Four-star big man Luka Garza commits to Iowa hoops

Luka Garza was scheduled to be on the Georgia campus this weekend. Instead, he changed his plans and flew to Iowa City -- a place he’ll soon call home.

Garza, a 6-foot-11, 230-pound center, gave his commitment to Iowa coach Fran McCaffery and the Iowa men’s basketball program this weekend. Garza becomes the Hawkeyes’ second Class of 2017 commit, joining McCaffery’s son, Connor, a senior at Iowa City West.

“I have decided that I will be attending the University of Iowa,” Garza wrote in a message he posted on Twitter. "Proud to be part of the family."

A product of Maret School in Washington D.C., Garza picked Iowa over the likes of Georgia, Notre Dame and Georgetown, among others. He held 21 offers, according to 247Sports, which also rated him as the No. 2 overall player in the D.C. area and among the top 150 nationally.

“He can play with his back to the basket, and enjoys doing that,” said Chuck Driesell, his coach at Maret. “He’s very effective, offensively, down there — with his moves and his touch. He’s got really good hands for a player his size. He has good vision, and can pass from out of the post.

“What kind of sets him apart is he can shoot the ball extremely well from three-point range on in. He has a great touch and a good feel for the game. He’s not overly quick or athletic, but he’s deceptive, and he’s versatile in how he can shot fake and get the defender off balance.”

Garza averaged 24.5 points per game for the Frogs during the winter season. At one point, he accounted for 17 double-doubles in 21 games, according to the Washington Post. His post presence will be welcomed to a roster that, currently, doesn’t list anybody as a traditional center.

Driesell said Garza has all the makings of an impressive collegiate player. His frame helps him defensively, despite not being overly strong. His basketball intelligence is among the best Driesell’s seen during his time at Maret. He understands his strengths and weaknesses, Driesell said, and isn’t afraid to put the ball on the floor.

“He’s one of those guys where you’ll sit there and watch the game, and at the end, you’ll look at his stats and see he had 25 points and 15 rebounds,” Driesell said. “He just gets the job done. He’s very efficient with what he does.”

Basketball has long been infused in Garza’s blood. His father, Frank, was a forward at Idaho, while his mother, Sejla, played professionally in Europe. His grandpa, James Halm, played for Hawaii, and his uncle, Teoman Alibegovic, played at Oregon State with Gary Payton and is the Slovenian national team’s all-time leading scorer.

What Garza needs the most, Driesell said, is a consistent weight-training program. The work ethic, Driesell added, is already there.

“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Driesell said. “He’ll be the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. I don’t think he’ll have any problem adjusting to the level of difficulty that is placed upon you at college, and all the demands that come with it.

“I think his biggest adjustment will be in the weight room, like most freshmen, and on the defensive end, just being strong enough to hold his position. He has the weight and the footwork; he just needs a little more strength.”

Prior to his commitment, Garza had taken two official visits — one to Iowa last May, and one to Alabama in late June — and had scheduled two others this month: Georgia this weekend and Notre Dame next weekend.

But those plans proved to be unnecessary, as Garza made his decision and immediately acted on it.

“I want to thank all the schools that have been involved with me throughout this entire process,” Garza wrote. “It’s a blessing to see hard work pay off but I know it is just the beginning.”