Aug. 5, 2013
- 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis Bracket
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Despite head coach Fran McCaffery’s plan to mix-and-match a wide range of lineup combinations against foreign opponents, the fourth-year head coach won’t be making any drastic changes to his game plans.
“I don’t think when it’s all said and done that we will do that much differently,” he said. “We try to perfect what we do with this present roster. We’re still going to push it, we’re still going to play a little man-to-man, and we’ll mix some zone in.”
The Hawkeyes will be playing foreign professional teams in England and France, locations that McCaffery said were carefully chosen.
“Over the years, a lot of teams will go to Italy, Spain and Greece. The game is growing in Europe,” he said. “We chose London because of Gabe (Olaseni). That and the fact that everybody wants to go to London at some point.”
Iowa will be competing in the venue where the Olympic basketball games where held last year, another key factor in the Hawkeyes decision making process.
“We’re going to have nice crowds and play really good teams, so from that standpoint, it was a no-brainer,” he said.
The Hawkeyes will play six games in eight days, a schedule that McCaffery will use to his advantage. “I have a lot of guys that I want to get minutes for,” he said. “I didn’t want to go over there, play a small amount of games, and not have playing time.”
McCaffery emphasized the need to get all of his players time on the floor in order to test particular combinations. He said he specifically wants to see junior center Gabriel Olaseni and sophomore center Adam Woodbury on the court together for longer periods of time.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons,” added McCaffery. “Our strength lies in the number of really good players that we have, and the fact that they’re willing to play together, and support one another.
“It’s going to be a great experience in a number of ways.”