By Jordan Zuniga
Three years ago, Nicholas Baer was a relatively unknown freshman who made the cut and walked onto the Iowa basketball team.
Now a redshirt junior, Baer is an integral part of the Hawkeye basketball team he so adored as a kid.
Last year, Baer was a stat-sheet stuffer, finishing the season with a stat line of 7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, and with all of that, he averaged 24 minutes a game.
It was enough to earn Baer the Big-Ten Sixth-Man of the Year award. With all his success last year, most guys would be looking for a role upgrade, but not Baer.
“I’m not worried about [my role]’ right now,” he said. “Right now, I’m focused on getting better, and when the time comes, we’ll see where the team needs me most.”
This summer, he plays basketball in the Prime Time along with 11 other Hawkeyes.
On June 22, his team, Culvers, blew out Vinton Merchants, 130-92. Baer totaled 18 points for Culvers, many of them coming when the game was already in hand. His biggest contribution during the game was his ability to control the ball on offense and defense.
Baer is one of those rare breeds of forwards who can take the ball up the court and control the offense while being just as sharp on the defensive side. It seems as if there isn’t much he can’t do on a basketball court.
“It’s great; I love having [Baer] on the team,” Isaiah Moss said. “He does it all, rebounding, shooting, and attacking the basket.”
With everything great that Baer does on the court, it may be his off-court presence that is most endearing to Hawkeye fans.
He has had to pick up a role of being more of a leader and mentor to the very tall and talented incoming freshman class. Freshman Luka Garza was especially grateful for Baer’s leadership.
“I shadowed Baer on my visits,” Garza said. “He was a big part of my recruitment [to Iowa]. He’s always challenging me, and since I got here, I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Iowa’s other freshman, Jack Nunge, went head-to-head with Baer; early in the first half, Baer drove the lane, but a block by Nunge rearranged his shot.
“I told him he better not try to dunk on me,” Nunge said. “[The block] was there, and I went up and got it. We joked about it, and I let him get one later.”
“[Nunge] got me a few times,” Baer said. “I’ve been really impressed with him so far, though; I’m excited to see what he will do in the fall.”
Whether its through leadership, stuffing stat sheets, or all the little hustle plays, Baer has the opportunity to be a major factor for the Hawkeyes this season.