat as a point guard.
Gesell and Clemmons are both long shots to make the NBA. But as college players in the same backcourt, they’re a formidable force, made even better by playing together now more than ever as senior starters.
“It’s interesting because part of me didn’t want to start Anthony Clemmons because I wanted to be able to use him at the point and he just deserved to start,” McCaffery said. “And it’s actually worked out better than I had planned because they play so well together. And everybody else plays well when those two guys are on the floor.
“And both of them are conditioned well enough that they can still be the other one’s backup, even if they’re starting and playing a lot of minutes at the beginning of the game. It’s always a nice luxury to bring in one for the other when the other one gets tired.”
Besides the win-loss column where Iowa is 18-4 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten, Gesell and Clemmons also have helped make Iowa the Big Ten’s most efficient team.
Iowa leads the Big Ten in turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio heading into Sunday’s game at Illinois. Gesell and Clemmons as the primary ball handlers are largely responsible for that. Gesell is ranked second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9, while Clemmons is fourth at 2.6.
They also are largely responsible for setting the tone emotionally and mentally during the course of the Big Ten grind. It helps having other veteran players such as senior center Adam Woodbury, senior forward Jarrod Uthoff and junior guard Peter Jok to steer the ship.
But Iowa’s two senior guards have the biggest responsibility in that regard.
“I think it’s also a function of they kind of know that that’s how we do it and they’ve bought in from the beginning,” McCaffery said of Clemmons and Gesell. “They’re both really smart and they make sure that everyone else stays in the moment as well with the leadership that they provide.
“But they get help. Woodbury is the same way. And Pete’s the same way, and so is Jarrod. And the other guys just follow them. But it starts with the two guys that have the ball.”
Part of the beauty of having Gesell and Clemmons is that one is always there to pick up the other during tough times.
Gesell is currently in a shooting slump, having scored fewer than 10 points in six of the last seven games, while Clemmons has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games.
“I think he’s been attacking a lot, and that’s a fine line because you want him to attack, you want him to get to the rim” McCaffery said of Gesell, who has started 119 games for Iowa. “But I think you can attack the basket and load people up, too.
“So I just think he’s got to mix it up a little bit.”
The fact that Gesell and Clemmons like and respect each other is significant because feelings, good or bad, can affect what happens on the court. Gesell and Clemmons both want what’s best for the team and for each other.
Clemmons thought briefly about transferring after a sophomore season in which he fell out of the rotation as Gesell’s backup at point guard. But Clemmons stayed the course and is now finishing his career on a high note, playing arguably his best since becoming a Hawkeye.
Clemmons knew at media day that McCaffery was considering having him come off the bench as a senior to provide depth. Clemmons wanted no part of that.
He said at media day that his goal was to make it impossible for McCaffery to not start him. And that’s what has happened.
“He’ll start me if I earn it practice and that’s why I plan to do,” Clemmons said at media day.
Iowa will only have seven Big Ten games remaining after Sunday. This incredible run is far from over, considering the possibilities with post-season play.
But we’re nearing the end of a unique run with regard to Gesell and Clemmons.
We probably won’t fully appreciate their value until next season when Iowa has to play with somebody besides Gesell or Clemmons at point guard.
It would be emotional enough saying goodbye to one senior guard who has poured his heart, soul and body into rebuilding the Iowa program.
So imagine how it’ll feel when Gesell and Clemmons wave goodbye on Senior Day in less than a month.
Appreciate the time you have left with Iowa’s two senior guards because you might not see anything like them again.