Iowa hoops expected to sign 2 in early signing period

IOWA CITY — Coach Fran McCaffery has a good problem on his hands.

The crop of young players currently on the roster and coming in from this year's recruiting class leaves Iowa men's basketball with more than 10 players who will have three or more years of eligibility left after this season. That means he'll have to sort out scholarships and playing time in a hurry.

Wednesday's early signing period is expected to finalize two of Iowa's three commitments for the 2017-18 season and beyond. Washington, D.C., center Luka Garza and Newburgh, Ind., forward Jack Nunge are expected to sign national letters of intent and officially become Hawkeyes.

Iowa's third commitment, McCaffery's son and Iowa City West senior Connor McCaffery, is not expected to sign, McCaffery said last week.

Four-star recruits Garza and Nunge and three-star recruit McCaffery make up the 33rd-ranked recruiting class nationally and seventh-ranked class in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.

Proud to be a part of the family! September 10, 2016

Proud to be a part of the family! #HAWKEYENATION  @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/ECngWSxzDD

— Luka Garza (@LukaG_55)

Garza, a 6-foot-11, 250-pounder, chose Iowa over 20 other schools, including Indiana, Georgetown, Notre Dame and Louisville. The Maret School (Washington, D.C.) senior is ranked on the ESPN 100 as the 17th best center in the nation and 24th best player in his region.

Garza doesn't have a flashy game, but has impressed recruiters with how he uses his body and height effectively. He averaged 25.1 points and 12.1 rebounds per game during his junior season, and his recruiting interest spiked over the last year.

Excited that I will be attending the University of Iowa September 12, 2016

Excited that I will be attending the University of Iowa #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/ayTfk3kczJ

— Jack Nunge (@jnunge22)

Nunge verbally committed the day after Garza, on Sept. 11. The 6-foot-9, 185-pound power forward garnered interest from nine schools and offers from Nebraska, Vanderbilt and Evansville, among others, in addition to Iowa.

The Castle High School (Newburgh, Ind.) senior averaged 19.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his junior season, and is ranked as the eighth best power forward in Indiana, according to 247Sports.

Connor McCaffery committed in August 2014 as a sophomore at West, where he's started for three years. The oldest of McCaffery's four kids, Connor led the Trojans with 15.5 points per game and added 4.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds.

The 6-foot-4, 175-pound small forward also has interest from Rick Heller and Iowa baseball to play for those Hawkeyes as well.

Iowa still has three targets for the 2017 class, according to 247Sports. Five-star small forward Brian Bowen, Saginaw, Mich., native, is listed as a 'high choice' for the Hawkeyes on 247Sports, and has interest from several Power 5 conference schools. Bowen's La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.) teammate, center Jacob Epperson, and Davenport West senior point guard Jerry Myles are also listed as targets.

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