Hand injury will cost Iowa junior co-captain three weeks

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said Matt Gatens' hand injury was “flukish” and it likely will cost the junior co-captain three weeks of his season.

“He just went to the hole, finished the play, he was contacted, (and) went into the basket support,” McCaffery said Thursday at Big Ten Media Day. “He stood up, and his thumb was clearly dislocated. We didn't think it was going to be as bad as it was at first because you never know with those things.”

Gatens, a 6-foot-5 guard, suffered a torn tendon in his left non-shooting hand Tuesday. He had X-rays taken and saw a hand specialist before opting for surgery on Thursday.

Gatens will wear a small splint on his hand for a couple of weeks, then will switch to a smaller one that will help him compete.

“In the beginning it will be a little bit cumbersome for him, but he'll get used to it,” McCaffery said. “After that I don't think he'll even notice it. The prevailing feeling after about eight weeks is there won't be anything on there and it's repaired, so you won't have to worry about it becoming chronic issue.”

Gatens' absence creates a void for Iowa. Gatens has started 64 consecutive games and led the team in scoring last year at 12.3 points per game. It's likely he'll miss the team's closed scrimmage Sunday against Ball State and exhibition Nov. 7 against Illinois-Springfield.

It's undetermined if he can play in the opener on Nov. 14 against South Dakota State, but Gatens showed last year he's willing to play despite injuries. Gatens suffered a sprained ankle in warm-ups before the Hawkeyes played Ohio State on Jan. 27. He then played 38 minutes and stood rather than sat when he received a quick breather.

“He said, ‘I've never really been hurt. I'll be back,'” McCaffery said. “He was very matter-of-fact more than anything else.

“This is a long-term decision, not only for the rest of this year but also for years to come. If this happened with two weeks to go in the rest of the season, he'd probably tape it up.”

McCaffery, who is in his first year as coach, will turn to freshman Devyn Marble, son of Roy Marble, Iowa's all-time leading scorer to replace Gatens. Sophomore point guard Cully Payne, junior Bryce Cartwright, junior Jordan Stoermer and sophomore Eric May all could get looks filling in for Gatens. It's possible Payne and Cartwright - both point guards - could see time together on the floor.

Gatens was pivotal to McCaffery changing Iowa's offense from half-court to up-tempo. Gatens lost around 20 pounds to fit the scheme, which requires moving up and down the court more quickly.

“I would prefer that he would able to play in those games, but it is an opportunity for Roy Marble in particular,” McCaffery said. “It gives me some opportunities to look at those kinds of things; Eric May in the backcourt, Zach McCabe running the three. Give our walk-ons a look.”

“The reality is it's experience versus inexperience but at least it gives those guys an opportunity to get some real valuable experience.”