Hawkeyes’ shot selection ‘key’ to McCaffery

IOWA CITY — Through an up-and-down first seven games of the season, the Iowa men's basketball team continues to work through some growing pains.

Getting the Hawkeyes' veteran contributors to fill their role and fill it successfully is mixed with getting the yuounger players to take the right shots at the right times.

It can be a challenge.

'It's really a key to a lot of things because you take a young guy who shot whenever he wanted to in high school, and now, OK, what's a good shot? You're dealing with the shot clock. You didn't deal with the shot clock before,' McCaffery said. 'We've still got some young guys that are passing the ball with three seconds to go on the shot clock. You really have to be locked into that and know exactly, once it gets under 10 (seconds), what are we doing offensively? What are we doing defensively? And if you're coming off the bench, what's a good shot for you? Might be different.'

Situational awareness is a key to it as well.

To McCaffery's point, if a player isn't used to the different scenarios a team can find itself in, old — and bad — habits can creep up. Game plan and strategy has to factor that in if youth is to be relied on.

'Pete (Jok)'s going to be a volume shooter. Jarrod (Uthoff)'s going to be a volume shooter. We want those guys to shoot a lot, but if you're not shooting as much, if you just come in the game, is that a good shot for you? Maybe if you get up and down a few times, it's a better shot,' McCaffery said. 'Who are we playing against? If they've got a lot of speed and you're jacking (up shots) and we're not set and they're running down and dunking it, well, not only was it a bad shot, they're dunking the ball at the other end of the floor. So it's a really bad shot.

'So understanding the pace of the game, the components of the game that determine whether you win or lose is more of an adjustment, I think, than people think, the players in particular, most importantly.'

Focus on shot selection and volume isn't limited to the young players, though. McCaffery wants Uthoff in particular to be even more active than he's already been offensively.

Uthoff enters Saturday's game against the University of Missouri Kansas City as the leading scorer for Iowa (5-2) with 17.7 points per game and is shooting 49.5 percent from the field. He's taken 93 shots this season — 20 more total than Jok, the other 'volume shooter' on the roster.

McCaffery wants more. Even if he has to give his team leader a hard time to do it.

'I'd like him to be more aggressive. He had 15 shots (against Wichita State). I'd like him to take 22 shots or 35,' McCaffery said. 'Just (have to) keep telling him. I saw the stat, I said, 'Why did you only take 15 shots?' 'Yeah, yeah, I should have taken more shots.' 'Yeah, you should have.' I said, I'm telling you to take 20.'

That instinct from the senior, to pass up shots and be almost too unselfish makes Uthoff 'unique' and something 'you've got to love about the kid, though,' according to McCaffery.

'I'm just trying to help the team in whatever way I can. Sometimes I don't feel comfortable taking the 3 and I have someone closing out hard, so I move it on,' Uthoff said. 'He just wants me to take open shots when I have them. It gives me more confidence in myself.

'He's given me the green light for years now. I'm not really a gunner, that's for sure. If I don't feel comfortable, I move it on. If I don't think it's the right shot for the team — the wheels are always turning.'

As McCaffery and his team roll along toward conference play, the only theory that matters in finding the right shot is the one that gives it the best chance to go in.

It's pretty simple to them, even if it isn't easy all the time.

'Whatever gets the ball in the hoop,' Uthoff said. 'Whatever makes us win.'

Iowa and UMKC tip off at 2 p.m. Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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