Printy Regains the Outside Touch

Nov. 23, 2010

Editor’s Note: The following first appeared in the University of Iowa’s Hawk Talk Daily, an e-newsletter that offers a daily look at the Iowa Hawkeyes, delivered free each morning to thousands of fans of the Hawkeyes worldwide.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — On her way to being named Big Ten Conference women’s basketball Freshman of the Year, Jaime Printy made 38.7 percent of her 3-point field goal attempts and nearly 2 ½ a game for 34 games.

Something was lacking through the first four contests of her sophomore season at the University of Iowa — until the championship of the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge on Nov. 21 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Printy sank her first five shots (three of them from beyond the arc) to give Iowa a 41-33 first-half lead in a skirmish the Hawkeyes won, 90-79.

“As I was taught, just keep shooting no matter what; eventually they will go in, so never stop shooting and let it come to you,” Printy said. “Don’t force things and don’t think about it.”

Printy finished the title game against Central Michigan by making 6 of 12 field goals, 4 of 8 3-point field goals and both free throws for 18 points. She also had six rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes.

“It’s nice to see her putting those down and she is so capable,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “Psychologically as a player, they feel better about themselves. If they hit that first one or two, they feel like they’re in the zone. It’s tougher to bounce back after you miss those first couple.”

The four 3-pointers tied a career-high for Printy, who accomplished the feat eight times last season, most recently during an 82-75 win against Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The 2010-11 season began with Printy making 7 of 29 (24.1 percent) with two each against Southern, Arkansas State and Bradley and one against Northeastern.

“It felt good…finally,” Printy said. “I struggled a little bit the last couple games with my 3, but it’s always good to knock that first one down and get some confidence for the start of the game. It felt good.”

Printy leads Iowa with 11 3-point field goals and a 29.7 shooting percentage from behind the arc. She averages 14.4 points a game, has made 15 of 16 free throws and has handed out a team-best 24 assists.

The Hawkeyes open action at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico on Thanksgiving evening against James Madison (2-1 overall). Last season the Dukes went 26-7 and participated in the NCAA Tournament. On Friday Iowa takes on Virginia Tech (2-1), a team that was 15-15 a season ago.

“Our goal is to bring home two wins,” Printy said. “With these two teams we will continue to take a step up in our competition. They will be strong teams and we’re going to come out ready to play, learn from it and get better from it.”

Two wins would also mean a 7-0 start to the season, the second-best beginning for a Bluder-coached Hawkeye team. Iowa won 13 in a row to tip-off the 2004-05 campaign when the Hawkeyes finished 23-10.

Not only is Iowa unblemished through its first five games, but the Hawkeyes are posting some lofty scoring totals. During the three-game homestand, Iowa scored 91 points against Bradley, 90 against Central Michigan and 87 against Northeastern. The Hawkeyes were victorious in all three outings by an average of 25.7 points.

“We have a lot of people on our team that can get out and run,” Printy said. “That’s one of the things we like to emphasize — get the ball, outlet and go.”

For a first glimpse at the Iowa team in Cancun, click HERE to see exclusive editorial and video by assistant sports information director Aaron Blau.