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Iowa Hawkeyes (2001: 23-12)

The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I teams, be sure to order the 2001-02 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.

Steve Alford is an avid golfer, so when looking for a metaphor to describe the upcoming season, naturally he turns to the links.

"Saturday is 'moving day' on the PGA Tour," Alford said. "You know, you've made the cut and on Saturday you're either going to move yourself into contention for the championship or you're going to drop out of the running.

"Well this season is our 'moving year.' We've had two years here, we've put the players in place, put the system in place ... we've made the cut, so to speak. We've done everything we can to put ourselves in position to be playing for the Big Ten championship in late February and make a long run in the NCAA tourney in March."

The Hawkeye faithful should have plenty to cheer for this year, as Alford brings an experienced, talented team back to defend their Big Ten postseason title.

"The key is, we're going to be deep," Alford said. "This is the deepest team we've had since I've been here, and trying to find a 9-to-10 man rotation will be difficult because of the talent and depth we have."

Once again the Hawkeyes will be playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation. For the third straight year they'll take on the defending national champs -- this time playing Duke at the United Center in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

They have road games at Iowa State and Missouri, host a tough Louisiana Tech squad, and play in two tournaments -- their own Gazette Hawkeye Challenge (vs. SMU, LaSalle and Alabama State) and the Guardians Classic, where they could end up facing the likes of Memphis, Missouri or Alabama.

"We tasted some success last year, but then the injury bug hit us and we had to relearn how to do things," Alford said. "Then we tasted success again at the end of the year, and that got everybody fired up."

Projected starters

PG - Brody Boyd (5-11, 155 lbs., SO, #11, 5.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 16.7 minutes, .392 FG, .373 3PT, .675 FT, Union HS/Dugger, Ind.)

There should be a three-man battle to replace Dean Oliver in the starting lineup. The leading candidate will be Boyd, who gained valuable experience in starting the final 12 games at off-guard last year.

He averaged 9.3 points in the six postseason games last year and was the star of the Big Ten championship game with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-for-8 beyond the arc). His two free throws with 22 seconds left were the final margin of the 63-61 victory over his homestate Hoosiers.

Boyd's three-point percentage last year (.373) was the third best all-time for an Iowa freshman. He scored in double-figures eight times in his rookie season, including a streak of five straight games after Recker went down.

Boyd will get a chance to move back to his natural position of point guard, but don't expect him to be shy about taking his shot if it's open.

SG - Luke Recker (6-6, 210 lbs., SR, #24, 18.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 33.6 minutes, .439 FG, .431 3PT, .856 FT, DeKalb HS/Auburn, Ind. and University of Arizona and Indiana University)

Recker could have drawn interest from the pros if not for a series of injuries.

"When you look at all the power forwards and shooting guards in the country, it's hard to find anybody better than those two," Alford said of his dynamic senior duo. The Indiana transfer (by way of Arizona, where he never played a game) was midway through a strong junior season when a cracked kneecap sidelined him for the remainder of the year. But now the 6-6 senior is back to finish what he started last year.

Recker had a solid half season. He twice earned Big Ten Player of the Week Honors, the second time after he dumped 27 points and eight rebounds on his old school (Indiana) and 17 points, three rebounds and three assists on Minnesota. Recker also scored 27 points against Illinois (on 10-for-10 free-throw shooting), notched his season high of 28 against cross-state rival Iowa State, scored 26 against Drake, 25 against Kansas State and 23 against Missouri.

A healthy Recker can do even more damage this season, given Iowa's depth and array of offensive weapons. Teams will try to key on Recker, but if they do, one of his teammates will step up.

SF - Duez Henderson (6-7, 200 lbs., SR, #23, 6.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 21.0 minutes, .514 FG, .345 3PT, .761 FT, River Rouge HS/Detroit, Mich.)

The Hawkeye offense should get a boost from the continued development of Henderson, who started 29 games last season. Alford lauded Henderson for doing many of the little things that made the Hawkeyes successful.

In the Big Ten championship game, Henderson scored with 1:42 remaining to put the Hawkeyes on top, then grabbed the rebounds on each of Indiana's final two missed field goals, securing the victory. He also scored in double figures in each of the first three games of the tournament, including a five-for-five performance from the field against Penn State.

Then in the NCAA Tournament, he played a career-high 36 minutes and scored a season-high 16 points in Iowa's opening-round victory over Creighton. Clearly as the season evolved, so did Henderson's confidence and his role in the offense. As a senior, he'll be a legitimate third option, taking pressure off Recker and Evans.

PF - Reggie Evans (6-8, 245 lbs., SR, #32, 15.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 34.9 minutes, .475 FG, 1.000 3PT, .630 FT, Woodham HS/Pensacola, Fla. and Coffeyville JC/Coffeyville, Kansas)

Evans had as much or more impact than any newcomer in the country last season, leading the nation in four major categories -- rebounding, free throws (218), free throw attempts (346), and double-doubles (22). He was voted national Newcomer of the Year by ESPN.com, made the national All-JUCO transfer team selected by collegeinsider.com, and earned honorable mention All-America honors from The Associated Press.

"I've been in college basketball for a long time and followed it as a fan before that, and I don't know if there's ever been a player in his first year of Division I play to lead the country in four statistical categories," Alford said.

Evans was one of 12 players selected to play for Team USA in the FIBA junior world championships in Saitama, Japan, this August, where he helped lead the U.S. to the title with an all-star roster of teammates that included Troy Bell, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon and Nick Collison.

Evans was fifth on the team in scoring and third in boards in the eight-game tournament, and, predictably, he led the team in free throws attempted and made.

That Evans is back for his senior season is no small feat in itself. After his breakout junior year, he caught the attention of NBA scouts and drew the interest of more than a few agents who tried to persuade Evans to turn pro. Even though Evans eventually decided to return to campus, the process left a bad taste in Alford's mouth.

Evans, whose game is aggressive and physical, had some monster games last season. His season high of 30 points came against Penn State. He also had a season-high tying 18 boards in that game. Evans grabbed 18 rebounds in three other games.

C - Jared Reiner (6-11, 255 lbs., SO, #5, 3.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 12.7 minutes, .411 FG, .673 FT, Tripp-Delmont HS/Tripp, S.D.)

In the middle, Alford brings back two 6-11 sophomores who earned invaluable playing experience last season. The leading candidate to start is Reiner, who also started 23 games last year and led the team with 20 blocked shots. Reiner is an honor roll student, so he should be smart enough to know that he won't be the focus of the offense this season.

However, he should be able to gobble up any rebounds that manage to slip past Evans, and his presence down low will take some pressure off the all-everything power forward. Reiner had some moments last season. He scored a season-high nine points (with four rebounds and three blocks) against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and grabbed seven boards against Illinois.

Bottom line

Alford has been a huge shot in the arm to this program, and his presence on campus vaults Iowa into the top 10 of programs to watch for in the next decade. He's a dynamite recruiter and a dynamic presence on the sideline. He is the face of Iowa basketball, plain and simple.

This year he's got two All-America candidates in Evans and Recker, and that can go a long way toward winning the Big Ten. It's a rough-and-tumble conference, and Evans is the premier banger in the league, so if he gets any help from the young centers, he could actually improve on last year's performance.

Henderson could be a sneaky scorer who ought to draw enough attention to allow Recker to get his points. And the young point guards won't be asked to do too much but get the ball to the scorers and pop the occasional three.

No doubt about it, the Hawkeyes are a legitimate favorite to win the Big Ten and advance to at least the Sweet 16 this season.