Former Iowa basketball player McCabe pleads not guilty to assault

A former Iowa men's basketball player has pleaded not guilty to charges he punched a man in an Iowa City bar May 16.

Zach McCabe, 22, last week entered a written plea of not guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily injury, a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,875.

His trial is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Johnson County.

McCabe is accused of punching a man in the face inside D.C.'s bar, at 124 S. Dubuque St. in downtown Iowa City. Security video obtained by Iowa City police showed McCabe and a woman arguing. The alleged victim tried to separate McCabe from the woman before McCabe punched him, police reported. After the man fell to the ground, McCabe blew him a kiss and walked out the door.

McCabe, a Sioux City native, started 40 games and appeared in an Iowa-record 137 games during his four-year career. He was a team co-captain this year and scored 871 points in his career. He averaged 6.4 points a game.

McCabe graduated in May.