Iowa’s Uthoff looks for consistency, shed insecurity

IOWA CITY — Standing nearly 6-foot-10 with a lean, yet sculpted physique, Iowa junior Jarrod Uthoff boasts an envious frame for most basketball small forwards.

Along with body type, Uthoff's attributes include a well-rounded skill set. He's an inside-outside player who can rebound with anyone in the post. He pops midrange jumpers and 3-pointers with equal efficiency. He displays quick handles, plays strong defense and passes with ease. He's slated to make his first career start against Hampton on Friday, and his game shows no obvious weakness.

That's why last season was so maddening for Uthoff. A Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate, Uthoff posted solid statistics for Iowa. He finished fourth in scoring (7.6), rebounding (4.6) and minutes played (18.2) last year. After a good showing in nonconference play, in which he averaged 10.9 points, Uthoff's numbers waned in Big Ten play. He failed to surpass eight points in Iowa's final 14 regular-season games. He was scoreless in the final two Big Ten games (Michigan State, Illinois), missing all eight shots.

Uthoff knows consistency is his key to success. But he first must overcome his insecurity.

'I think uncertainty about myself and my role on the team,' Uthoff said when asked about last year's ups and downs. 'I think that was the biggest thing.'

Iowa's deep bench became both an asset and a burden last year. McCaffery rotated 11 players. The hot hand often stayed in the game, and a turnover sometimes forced rotational players to linger on the bench. Uthoff sat for extended periods at Michigan (nine minutes), against Ohio State (eight minutes), at Minnesota (seven) and against Illinois (eight).

'It's tough when you make a mistake and you get taken out right away,' Uthoff said. 'Because then you're thinking, 'I've got to go make a difference. I've got to go make a play.' Then it starts snowballing. That's when you really start making even worse mistakes. I think being in there and having the maturity through that and making a mistake on defense or whatnot, I think that's going to be huge for me.'

Uthoff's teammates see his talent, and they're doing what they can to erase any doubt.

'At times last year, he would turn down a lot of shots and shoot a lot of difficult shots,' junior guard Anthony Clemmons said. 'I try to tell him, 'Just make it easy on yourself and just knock down the first shot.'

'The thing I tell him is when you see a guy backing up and you're attacking him, I tell him to go at him. I always tell him to attack and do what he does best, and that's score.'

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery encourages Uthoff to stop bypassing good shots. Before the team's exhibition against Northwood, McCaffery said Uthoff was 'gun shy' at times but has become more comfortable within the offense.

'The thing I like about him so far this fall is he's really been consistent rebounding the basketball, and we need him to do that,' McCaffery said. 'With regard to being aggressive offensively, most of the time he's not as aggressive as he should be regularly. So, I mean, (Tuesday) he had a phenomenal workout, so we're very happy with his approach mentally. I think his confidence level is good. We brought some officials in here on the weekend and scrimmaged and he didn't scrimmage well. He addressed that and came back in a big way.'

Uthoff flashed his potential in last year's Big Ten Tournament. He shook off his late-season slide and scored 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including three 3-pointers, in a loss to Northwestern. He also grabbed nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

In Iowa's exhibition against Northwood two weeks ago, Uthoff became more aggressive by design. He scored nine of Iowa's first 11 points after halftime and assisted on the other basket. He finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes. It was the type of performance McCaffery expects from his fourth-year junior.

'He knows he's got the green light,' Uthoff said. 'For whatever reason sometimes he gets a little tentative. As long as he plays aggressively, typically he puts up stats. I mean, he's going to get points and rebounds. He's not a big mistake guy, he'll block some shots for you. He's a really talented player.'

Uthoff expects the same from himself.

'I'm just going out there just telling myself, 'Just play and go have fun,'' Uthoff said. 'It's coming more natural now.'

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