Uhl's versatility a weapon for Iowa

IOWA CITY — Dom Uhl first picked up a basketball when he was 11 years old in Frankfurt, Germany.

"I just tried it out one day and I liked it," the Iowa sophomore forward said. "I just fell in love with it, I guess."

A decade later, Uhl has become one of the Big Ten's top bench players for the No. 9 Hawkeyes (14-3, 5-0). He averages 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, but his contributions stretch well beyond his stats.

Uhl's versatility is rare for a player still learning the game. Officially, Uhl stands 6-foot-9, weighs 215 pounds and plays forward. But Uhl shifts to multiple positions on the floor, from center to small forward. He's most dangerous along the perimeter.

This season Uhl has knocked down 18 of 33 3-point attempts (54.5 percent). But in Big Ten play, he's become a weapon with nine 3-pointers in 11 attempts. He rarely misses from the top of the key, and he's hit his last six 3-pointers.

'I just let it fly when I'm open,' Uhl said.

It's quite a change year-over-year for Uhl, who knocked down just 5 of 27 3-point attempts last year.

'He's really worked on it,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'I think he's always been a good shooter. He's always had great confidence in his 3-point shooting. You look at him, and he's playing relaxed. He knows he's going to play a lot. He knows I'm going to go to him. And he knows he's going to have the opportunity to play through his mistakes. You don't always get that sometimes when you're a freshman.'

Like most Germans, Uhl grew up a soccer fan but found basketball exciting as he approached his teens. He watched YouTube highlights of NBA players and idolized former all-star Tracy McGrady. Uhl tried out for a German club team but had to work on ball handling and other skills before he could take part in practice.

As Uhl reached high school age, he had a friend who moved to the U.S. for basketball. When his friend returned a much-improved player, Uhl realized he could make similar strides if he moved to the U.S.

'I always wanted to go,' Uhl said. 'But he came one summer, and he improved a lot so that's when I decided to go.'

Uhl left his family and moved to New Jersey and played for two seasons at Point Pleasant Beach High School. Along with learning the game at an accelerated rate, Uhl had to converse exclusively in English. He had to adjust to food and the culture, which was challenging. But he quickly became a better basketball player.

Recruiting picked up for Uhl throughout his final AAU season, and he settled on Iowa over Boston College and Temple in October 2013. As a freshman, Uhl averaged 10 minutes a game but he was stuck playing behind all-Big Ten forward Aaron White and current Big Ten scoring leader Jarrod Uthoff. Uhl played well in spurts but rarely saw extended action.

'He didn't make a ton of mistakes last year,' McCaffery said. 'But a lot of times I would take him out, not necessarily because of anything he did, but because I wanted to get White or Uthoff back in the game.'

This year, Uhl had a sluggish start in fall camp but broke out with 18 points against Coppin State and a 4-for-4 shooting performance at Marquette. By early December he became a major contributor. In his last three games, Uhl has scored 10 points each time out. Often he spells Adam Woodbury at center. Other times, Uhl is on the wing. Uhl said he's most comfortable at small forward, while McCaffery called him a 'stretch four.'

'He's got a lot of three-man skills, and he's a mismatch nightmare for fives,' McCaffery said. 'He can play some five now because he's added weight, and we kind of use him in all those different ways.'

Uhl is reserved and talks little, but he shows personality through multiple hair styles. On Sunday, he wore braids but he took them out after a rubber band was missing. By Tuesday, his hair was wavy and long.

When asked about Uhl bulking up, Woodbury joked, 'His hair has got to be half that weight.' After a laugh, Woodbury evaluated Uhl's game more seriously.

'The confidence he's playing with is pretty remarkable,' Woodbury said. 'He's improved on his game. He's a hardworking guy. So it's good to see him have more security and confidence in his game, and it's able to shine through.'

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