Lohaus shows off offseason work

WATERLOO - When the final buzzer sounded on the Northern Iowa men's basketball season in Seattle in the NCAA Tournament, the storyline immediately became; how will the Panthers replace their All-American forward Seth Tuttle?

And although it may sound cliche, it's expected it to take a collective effort from a number of returning Panthers to make up for all that was lost to graduation.

Of UNI's returners, sophomore to be Wyatt Lohaus - who averaged 13 minutes per game last season - will be one of the most counted on Panthers to pick up the slack left by Tuttle's graduation.

Playing in the Prime Time League on Sunday in Waterloo, Lohaus scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. And while the PTL is known for its hectic pace, and its box scores are infamous for their gaudy numbers, Lohaus was his usual methodical self. What was unusual about the All-Freshman guard was an evident boost in confidence in his ball-handling, and a noticeably quicker trigger on his off-the-dribble and catch-and-shoot shots.

'I keep working on my ball-handling. Coach (Ben) Jacobson talked to me about having to play the 1 and 2 - both (positions) this year,” Lohaus said. 'I'm working on coming off ball-screens and reading the defense. And then also working on my three-point shooting, coming off the ball-screen, and pulling up.”

Although he was only 2 if 10 from 3-point range in Sunday's game - an 82-65 victory - Lohaus showed an ability to get his shots off in heavy traffic with a quick and consistent stroke.

'It's something that I worked on a lot when I went home in May, is making (my shot) quicker and more efficient,” Lohaus said. 'I think it has improved, but I know I can improve it even more.”

The graduations of Seth Tuttle, Nate Buss and Marvin Singleton has dominated the off-season discussion surrounding Jacobson's Panthers. However, the Panthers lost another four-year starter to graduation in point guard Deon Mitchell.

Mitchell, who started 85 percent of his games during his career, was the primary ballhandler for UNI the past four seasons. Lohaus is poised to share that ball-handling role this season with the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year, Wes Washpun.

As a result of that increased role, the spotlight on the Iowa City West grad will likely be brighter this season. In part, that will be due to his team's NCAA Tournament berth, 31 wins, and national ranking that got as high as No. 9 last season. But in larger part the spotlight will be brighter on Lohaus due to an increased role, perhaps as a starting guard in Jacobson's back court.

Expectations will be high, but roles and minutes are still far from being defined.

However, one thing is a consensus among the Panther returners, no one will try to be something they're not.

'I don't think you can replace Seth Tuttle. So it's definitely going to be a group effort,” Lohaus said. 'Guys like Klint Carlson, Bennett Koch, and Ted (Friedman) will all have to step up. And they don't have to try to be Marvin Singleton or Seth Tuttle, but just do the best they can and be solid and consistent.”