Iowa’s Gesell now the primary option

IOWA CITY - When Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery spent his first summer in Iowa City recruiting Mike Gesell, this was the moment he envisioned.

Gesell largely served as a secondary scorer to Devyn Marble, an all-Big Ten guard last year. With Marble moving on to the NBA, Gesell now becomes the bailout option for the Hawkeyes late in the shot clock or when the offense breaks down.

Gesell, a junior from South Sioux City, Neb., will open the season at the point, as he has in the past. But he's also expected to generate consistent scoring from his position. Is Gesell ready for that? In his mind, there's no doubt.

'I'm the type of guy, I'm competitive. I want the ball down the stretch,” Gesell said. 'I want to go out and make plays. I definitely feel comfortable with the ball in my hands.”

That's why McCaffery brought Gesell to Iowa, and the coach has confidence his point guard can elevate into that role.

'From where I sit, I'd say yes, he is,” McCaffery said. 'And the reality is we need him to be that guy. Marble is not here anymore. We need you to consistently score the ball at above 10 points a game.

'He's always been right around there, eight, nine, 10. Can he be a 15-point scorer? He certainly, I think, has the capability. I think when he's the point guard he does look to shoot the ball less. And when I move him over, he's more aggressive, shooting 3s, attacking the rim, shooting his ball up. We have to figure that out. If he's going to be the point I still want him thinking offensively to be aggressive.”

Gesell, who stands 6-foot-2, led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0) and was third in scoring (7.8) for the Hawkeyes last year. He opened all 33 games and started the final 31 at the point. Gesell posted a career game against Michigan, scoring 10 points, dishing eight assists, gaining three steals with only one turnover in an 18-point win against eventual Big Ten champion Michigan. He also scored 16 points against Ohio State

But he also sputtered down the stretch offensively. During Iowa's late-season collapse when it lost eight of its final nine games, Gesell hit just 22 of his last 80 shots. Over his last six games, he was 12 of 55 and missed his last 16 shots. In late-game situations, he struggled from missing a pair of free throws at Iowa State to a last-second shot against Michigan State.

That must improve for Gesell to become a consistent threat for the Hawkeyes.

'I think I'm a lot better at reading situations, getting guys open when I need to get them open or finding a shot for myself,” Gesell said. 'That's something I've really improved upon, and I'll continue to improve on throughout the season.”

Gesell's teammates understand the challenge and pressure facing him. As for whether he's ready to become the team's on-court leader, well, they left him no wiggle room.

'He doesn't have any other option. He has to,” said junior center Adam Woodbury, who played on the same AAU team as Gesell growing up. 'We've got a lot of confidence in him. It's either going to work out or it's not. We have a lot of faith it's going to (work out). We're putting a lot into him, and he asks a lot of himself as well.”

Among the reasons for their faith in Gesell starts with work ethic. Few players match his dedication in the classroom as an academic all-Big Ten performer or putting in extra time on the court. That's why they're willing to follow him.

'You just look at a guy that works his butt off every single day,” senior guard Josh Oglesby said. 'You come to the gym, Mike's in the gym. You come to the weight room, Mike's in the weight room working out. He works on his game, he's passionate about it and is someone I think will take a big step this season. We've got to look to him to be a leader, and he has the ball in his hands, and he's going to be making the plays.”

Gesell won't defer his responsibility and won't shirk from it. As an upperclassmen he knows his voice carries more weight than in the past. He plans to speak up and play with confidence.

'I really want to be a vocal leader out there,” Gesell said. 'I've always been a lead-by-example guy. I've always worked hard; it's just how I was raised. But I want to step it up vocally and be the guy out there that tells guys where they go and get on guys if they're not playing up to their potential. Just be that out on the floor.”

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