Iowa's seniors leave a big mark on program

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Adam Woodbury, Jarrod Uthoff, Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons sat in front of their Barclays Center lockers Sunday, talking with heavy-hearted banter the way family members pass the time at a meal after a wake.

The four seniors still wore their black-and-gold uniforms as the locker room doors closed on this group for the final time. The Hawkeyes lost 87-68 to Villanova in an NCAA tournament second-round game, ending their season at 22-11. It also shuts the book — not a chapter — on an era of Iowa basketball.

Woodbury and Gesell formed the centerpiece of Fran McCaffery's first major recruiting class. They signed letters of intent in November 2011, about 19 months after McCaffery was hired. They were top-100 recruits and brought relevancy to the program at a time it was trying to gain traction. Uthoff arrived at Iowa and sat out a season after transferring from Wisconsin. Clemmons initially was a complementary piece who started 58 games,

'I just couldn't be more proud,' McCaffery said. 'Those guys said yes. You look at Adam Woodbury. He could have gone to North Carolina. He said, 'I want to go to Iowa, and I want to make a name for myself. I trust Coach McCaffery.' Gesell, same thing. He had a ton of options. He could go to Stanford or a place like that with a 4.0 grade-point-average. 'No, I want to go Iowa and I'll accomplish everything at Iowa.'

'Then you have Jarrod Uthoff. He transferred back, but he got the academic All-American of the year. Clemmons is one of the great success stories of all time. He didn't have many offers; he had no offers at the high-major level. But he viewed himself as a high-major player and wanted an opportunity and we gave him an opportunity. He took advantage of that. I'm going to miss those guys, I can tell you that.'

The group combined for 89 wins, third-most for a class in Iowa history. They led Iowa to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances — something not done since 1991-1993 — and four straight 20-win seasons. In each of the last two years they won NCAA tournament games, which the program hadn't done in 19 years. In two different seasons, they were ranked in the top 10.

Gesell ranks 37th all-time in scoring at 1,072 points and he set Iowa's single-season record for assists with 207. Uthoff, a second-team All-American, scored 1,298 points (19th) and he ranks fourth in career blocks (177) despite playing only three seasons. Woodbury, Iowa's leader in all-time starts with 137, led the Big Ten in rebounding this year (8.3). Together they combined for 392 starts.

Their legacy extends well beyond the court. It's forged in how they elevated Iowa's basketball program, and their relationships with one another.

'It's something that we'll carry on for the rest of our lives,' Clemmons said. 'We've been through so much, blood, sweat and tears in the locker room, in the gym with each other. Woodbury hit a game-winner in the NCAA tournament, and we'll never forget that in our lives. I'm proud it's with these guys. I wouldn't share it with anybody else.'

'I think there's too much just to put it into one answer,' Gesell said.

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