Video: Jefferson's Jarrod Uthoff to make college decision Monday

NORTH LIBERTY -- Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Jarrod Uthoff will decide where he will play college basketball by Monday night.

"I hope to make my decision the next day or two before I leave for Vegas (Monday) night at 9," Uthoff said Sunday. "Sometime before then, I'll make my decision, and then I'll announce it."

Signs point to Uthoff staying to close to home. Uthoff , a 6-foot-8 forward, had cut his list to six schools earlier this month. Among those choices include Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Others include Wisconsin, Illinois and national runner-up Butler.

"My family really wants to watch all my games so it's a factor," Uthoff said. When asked about Iowa's chances, Uthoff said, "It's a half-hour away, it can't hurt."

Iowa's proximity to Cedar Rapids has Iowa players also pushing Uthoff toward the Hawkeyes. Sophomore point guard Cully Payne, Uthoff's Prime Time League teammate, said Uthoff would fit right in at Iowa between giving him a hard time about not already picking the Hawkeyes.

"I told him, 'Hey, you come to Iowa, you'll be a king around here, being a hometown guy it's a perfect situation to be around your family,'" Payne said. "It doesn't get much better than that."

Uthoff averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds a game for Jefferson last year. He also had 53 blocks and 34 steals. He led Jefferson in all those categories.

Uthoff had picked up a couple of offers within the last week but that did not factor in his decision-making process.

"It was difficult to cut them down to six and this is even harder because I know that this school I will be spending the next four or five years at," Uthoff said.

"I already have a bunch of great schools to pick from, and I don't need any more. So I might as well make my decision now rather than later."

Payne said Uthoff's athletic ability is perfect for Iowa's system under new coach Fran McCaffery.

"He's really athletic, real long, lanky, which is great for coach's system where we get up and down and rebound," Payne said. "He can shoot it real well. He's got a great sense of the game.

"One thing I'll tell him to work on is that college mentality. You can't take a possession off. In college if you miss two possessions, you down by six points. Outside of that he's great. We'd love to have him."