April 16, 2008
IOWA CITY – – Junior college guard Devan Bawinkel and high school forward Aaron Fuller have signed national letters of intent to join the Hawkeye basketball program next fall. University of Iowa men’s Basketball Coach Todd Lickliter made the announcement Wednesday.
“I’m excited about the addition of Devan and Aaron to our program,” said Lickliter. “Both have prepared well, on the court and in the classroom, for successful careers.”
Bawinkel (6-5, 185) is a native of Winnebago, IL. He attended Highland Community College in Freeport, IL this past season after spending one year at West Virginia. This season he was named Most Valuable Player in the Arrowhead Conference and was selected the MVP of the Region Four post-season tournament. He was named to the all-Region Four team for his play throughout the season, in which he helped Highland win the Arrowhead Conference title with 12-0 record. Overall, Highland posted a 28-5 record, winning the win regional title before ending the season in a district playoff loss.
Bawinkel averaged 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He set a school record with 10 three-point baskets vs. Kankakee and shot 44.6% from three-point range for the season, hitting 99 three-pointers.
As a freshman at West Virginia he played in 20 games, averaging 1.9 points per game for the 2007 post-season NIT champions. He scored a career-best 13 points in 17 minutes in a win over Slippery Rock. Bawinkel fractured his hand in practice Feb. 2 and did not return to game action until March 13.
As a prep senior at Winnebago HS he was named Class-A Player of the Year by Illinois Hoops. He earned Class-A first team all-state honors as a sophomore, junior and senior. Bawinkel holds career records for points (2,165), rebounds (950), assists and steals and scored a single-game best of 52 points. He helped his prep team finish as state runner-up in both 2004 and 2005 while posting a 111-13 overall record during his four-year career. He averaged 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior and 20.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a junior. His parents are both University of Iowa graduates.
“Devan is a proven winner who joins our program with two years of college experience,” added Lickliter. “He is an excellent scorer who compliments his game with his overall efficiency.”
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“I’m excited about the addition of Devan and Aaron to our program. Both have prepared well, on the court and in the classroom, for successful careers. As a staff, we feel we’ve targeted student-athletes with the right skill sets; who have the ability to complement one another. We’re excited about the potential of this group and what they bring to our program.”
Head Coach Todd Lickliter
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Fuller (6-7, 205) joins the Hawkeye program after attending Mesa HS in Mesa, AZ. He was named the Class 4A-5A Arizona Player of the Year by the Arizona Republic. He was also named the East Valley Region Player of the Year and earned team MVP honors while serving as team captain. He has been selected to compete in the Arizona All-Star game in June and has not missed a day of class during his high school career.
Fuller averaged 24.7 points and 11.6 rebounds as a senior, helping Mesa post a 17-11 record, including a 6-2 mark in conference play. He set a single-game scoring record with 46 points and tied the school record for field goals in a season (237). Fuller suffered a broken bone in his jaw in the regional tournament championship and was unable to play as his team was defeated in the division tournament.
“Aaron is a very versatile player who can be effective both facing or with his back to the basket,” noted Lickliter. “He’s very conscientious in his preparation. His strength, work ethic and physical abilities make him a solid defensive player as well.”
Lickliter and the Iowa staff signed four players during the early signing period in November. Those players include high school seniors Matt Gatens (6-5, 210) of Iowa City, Anthony Tucker (6-4, 195) from Minnetonka, MN and Andrew Brommer (6-9, 220) from Rosemount, MN and junior college guard Jermain Davis (6-4, 200), who attended Kirkwood, IA Community College after a prep career in New Hope, MN.
“As a staff, we feel we’ve targeted student-athletes with the right skill sets; who have the ability to complement one another,” said Lickliter. “We’re excited about the potential of this group and what they bring to our program.”
Brommer was a unanimous all-conference selection as a senior and one of 10 finalists for Minnesota’s “Mr. Basketball.” He averaged 16.8 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior while shooting 60% from the field. He scored 1,391 career points.
Davis helped Kirkwood place third in the nation while posting a 32-4 overall record, setting a school record for wins in a season. Davis earned all-region honorable mention recognition while averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and three assists per game.
Gatens led his Iowa City High team to the state title while being named Iowa’s “Mr. Basketball” Gatorade Player of the Year. He holds school records for points (1,928), free throws, free throw attempts, assists and games played. He averaged 22.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and five assists per game as a senior.
Tucker also led his team to the state title as a senior, scoring 27 points in the championship game. He has been named Metro Player of the Year by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and is a finalist for Minnesota’s “Mr. Basketball.” Tucker is the only player in his conference to be a unanimous all-conference first team selection for four straight years. He averaged 21.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists as a senior and concluded his prep career with a school-record 1,908 points.
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