Hawk Items — Iowa single-season record holder in assists (205) and ranks fourth in career assists (557)… finished career tied for 28th in Iowa career scoring (1,072)… his 135 assists as a junior are sixth best by an Iowa junior in program history… 134 career games played ties for seventh most in Iowa history… 205 assists in 2015-16 are the most ever by a Hawkeye senior… scored in double figures 48 career times, 14 times as a freshman, 14 as a sophomore, 10 as a junior, and 10 times as a senior… tallied 20 points or more three times… one career double-double… one of three Hawkeyes to ever amass 1,000+ points, 550+ assists, 300+ rebounds and 150+ steals (Jeff Horner and Dean Oliver)… only Hawkeye freshmen to post 295+ points, 85+ rebounds and 85+ assists in a single-season… collected 40 steals, which tie as the sixth-most by an Iowa freshman in school history… shot at a 31.7 percent clip from 3-point range, a percentage that ranks 10th-best by a Hawkeye freshman… member of USA East Coast team that competed in Estonia in August, 2014… two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree… became second player in program history to earn multiple Academic All-America distinction (third team in 2015 and second team in 2016).
2015-16 Honors — Honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree… Academic All-America Second Team and Academic All-District First Team honoree… co-recipient of the Chris Street Award… earned the team’s Academic Award for the fourth straight season and also was awarded the team’s Top Playmaker Award for the third consecutive year… Academic All-Big Ten… Iowa men’s basketball Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree for the third straight year…named Big Ten Player of the Week and National Player of the Week on Jan. 4 by the website College Sports Madness. 2015-16 — Started all 33 games… established new school single-season assists record (205)… ranked first in team steals (44) and fourth in scoring (8.1)… his 3.15 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best by a Hawkeye since the 1997 season… believed to be the first Hawkeye to ever record 10+ assists in five games in a single-season… became the 45th Hawkeye in program history and second this season to amass 1,000 career points after scoring 17 points against Indiana (Feb. 11)… scored in double figures 10 times, including reaching the 20-point plateau twice… led team in steals 11 times and assists 22 times… ranked 18th nationally in assists (6.2) and is 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.15)… first Hawkeye since Andre Woolridge in 1997 to average six assists per game… dished out 21 assists (7.0 apg) in three games at the Advocare Invitational… credited with a career-best 12 assists in win over Coppin State; the 12 assists tie for the fifth most in a single-game in school history… registered 11 points, four assists, and a game-best four steals in victory at Marquette… posted back-to-back 14-point, 9-assist games vs. ranked opponents (#17 Notre Dame/#20 Wichita State)… netted double figures for the third straight game in overtime victory over Florida State (10 points)… dished out a team-best eight assists to go along with nine points at #2 Iowa State… tallied a team-best 17 points, including slamming home a key basket with 30 seconds left, while also dishing out a team-best four assists in win over Drake… credited with a game-high 10 assists to go along with two steals, four rebounds and two points in win over Tennessee Tech… scored a career-high 25 points in win over #1 Michigan State, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, while converting a career-high 11-of-13 from the free throw line… recorded a game-high seven assists in addition to recording seven points and grabbing seven rebounds in road win over #14 Purdue… notched first career double-double (22 points and 10 assists), connecting on 11-of-13 free throws in win over Nebraska… posted a game-high six assists and added eight points in road victory over #4 Michigan State… scored four points and led team in assists (7) and steals (2) in home win over Michigan… dished out a team-high nine assists and recorded one steal in win over Rutgers… grabbed five boards and posted five assists while scoring six points in home victory over #22 Purdue… tallied 12 points at #7 Maryland… led the team with four assists vs. Northwestern… scored eight points and recorded one assist, rebound, and steal at Illinois… netted 17 points — his highest point total since netting 22 vs. Nebraska on Jan. 5 — and led the team with six assists at #22 Indiana… matched a personal best in assists (12) while recording zero turnovers and five points against Minnesota… scored six points and led the team with four assists and two steals in loss at Penn State… matched a season best with four steals, while scoring four points and posting three assists vs. Wisconsin… tallied a team-high 16 points and five assists in addition to recording two steals against Ohio State… dished out a game-high six assists and scored seven points in home loss to #11 Indiana… recorded a game-high 11 assists and scored six points in win at Michigan… led the team in assists (8) and steals (3) in loss to Illinois at the Big Ten Tournament… recorded five assists in NCAA Tournament win over Temple… had six points and led Iowa with six assists in NCAA Tournament game against #6 Villanova… letterwinner.
2014-15 Honors — Capital One Academic All-America Third Team and Academic All-District First Team honoree… Academic All-Big Ten… NABC Academic Honors Court honoree… Dean’s List honoree for fall and spring semesters… Big Ten Distinguished Scholar… earned the team’s Academic Award for the third straight season and also was awarded the team’s Top Playmaker Award for the second consecutive year… earned invitation to Beta Gamma Sigma, the National Scholastic Honor Society for business students at the University of Iowa; honored reserved for students who have earned GPA’s that place them in the top 10 percent of their class… Iowa men’s basketball Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree for the second straight year. 2014-15 — Started all 34 games… ranked fourth in team scoring (7.4) and recorded a single-season best 135 assists… scored in double figures 10 times… led team in assists a team-best 19 times, including five of the last six games… led team and ranked 10th in the Big Ten averaging 4.0 assists per game… dished out 7+ assists seven times … tallied eight points and dished out three assists in win over North Dakota State… led Iowa in assists versus #10 Texas (4) and #23 Syracuse at 2K Classic in New York… scored 15 points and posted season highs in steals (3), rebounds (4), and 3-pointers (3-of-3) in win over Pepperdine… netted 16 points, including the last five points of the game, in win at #12 North Carolina… credited with seven assists in win over UMBC… had seven assists vs. #13 Iowa State… led Iowa with 10 points and three assists vs. UNI… dished out a game-high six assists in home win over Nebraska… registered 10 points and a team-high three assists vs. Michigan State… posted 11 points in home win over #25 Ohio State… scored a team-high 18 points, including netting 10 straight points in a 4:27 span late in the second half, at Purdue… tallied 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field in road win at Michigan… dished out a career-high nine assists to go along with eight points in win over #16 Maryland… credited with a game-high eight assists, while also scoring eight points, in win at Nebraska… highlight-reel dunk in final minutes to help preserve win over Illinois… scored 14 points, dished out a game-high seven assists, while also being credited with a career-high five steals, in overtime win, at Penn State… became first Big Ten player with zero points and 9+ assists in a game since Ohio State’s Jamar Butler (2007-08), in home win over Northwestern; his nine assists equaled a career high… scored 15 points & had a game-best six assists and no turnovers in NCAA Tournament win over Davidson… letterwinner.
2013-14 Honors — Academic All-Big Ten … Dean’s List honoree for fall and spring semesters… earned the team’s Academic Award for the second straight season and also was awarded the team’s co-Top Playmaker Award… Iowa men’s basketball Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree. 2013-14 — Started all 33 games… ranked first on the team in assists (128), second in steals (43) and third in scoring (7.8)… led Big Ten and ranked 13th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0)… reached double figures 14 times, including seven of the last 11 contests… posted season bests in assists, steals, and free throw attempts… ranked seventh in the Big Ten in assists (3.9) and ninth in steals (1.3)… credited with five assists or more 13 times, including dishing out 46 combined dimes the last 10 contests (4.6 avg.)… drained 2+ triples in seven games; made at least one in nine of the last 12 games… scored 10 points in victory over Penn… scored 10 points in back-to-back games against Villanova and Notre Dame… registered 11 points, six assists and no turnovers at #16 Iowa State… posted game highs in assists (7) and steals (3) to go along with nine points at #4 Wisconsin… tallied nine points, six assists and two steals in home win over Northwestern… scored 11 points and dished out three assists in road win at #3 Ohio State… dished out a game-high five assists to go along with 11 points in home win over Minnesota… netted 11 points to go along with six assists and a team-high two steals in road win at Northwestern… registered a season-high 16 points to go along with three assists in home game vs. #25 Ohio State… equaled a career high with eight assists — committing only one turnover — while also registering 10 points and a season-high three steals in home win over #10 Michigan… scored 13 points, equaling a career high with four 3-pointers made, and dished out a game-high seven assists in road win at Penn State… netted 10 points in home game vs. Wisconsin… tallied 13 points and six assists at Minnesota, with no turnovers in 29 minutes… dished out a game-high seven assists and netted six points at Indiana… scored 15 points and collected two steals, three assists and three rebounds in win over Purdue… posted 11 points, four rebounds, two steals and a game-high five assists in home game vs. Illinois… letterwinner.
2012-13 Honors — Earned the team’s Academic Award and shared Freshman of the Year accolades. 2012-13 — Played in 34 games, starting 30… suffered an injured right foot; missed team’s last four regular season games (Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska) before returning for B1G tourney… scored in double figures 14 times… made all 12 free throw attempts in seven postseason games… named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and ESPN Freshman of the Weekend (Dec. 17)… third leading scorer, averaging 8.7 points per contest… led the team in assists and steals eight times… ranked third on the team in assists (89) and 3-pointers made (33)… tallied 15 points and dished a game-high five assists in win over Central Michigan… netted 19 points, bolstered by 7-10 shooting from the field, to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals in win over Western Kentucky… tallied 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and collected three steals in win over Iowa State… posted a season-high 23 points in win over UNI… registered personal bests in rebounds (6) and assists (8) in victory over South Carolina State… netted 13 points in home game against #5 Indiana… had 11 points and four rebounds in home win over Wisconsin… scored a personal Big Ten-best 18 points while playing a career-high 39 minutes at Purdue… led team in rebounding for first time in career when he snagged six boards to go along with a team-best 11 points in road game at #23 Minnesota… led team in scoring (14 points) and assists (4) in double-overtime game at Wisconsin… credited with a game and career-high four steals to go along with 11 points in home win over Minnesota… dished out a Big Ten season-best six assists, all in the first half, at Nebraska… tallied 13 points and three assists vs. Northwestern at B1G tourney in first action since Feb. 21… led team with nine points in B1G tourney quarterfinal game vs. Michigan State… scored seven points in eight minutes in NIT win at Virginia… netted a team-high 13 points in NIT championship vs. Baylor… letterwinner.
High School — Three-time first team All-State, All- Conference and All-Metro honoree for South Sioux City High School… is the No. 73 ranked player in the Class of 2012 by ESPN.com, No. 89 by Scout.com and No. 96 by Rivals.com… as a junior, he averaged 25.2 points, 8.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals while being honored as the Nebraska Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year… as a sophomore, Gesell averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals… he made 82 percent (158-193) of his free throw attempts as a junior and 79 percent (125-158) as a sophomore… was a Basketball Super State and All-State Class B Team Captain recipient his sophomore and junior seasons… holds single season school records for scoring (655), assists (212) and steals (79), career scoring (1,446) and single-game steals (8) and assists (13)… is a Wendy’s High School Heisman state finalist and will be the team’s captain this year… also excels in the classroom ranking in the top 5 percent of his class while earning Gold Honor Roll distinction all four years… is a three-time Academic All-Conference and NSAA Academic All-State honoree… fellow recruit Woodbury was a teammate on Martin Brothers and the All-Iowa Attack AAU squads.
Personal – – Born 11/9/93… graduated in three years with a degree in finance… parents are Tom and Vicki Gesell… siblings Tim Gesell and Nicole Wojtalewicz… high school coach was Terry Comstock… AAU coach was Hank Huddleson.
Career Bests
Points: 25 vs. Michigan State, 12/29/15
Rebounds: 7 at Purdue, 1/2/16
FGM: 7, 4x, last vs. Michigan State, 12/29/15
FGA: 15, 3x, last vs. Notre Dame, 11/27/15
3-pt FGM: 4, 2x, last at Penn State, 2/15/14
3-pt FGA: 6, 3x, last vs. Penn, 11/22/13
FTM: 11, 2x, last vs. Nebraska, 1/5/16
FTA: 13, 2x, last vs. Nebraska, 1/5/16
Assists: 12, 2x, last vs. Minnesota, 2/14/16
Steals: 5 at Penn State, 2/28/15
Blocks: 1, 24x, last at Purdue, 1/2/16
Minutes: 42 at Wisconsin, 2/6/13