Senior point guard Bennett Stirtz has played 116 of Iowa men’s basketball’s 120 minutes through three games this season. At first glance, such a massive amount of playing time would appear inopportune for the backups at Stirtz’s position.
But for third-year Kael Combs, Friday night’s victory over Xavier offered him not only a chance to share the floor with Stirtz, but receive 31 minutes of action, the highest for Combs since January. Combs, who hails from Nixa, Missouri, capitalized on the extended chance, scoring a season-high 11 points and a team-high four assists while finishing second in plus/minus ranking.
“Our biggest thing around the team is serving each other,” Combs said. “Some of the starters came out a little bit flat, and I just tried to come in and make an impact.”
The Hawkeyes’ slow start didn’t feature a made basket until more than three minutes into the contest. Starting guard Isaia Howard committed three turnovers and was quickly pulled in favor of Combs, who scored a fast-break layup off a steal from Tavion Banks. Combs added a rebound, an assist, and cashed a pair of free-throws in his first stint of action.
Combs holds one career start under his belt, two years ago when he played for Wyoming. As a player coming off the bench, he said his goal is to provide instant energy whenever possible.
Iowa head coach Ben McCollum agreed, particularly focusing on Combs’ ball-handling duties. McCollum said Stirtz “got a little bit tired” and dealt with some cramping. With Combs on the floor, the Hawkeyes can feature two point guards – one at the top of the key and the other on the wing.
“When you have two point guards out there consistently, it’s really beneficial for your team,” McCollum said. “We’re pretty good when we have two point guards because it moves the ball better.”
Combs connected on 2-of-5 field goal attempts; the rest of his points arrived from a 7-of-7 performance at the free-throw line. His perfect night at the charity stripe was a highlight in Iowa’s otherwise measly 74.1 percent performance from the line.
Nevertheless, his free-throw attempts ranked behind only Stirtz and reflected an aggressive mindset of attacking the rim. The Hawkeyes finished with a season-high 50 points in the paint. For Combs, such success derived from ball screens, which allowed him to play downhill.
Likewise, all of Stirtz’s points came from inside the arc. The pair of guards shot a combined 0-of-2 from three-point land but finished 9-of-18 from the floor and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line. McCollum said Stirtz is likely to continue to play from the opening tip to the final horn, but for Combs, minutes might fluctuate. Combs’ previous two contests saw a combined 35 minutes. Such is the life of a bench player, but even one with the same position as a team’s star player can share the spotlight for a night.