Printy stating case as Big Ten's top rookie

IOWA CITY - Lisa Bluder began tracking Jaime Printy in the summer of 2005 when Printy was 14 years old.

“Jaime grew up two houses down from my parents (in Marion),” Bluder said. “I should have noticed her sooner.”

Within a few months, Printy - then a freshman at Linn-Mar High School - committed to play basketball for Bluder at the University of Iowa.

It seemed awfully early. Would Printy progress? Would Bluder still be at Iowa? Would other offers, maybe better offers, be issued?

The questions have answered themselves, and Printy has emerged as a rising star in the Big Ten in her first season at Iowa. Three times, she has been the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. At the very least, she's a strong candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

“In my mind, she is (the front-runner),” Bluder said. “Jaime has done so much for this team.”

In a season when the Hawkeyes have suffered injury after injury, Printy has been a rock.

The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 14.9 points and is on pace to become the first freshman to lead the Hawkeyes in scoring since Lindsey Meder did it in 2001.

“I really didn't know what to expect,” Printy said. “All the injuries, they have given the freshmen a good opportunity to step up.”

Printy took the opportunity and ran with it.

“You never can predict what a freshman is going to do in her first year,” Bluder said. “But Jaime is so mature, so levelheaded.”

Need evidence? Printy leads the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 88.7 percent (55 of 62). She is eighth in scoring, tops among freshmen.

Bluder knew Printy could score when she saw her at an AAU tourney before her freshman year.

At Iowa, Printy is adept from long distance (37 percent on 3-pointers) and on the drive. She appears quicker than she did in high school.

Printy tore an ACL as a sophomore at Linn-Mar. It took a while to completely recover.

“The first year back, I had a big old brace (on my knee). You could just tell (I'd been injured). Now I've been in the weight room and it feels completely normal.”

“I don't even think about her ACL tear,” Bluder said. “I think she's quicker now, and a lot of that is because of our strength and conditioning program.”

Always a scorer, Printy has enhanced her defense. “I think I've gotten better at playing defense away from the ball, reading where people are going to go, learning to stay low in my stance,” she said.

As Iowa begins the second half of the Big Ten schedule - the Hawkeyes (10-10, 3-6) host Purdue (11-10, 6-4) at 2 p.m. Sunday - Printy has one Freshman of the Year vote in her pocket, that of Bluder.

“It would be a good honor,” Printy said.

“But I want to get to the NCAA (tournament) way more than I think about any individual award.”