Uthoff narrows list to Iowa, ISU
Jarrod Uthoff said Saturday morning in a text message that he will choose between Iowa and Iowa State in the next couple days.
The 6-foot-8 Uthoff is looking for a new school after transferring from Wisconsin, where he was redshirted as a freshman this past season.
He also had been considering Creighton, where he visited last month, and Marquette and Florida.
Uthoff would have to sit out next season under NCAA transfer rules no matter what school he picks. He also would have to pay his own way to Iowa for one year because Wisconsin put all the other 11 Big Ten schools on a restricted list.
The restricted list used to have 26 schools on it, including Iowa State. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was widely criticized for his handling of the Uthoff case and Wisconsin officials ultimately lifted the restrictions on all the schools expect those in the Big Ten.
Uthoff said having to pay his own way to Iowa probably would not be a determining factor in his decision. He also said that knowing some of the Iowa players on a personal level is a bonus.
Uthoff and Iowa sophomore-to-be guard Josh Oglesby both attended high schools in Cedar Rapids and played on the same AAU team. Uthoff attended Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Oglesby graduated from Cedar Rapids Washington.
“Knowing that I’ll get along and knowing a couple players always helps,” Uthoff said in early May.
The Iowa coaches are prohibited from speaking with Uthoff because of the restrictions. Uthoff said he believes the Iowa coaches want him because of how they recruited him in high school.
Fran McCaffery is entering his third season as the Iowa head coach. The Hawkeyes are coming off a season in which they finished with a winning record (18-17) for the first time since 2007, won a game in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2006 and won a game in the National Invitation Tournament for the first time since 2003.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
