Iowa basketball’s Garza out indefinitely following surgery

The Hawkeye big man had surgery to remove a benign cyst in his abdomen.

Iowa forward Luka Garza gathers the ball during Iowa’s game against Northern Illinois on Friday Dec. 29, 2017. The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskies 98 to 75. (Nick Rohlman/The Daily Iowan)

Pete Ruden, Sports Editor

Iowa basketball big man Luka Garza will be out indefinitely after undergoing successful surgery to remove a benign cyst in his abdomen on Sept. 7, Hawkeye men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery has announced.

Garza, a 6-11 sophomore from Washington, finished third on the team with 12.4 points per game last season. He also led the team with 32 blocks in 33 games and finished second in rebounds (6.4) and free throws (92).

“We are happy to hear that Luka’s procedure went well,” McCaffery said in a release. “Luka has had a phenomenal summer preparing for his sophomore season, and we look forward to him rejoining his teammates on the court later this fall.”

Garza scored a career-high 25 points without missing a shot against Northern Illinois on Dec. 29. He also tallied 7 rebounds and 5 blocks.

In Iowa’s lone Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois, Graza posted 20 points and 8 boards on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

The Hawkeyes will open their regular season against Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 8 at Carver-Hawkeye.