Iowa’s Uthoff sets tone as a shot blocker

IOWA CITY — Few players, if any, in the Big Ten can match Jarrod Uthoff's scoring versatility. Perhaps none can equal his defensive presence.

Uthoff, a 6-foot-9 senior forward at Iowa, ranks second nationally in blocked shots with 50. That's 11 more than Purdue center A.J. Hammons, who ranks second in the Big Ten. But Uthoff doesn't just stand in the post and wait for opponents to charge the basket. What makes Uthoff unusual is that he defends multiple positions and attacks different shots.

'It's all about timing, and it's all about reading people's bodies,' said Uthoff, who also leads the Big Ten in scoring at 18.6 points a game. 'If you see them go up for a shot, you can tell by reading their eyes and their body language. That's when you go for it. Understanding the player, understanding the situation, understanding the timing of it. It's all that.

'I watch people and how they play and I get a feel for how they play. I understand how their bodies move and stuff. For the most part, it's an in-game read.'

Uthoff, a Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate, rejected six Michigan State shots last week in the Hawkeyes' 83-70 win against the previously No. 1 Spartans. Then in a road comeback at Purdue, Uthoff spurred the charge with five more blocks, including three in the second half. Those were vital in No. 23 Iowa (12-3, 3-0 Big Ten) rallying from 19 points down to beat the Boilermakers 70-63.

So what makes him so successful? His size plays a role. But it's more than that because college basketball is filled with tall players with long arms.

'I would just say his length and his ability to get back into a play,' Purdue Coach Matt Painter said. 'He blocked a couple of our shots and our guys shot them like they were in a desert, like nobody was around them. They lost him and we showed them film and told them, 'Hey, this shot fake is going to lose everybody else on Iowa's team, but it's not going to lose him. He's coming back, and he's going to be able to get a piece of the ball or change your shot. Understand that when you're past him, technically you're not past him because of his length.''

'The first thing is obviously length,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'The second is timing. The third is he can move his feet laterally. A lot of shot blockers can't do that. They just kind of wait and try to go get it. But he can move his feet laterally and keep you in front and then block your jump shot. Most shot blockers only block you from the weak side. He does both. That's really hard to do, and it's really hard to do and stay out of foul trouble.'

Against Nebraska on Tuesday, Uthoff was instrumental in keeping the Hawkeyes ahead late in the first half. Iowa outscored the Cornhuskers 12-0 over the final 7:35. Uthoff rejected three Nebraska shots, including two consecutive attempts inside of a minute.

'He blocked those four shots in the first half to make it hard for us,' Nebraska Coach Tim Miles said. 'We did a much better job in the second half of driving and pitching, but he really had a huge impact on the game.'

After two seasons of playing primarily a wing position, Uthoff has worked closer to the basket this year out of necessity. In previous years Iowa had Aaron White and Gabe Olaseni near the basket but both players graduated. That has given Uthoff more opportunities to block shots in the post, while he still defends smaller players along the perimeter.

'It's rare that you see kind of a small forward with that kind of shot blocking,' McCaffery said. 'He can guard a small forward, he can guard a power forward, he can post. He gives you a lot of flexibility as a coach in terms of how you can use him.'

Uthoff led the Hawkeyes in blocked shots last year with 56, which was the most since Erek Hansen had 89 in 2006. At his current pace, Uthoff could join Acie Earl as the only Hawkeyes to block more than 100 shots in a season.

'He's worked hard. He wasn't somebody who defended that way three years ago,' Painter said. 'He's put in a lot of time and really made a lot of improvements and really changes the games on the perimeter and the interior because of his length.'

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