Iowa's 2016 basketball signees all on upward trends
To follow Iowa men’s basketball recruiting through the spring signing period is to be focused on a point guard.
Who is Mike Gesell’s replacement? Will he be a true freshman starter or a junior college star or a graduate transfer?
The fall signing period allowed Iowa fans to turn their full attention to the chase. The Hawkeyes locked in four prep prospects who feel ready to contribute to coach Fran McCaffery’s squad.
“You always want to get the best player or most talented guy possible,” Iowa assistant coach Andrew Francis said. “But there’s more to this thing than talent. There are other intangibles that you want to try to find in a young guy. Obviously, loyalty, work ethic and toughness are big.
“With the four guys we have, I think they’re loyal to the university, to our coaching staff, and they’re excited about it. That’s got us excited.”
Here are Iowa’s current 2016 signees — coaches are allowed to comment on recruits once National Letters of Intent are received — with quick reviews on their final seasons before heading to Iowa City.
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Jordan Bohannon
Guard, 6-1, Linn-Mar (Marion)
Iowa’s Mr. Basketball is more than just the youngest Bohannon brother. He’s the highest per-game scorer (25.8 points) in the state’s largest class since fellow Linn-Mar grad and recent North Carolina star Marcus Paige poured in 28.1 points in 2012. Bohannon also followed up an excellent 2015 AAU season by hitting four 3-pointers per game for the Lions this winter and shooting a state-best 92.4 percent from the free-throw line.
“Jordan came on strong in the summer and showed a tremendous ability to shoot the basketball,” Francis said. “He’s got a really nice feel for how to play the game, and he sticks to his strengths. And obviously, you look at the bloodline and the success his brothers have been able to have in college, that’s very encouraging.”
Bohannon was a three- and four-star recruit when he committed in August of 2015, and was considered to be a role player with the strength and athleticism of a guard who might struggle at the Big Ten Conference level.
He’s publicly quieted those questions as best he can. A 44-point game to end his prep career further proved he can shoot the lights out.
“I realize people will continue to doubt me, and I’m never going to let that get to my heart,” Bohannon wrote on Twitter after being named Mr. Basketball.
Does that determination put Bohannon in Iowa’s rotation? Time will tell.
“There are questions at our point guard spot, and Jordan is a tremendous young guy, but he’s still young,” Francis said. “There’s going to be a time period where he has to learn a lot. He has to understand the speed at this level, he has to understand the offenses and defenses, and his body has to physically continue to improve.
“You know the competitive nature is there, you know he wants to work hard, and he wants to create his own identity.”
Recruiting Takeaways: Looking inside Iowa's recruiting class
Tyler Cook
Forward, 6-8, St. Louis (Chaminade)
The crown jewel of Iowa’s fall class won Missouri’s Class 5 state championship last month. Cook is a consensus top 100 player in 2016 and is rated highest by ESPN at No. 47 nationally. A physical post presence at 6-8 and 240 pounds, Cook happily committed to the Hawkeyes last September.
“Tyler is tough as nails,” Scout.com national recruiting analyst Brian Snow told the Register before Cook signed in November. “He rebounds, he defends, and even though he doesn’t have a ton of post moves, he just gets stuff done on the low block. He’s the college-ready body, college-ready player that you look for.”
Cook didn’t put up gaudy statistics in his senior season — 12 points and six rebounds per game — for good reason. Duke recruit and blue-chip wing Jayson Tatum got most of Chaminade’s attention.
“(Chaminade) had an outstanding year as a team, and it’s a team sport,” Francis said. “I know Tyler was excited about having the opportunity to play for a state title. You always want to have success as an individual, and Tyler had a measure of success based on what his team needed.”
Cook’s numbers could improve on his prep totals if he adds to Iowa’s versatile frontcourt in a hurry. The four-star prospect is nursing an Achilles strain, but he should be full-speed before arriving. He’s already recruiting for that aforementioned starting point guard, too.
“His role will be significantly different than the role he had in high school,” Francis said. “Our job is to get him prepared for that. He’s determined to have a bigger role and continue to ascend.”
Ryan Kriener
Forward, 6-10, Spirit Lake
Iowa’s scholarship offer was on the table for less than 48 hours last summer when Kriener accepted it. The smooth big man was in demand after winning an AAU national championship with Bohannon and their Martin Brothers squad, and he added to the hype by averaging 22.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game as a senior and leading Spirit Lake to its first state tournament since 1942.
“Ryan is hard-nosed, and I love the toughness that he brings and the desire that he has to be a Hawk and a contributing member of our program,” Francis said.
Kriener was the inside punch for Spirit Lake, as athletic North Dakota recruit Billy Brown added more than 20 points per game from the perimeter. He stayed efficient in northwest Iowa, shooting 68 percent, but will need to stretch the floor as a post at the college level.
Kriener is skilled for his size — 6-10 and 240 pounds — and his greatest adjustment will come from no longer being the longest and strongest player on the court.
“Ryan had a prominent role and was the focal point of their system,” Francis said. “But each of these guys has the same mindset of doing what it takes to help the team win. They’re going to be learning a new role and new style of play at a different level. This is a whole different ballgame.”
Cordell Pemsl
Forward, 6-8, Dubuque Wahlert
Pemsl’s injury history is scary. But if the longtime Hawkeye commit's health is back to 100 percent, as he claimed and showed at last month’s state tournament, his upside is scarier.
The two-time state champion led Wahlert in scoring and rebounding for all four varsity seasons, posting career-bests of 21.3 points and 10.5 rebounds as a senior.
“I’ve felt good all season,” Pemsl said at Wells Fargo Arena in March. “Ever since surgery, everything has felt good and felt right.”
The effects of a major leg osteotomy — performed at University of Iowa hospitals — knee and shoulder injuries were in the rear-view mirror as he threw down dunks, alley-oops and stormed down the open floor in Des Moines. Pemsl was a three-time finalist and all-state selection in Class 3A.
Wahlert's Cordell Pemsl: Iowa's most underappreciated high school hoops star
“When they performed the surgery, the doctor was very positive and optimistic on the outlook of how Cordell would be, and you knew Cordell would work to get himself back to where he belongs,” Francis said. “We dealt with a similar thing with Peter Jok. Going through his surgery and recovery, a lot of people doubted that he could become the player that he is now.”
Pemsl committed almost two years ago, rising up the recruiting rankings as a star sophomore. He and McCaffery’s staff stayed with each other through ups and downs. Now, Iowa is a couple months from getting the powerful lefty on campus.
“When Cordell was younger, he had quite a bit of attention and people expected him to have an elevated recruiting ranking,” Francis said. “The injuries hampered that, but we don’t go by rankings. We don’t care about that. We care about guys that are good enough, fit the way we want to play and can help us and want to be a part of what we’re doing.
“We’ve been patient, and he’s continually shown the progress that we’ve hoped.”