Opportunity leads to success for Big Ten leading Iowa men
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With so many of the Iowa basketball players performing at a career-high level, it’s only natural to wonder why it’s happening.
Is it simply a case of four seniors saving their best for last, and junior sharpshooter Peter Jok being better than anybody had anticipated?
You could say that.
But there is also another reason why senior center Adam Woodbury has turned into a double-double machine, why senior guard Anthony Clemmons is playing at his highest level as a Hawkeye and why senior forward Jarrod Uthoff is a leading candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year.
Each has been given more of an opportunity to contribute on a regular basis this season.
Woodbury has reminded the media about that throughout the season, most recently on Tuesday when asked if he was playing with more confidence than ever.
“Nah. I’ve played the same way my whole career,” Woodbury said. “More opportunity this year, obviously, to score and rebound. More minutes means more stats.”
Woodbury couldn’t have explained it any better.
Opportunity is the first step in achieving something special.
Woodbury has had more opportunities to pad his stat sheet this season because he isn’t sharing the center position with Gabe Olaseni anymore. Olaseni used up his eligibility last season and now plays professionally overseas.
He and Woodbury complemented each other well in the post and made it so fatigue was never an issue. Iowa also had 10 fouls to use from its center position with Woodbury and Olaseni alternating.
But Woodbury also spent more time on the bench with Olaseni on the team. Woodbury’s career high for minutes played in a game was 30 heading into this season, which continues on Thursday when Iowa plays at Indiana.
Woodbury has played more than 30 minutes in five games this season, including a career-high 35 minutes against Iowa State. He also played 33 minutes in back-to-back games against Wichita State and Florida State in December.
“I think what’s really helped him is, obviously, all the experience that he’s gained over the years, but also I think, certainly, I felt like he would have a spectacular senior year with Gabe not being here,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said Tuesday. “I think a lot of people thought our team would suffer because we lost such a good player in graduation to Gabe Olaseni. But I think it’s really helped Woodbury with his confidence. He’s playing a lot more minutes. His role is obviously much more critical than it’s ever been.”
The 7-1 Woodbury will make his team-leading 128th career start on Thursday against the second-place Hoosiers.
“He’s been a starter since he got here, but the way he anchors the defense and the communication that he provides and the rebounding, he doesn’t make mistakes,” McCaffery said. “He’s scoring the ball, and he provides an element of toughness that I think every team needs."
Woodbury has accepted whatever role given to him as a Hawkeye. But he also has made it clear since arriving on campus that he wants to play more minutes and be a bigger factor on offense.
“I said at media day that I thought I could have played more minutes last year,” Woodbury said. “I was in good enough shape to. It just wasn’t called upon me. So this year it, obviously, has been. I don’t have a great backup like Gabe.
“And with the more minutes, then, obviously, you get to feed the stats more.”
Clemmons has been stuffing the stat sheet like never before. He is averaging 8.9 points per game, which is nearly double his 4.8 career scoring average.
His playing time also has skyrocketed. Clemmons never had played more than 29 minutes in a game before this season. He has played at least 30 minutes in 11 games this season, including in seven of 11 Big Ten games.
The 6-1 Clemmons has developed into one of the Big Ten’s top defenders, while also showing significant improvement on offense. He already has made 20 3-point baskets this season after not making more than 22 in his previous three seasons at Iowa.
It’s on defense, though, where Clemmons has shined brightest this season.
“I’ve always been confident, it’s the highest level,” Clemmons said. “I know I can guard anybody I’m put up against. I’m pretty confident at all times because that’s what I do.”
Uthoff’s rise to stardom has been as much about circumstance as opportunity. His playing time has increased, but his role is different without former all-Big Ten forward Aaron White on the team anymore.
White was the senior leader on last year’s team. He took many of the shots that Uthoff now takes on a regular basis. Only once against Drake has Uthoff not attempted at least 10 shots in a game this season.
White’s absence also has led to more opportunities for Jok to score as a small forward. The 6-6 Jok is averaging 8.5 more points per game this season compared to last season. He leads Iowa with 53 3-point baskets and is one of seven players on the team who have made at least 11 treys this season.
"We’ve got a lot of shooters and anybody can step up on any day when somebody is not shooting well," Jok said. "I think that’s why we have a great team this year."
Jok also has played at least 30 minutes in nine games this season.
So with everything that has helped to fuel Iowa’s rise to prominence, something as simple as having more playing time and more responsibility are probably two of the biggest factors.