Hawk Talk Monthly — February 2018 | Fight For Iowa | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | McCaffery Transcript (PDF)
By JAMES ALLAN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Four years and 113 games later, Dom Uhl will play his final regular-season game for the University of Iowa men’s basketball team Sunday when the Hawkeyes host Northwestern on Mediacom Court.
Uhl, along with walk-on Charlie Rose, will be honored during a pregame Senior Night ceremony. The game will tipoff at 6:37 p.m. (CT).
“Time flies,” said Uhl, a forward from Frankfurt, Germany. “I never expected to be in Iowa, coming from Germany.”
Uhl joined the Hawkeyes after playing at Point Pleasant Beach prep school in New Jersey. His Hawkeye career has almost played out in reverse.
“He had great impact, especially his first couple of years,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “He hasn’t played much this year, and even last year, but he was an integral part of NCAA Tournament teams.
“He’s a character guy and multiple-position guy. I am happy he came here and I think the world of him.”
Uhl was Iowa’s Newcomer of the Year as a freshman before being the team’s top reserve as a sophomore. After playing in 32 games as a junior, Uhl has seen action in 15 contests this season.
“You want to play more, but I wanted to have a good season as a team,” said Uhl of his senior season. “You live and learn, you have to stay with it and stay focused and get better every day.”
Uhl credits former Hawkeye and fellow international player Gabriel Olaseni for helping him transition to Iowa and the Midwest. He says Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff were also big influences in his position group.
Uhl played in two NCAA Tournaments as a Hawkeye, but his best memory came in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2015 when Iowa knocked off Michigan State, 83-70.
“That was a big win,” said Uhl. “They were the No. 1 ranked team in the country.”
On Sunday, Uhl’s mother, Natascha, won’t be in Iowa City for Senior Day (she’s coming to town in May for his graduation) but instead, Uhl’s New Jersey family will join him on Mediacom Court. On an emotional day, he doesn’t think emotions will get the best of him.
“I don’t know what is going to happen,” he said. “I am not an emotional guy, so I think I’ll be able to control myself.”
Northwestern brings a 15-15 overall and a 6-11 Big Ten record into the weekend. The Wildcats are in the same boat as the Hawkeyes, where a season of high expectations has turned into a season of disappointment.
“We’re trying to finish the season strong,” said Uhl. “We’re trying to stay locked in and go out with a bang and have a good time.”
