Iowa men’s hoops defeats Quincy 103-76 in exhibition game
By John Bohnenkamp
IOWA CITY, Iowa – It took a while for Josh Dix to get comfortable in his freshman year with Iowa last season.
Dix was coming off a serious leg injury that had ended his prep season in January, so the recovery from that hampered his early progress at the beginning of his college career.
Dix looks more comfortable now, and it showed in the Hawkeyes’ 103-76 win over Quincy in Monday’s exhibition game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Dix played 18 minutes, finishing with 10 points, two assists and three rebounds. He ran the second group of players — freshmen Brock Harding, Ladji Dembele, Owen Freeman and Pryce Sandfort — and enjoyed getting the opportunity.
“I’ve been trying to help them out when I’m needed,” Dix said. “Being able to adapt to that has helped me.”
His play this summer and in the fall has impressed Iowa coach Fran McCaffery.
“He’s rock solid,” McCaffery said. “He can play the point, he can play the off-guard position, he can guard multiple positions defensively. He’s an underrated defender — he can slide his feet and he’s a physical presence. He makes shots, he makes plays. He’s a valuable member of our team.”
Dix and Dasonte Bowen, who came in together as freshmen, will take the bulk of the minutes at point guard this season, and McCaffery has assured them that even though Bowen is starting, it’s still a group effort.
“I don’t want to pit them against each other,” McCaffery said. “There will be games when one plays better than the other, but there’s going to be games where they both play great.”
“I just want to come in and do whatever the team needs,” Dix said. “Play the point, guard the other team’s best player. Just do whatever we need, if we need a little spark.”
Dix knows how much further along he is compared to this time last season.
“I feel a lot more ahead, just understanding the pace of the game,” Dix said. “You know, it was really fast for me last year, really physical. So just being able to adapt to that has really helped me.”
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LOTS OF DOUBLE DIGITS: Seven Hawkeyes scored in double figures.
Patrick McCaffery had 16 points, Ben Krikke had 14, Payton Sandfort had 13, Pryce Sandfort had 12, Freeman had 12, Tony Perkins and Dix each had 10.
“It was like that when we were overseas,” Fran McCaffery said, referring to the Hawkeyes’ European trip in the summer. “We have multiple guys who can score.”
Iowa had 21 assists on 34 field goals, and committed 14 turnovers.
“I’m always impressed with how we move and share the ball,” McCaffery said. “We probably had too many turnovers. Fourteen is too many.”
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DEMBELE BLOCKS: Dembele had two blocks in the second half, including one on a Quincy fast break.
“I’ve seen it a few times in practice,” Krikke said, then added with a smile, “And I’ve had it happen to me a few times.”
The additions of Dembele, Freeman and Krikke helps bring size to the Hawkeyes’ frontcourt.
“Last year, we did not have a big team,” McCaffery said. “There’s a number of ways we can go this year. We can have a small lineup, we can have a big lineup.”