Three questions arise heading into Week 3 of Prime Time.
By Jordan Hansen
As the Prime Time League enters its third week, there’s certainly a lot to watch for as competition continues to heat up.
Several of the Iowa underclassmen and incoming freshmen have flashed at different points during the league so far, which should give Hawkeye fans a bit of relief. That said, there’s still a whole host of questions to answer, so here’s three:
Who, exactly, is going to play the 1 (point guard) this season?
Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons have both graduated, which means there is a whole bunch of primary ball-handling duty now unclaimed.
Iowa has a whole host of guards, but it will be incredibly difficult to replace Gesell, who became a bona fide floor general over his four years at the point. Clemmons will be missed greatly as well, and his presence essentially allowed head coach Fran McCaffery to put two guards who knew how to distribute the ball on the floor.
But enough about last year.
Right now, it seems as if Christian Williams is the leader for playing time at the position. After hardly getting on the floor much of the season, he saw his minutes increase as the year wound to a close.
There’s a lot to like about Williams. He has good handles, a workable jumper, and seems to be competent on defense as well. In addition, he only committed 6 turnovers in 102 minutes on the court last season.
Granted, Williams also only had 6 assists, but he did not spend a whole bunch of time at the point. With another summer of work, he should have a greater understanding of both the offense and where his teammates are on the court.
Outside of Williams, don’t be entirely surprised to see Jordan Bohannon get a look early in the season. He’s a true point guard and is fast enough to be able to run the court.
This is all assuming, of course, Peter Jok isn’t playing the point, which would be an entirely different conversation.
How good can Tyler Cook be?
Four-star recruits haven’t exactly been commonplace in Iowa City recently, so Cook is a special treat for Iowa fans. He’s huge, with a great wingspan, and loves to dunk.
He’s also confident and has said he feels confident shooting from anywhere on the floor. Oh, and he looks like a tree trunk. Scout has him listed at 6-8, 240 pounds and he’s already showed how strong he is.
Cook also seems to be open to learning and playing different positions, which is big. McCaffery likes his players to be flexible, and if Cook can display a consistent jumper, there’s very little that will be able to stop him.
Barring injury, he will see the floor this year and it won’t be garbage minutes.
Where does Dale Jones fit into all this madness?
Whenever a team graduates four senior starters at the same time, it creates a vacuum that needs to be filled.
Enter the quandary of Dale Jones, who missed all but six games for Iowa last year with a knee injury. The first question, of course, is will he regain some of the form he displayed in the six games he played last year?
Jones showed he has a 3-point stroke, hitting 9-of-20 treys last year while also pulling down three boards a game. At 6-7, he’s not a small guy and could help take some of the frontcourt minutes vacated by Jarrod Uthoff and Adam Woodbury.
However, with the addition of Tyler Cook and Cordell Pemsl as well as the return of Nicholas Baer, Dom Uhl, and Ahmad Wagner, he could be in a fight for minutes.
Jones was getting minutes early last season when he was hitting open jumpers and holding his weight on the boards. Not much will change this season. If he is hitting shots, he will find himself in the rotation. If he fails to shoot and rebound, younger guys will fill his spot in the lineup.