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Leistikow: A hopeful new era of Iowa men’s basketball begins … with defense?

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Leistikow: A hopeful new era of Iowa men’s basketball begins … with defense?

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IOWA CITY − An Iowa men’s basketball program that needed a breath of fresh air seems to have gotten one.

The next question is whether there is actually something behind this newfound tailwind … or is it simply the latest rush of hot air?

The 2024-25 season ahead, which for Iowa will hopefully extend to late March or even early April, will give us the ultimate answer. But there is an unmistakable new vibe emanating from coach Fran McCaffery’s program.

Of the Hawkeyes’ 12 scholarship players, nine are either entering their first or second year on the roster. Only one, Payton Sandfort, has three college seasons under his belt in Iowa City. For the first time since the Jordan Bohannon’s freshman year, the 2016-17 season, there isn’t a player with the last name “McCaffery”  on the roster.

This is a hungry collection of Hawkeyes who want to turn the page of staleness in Hawkeye basketball and create something fresh.

Players are showing up early to practices. Assistant coach Sherman Dillard said in May this was tracking toward “maybe the best offseason we’ve had.” He reinforced Monday during an open media workout that the work ethic has remained strong in Iowa City as we reach mid-July.

Sandfort, the program veteran who returned for his senior season rather than becoming a likely second-round NBA Draft pick, noted, “The energy has been spectacular.”

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Why the game has slowed down for Iowa senior Payton Sandfort

The Waukee native chose to return to college and talks about the vibe of his final Hawkeyes team. “The energy has been spectacular.”

And a big part of that is … defense?

“The coaches have implemented some new things (defensively) that we’re going to see,” said sophomore big man Owen Freeman, who has added 20 pounds of bulk since Iowa’s NIT exit at Utah in late March. “I think we’re going to surprise some people a lot with our defense. Obviously last year, we kind of gave up some buckets and we weren’t the best defensive team. But I really think this year, we’re locked in and we’re going to be a really good defensive team.”

Insert your mocking laughs here. Feel fully licensed to be skeptical.

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Owen Freeman has gained roughly 20 pounds since end of last season

Iowa basketball’s Owen Freeman discusses a variety of topics during media availability on June 8, 2024.

But … maybe be hopeful?

We’ve heard players under McCaffery in the past speak about a renewed emphasis on defense. For the most part, those promises proved empty. Under McCaffery, Iowa annually boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the country – with top-five marks from 2020 through 2023 before a slight dip to No. 16 in 2024, according to the KenPom metrics – but has been the antithesis of Hawkeye football with one of the worst defenses. Iowa was 168th in adjusted defense in 2023, 157th in 2024. Not good enough.

There are a couple reasons to think that maybe the defense can get a lot better this season.

First, the personnel is so much different. Gone are Ben Krikke and Patrick McCaffery, who were, by admission, offense-first players in the Hawkeyes’ frontcourt. Now aboard are at least two major frontcourt injections of athleticism.

Manhattan 6-foot-7 transfer Seydou Traore absolutely looks the part, already showing magnificent dunks and a smooth 3-point shot for a sophomore. True freshman Chris Tadjo might be Iowa’s best dunker since Tyler Cook, an indication of his talent, and is a “freak of nature,” according to impressed teammate Josh Dix.

Additionally, Morehead State 6-3 transfer Drew Thelwell backfills the point-guard spot vacated by Tony Perkins (and Dasonte Bowen) and arrives with a passing and defense-first mentality. That should benefit a team with plenty of scorers like Sandfort, Freeman and Dix.

“That’s another big reason why they brought me here, to put pressure on the ball,” Thelwell said Monday. “At my last school, we were a defensive-minded team.”

Maybe equally as important, a change of mindset on defense was something the current crop of Iowa players requested.

Sophomore Brock Harding said when players went through exit interviews after last season’s 19-15 campaign, they implored coaches to push them in new ways defensively. They were tired of blown leads and letting wins slip away. Their season had ended just short of the NCAA Tournament after a Big Ten Tournament flop in which the Hawkeyes allowed 8-of-11 3-point shooting to Ohio State in the first half.

Harding said coaches have responded to the players’ call for a fresh defensive approach.

A new identity is in the summer stages of being formed.

“We don’t want to be a team that’s fun to play against,” Harding said. “We want to be a team that’s up in you, in the passing lanes, getting steals and letting our offense create off that.”

Sandfort validated the new approach but said there must be team-wide buy-in for it to stick.

“We’re making some big-time adjustments,” Sandfort said. “To be successful, everyone on the floor has to be super locked into what we’re doing. Otherwise, it’s not going to work.”

We’ll see.

There’s no proclamation here that there is definitely going to be a change. But the first step in fixing a problem is to acknowledge it. Actually delivering change will require more than optimistic quotes from summer workouts. A continued emphasis is needed from now until November and then into the grueling 20-game conference season.

But this group seems to be finding its voice, a fresh voice, minus program mainstays like Perkins and Patrick McCaffery.

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Entering his junior year, Josh Dix talks about his next steps at Iowa

The Hawkeyes guard likes what he sees from Drew Thelwell and others that have shined in summer practices.

“They were veteran leaders last year. But it’s just more excitement in the gym a little bit,” Dix said. “But also a little more learning because obviously, those guys played a lot for us and we’re going to miss them.”

That youth can create a lot of hunger and has created an infectious work ethic.

Sandfort is the No. 1 vocal leader, but players said Dix, Harding, Freeman and even Thelwell are stepping up in that department. Fran McCaffery always has allowed his players to speak their minds with the media, and that’s one area where this group is consistent with past teams.

“We want to make a deep run in the national tournament,” Freeman boldly said. “I think that’s something this team can really do.”

For the second half of McCaffery’s 14 years at Iowa – including the previous seven – he’s had a son on the team. That dynamic can be a real benefit at times. Connor McCaffery, whose Hawkeye career began in June 2017, was seen as a coach on the floor. Both McCaffery boys, Connor and Patrick, were instrumental in Iowa’s 26-win season in 2021-22, which was highlighted by a Keegan Murray-led Big Ten Tournament title run.

But now, there’s undeniably a new buzz and a turning of the page in the Hawkeyes summer program, one that combined young hunger with the few veteran players working to enhance their game.

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Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell talks transition to Iowa

Drew Thelwell discusses his transition to Iowa after four seasons at Morehead State.

Dix spoke about improving his deadly mid-range game to include the 3-point line. Others said Sandfort has taken a big jump after partaking in the NBA Draft process. Freeman no longer looks like a skinny freshman. Harding added eight pounds of strength and said he has developed a better jump shot. The transfers certainly look like they belong in the Big Ten. True freshman forward Cooper Koch received the most buzz from the six Hawkeyes interviewed; it sounds like he’s a college-ready player with a potent outside shot.

This team is determined to be something different.

For now, they sound different.

“I think the team’s excited because we get to kind of build our own narrative now.,” Harding said. “They had done what they have done, won a lot of games. Now we have a bunch of new guys – excluding Payton – that kind of get to build what we want to be known as. Our coaches have told us it’s up to us what we want to be.”

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 29 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.

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