Jarrod Uthoff's journey: Marengo, CR, Iowa and likely the NBA

IOWA CITY — En route to the airport for his 17th and final NBA team visit, Jarrod Uthoff reflected on his past and how it propelled him to the cusp of an NBA draft selection.

One half-second later, Uthoff shrugs off any whiff of contemplation. The Marengo native, Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate and Iowa All-American has little use for rearview reflections. He never has. It's all about looking forward.

'I view it as the next step in the progression of my career. It's another step, a necessary step,' Uthoff said. 'I'm doing whatever I can do today to help me succeed for the rest of my life.'

Uthoff's attitude extends to his viewing habits. He famously told reporters during his senior season that he didn't have internet at home so he completed his homework at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He had little use for mainstream television, and opted instead for series like 'The Last Alaskans.' A few former teammates rented out rooms at restaurants for NBA draft parties. Uthoff doubts he'll even watch Thursday's NBA draft.

'I'm all about the long term,' Uthoff said. 'I'm all about succeeding. It's more than just one night. Yeah, it's a great accomplishment. I get drafted, but that doesn't mean anything. The next couple of years in the NBA, to be successful is more important to me. It's not about the perks and glamour. It's about the hard work that goes into it.'

Uthoff, who stands 6-9 3/4 inches and weighs 214 pounds, guided Iowa to three consecutive NCAA tournaments and a pair of NCAA wins his last two seasons. He was named Academic All-American of the Year for Division I men's basketball and earned second-team All-American plaudits. Uthoff was the first player in the last 15 years to average more than two blocks and two 3-pointers per game.

Among Big Ten competitors, Uthoff ranked second in scoring (18.9), first in blocked shots (2.7), and tied for 11th in rebounding (6.4). He's only the second Big Ten player since 1997 to register more than 150 blocks and 125 3-pointers in a career, and he did so in just three seasons.

Uthoff was a positional mismatch, too athletic for true post defenders and too long for regular perimeter players. Defensively, Uthoff could guard both types of players. That proved true at the NBA scouting combine in Chicago when one NBA observer remarked to The Gazette about how Uthoff altered shots on multiple possessions simply because of his length and hand placement.

'He's versatile, and he's got a 6-11 wing span and he can shoot it,' said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. 'He's got midrange ability, he can handle and pass the ball, and he's actually proven to be a really good shot blocker with blocking perimeter shots. I think he was the only BCS player that had 600 points, 200 rebounds and over 80 blocked shots this year.

'You wonder, though, is that going to translate on the defensive end once he gets into the NBA? But he's got ability and he can step in there with his versatility and knock down shots, space the floor, and I think he can hang on the defensive end.'

At midseason, Uthoff was considered a national player of the year candidate. Iowa ranked No. 3 overall and led the Big Ten. But the Hawkeyes slumped in losing seven of their final 10 games, and Uthoff's scoring consistency was a factor. He missed all six shots in the final 15 minutes against Wisconsin, didn't take a shot in the last 6:13 at Ohio State and hit only one of three attempts in the final 13:29 against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. He crushed Iowa State for 30 points in the first half but scored just two after halftime. But he still scored at least 20 points 16 times. He ended his Iowa career as No. 19 in scoring (1,259) and fourth in career blocked shots (174).

'At Iowa, he didn't just dominate games every game,' said ESPN NBA draft analyst Chad Ford. 'He would be dominant in stretches — and I mean dominant in stretches — and then other times he would just completely disappear. We actually saw that in the draft combine, too. There was like spurts where Uthoff looked great, and then you wouldn't even know he was on the court again for five, six, seven-minute stretches at a time.'

As for the feedback he's received from NBA officials, Uthoff was coy.

'My agent is going to hinder me,' Uthoff said with a laugh. 'Positive feedback, they liked my ability to space the floor. It's more and more crucial in the NBA to space the floor. My ability to help them in that, to be a shooter and put the ball on the floor and do some other things is going to help an NBA team.

'I think (defensive versatility is) a huge plus for me because I can defend multiple positions. That too, is what the NBA is going toward. You don't have a set position. You just go out there. If you don't have a set position, you don't have a primary matchup, you need to be able to guard different positions in different situations.'

Uthoff's schedule the last six weeks is a blur. In a three-day span he had workouts in Philadelphia, Houston and Sacramento. Among many other cities, he visited Boston and Utah, opened his workouts in San Antonio and — on his final day — New Orleans. He described his regimen as 'the airport, hotel, facility, airport. In that order. Every time.'

It's a dizzying schedule but one Uthoff came to appreciate and called 'an adventure.'

'To me it's not really a grind. It's fantastic,' Uthoff said. 'I get to travel to different cities and play basketball. What more could you ask for?'

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