3 Takeaways: Baer steps forward, Iowa’s freshmen, TV Teddy returns

IOWA CITY — Nicholas Baer was a star at Bettendorf High School, earning all-state honors as a senior and twice leading the Bulldogs to the Class 4A semifinals or finals.

So with his resume — which included 15.2 points and 9.1 rebounds in 2013-14 as a senior — it was a surprise when the 6-foot-7 Baer elected to walk on at Iowa rather than pick up a scholarship at a smaller college. But after redshirting for a season and practicing daily against the Hawkeyes, Baer has shown why he took his chances with a Big Ten school.

Baer racked up quality minutes in Iowa's 99-73 exhibition win against Sioux Falls on Thursday. He scored eight points — with two 3-pointers — and grabbed five rebounds in 12 minutes. His two offensive rebounds tied for the team high and he added a steal, a block and an assist.

'There's a lot to be said for guys that are always in the right place,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'We need guys that are going to be in the right place, defensively, offensively, whether they're pressing, whether they're in a match-up zone which they went to, and at the same time, you know, he can dribble, pass and shoot. But when you have a smart guy who can dribble, pass and shoot who's got a body — yeah, I'd like him a little thicker — but he's 6-7, 200 pounds, and he's effective. He's a tough kid.'

Iowa's assistant coaches raved about Baer as a true freshman and compared his versatility to former Hawkeye and longtime NBA player Ryan Bowen. Baer can defend any position, like Bowen, and has offensive flexibility. He's settling in at power forward, but shifts to center in some sets and also plays small forward.

'A lot of guys physically can play five positions, but they can't mentally play five positions,' McCaffery said. 'They'll never remember five positions. But he will. He's going to be a very effective player for us, I think, moving forward.'

After Iowa's starting five, the Hawkeyes need players who can fill roles and play with poise. Baer's comfort level is high after competing daily in practice against all-Big Ten forward Aaron White last year as well as current senior forward Jarrod Uthoff.

'I think redshirting last year was very helpful,' Baer said. 'Also a little bit of an advantage knowing the offense for a year and knowing how to pick your spots in the offense. I think it's just really helpful for me to have an extra year under my belt.

'Aaron and Jarrod are two different covers. Obviously Aaron runs the floor well and he posts up hard. Jarrod does, too. But Jarrod can go one-on-one with you a little bit more and looks for his shot. But I think going up against these guys has been great for me.'

2. NEWBIE BLUES

As expected, Iowa's newcomers weren't sharp in their debuts. At times they displayed their talent but mostly their play was inconsistent.

Freshman forward Ahmad Wagner (6-7, 222) was the first post player off the bench. He was active in his nine minutes of action with a block, two rebounds and a pair of free throws. But he also committed four fouls.

'In games, the spotlight is on you,' he said. 'In practice you may get by on a play or two without going so hard but in a game everything's highlighted. If you take off, you'll get back-doored.'

'I thought Ahmad was a guy that understood what we were doing offensively, defensively,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. '(Wagner) got a couple quick fouls, he got a little handsy, and then I had to take him out, and that affects a freshman. He goes in and he's just starting to get going and then he's out. So he's just got to learn to keep his hands out and try to do what he's been doing; running the floor, screening for other people, slip, offensive rebound, put-back. He did a little bit of that when we put him back in.'

Freshman guard Andrew Fleming (6-5, 198) displayed some of the strengths that made him a prize recruiting catch. He was 4 of 9 from the field for eight points. He grabbed a pair of steals, two rebounds and had only one turnover in 14 minutes. But with Iowa down in the first half, Fleming drove the lane and was blocked. On the next possession he received a pass in the fast break and immediately chucked up a 3-pointer and then kind of loafed up the court. McCaffery sat Fleming for much of the second half. But Fleming re-entered the game with about six minutes left, remained confident and more under control. He scored six of his points in about 90 seconds after returning.

'The thing about Fleming, you've got to love him,' McCaffery said. 'He gets nine shots up in 14 minutes. He's aggressive. He's always going to be aggressive. He's not afraid. Yeah, maybe a couple poor choices on shot selection, but he is going to come at you, and that's what you've got to love about him. He's never going to be afraid in big games. On the road, he'll shoot the ball, he'll make a play for you. Defensively he's got some work to do, you know, because he's always kind of been a floater. He makes a steal and he floats around, but he'll stick his nose on the glass. Again, if we're playing small and he's one of our wings, he will rebound.'

Point guard Christian Williams (6-6, 188) played nine minutes and scored three points. He had a steal and a turnover. He displayed fluidity in how he moved the ball and has the potential to be a good defender.

'I thought Christian was terrific,' McCaffery said. 'He clearly understood our concepts defensively. I played him at the two, I played him at the one. Big steal. I mean, he's just a good player.'

Freshmen who saw less time were Isaiah Moss (6-5, 196) and Brandon Hutton (6-5, 212). Moss put up three shots in five minutes and scored a bucket on a tip-in with 22 seconds left. Hutton saw action in the final two minutes and grabbed one rebound.

Moss had to clear up a few academic hurdles so he didn't arrive on campus until August. That prevented him from participating in summer workouts with the coaching staff.

'He's behind, and he's trying to catch up,' McCaffery said. 'I love him. He's a great kid, but he is a little bit behind. And it affects you in two ways. It affects your ability to know and understand everything you're supposed to be doing, but then ultimately it affects your confidence level because you know that you want to be where you're supposed to be and you're not always there, then you're a step slow or you stop short. I was glad to see him raise up and shoot those two 3s. They were open. He took them. Got a tip-in. He was active. Made a defensive mistake when I first put him in. Had a timeout, I showed it to him. Went back on the floor; he corrected it. So that tells me a lot about him.'

'(Hutton is) a little bit behind, and the hard thing for him is he's also trying to learn multiple positions, and I think right now what we need to do with him is, 'OK, just let him go one at a time, and we'll go from there.''

Junior-college transfer Dale Jones (6-7, 217) pulled down five rebounds in nine minutes. He missed his only shot and a pair of free throws. He also had an assist and a steal. Redshirt freshman guard Brady Ellingson (6-4, 189) was the first guard off the bench and played 13 minutes. He had a 3-pointer waved off when his foot was out of bounds. He missed both official 3-point attempts and inexplicably missed all three free-throw attempts after he was fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He did have two rebounds and a turnover.

3. TV TEDDY RETURNS

High-profile official Ted Valentine officiated his first Iowa men's basketball action since the Hawkeyes' 2013 Big Ten quarterfinal loss to Michigan State. Valentine made a few controversial calls in the 59-56 Spartans' comeback win. The Hawkeyes were on the NCAA tournament bubble that year and the loss popped their hopes.

Rick Boyages, the Big Ten's supervisors of officials, said sometimes the league institutes a 'cooling-off period' when coaches and officials have an issue. Valentine's primary league is the Big Ten so there was never a ban keeping him from officiating an Iowa game. Valentine also refs games in the Big 12, SEC and ACC so scheduling could have prevented him from returning to Iowa last year.

'I didn't know it was two years, but I noticed he might not have gotten to Iowa City last year,' Boyages told The Gazette at Big Ten media day. 'There's nothing negative there where a guy might get frozen out.

'I wouldn't read too much into it because there's a lot of moving parts.'

McCaffery and Valentine exchanged handshakes and a few laughs before Thursday's exhibition. There was nary an incident on the court between the two.

'People still remember 20 years ago (stuff) he did,' Boyages said. 'He doesn't really ref that way. He's a little flamboyant. In our league he's been reffing four or five years now; he came back and did it. I don't think we've had one really ta-do with a coach with him. He calls as few technicals as any guy in our league. If I showed you the ratings for him, you'd be amazed because if you just listened to the media, they're like, 'TV Teddy, he's a showman.'

'The guys in our league, his ratings are as high as anybody else referee-wise. So they want him. So you've got this public perception, but they don't have access to the communication and the ratings and the sheets and the comments that come in about who they want on their game. Most of them will tell you that in Valentine's case, his play-calling is second to none as far as accuracy. He'll do things like he'll hold the whistle, and you'll say it's a late call but all we care about at the office is it the right call.'

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