Hutton drawn to Iowa by team bond

IOWA CITY - Brandon Hutton saw Iowa in its most vulnerable state last season. Instead of recoiling from the program, Hutton was drawn to it.

The Chicago De La Salle forward was on an unofficial visit during Iowa's home finale against Illinois. The Hawkeyes trailed by 14 points in the game's first few minutes, then rallied to tie at 63-63. With .5 second remaining, Illinois' Jon Ekey drilled a 3-pointer at the top of the key for the game winner.

Hutton saw a disappointed Iowa locker room and a team that had lost four of five games to that point. But he also saw a bond that went deeper than the final result.

'It was definitely the fact that they lost and they still had togetherness and they still had a family bond and there weren't any fingers being pointed about why they lost,” Hutton said. 'They took the loss together and they took it in. They got better after that loss.

'That's how I knew the time was right for me. Me seeing that just made me feel comfortable and made me want to be part of the Hawkeye family.”

Hutton, who stands 6-foot-6, committed to Iowa that night. He was the first of four commitments for the 2015 basketball class, all of whom expect to sign letters of intent to Iowa starting Wednesday. Joining Hutton is 6-7 forward Ahmad Wagner of Ohio, 6-4 shooting guard Andrew Fleming (Oak Hill Academy) and 6-5 small forward Isaiah Moss (Chicago Simeon). Iowa still has one available scholarship. Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery can't talk about his recruits until they receive letters of intent. All four players are ranked as three-star recruits by Rivals.

Iowa assistant coach Andrew Francis developed the relationship with Hutton and then McCaffery drove to Chicago to deliver the scholarship offer in person. That elevated McCaffery's status with Hutton.

Hutton took both unofficial and official visits and said he loved the Iowa City atmosphere. He became close to guard Peter Jok and junior-college point guard Trey Dickerson, who visited Iowa that night. Dickerson also committed to Iowa right after the game.

'The guys there were welcoming. It just made me overall feel like home,” Hutton said. 'The guys, the players, the coaching staff, made Iowa feel like home. I knew right then and there I could see myself being here for four years busting my butt for the UI all four years, playing 110 percent for Iowa fans and coaches.”

Hutton became a key performer last year for De La Salle. He scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to engineer an upset against No. 7 Loyola in the postseason. He played the role of good teammate on his team's senior night, and started the game on the bench. But he finished the night with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He also played AAU basketball with the Illinois Stars.

By all accounts, Hutton has a complete game. But he's banking on his defense and toughness to earn him playing time right away at Iowa.

'I'm going to bring a very intense defensive game to Iowa, and I'm going to give them my all and play hard all the time,” Hutton said. 'No plays off. I feel like I can bring a nice offensive game as well. I can be a nice slasher off the dribble, a pullup shooter. Overall, I'm an all-around player.”

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