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Hawkeyes men's basketball team searches for help from 'bigs'

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By Steve Batterson | Wednesday, November 14, 2007 2:04 AM CST | () comments

IOWA CITY — Justin Johnson proved in Iowa’s season opener that he can knock down a few shots.

After his 21-point performance in the Hawkeyes’ win over Idaho State on Friday, the senior guard looks to get a little help.

Iowa welcomes Northern Colorado (1-1) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 8 p.m. today with hopes of getting more production and more consistent play from its big men.

Starters Kurt Looby and Seth Gorney combined for nine points and 13 rebounds against Idaho State, and coach Todd Lickliter expects more from a segment of the game that he considers a work in progress on both ends of the floor.

“We’re better now from where we started, but we need to do a better job,” Lickliter said. “Our guys realize that.”

Lickliter said the Hawkeyes big men, a four-man rotation that included Cyrus Tate and Jarryd Cole in the opener, played with the poise he was hoping to see from them.

“We can do a better job of finding them and we need to look for opportunities for those guys,” Lickliter said. “They’re holding their positions well and they understand their own strengths and we need to do what we can to play toward those strengths.”

Guard Jeff Peterson said involving more players in the offense will be an important next step for the Hawkeyes.

“I missed a few chances to get the ball inside to those guys in a position where they can score,” Peterson said. “The bigs are doing a good job of getting themselves good looks. When they are there, we have to capitalize on that.”

Lickliter concurs, saying that both can become effective options within the structure of the Hawkeyes’ motion offense.

“We expect everyone to play within the framework of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Lickliter said.

He uses Johnson as an example.

“We give him some freedom because he has a special talent for shooting it, but we expect him to be responsible. We expect him to take shots he can make and that is something we expect from everyone,” Lickliter said.

“When a player shoots, we expect that shot to be a good one for the team. I don’t want a guy taking a not-so-good shot if there is a better shot available by making an additional pass.”

Lickliter said Iowa’s big men have room to improve defensively. From his perspective, that begins with developing an ability to adjust to the ball more efficiently.

“We’re working on it,’’ Lickliter said. “It’s a process, but I’m encouraged because these guys have shown a willingness to work and they try to do the right thing. That gives us a chance.”

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.