Iowa's Fran McCaffery wants tougher defense from Melsahn Basabe

IOWA CITY - Ten games into his sophomore season, Melsahn Basabe is scoring at the same rate as he did last year.

Basabe, a 6-foot-7 forward, averages 8.5 points a game, just a slight drop from 8.6 last year. But his scoring output isn't what troubles him or his coach, Fran McCaffery. It's Basabe's output on the other end of the floor.

Against Iowa State last Friday, Basabe twice was beaten in the paint early by Cyclone star Royce White. Once was on a jumper; another was when Basabe didn't get in good enough position and White soared down the lane for a dunk. The defensive issues negated Basabe's season-best 18 points and nine rebounds.

In practice this week, McCaffery said he's “challenged” Basabe to become a defensive factor since the Iowa State loss and become more physical in the post.

“I need him to be aggressive,” McCaffery said. “I need him to challenge Royce White when he comes down the lane to dunk the ball. I need him to get a couple, three blocks a game and get over and challenge and mix it up and occasionally get a charge.”

Basabe's overall rebounding numbers have dropped since last year, when he averaged 6.8 through 10 games and throughout the season. He's now at 5.3 each game.

Basabe also had 16 blocks through 10 games a year ago, including seven against Iowa State. This year he has four total and no more than one in any game.

“I have watched Melsahn Basabe play in a million different situations going back to when we first started recruiting him,” McCaffery said. “He's not an average shot blocker; he's a great shot blocker. Seven blocks in the Iowa State games two years ago, six against Ohio State. He's not going to lead the country with 6.5 blocks a game, but I need a game like that every once in a while. I need the thought from the other team, when they're driving to the basket, ‘Where's Melsahn? He might block my shot.'

“He has backed off more than he should have, and he agrees. When you challenge him and you point something out to him and it makes perfect sense with it, he'll buy in and he'll try to address it.”

Basabe accepted the criticism from his coach in stride, saying “I'm really not a defensive presence on that end of the floor.” Basabe attributed many of the team's defensive problems - Iowa ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, defensive field-goal percentage, defensive 3-point percentage and blocked shots - to himself. He's vowed to work on defense in practice this week while the team prepares to play Drake.

“It's unacceptable,” Basabe said. “Coach Fran pointed it out to me, and I respect the honesty and something's got to change for us to win. I think for us as a team we have to improve defensively. I see myself in the middle making of a lot of mistakes. That must mean something.”

McCaffery said Basabe has tried to avoid early fouls, which has limited his aggressiveness. If a player fouls twice in the first half, rarely does McCaffery allow them to play again until the second half.

With Basabe's past success, McCaffery said he has gotten in Basabe's face about his shortcomings. But they share a mutual respect, in part because they have known each other for years. McCaffery previously recruited Basabe to Siena and then both came to Iowa together last year.

“It's my responsibility to be honest with somebody I think has a particular skill that he's not utilizing,” McCaffery said. “It's not to try to get somebody to do something that they can't do. That's not going to do either of us any good.”