Fran McCaffery: Owen Freeman can ‘be even more dominant’ as sophomore
Fran McCaffery dives into a variety of topics at Iowa men’s basketball Media Day on Oct. 7, 2024.
IOWA CITY — The Sandfort name has garnered much attention this preseason.
After withdrawing from the 2024 NBA Draft, Iowa basketball’s Payton Sandfort enters this season considered among the best players in the conference, evidence coming in the form of a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection in a media poll.
But he isn’t the only Sandfort being talked about.
More: Payton Sandfort’s final ride with Iowa Hawkeyes basketball is about much more than himself
It isn’t on a national scale like Payton, but his younger brother, Pryce Sandfort, is getting rave reviews entering his sophomore season.
“He is way more physical,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Pryce. “He’s always had great length. He’s always been an underrated defender with his length, and he will rebound his position well. But at the end of the day, he’s just really shooting the ball at an incredibly high clip on a consistent basis. We stat everything from every five-on-five situation every practice. So from the second week of June until into October, he’s killing it.”
Pryce Sandfort played a limited role for Iowa as a freshman, averaging less than nine minutes per game. He ultimately decided to move to the scout team during practice, which allowed him to play more freely.
That helped boost his confidence, which is now in a better place. A wiry 6-foot-7, Sandfort has spent this offseason adding weight to his frame. Capable of being a playmaking wing, along with a lethal 3-point shooter, he is one of a handful of wild cards looking to emerge this season for the Hawkeyes.
“I’m just really confident in myself,” Sandfort said, “and really confident that every shot I take is going to go in.”
Video: Pryce Sandfort building confidence ahead of sophomore season
Pryce Sandfort discusses a variety of topics at Iowa men’s basketball Media Day on Oct. 7, 2024
Freshman updates
With what McCaffery expects to be a deep team, it remains to be seen how much of an impact Iowa’s two scholarship freshmen will make this season. Chris Tadjo is incredibly athletic and physically mature, but there is a learning curve as he acclimates to this level.
“Toughest thing for Chris is he is so conscientious,” McCaffery said. “He is such an incredibly hard worker. He is way too hard on himself. And so that has been my biggest challenge with him, which is a unique challenge, but you know, it happens. He’s such a perfectionist.
“I’m just hopeful that he doesn’t beat himself up every time he misses a shot or makes a mistake because he has been doing that. So the coaches have been really, really positive and patient with him because we love him and we respect his work ethic, his intensity level. And that’s a talent. That’s an underestimated talent. Hard work, physicality, intensity level on every possession, not everybody does that, and he does.”
Cooper Koch fits a mold similar to the Sandfort brothers. A lanky wing who can shoot the ball at a high percentage. But McCaffery is pushing back on the narrative that Koch is only a shooter.
“He can score inside,” McCaffery said. “He does offensive rebound. He can post up. So he is a three-level scorer. He had surgery this (offseason), so he has done amazingly well coming back from that. I was blown away that he was able to maintain the intensity level that he has from the minute he came back.”
Owen Freeman’s growing game
The expansion of Owen Freeman’s game has been a prevalent storyline heading into his sophomore season. Freeman was highly productive in his first campaign, earning Big Ten co-Freshman of the Year honors. But he has been working to showcase a more versatile offensive skillset as a sophomore.
“The thing about Owen is he’s a special young guy in so many different ways, and he is incredibly talented,” McCaffery said. “But he also recognizes that there’s room for growth and wants to get better. So for him, it started in the weight room, but then it also morphed into doing more (offensively) off the bounce, doing more from the perimeter as a shooter.”
More: Iowa basketball: Luka Garza, Owen Freeman bridging program’s past royalty to future hope
Freeman was most effective inside the 3-point arc last season — 232 of his 236 field-goal attempts came from two-point range. Adding the perimeter skills of a modern big with his already dominant inside game has been a focus this offseason.
“You are seeing a dramatic difference because a lot of times it’s not necessarily form or technique,” McCaffery said. “It’s confidence and then knowing that your coach has the confidence in you to shoot the ball … So I have been encouraging him since he’s been 15 years old. You’ll see a guy with a more complete game this year and be even more dominant.”
Quotable on the pair of transfers
Iowa brought in a pair of transfers, Drew Thelwell and Seydou Traore, to join Koch and Tadjo in the group of scholarship newcomers.
Thelwell, a point guard, can help fill the void of the departed Tony Perkins, along with Brock Harding. Traore has the body of a forward but moves like a guard, making him an intriguing addition.
McCaffery on Drew Thelwell: “Drew has been great. Really a special young man. Very mature. Competes. He and Brock have been going at it, and that’s been good for both of them. It’s been good for the team. As I’ve said it before, they can play together, which is important. And you’re right, it bolsters our backcourt in a number of different ways, not the least of which is experience.”
Video: Seydou Traore on how his versatility can be an asset for Iowa
Seydou Trarore discusses a variety of topics at Iowa men’s basketball Media Day on Oct. 7, 2024.
Seydou Traore on expectations for how he can contribute: “I feel like this year, I’m just gonna be able to play my game. Be versatile, especially on the defensive end and the offensive end. Just being able to guard one through five and be able to score whenever I get a chance to.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
