High expectations for Iowa basketball freshmen

IOWA CITY - Fran McCaffery's comments earlier this week about his freshman class raised more than just eyebrows. They raised expectations.

“Josh (Oglesby) has shot the ball as well as anybody I've ever coached, and Aaron (White) is as versatile as 6-8 player I've ever had,” said McCaffery, Iowa's men's basketball coach. “They can score, they can defend, they work, they listen, they're team players, they can pass it, they're not mistake guys. They pick the offense up, they know what they're doing.

"They sort of stepped in and you always hoped that your freshmen, that you anticipate them being like this and they are like this. They're going to play a lot, and that's because they deserve to play a lot.”

Oglesby is a 6-foot-5 guard from Cedar Rapids Washington and was recruited to stretch the opposing defense with his 3-point shooting proficiency. Last year he led all classes in 3-pointers made (87) and 3-point shooting percentage (39.9 percent). His outside shot apparently has transferred to practice this fall.

"Josh has been shooting it real well," Iowa point guard Bryce Cartwright said. "Aaron is obviously versatile; so he gives us a dynamic presence."

White, a forward, was an all-state player in Strongsville, Ohio. He averaged 23.1 points and 10 rebounds and was named MVP in an Ohio-Kentucky all-star game. He's slated to play either power forward or occasionally at center.

Both are slated for the early rotation in Sunday's exhibition against Division II Northwest Missouri State. Both freshmen, along with post Gabe Olaseni are impact players this year because of their skill sets.

"They improve every day, and that's exciting," Iowa junior Eric May said. "That's really good to have with those guys because they can be a big impact."

Olaseni, a 6-10 player, has led the team in rebounding this preseason. His early development is vital for Iowa with senior center Andrew Brommer out with a sprained knee. Olaseni's focus is more on technique than statistics.

"I think taking my time in the post, continuously running the floor, posting strong, correctly setting screens, little things that will have a greater effort on the team," Olaseni said.