A changing of the guard in on-floor leaders at UNI

NORTH LIBERTY - It's only summer league basketball for the Northern Iowa men's basketball players, but the changing of the guard has already seemed to take place.

Gone are Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Seth Tuttle, forward Marvin Singleton, forward Nate Buss, guard Deon Mitchell and guard Max Martino. Remaining are more than a few players who had pivotal roles in the Panthers' 31-4 season record, MVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament run into the third round.

As Wes Washpun, Matt Bohannon, Paul Jesperson and Jeremy Morgan move into roles that will require much more of the offensive workload, so too have they moved into the leadership roles vacated by the aforementioned departed.

And while, yes, it's only summer league, they're carrying themselves that way.

'I've tried to fill that role. There's three seniors on the team in me, Paul and Matt and we're trying to share the load and get the younger guys filled in and going and try to pick up where we left off last year,” Washpun said after his Prime Time League game last Thursday. 'I've embraced it. Being a point guard, I've always had a bit of a leadership role. Yeah, Tuttle was our leader last year, but I was right there with him trying to lead the guys off the bench. It's stepping into a bigger role now and trying to do the best I can.”

The Prime Time League is three nights old so far, with four more regular-season summer league nights left (Thursday, July 9, July 12 and July 16) before the playoffs starting July 23.

Summer league games are often a hard place to glean relevant statistical information because of the makeup of the teams and relative lack of defense. But they can give an indication of confidence and mentality. Even if there might not be the same type of defense they'll see in MVC play, they still have to knock down the shots and make good decisions.

Former Iowa Hawkeye and current Big Ten Network analyst Jess Settles coaches one of the seven teams in the Prime Time League. His roster includes Washpun, former Hawkeye Matt Gatens, Iowa's Brady Ellingson and future Panther Justin Dahl, among others. What he's seen from Washpun specifically is a guy still in regular season mode even when he doesn't have to be.

'He's very confident but very humble. And in a summer league, he's very unselfish,” Settles said. 'You saw a lot of times where he could've made the play - and there are no consequences here for making a bad play - but in his mind he's thinking about the season. He's making the extra pass, attacking when he needs to. I might need him attacking a little bit more because we want to win some games (in the Prime Time League).”

Washpun has averaged 20 points on 56.7 percent shooting from the floor, 7.5 rebounds and six assists.

He and his teammates haven't really taken any time off since the loss to Louisville in the Round of 32 out in Seattle, either. He's been pouring over games from last year, trying to find the ground he needs to make up before the Panthers are in season again.

'Summer's going really well. Really well,” Washpun said. 'I've been watching a lot of film from last year, trying to see where I made some mistakes and fix the little things. I've been working on my ball-handling too, and of course my jump shot.”

Right there beside him through those workouts were Bohannon, Jesperson and Morgan - as well as every other underclassman still on campus over the summer.

Bohannon is the commodity everyone remembers, and has averaged 32.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting so far in two PTL games - highlighted by a 41-point performance last Thursday. Jesperson has been nothing if not consistent in three PTL games, averaging 18.3 points on 48.9 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds.

But the biggest shift has been in the attitude and demeanor of Morgan. He's put out a noticeable aura of confidence and maturity that he lacked at times last season. Knowing he'll be an upperclassman and more eyes will be looking to him this year has lit a new fire underneath him.

'Me and a lot of the guys are going to have to step up next year. We've got Seth and Buss and all those seniors gone, so we're going to have to step up for sure,” Morgan said. 'I've been working on my ball-handling and my discipline. I've been undisciplined at times, so I've been getting up and shooting every morning and trying to stick to that routine to be a little more discipline.

'I do feel more comfortable now. I know a lot of these guys look to me as a leader. It's just what I was trying to do (in summer league) is lead them in a direction.”

Settles got to watch Morgan play against his team last Thursday, and has seen the rest of what's left of UNI's backcourt on multiple occasions. He doesn't see a change in production coming for that group.

That will be especially true if what's shown on the court to date in the PTL carries over into the winter and spring next season.

'The Northern Iowa kids just know how to play. Bohannon will take his game to another level. Jeremy, he's going to have a wonderful year as well. Those three guys (with Washpun) are going to be ready to take over,” Settles said. 'I don't see much of a dropoff. The next couple of years look good.

'Their backcourt is phenomenal. The question is if they can take the forwards and make them become what they need to become. That's why the assistants get paid the big bucks.”

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