Oct. 10, 2013
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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 — Last season is last season for University of Iowa junior Josh Oglesby, and the guard is relishing a fresh start for the Hawkeye men’s basketball team in 2013-14.
After making 45 3-pointers and shooting 39.8 percent (45-of-121) from 3-point range as a freshman, Oglesby’s numbers dipped as a sophomore. He finished the 2012-13 season nearly matching his first-year make total (42), but his shooting percentage fell to 26.9 percent (42-of-156).
Oglesby spent the offseason trying to regain his shooting stroke and repair his confidence by working with a sports psychologist to help strengthen the mental aspect of his game.
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“Last year wasn’t a year to remember for myself, but as a team, the NIT was a great experience. I look at it as motivation for this year to try and prove people wrong.”
UI junior Josh Oglesby
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“She has been helping me,” Oglesby said Wednesday during the 2013 Iowa Basketball Media Day festivities. “She says each shot is like flipping a coin. It’s going to be heads or tails, so you have a 50-50 shot for the next one to go in. I have been trying to do that, and the biggest thing is forgetting about last year and coming in fresh.”
Oglesby is relating key points from his psychology sessions to practice, hoping that when games start next month it will translate over.
“I tend to get down on myself if I miss 1-2 shots early on and then I put my head down,” said Oglesby. “I am trying to do things differently in practice, and if I miss 1-2 shots right off the bat, I try to do what she tells me.
“I want to carry over (my shooting) from practice because I am shooting so well in practice right now.”
Oglesby says he appreciates the confidence UI head coach Fran McCaffery has shown in him. Even when shots aren’t falling, he has the ultimate green light to fire away.
“It’s great to have a coach that has confidence in you, and it brings confidence out of me,” he said.
McCaffery says the coaching staff has been working on quickening Oglesby’s release. He likens the adjustment to the one made with Matt Gatens prior to his senior season.
“Matt’s first year with us, he was passing up good shots and (the next year), he was shooting the ball right in defenders’ faces because he worked at coming off screens and shooting the ball quicker,” said McCaffery. “We’ve done that with Josh, and you’re going to see a completely different Josh Oglesby (this season).”
That’s the plan. Oglesby wants to be a different player than the 27 percent 3-point shooter that took the floor in 2012-13. He wants to take and make big shots and help the team win.
“Last year wasn’t a year to remember for myself, but as a team, the NIT was a great experience,” said Oglesby. “I look at it as motivation for this year to try and prove people wrong.”
The UI men’s and women’s basketball teams will make their first public appearances at the Black and Gold Blowout on Oct. 25 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena beginning at 8 p.m. (CT). Tickets are only $5 for adults and free for UI students and youth.
The Hawkeyes host Augustana (Ill.) in an exhibition contest Nov. 3 before hosting UNC Wilmington on Nov. 8 in the 2013-14 regular season opener and the 500th game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.