The Point Guard's Encore

Oct. 25, 2004

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Jeff Horner was named co-MVP last season while becoming the first player in Iowa history to record more than 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in more than one season and tying for the school record for 3-pointers in a game.

So what is the junior point guard going to do for an encore?

Well, he averaged more than 37 minutes per game last year. So it would be pretty hard to improve that stat.

He had a 44 percent field goal average, a 42.5 percent 3-point average, and he missed just 16 free throws last season, scoring 377 total points – second best on the team. So you better scratch off those categories too.

Horner was just the third-best player on the team for rebounds (155). Maybe that’s something he could work on?

Probably not so much. But if you ask the Mason City, IA.-native what he really wants out of his third season as a starter, the answer is pretty clear.

“Obviously our goal is to win the Big Ten and anything other than that would be unsatisfactory in a lot of people’s eyes,” Horner said at the team’s annual media day in early October. “We just want to win as many games as we can and hopefully get back to the NCAA tournament.

“I really think we’ve been hungry the last two years, but some stuff has hit us. Unfortunately the last few years haven’t been years we’ve all wanted, but this year everyone is hungry and wants to get there.”

And his coach, Steve Alford, says this could be year for Horner to really break away from the pack of good players returning to the Big Ten Conference this season.

“Jeff’s hungry,” Alford said, “and he’s someone who’s never been about the personal stuff. I think that’s why the fans enjoy watching him play and why he’s a very special player. He’s all about the team.”

There’s no doubt that the 6-foot-3 co-captain will be the quarterback of the 2004-2005 Hawkeye squad. According to Alford, Horner has wanted the reins to the team for quite some time. This year, along with fellow juniors Pierre Pierce and Greg Brunner, he gets the title and the power.

“He’s the leader, he’s the captain, he answers to nobody but the three guys who have the leadership,” said Alford, who is starting his sixth year at Iowa. “I think he’s waited for this moment and now he’s got it.

“I hope his encore is just to better himself and to take this team, just like a quarterback does in football, to a whole different level. He’s the quarterback of this team. That’s what his mission is right now.”

Horner agrees with his coach’s assessment.

“A lot of people think of the point guard as a quarterback, so hopefully I’ll do a good job with that, and people can come to me if they have any questions,” said Horner.

One of the strengths this Iowa team possesses is a strong chemistry, according to Horner.

“Our team camaraderie is so good right now, and we’re all working so hard,” he said. “I just hope people give us a chance.”

Another strength this year, according to Horner, is something that has plagued the team for the past few years – depth, especially at guard.

“The beginning of each year we do have a lot of depth, but it seems to go down each year whether by injury or with problems off the court,” the guard said. “Hopefully, people have matured a little bit.

“I just think everyone is going to stay healthy this year. We’re so guard oriented, we have so many guards, if someone does get hurt, and someone else can come right into their spot,” added Horner.

But in the unlikely event that Horner remains the last man standing – much like what happened last year – the junior says he’s matured enough to handle the added pressure and the extra minutes.

“It seemed like last year in one game you could come in and give your all, but the next game you were tired,” Horner said. “Going game-to-game in the Big Ten is tough because it gets so physical. Now I’m older, so if I play that many minutes, I know I’ll be able to handle it.”

Barry Pump, hawkeyesports.com