Ben Jacobson likes progress UNI is making

CEDAR FALLS — Looking at Northern Iowa’s win-loss record this season, you can see a few more downs than ups for Coach Ben Jacobson’s young and inexperienced men’s basketball team.

Take a look beyond that 4-7 record and the 17th year head coach is pleased with the progress.

Facing the 41st toughest non-conference schedule in the country, Jacobson and his staff have seen development individually and as a team, even amid injuries to rotation regulars Cole Henry and Nate Heise.

“I feel great about the progress the guys have made,” Jacobson said. “I really like how hard we play. Their intentions are really good. There are so many positive things in place that have allowed us to get better. (and are) going to allow us to get, I think, really good.

“And doing it without Cole (Henry) for three or four weeks, without Nate (Heise) and obviously without (Austin) Phyfe.”

Heise’s month-plus absence due to a hand injury has forced UNI’s young backcourt — Landon Wolf, Michael Duax and Trey Campbell — to play extended minutes and weather proverbial on-court storms that they may have otherwise watched from the bench.

That’s something Jacobson feels will pay off in the long run.

“Certainly it’s something that’s going to help some guys individually, and we think, really help our team,” Jacobson said.

Among the most notable individual developments has been Bowen Born leading the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring, Tytan Anderson performing as a second option and leading the MVC in rebounding, and Wolf and Duax averaging 7.7 and 8.5 points per game respectively after redshirting last season.

Similar to the team’s record, though, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, evidenced by a two-game stretch for Born in which he combined for just 11 points in the Panthers two losses before Saturday’s win against Towson when he broke back out with a game-high 27 points and eight assists.

“(He was) not able to get to the same opportunities in the McNeese (game),” Jacobson said. “Then, South Florida, they really committed two guys to him and they were going to force him to give the ball up. So, just not as many opportunities to get between guys, get downhill, get to the free-throw line and as that happens sometimes that can take away a little of your aggressiveness.

“We kind of came away with him being who he is, and that is an aggressive scorer — score first mentality.”

With there already being plenty of film displaying the potential of UNI’s roster, the remainder of the regular season is fixated on fine-tuning roles, team defense and understanding what plays opposing defenses are making available in its flow offense.

Due to the late week winter storm warning, the Panthers will play their non-conference finale against St. Bonaventure (6-5) on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. as opposed to Thursday night.

The Bonnies were picked 10th in the 15-team Atlantic 10 preseason poll, and are led by guards Daryl Banks III and Kyrell Luc, who average a combined 30.3 points per game.

“Really good players and they run great stuff,” Jacobson said. “We got a little bounce in our step from playing well in that second half against Towson. We got some spots where we can get a lot better. We can play better basketball and we’re going to.”