Iowa's Aaron Fuller no longer flies under the rebounding radar

IOWA CITY - Aaron Fuller's recent statistical surge has guaranteed himself a prime spot on opponents' scouting report.

No doubt the Iowa sophomore forward now is a game-planning focal point, but he has no plans to alter his approach to rebounding. He's now the Big Ten rebounding leader in conference games at 8.4 per game, one-half rebound better than Purdue's Robbie Hummel. He's by far the league's top offensive rebounder at 3.93 a game, nearly one rebound a game more than second-place DeShawn Sims of Michigan.

“It seems like the ball just comes my way,” said Fuller, who seems almost uncomfortable talking about his own success. “It's the will to get my teammates second-chance shots or finish each play with a rebound. That's something that's kind of stuck with me throughout high school and continues in college.”

Fuller, who stands 6-foot-6, is coming off a career-best game last week against Michigan. He scored 30 points - the highest-scoring game in Coach Todd Lickliter's three seasons - and grabbed 13 rebounds in an overtime loss. He had six offensive rebounds.

Fuller now averages 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds overall. But his output jumps in conference play to a team-leading 11.9 points a game as well as his soaring rebounding numbers.

“Aaron is playing to a strength,” Lickliter said. “I think he's always been a good offensive rebounder.”

Fuller's play has drawn high praise, from both his teammates and coaches to school administrators.

“He made 11 of 13 shots and frankly none them were further than 5 feet away from the basketball because nobody could stop him,” said Rick Klatt, Iowa's associate athletics director for external affairs, “The kid came to play, and nobody could stop him.”

Fuller often was in the right place last year but didn't have the power to fight off his competitors in Big Ten battles. He since has gained 15 pounds to about 230 and increased his bench press from about 225 to 285. He hopes to boost his bench press to the team's 300 club, joining post Jarryd Cole and freshman Eric May.

“Last year I kind of would be in the right spot, but I'd get pushed underneath the basket and get pushed around,” Fuller said. “I feel like this year I kind of hold my ground a little bit more and give myself a better chance to get a rebound.”

Fuller doesn't watch a lot of video to prepare for opponents and doesn't study rebounding in vociferous fashion. It's more about body positioning and watching the carom of the ball as it goes toward the rim or off the glass.

“I kind of anticipate where the ball's going to come up, so I kind of feel that it's more of a knack than having to sit there and watch film,” he said.