Iowa’s defensive stud hopes to add some skills to his offensive game this summer to prep for the coming season.
By Jordan Zuniga
Ahmad Wagner’s defense and rebounding skills should make him an essential part of the Hawkeye basketball team this coming season.
After putting up a solid freshman campaign, Wagner came back hungry for more in his sophomore year; he averaged 4.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks in 16 minutes of play.
Wagner’s biggest contribution came on the defensive side of the ball.
Often last year, his job was to eliminate an opponent offensively. Something he did very well in the Iowa State game last winter — he played a big role in slowing Deonte Brown.
Wagner is not only a great defender, he is also a versatile one.
Because of Iowa’s lack of a true center last year, Wagner often had to guard the opposing center, which proved not to be a problem for him.
“Being able to guard numerous positions is something I pride myself on,” Wagner said. “So in practice, I try to guard different people as much as I can.”
So far, Wagner has proved to be able to do numerous things on the court. In his first game of the Prime Time on June 19, Wagner put up a stat line of 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists, showing off his offensive and rebounding prowess.
Over the summer, Wagner is playing alongside and against 11 other Hawkeyes in the summer league. He and Hawkeye Christian Williams are on the Jill Armstrong Team.
During the June 22 Prime Time game, Wagner and the Armstrong team took on Marion Iron.
The game was scheduled to feature four Hawkeyes — Tyler Cook, Dom Uhl, Williams, and Wagner. However, Wagner was the only one in uniform as the Marion Iron took the victory, 103-97.
He played a solid game, contributing mostly on defense. Surprisingly, Wagner pulled up and shot two 3 pointers in the game, hitting one.
On June 22, he demonstrated he can play more like a point forward; his scoring dipped to 11 points, but his assist numbers jumped up to 6. Wagner also managed to pull down 7 boards.
“I’m trying to become more perimeter-oriented [this summer],” Wagner said. “I’m working on my ball handling and perimeter shooting to become more of a playmaker.”
Having Wagner as a playmaker would be a huge benefit for the Hawkeyes in the upcoming season.
“He [Wagner] has worked extremely hard so far this summer,” Hawkeye Nicholas Baer said. “It’s nice to see some of that work pay off for him.”
In his most recent game, Wagner once again proved to be a force down low, scoring 24 points while snagging 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Not only has Wagner pushed to make himself better, he also has pushed his Iowa teammates to work harder.
Incoming freshman Jack Nunge appreciates Wagner’s veteran leadership so far.
“Every day in practice, he [Wagner] pushes us,” Nunge said. “Every play in practice, we have to go hard, and we’re learning it from him and the other veterans.”
Wagner was one of the few bright spots for Iowa defensively last season; the Hawkeyes hope he can build on last year’s success and continue to be a defensive stud.