Nov. 14, 2007
University of Iowa men’s basketball Coach Todd Lickliter announced the signing of three student-athletes to national letters of intent to join the Hawkeye basketball program next fall.
The three additions to the program include Iowa City native Matt Gatens, Anthony Tucker from Minnetonka, MN and Andrew Brommer from Rosemount, MN. Gatens, Tucker and Brommer are all high school seniors.
“We’re very excited that these three individuals have chosen to continue their basketball careers at the University of Iowa,” said Lickliter, of his first official Iowa recruiting class. “All three are the type of individuals who fit well in our system and will be great representatives of the University of Iowa and our basketball program. It’s great to make it official. We’ve considered them part of the program since they first committed.
“All three are highly skilled, team oriented players who are committed to success in basketball and in the classroom,” added Lickliter. “As a staff, coming to a new program, you have a relatively short amount of time to complete the process. We couldn’t be more pleased with this group.”
Gatens (6-5, 210) attends Iowa City HS. He committed to the Iowa program as a 15-year-old ninth grader. A member of the varsity since his ninth grade season, Gatens averaged 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists as a freshman.
He ranks as the all-time scoring leader at Iowa City HS with 1,353 career points heading into his senior season, a career average of 20 points per game. He is also an 82% career shooter from the free throw line.
This past summer he helped his Martin Bros. Select 17-and-under team place second at the Rumble in the Bronx Tournament in New York. He was selected to participate in the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 all-American Camp, Kobe Bryant’s NIKE Skills Academy, which brings in the top 20 players in the nation at each position, and the NIKE Lebron James Skills Academy for the top 80 high school players in the United States.
He has twice earned invitations to compete in the NIKE Basketball Jamboree in St. Louis, MO and the NIKE all-American Basketball Camp in Indianapolis, IN. At Iowa City High he has twice been named to the Iowa Newspaper Association all-state team and the Des Moines Register all-state team. He has earned all-conference recognition in the Mississippi Valley Conference in each of the past three seasons.
His father, Mike, was an Iowa basketball letterman from 1974-76. His mother, Julie, is an Iowa graduate (and former cheerleader) and sisters Nicole (soccer) and Megan (volleyball) also earned athletic scholarships at the University of Iowa.
“We work extremely hard in recruiting the state of Iowa,” noted Lickliter. “Matt exemplifies all that we are looking for, and it’s an added bonus that he is an Iowa City native. Along with being the outstanding high school player in the state, he is a lifelong Hawkeye. That combination is a great fit for our program.”
Tucker (6-4, 195) averaged 17.6 points as a junior at Minnetonka HS under Coach John Hedstrom. “I don’t know if there is another player in the Midwest who shoots the ball as well as he does,” said Hedstrom, of Tucker. “It’s absolutely effortless when he shoots the three. He’s got a very quick and high release.”
Tucker has been in the starting line-up since ninth grade. He has been a unanimous all-conference selection for three seasons and is the only player to be a unanimous selection as a ninth grader. He earned all-Metro honors and second team all-state recognition from the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He has scored 1,250 career points and could become Minnetonka’s all-time scoring leader as a senior.
Tucker shot 41% (62-150) from three-point range as a junior, a percentage that ranks fourth best for a single season at Minnetonka. He averaged 16.4 points and 5.7 assists as a junior in helping his team post a 17-9 overall record. Minnetonka begins the 2007-08 season ranked first in the state of Minnesota and among the top 25 prep teams in the nation.
Tucker earned first team all-state honors last season after being named to the second all-state team as a sophomore. He is a two-year team captain and was recently named to the Minnetonka Honor Society for Leadership.
Brommer (6-9, 220) is a versatile forward who attends Rosemount HS and played two seasons on the same summer AAU team (43 Hoops) with Tucker. “Andrew is a very skilled big man who can step away from the basket and knock down the three,” said recruiting analyst Van Coleman. “He fits Coach Lickliter’s system very well. He’s a big man that can play inside and outside.”
Brommer begins his final prep season with 838 career points. He averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game as a junior as his prep team posted a 9-17 overall record.
Brommer serves as team captain for Coach Mike Manning and earned all-conference honors as both a sophomore and junior. He carries a 3.8 GPA, helping Rosemount earn the academic section title last season. “Andrew is a very personable young man and a good student,” said Manning. “He is very coachable and is excited to be joining the program at the University of Iowa.” Iowa’s 2007-08 roster of 11 players includes three seniors. After hosting Northern Colorado Wednesday, the Hawkeyes return to action Sunday, hosting Florida Gulf Coast University at 1:05 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
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