Final Tune Up Thursday Night for Men's Basketball Team

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THE SETTING
Iowa will host Belmont Abbey College on Thursday in an exhibition contest at 7:05 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are only $5 for adults, while UI students and youth are admitted free.

CONNOR McCAFFERY TO PLAY FRESHMAN SEASON
Freshman guard Connor McCaffery announced on Tuesday his decision to play his freshman season on the basketball court. McCaffery will join the baseball team upon conclusion of the basketball season. A decision as to whether or not McCaffery will redshirt baseball this spring will be determined at that time.

PRESEASON GAME #2 STORYLINES
•    Iowa sophomore Jordan Bohannon has been named to the 20-player watch list for the 2018 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
•    Freshman Luka Garza is the first Hawkeye in 20 years to wear No. 55. The last Hawkeye to wear No. 55 was Greg Helmers in 1998.
•    Iowa won 19 games and advanced to the second round of the NIT before falling to eventual champion, TCU. The Hawkeyes have advanced to a postseason tournament each of the last six seasons (3 NCAA, 3 NIT).
•    Iowa is one of only three teams to have posted a Big Ten record of .500 or better each of the last five seasons (Michigan State and Wisconsin).
•    Tyler Cook made all seven field goals against TCU, ending the season with an active 18 consecutive field goals made streak, dating back to the second half of the Indiana game (March 9).
•    Sophomore forward Cordell Pemsl had successful sports hernia surgery this past May.  Pemsl did not participate in the Prime Time League nor Iowa’s exhibition games overseas.
•    Fran McCaffery enters this season with 388 wins in 21 seasons as a head coach; he is 12 victories from reaching the 400-win plateau.
•    Jordan Bohannon became the first Hawkeye to post back-to-back-to-back double-doubles in points and assists in school history. Bohannon is the first Hawkeye to post three straight double-doubles since Greg Brunner (five straight) in 2006.
•    Fran McCaffery and his coaching staff are the first in program history to win 18 games or more in six straight seasons. McCaffery’s 137 victories rank second behind Tom Davis (152) for most in the first seven seasons as Iowa’s head coach.
•    Iowa ranked first in Big Ten steals (7.4) and scoring offense (80.5), and second in assists (17.7) a year ago.
•    Nicholas Baer was the only Division I men’s basketball player in 2016-17 and the only Big Ten player the last 25 years to amass 250+ points, 40+ blocked shots, 45+ steals, and 45+ 3-pointers in a single-season.
•    Nicholas Baer is one of only four Hawkeyes to ever lead the team in steals (48) and rebounding (197) in the same season (Eric May in 2010; Ryan Bowen in 1998; Greg Stokes in 1985).
•    Jordan Bohannon and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell (2015) are the only freshmen nationally over the last 25 years to register 175+ assists and 85+ 3-pointers.
•    Jordan Bohannon sank eight 3-pointers (8-of-10) in Iowa’s win at No. 24/24 Maryland. The eight triples are the most by a freshman in a single game in Iowa history and one shy of the single-game school record. 
•    Freshmen Cordell Pemsl, Jordan Bohannon, Tyler Cook, and Isaiah Moss accounted for 44.7 percent of Iowa’s offense. Three of Iowa’s top four scorers were true freshmen; Tyler Cook was second (12.3), followed by Jordan Bohannon (10.9), and Cordell Pemsl (8.9).
•    Iowa returns 76.7 percent of its scoring and 86.2 percent of its rebounding this season.

SIX STRAIGHT POSTSEASON TOURNAMENTS
Iowa competed in the NIT last season, marking the sixth straight season the Hawkeyes played in a postseason tournament (3 NCAA, 3 NIT).
    The Hawkeyes bounced South Dakota (87-75) in the first round before falling to eventual NIT champion, TCU, in overtime in the second round.
    Point guard Jordan Bohannon posted a double-double in both games: 19 points and 11 assists versus South Dakota and 25 points and 13 assists against TCU. The 13 helpers are the most by a Hawkeye in a postseason game. Bohannon finished the season with double-doubles in three straight games; posted 24 points and 10 assists versus Indiana at the Big Ten Tournament.
    Tyler Cook scored the game-tying basket with five seconds left to send the game versus TCU into overtime. Cook made all seven field goals, extending his consecutive field goal streak to 18, dating back to the second half of the Indiana game (March 9). Cook finished with 16 points.

4 HAWKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN RECOGNITION
Peter Jok was named first-team All-Big Ten by both conference head coaches and media. Nicholas Baer was voted the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year by the head coaches, while Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook were both voted to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the coaches. Baer was also named Iowa’s men’s basketball Sportsmanship Award recipient. Iowa was the only Big Ten team with two players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and it was the first time in program history that the Hawkeyes had two players on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team (honor began in 2003).
    Jok was the fourth Hawkeye to earn All-Big Ten first team accolades the last four seasons, joining Devyn Marble (2014), Aaron White (2015), and Jarrod Uthoff (2016). It marked the second time in program history that Iowa has had at least one player on the first-team all-league team four consecutive seasons: Herb Wilkinson (1945-47), Clayton Wilkinson (1946), and Murray Wier (1948).

FINISHING STRONG
Iowa won four straight games to end the 2016-17 regular season. The Hawkeyes ranked among the best in the league over the last half (nine games) of conference play: Purdue (8-1), Minnesota (8-1), Iowa (6-3), Michigan (6-3).
    Furthermore, Iowa posted a 3-2 record against the top three teams in the Big Ten standings (Purdue, Wisconsin, and Maryland). The Hawkeyes beat each of those three teams once, including recording road victories at No. 24 Maryland (83-69) and No. 21 Wisconsin (59-57). 

SCOUTING BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE
•    Belmont Abbey College, a Division II school located just west of Charlotte, North Carolina posted an overall record of 14-15 and 10-10 in league play in 2016-17. The Crusaders placed sixth in the 11-team conference a year ago.
•    The Crusaders return their top two scorers from a year ago, Deion Lane (16.1 ppg) and Jacob Wilson (12.0 ppg). Lane, who was tabbed second-team All-Conference Carolinas last year as a junior, also led the squad in steals per game (1.5) and rebounds (7.1). Wilson also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
•    Billy Taylor is in his second season as head coach at Belmont Abbey. Hawkeye fans will remember Taylor, who served as Iowa’s director of operations for three seaons (2013-16). He coordinated travel and arranged the day-to-day activities of the Hawkeye basketball program. Taylor is the 16th leader of the men’s basketball program and its first ever African-American head coach. A University of Notre Dame graduate and former Irish player, Taylor has served as head coach both at Ball State and at Lehigh.

BOHANNON NAMED CANDIDATE FOR BOB COUSY AWARD
Iowa sophomore Jordan Bohannon has been named to the 20-player watch list for the 2018 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
    Bohannon joins Minnesota’s Nate Mason and Bryant McIntosh of Northwestern as the only Big Ten student-athletes on the national list. 
    Bohannon, one of five players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, led the Hawkeyes in assists (175) and 3-pointers made (89), and was third in scoring (10.9 ppg). He was one of only two freshmen in the country over the last 25 seasons to register 175+ assists and 85+ 3-pointers. His 89 triples shattered Iowa’s single-season freshman record, besting Matt Gatens’ previous mark of 52 set in 2009. Bohannon’s 175 assists are the most by an Iowa freshman and rank eighth-best by any Hawkeye player in a single season. He finished the season by posting a school-record three straight double-doubles in points and assists (Indiana, South Dakota, and TCU). Bohannon helped lead Iowa to a win at nationally-ranked Maryland, draining eight 3-pointers (8-of-10) — the most by a Hawkeye rookie and one shy of Chris Kingsbury’s school record.

HAWKEYES GO UNDEFEATED IN EUROPE
Iowa finished its European Tour with a perfect record in August notching wins in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. 
    Four Hawkeyes averaged in double figures in the four games. Freshman Luka Garza averaged a double-double (22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds), sophomore Isaiah Moss averaged 12.5 points, Cook averaged 12.3 points, while Ryan Kriener averaged 11.3 points. As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 48.6 percent from the field, out-rebounded their opponents by 18, and had a +5.8 turnover margin.
    Iowa played its first game in Germany, the home of Hawkeye senior Dom Uhl. The native of Frankfurt, Germany, had seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in his homecoming. 
    Garza led the team in scoring in all four games.

BACK IN ACTION
Sophomore forward Cordell Pemsl had successful sports hernia surgery in May.  Pemsl did not participate in the Prime Time League nor Iowa’s exhibition games overseas.
    Pemsl started 14 of 34 games a year ago, averaging 8.9 points and five rebounds per contest. The forward shot a single-season school record 61.7 percent (116-of-188) from the field his during freshman campaign.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Prior to the 2016-17 season, two Iowa freshmen scored 20+ points in the same game only twice in program history: Dick Ives (43) and David Danner (32) versus Chicago on Feb. 5, 1944, and Ronnie Lester (20) and Larry Olsthoorn (20) versus Michigan on Jan. 17, 1977.
    Iowa accomplished the feat twice last season. First by rookie duos Cordell Pemsl (21) and Isaiah Moss (21) versus Stetson. Jordan Bohannon (24) and Tyler Cook (21) became the fourth Hawkeye duo to accomplish the feat — first to do so in a road game — in school history at Maryland (Feb. 25).

BENCH SQUAD
Iowa’s bench played a pivotal part of its success in 2016-17. In 34 games, Hawkeye reserves average 24.5 points per game. During Iowa’s four-game win streak to end the regular season, the bench averaged 31.3 points per contest.

JORDAN CLIMBING THE BOHANNON 3-POINT CHART
Jordan Bohannon, who is the youngest of four brothers who played collegiate basketball, trailed only his brother Matt in most 3-pointers made in a season by a Bohannon. Matt made 93 triples in 2015-16 for Northern Iowa. Jordan was not far behind last season as a freshman, making 89. Jason sank 68 for Wisconsin during the 2009-10 campaign.
    Bohannon made 89-of-214 (.416) from 3-point range in 2016-17. The percentage trailed only Brady Ellingson on the team, with Ellingson attempting 146 fewer shots (32-of-68, .471). Bohannon’s 89 triples led the team by five over senior Peter Jok (84) and ranked fifth best in a single-season in the Iowa history book.

TRIPLE PLAY
Jordan Bohannon finished his rookie season with a flurry, posting a school-record three straight double-doubles in points and assists.
    Bohannon tallied 24 points and 10 assists against Indiana at the Big Ten Tournament on March 9. The native of Marion, Iowa, then registered 19 points and 11 assists against South Dakota on March 15 in the first round of the NIT. Bohannon bested that performance again on March 19, posting personal bests in scoring (25) and assists (13). The 13 helpers are the most by a Hawkeye in a postseason game.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•    Iowa scored 90 points or more nine times in 2016-17.
•    Iowa has won 45 of its last 49 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
•    Iowa is 65-13 when scoring 80 points or more, the last seven seasons. The Hawkeyes are 65-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last seven years.
•    Iowa was 4-1 in Big Ten regular season rematch games. The Hawkeyes beat Rutgers, Purdue, Nebraska, and Maryland, but lost to Illinois.
•    Iowa sank 16 3-pointers in its 83-69 win at Maryland (Feb. 25), which are the most by a Hawkeye team in a Big Ten game in school history. The Hawkeyes were only one of four teams to make 16 triples in a road game against a ranked opponent last season.
•    Iowa made 39 free throws against Indiana, a total that tied for third most in a single-game in program history (39 versus Minnesota on Jan. 13, 1993).
•    Iowa had four players score 300 points or more (Peter Jok, Jordan Bohannon, Cordell Pemsl, Tyler Cook) for the first time since the 2004-05 season (Jeff Horner, Pierre Pierce, Adam Haluska, and Greg Brunner).
•    Iowa had three players earn weekly praise by the Big Ten. Peter Jok was named Player of the Week on Nov. 21 and Dec. 12, Isaiah Moss was tabbed Freshman of the Week on Dec. 12, and Jordan Bohannon was Freshman of the Week on Feb. 6 and March 5.
•    Peter Jok poured in 42 points against Memphis on Nov. 26. The 42 points were the most by a Hawkeye in 40 years and tied for the fourth most in a single-game in program history, tying Bruce King’s 42 points against Pittsburgh in 1976.
•    Ryan Kriener was the 10th different Hawkeye to reach double figures in a game last season after netting 14 at Northwestern (Jan. 15).
•    Jordan Bohannon was 7-of-15 from long distance at Notre Dame in his first career start; the 15 attempts tied Justin Johnson for the second most 3-point attempts in a single-game in Iowa history.
•    Iowa had two student-athletes tie school Big Ten Tournament records against Indiana on March 9. Isaiah Moss tied the record for steals (5), while Jordan Bohannon tied Jeff Horner’s benchmark of assists (10) and 3-point field goals (6).
•    Iowa posted school records in 3-pointers made (18) and attempted (43) in its victory over Savannah State (Nov. 13).
•    Iowa’s 14-point win at Maryland (Feb. 25) equaled the Terrapins’ largest margin of defeat at home last season (73-59 home loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 29, 2016).
•    Iowa made all 13 of its free throw attempts at No. 15 Purdue on Dec. 28. The last time a Hawkeye team made all of its free throws (min. 10 attempts) was at Virginia (15-of-15) in the NIT quarterfinals on March 27, 2013.
•    Freshman Tyler Cook (10) joined Aaron White as the only two players to grab 10 or more rebounds in their first game as a Hawkeye in the past 20 years.
•    Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to upper division finishes in the Big Ten in each of the last five seasons. McCaffery has accumulated 17 first division finishes in 21 years as a head coach.

RECENT GRADUATES PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Melsahn Basabe (Poland), Anthony Clemmons (Kazakhstan), Gabriel Olaseni (Spain), Jarrod Uthoff (NBA G League: Fort Wayne Mad Ants), Peter Jok (NBA G League: Northern Arizona Suns), and Aaron White (Lithuania).

PETER JOK EARNS 2017 CHRIS STREET AWARD
Senior Peter Jok was named recipient of the Chris Street Award for the 2016-17 University of Iowa men’s basketball season. The Chris Street Award is presented annually to a Hawkeye player, or players, who best exemplify the spirit, enthusiasm and intensity of Chris Street. Street was an Iowa basketball player who died in an auto accident in 1993, midway through his junior year. This January will mark the 25th anniversary of Street’s untimely death.
    Sophomore Ahmad Wagner earned the inaugural Kenny Arnold Hawkeye Spirit Award and Most Improved Player Award. The Kenny Arnold Hawkeye Spirit Award is presented to the Hawkeye who exemplifies Arnold’s spirit of leadership, character, courage, determination, and poise. This player inspires his teammates do and be their very best in spite of the odds.
    Other Hawkeyes earning awards include sophomore Nicholas Baer (Best Rebounder, Best Defensive Player, Academic Excellence), freshman Jordan Bohannon (co-Newcomer of the Year, Top Playmaker), and freshman Tyler Cook (co-Newcomer of the Year).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,740 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,612-1,128 (.588). Iowa’s 1,612 wins are 39th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,030-360 (.741) record in home games, a 578-765 (.430) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 762-765 (.499) mark in Big Ten games and a 435-134 (.764) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

PEMSL MADE THE MOST OF HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS
Freshman Cordell Pemsl had a great start to his collegiate career. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, started 14 games, while coming off the bench 20 times. In 34 total games, Pemsl scored in double digits 15 times and averaged 8.9 points and five rebounds per game, while shooting a Big Ten-best and 29th-best nationally 61.7 percent (116-of-188) from the field. He scored in double figures in eight of the 14 starts. 
    Pemsl scored in double figures in three of Iowa’s last five games of the season (No. 21 Wisconsin, Penn State, and Indiana).
    Pemsl’s 61.7 shooting percentage is a school single-season record, besting Russ Millard’s 60.9 percent (151-of-248) set in 1996. It also shatters the school record for field goal percentage by a freshman, surpassing Ray Thompson (.597, 148-of-248) set in 1989.

ROOKIE FLOOR GENERAL
After having two veteran point guards graduate (Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons), Jordan Bohannon did a fantastic job directing the Hawkeye offense as a freshman. Bohannon ranked first on the team in assists (5.1) and 3-pointers made (89), second in minutes played (29.6), free throw accuracy (.855), and third in scoring (10.9). He netted 17 or more points in nine games and led the squad in assists a team-best 23 times. 
    Bohannon had a career night at No. 24 Maryland (Feb. 25), pouring in a game and then-personal-best 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. The eight triples were the most by an Iowa freshman in school history and one shy of the school record. He went 11-of-19 (.579) from long distance in road wins over ranked opponents No. 24 Maryland and No. 21 Wisconsin.
    In his last three games of the season, Bohannon averaged 22.7 points, 5.3 3-pointers, and 11.3 assists. Bohannon netted a career-best 25 points, bolstered by 7-of-12 shooting from 3-point territory, in Iowa’s final game versus TCU on March 19.
    Bohannon, who was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree (Feb. 6 and March 5), led the squad in scoring seven times.

A CLOSER LOOK AT IOWA’S FRESHMEN PRODUCTION IN 2016-17
•    Iowa’s six freshmen accounted for 48.8 percent of Iowa’s offense, besting Iowa’s 1943-44 freshmen class who averaged 40.7 points.
•    Iowa freshmen scored in double figures a program-best 62 times, besting the 1997-98 squad (42).
•    For the first time in program history, Iowa had four freshmen score at least 20 points in a single game: Tyler Cook (24 vs. Seton Hall; 21 at Maryland); Jordan Bohannon (24 at Maryland; 23 at Notre Dame; 24 vs. Indiana; 25 vs. TCU); Isaiah Moss (21 vs. Stetson); Cordell Pemsl (21 vs. Stetson). 
•    For the first time in school history, Iowa had five freshmen reach double digits in scoring in a game throughout the season: Tyler Cook, Jordan Bohannon, Cordell Pemsl, Ryan Kriener, and Isaiah Moss.
•    Iowa freshmen accumulated 96 combined starts, which is the most in program history.
•    Iowa rookies combined to average 15.4 rebounds per game, second behind the 2000-01 squad (16.3 rpg).

NOT YOUR AVERAGE BAER
Sophomore Nicholas Baer was voted the 2017 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year by league head coaches. He was the only Division I men’s basketball player in 2016-17 to amass 250+ points, 40+ blocked shots, 45+ steals, and 45+ 3-pointers, and he was the only Big Ten player to accomplish the feat over last 25 years.
    Baer ranked first on the squad in blocks (1.26), steals (1.4), and rebounding (5.8), and was third in assists (1.7). 
    Baer’s 43 rejections ranked second best in a single-season by an Iowa sophomore behind Greg Stokes’ 79 set in 1983.
    Baer tied for fifth in the Big Ten in steals (1.4) and tied for 10th in rejections (1.3). The native of Bettendorf, Iowa, led the team in steals a team-best 13 times, being credited with three steals or more in a game a team-best seven times.
    Baer posted three double-doubles in 2016-17: versus Northern Iowa (11 points, 11 boards), versus Penn State (20 points, 10 rebounds), and versus TCU (15 points, 10 rebounds). The 20 points against the Nittany Lions in the regular season finale were a career best. 

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. The Iowa men’s basketball staff has 58 years of combined collegiate head coaching experience and more than 125 years of collegiate coaching under their belts. Listed below are the number of years of head coaching experience on the Iowa staff.