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The task will be tougher because of the fact that experience is the rule rather than the exception in the Big Ten in 1998. Three teams return all five starters, Iowa is one of three teams that has four starters returning and five teams return three starters.

In addition, Illinois, Penn State and Wisconsin, like Iowa, all return talented veterans who missed the 1997 season due to injuries. In total, 43 of the normal 55 starters for Big Ten teams in 1997 return for the upcoming season.

At the end of the 1997 season, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin were all seeded higher than the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament, while Iowa Purdue and Indiana all received an eight seed. All five of the above mentioned opponents were ahead of the Hawkeyes in the final RPI ratings.

"We can't be rated ahead of those teams when you factor in the returning talent," said Iowa Coach Tom Davis. "Purdue and Indiana return five starters, and Michigan returns four. Minnesota has a veteran team that returns all but two starters from its Final Four team. Wisconsin returns four starters and Illinois three, and both of those teams have veteran players returning who missed last season."

Penn State returns three starters in addition to all-Big Ten guard Dan Earl, Ohio State has five returning starters and a new coach, Northwestern has three starters and a new coach and Michigan State returns three starters from a team that was playing as well as anybody late in the season.

Iowa, which tied for second in the Big Ten race last season with Purdue, is the only team that must replace the 1997 Big Ten scoring champion and the league leader in assists in each of the past two seasons.

That would be guard Andre Woolridge, who became the first player ever to lead the Big Ten in both scoring and assists in the same season. Woolridge led the league in both categories for the entire season and in Big Ten games only.

As the only senior on the team a year ago, Woolridge took the young Hawkeyes under his wing and led them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Replacing his numbers on the court, and his leadership off the court, will be a major task.

"Certainly the loss of Andre will affect our team next season," admits Davis. "How much, I don't know. He made everyone better by what he did for us. Yet at the same time, with a good off-season of work, we have several players who can improve on their numbers from this past season."

Helping to offset the loss of Woolridge will be the anticipated return of forward Jess Settles. The 6-7 senior played in only three games a year ago due to injury and returns for a fifth season. Settles earned first team all-Big Ten honors in 1996 when he led Iowa in both scoring (15.1) and rebounding (7.5). Settles has been in the starting line-up since his freshman season when he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Iowa returns four players who started the final eight games last season, plus forward J.R. Koch, who started 24 of 32 games. The returning starters include senior forwards Ryan Bowen and Darryl Moore, junior guard Kent McCausland and sophomore center Guy Rucker.

Bowen ranked among Big Ten leaders in rebounding with an average of 9.1 per games last season and averaged 11.8 points while shooting 55.3% from the field. Bowen scored and rebounded in double figures 10 times while earning third team all-conference honors.

McCausland led the nation and set an Iowa single season record by hitting 52.2% from three-point range last season while starting 25 of the 29 games he played. The Waterloo native averaged 8.6 points and just over three rebounds per outing.

As a redshirt freshman Rucker started slowly and improved his numbers as the season progressed, developing into one of the top big men in the league by the end of the season. Rucker averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 51.8% from the field and he ranked among Big Ten leaders with 39 blocked shots.

Moore was one of the top stories in the Big Ten a year ago, advancing from a unknown walk-on at the start of the season to a starting forward who had 10 rebounds in a second round loss to national runner-up Kentucky. Moore started 13 games, averaging 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Koch started 24 games as a sophomore, gaining valuable experience early in his career. Koch averaged eight points and 4.3 rebounds, showing he can be a factor inside with 25 blocked shots and a factor on the perimeter with 18 three-point baskets.

Additional returning players include sophomore guard Ryan Luehrsmann, junior guard Jason Bauer, senior forward Vernon Simmons, junior center Alvin Robinson and senior center Greg Helmers.

Luehrsmann came on late in the season, averaging 3.5 points while playing both guard spots. Bauer is another walk-on who played in 31 games and started six times. Simmons and Robinson saw limited action in the rotation while Helmers missed the majority of the season after knee surgery early in the year.

Iowa's depth will be aided by the addition of three players. Forward Marcelo Gomes (6-7, 205) was redshirted last season and could help along the front line.

Two former Iowa preps, guard Dean Oliver and forward Ricky Davis, join the program after earning all-state honors as preps. Oliver (6-0), Iowa's Mr. Basketball as a senior, led Mason City to back-to-back state titles. Davis (6-6) was a standout throughout his prep career at Davenport North. Both are highly regarded by all of the national recruiting services and one service lists Iowa as having the best two-man recruiting class in the nation.

"With our returning veterans and the athletic talent of our newcomers, we have the capability of some very good dimensions for next season," concluded Davis. "But trying to predict how everyone will fit together is tougher each season. Replacing a very important position, which the point guard is for us, will fall on some young players, and you can't anticipate how different players will respond to that challenge."

The numbers would seem to favor Iowa as far as combining an experienced group of returning players with a talented group of newcomers. However, as mentioned above, the majority of the teams in the league can make the same claim. Because of that, it isn't hard to forecast the Big Ten as a very balanced, very talented conference in 1997-98.

"I think we'll be a pretty good team, but the league is going to be better," said Davis in looking at the league prior to the 1997 season. That same comment is appropriate when speaking of the upcoming season as every team in the Big Ten has reason to be optimistic when looking towards the 1997-98 season.

The 1998 Big Ten schedule will have a new look, with teams playing a 16-game conference schedule prior to the inaugural post-season conference tournament at the end of the year. Iowa plays four conference teams just once, playing Penn State and Wisconsin only on the road and Purdue and Michigan only in Iowa City.

In non-conference action Iowa opens the season at home vs. Chicago State and also hosts North Texas, Long Island, Drake and Bucknell. Rice, Weber State and Mt. St. Mary's visit for the Super Chevy Shootout. Iowa plays at Northern Iowa, Iowa State and Missouri and will take part in the eight-team San Juan Christmas Shootout.

Source: Hawkeyebasketball.com

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