PTL notebook: Academic issue keeps Oglesby from living on campus this summer

NORTH LIBERTY — Iowa basketball recruit Josh Oglesby is eager to leave home to attend college, but there are advantages to still be sleeping in your own bed.

“It’s good to be in a big bed because I know I’m going to be in a little bunk next year,” Oglesby said Sunday after scoring 14 points in the Prime Time League.

Oglesby is the only one of Iowa’s four incoming recruits who isn’t living on campus this summer and taking classes.

He told reporters Sunday that he wasn’t allowed to attend summer school or live on campus because of an academic issue.

“My situation was weird,” said Oglesby, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Cedar Rapids. “I got omitted from summer school because my math grade was kind of low.

“I think (the Iowa coaches) wanted me down here. But at the same time, 25 minutes isn’t bad.”

Oglesby instead lives at home in Cedar Rapids and drives back and forth to Iowa City at least four times a week to workout and shoot baskets on his own.

“I can’t have anything to do with the team or work out with them because I’m not on campus yet,” Oglesby said.

Despite not being enrolled in summer school, Oglesby will be eligible when next season starts.

So for now, he’s just trying to enjoy the last few days he has at home and the perks that come with it, namely home-cooked meals.

“It’s going to be like a job once I get (to college) with practice and school,” Oglesby said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the summer and have fun.

“I’m ready for a change, I’m ready for college. But at the same time, looking back at my memories of high school, I’m going to miss it.”

The former Cedar Rapids Washington standout wants to weigh at least 200 pounds by the start of next season, which is about eight pounds heavier than he is now.

Oglesby hopes to get there by lifting weights on a regular basis and by almost doubling his daily food intake.

“I put on like eight pounds in the last three weeks, which is pretty good,” Oglesby said. “(The key for me is eating) a lot of meat and getting something in your system, about five meals a day.

“When I was in high school, I probably only ate about three meals a day and have snacks here and there.”

As far as his game, Oglesby has been told by Iowa coach Fran McCaffery to work on getting his shots off quicker this summer.

“I need to focus on that,” Oglesby said.

Oglesby made 6-of-13 field-goal attempts during Sunday’s game, but was just 2-of-7 from 3-point range, according to the PTL statistics.

» Greatness up close: Iowa guard Matt Gatens missed his team’s first PTL game last Sunday, but he had a good reason.

Gatens attended the U.S. Open Golf Tournament, which quickly turned into the Rory McIlroy show.

McIlroy won the tournament by eight strokes with a record-score 16-under par.

Gatens saw McIlroy perform up close on Thursday and Friday because McIlroy was in the group ahead of Cedar Rapids native Zach Johnson.

“It was an incredible performance,” Gatens said. “I caught a few of his shots because he was playing right in front of Zach. We watched a lot of Zach.”

Gatens is known mostly for his accomplishments as a basketball player, but the City High graduate also is an experienced golfer after having played the sport in high school.

“It’s awesome going out and watching the guys that are the best in the world do it,” Gatens said. “It’s just like going to an NBA game or something like that.

“You just respect what they do, and it’s really impressive.”

» Gatens on White: Iowa freshman-to-be forward Aaron White has made a good early impression on Gatens.

They play on the same PTL team, along with Iowa sophomore-to-be forward Melsahn Basabe. The three combined for 84 points to lead their team to a 112-105 come-from-behind victory on Sunday.

“He’s been great,” Gatens said of White, who scored 27 points Sunday. “He’s real versatile for (somebody his height). He can shoot it. He can drive it.

“You saw some pretty acrobatic finishes today. And he can run the floor for a guy that size. He’s really going to fit in well, and he’s got a bright future.”

Unlike Gatens, who was ranked among the top 100 high school players in the country as a senior at City, White, a native of Strongsville, Ohio, enters college with far less notoriety.

“A lot of guys go under the radar like that,” Gatens said. “But I think he can be one of them.”

» Archie aches: Iowa senior-to-be center Devon Archie played sparingly in his PTL game Sunday because of shin splints in both legs.

Archie sat the entire second half after scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds in limited duty in the first half.

He said after the game that he was in pain.

“Coach wants me to play in Prime Time, so I’ve got to play,” Archie said.

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Category: Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball