Cole's rehab going well
Charlie Kautz - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: Sports
It has been four months since a promising freshman season for Hawkeye forward Jarryd Cole ended with a torn ACL injury in his left knee, which sidelined the big man for the entire Big Ten schedule.
But if Iowa's 57-50 victory over Southeastern Louisiana acted as Cole's only consolation back on Dec. 29, it certainly hasn't stopped the newly named 2008 team captain from working aggressively to get back on the hardwood next winter.
That good news came Monday from first-year head coach Todd Lickliter, who said he's been pleased with the progress Cole has made in his off-season rehabilitation.
"I think he is doing wonderfully," Lickliter said. "He is not ready to play yet, but he sure looks good. He has been in the weight room, and I talked to the doctor the other day, and he just seems to be right on track.
"He attacked this rehab the way I knew he would, and we are really excited. We hope he is back on the court playing in September and he is ready to go in October."
Limited to just 13 games and six starts last season, Cole showed flashes of potential manning the low post, averaging 6.6 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds in 2007.
And while there's no way to equate where those stat totals would've ended after a full season, the Hawkeyes clearly could've used the extra points in the paint - where seniors Kurt Looby (3.6) and Seth Gorney (4.3) combined for just under eight points per contest.
Picking up the slack was senior-to-be and Cole's 2008 co-captain, Cyrus Tate, whose statistical outputs (8.3 points, 5.4 rebounds per game) ballooned alongside his responsibility when the true freshman went down.
Using Cole's re-emergence as an example following the team's 19-loss inaugural season under Lickliter, the coaching staff has instilled a sense of higher expectations around Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"We talk about team goals," Lickliter said. "We want to re-establish the winning tradition. No one was satisfied with what happened this year, and we weren't pleased with the results."
Strength an off-season focus
After a season in which the Hawkeyes were banged, bruised, and beaten up by some of the Big Ten's best, Lickliter said Monday that he saw a definite need for his roster to bulk up physically this spring.
"I don't think there is any question that we had a lack of physicality that we need in this league," he said. "We need to improve our depth, but we also need to improve individually, and that is something we can do.
"There is no way you can be too strong. We are not allowed to oversee [weight training] or gauge it, but we encourage it and hope our guys take advantage of it."
Palmer, Angle to remain with team
While Freeman and junior-to be guard Dan Bohall have parted ways with the Iowa program since last season, Lickliter said Monday that he doesn't anticipate any more roster changes prior to next year.
Asked about senior-to-be J.R. Angle and former Oak Hill Academy prospect David Palmer, two players who averaged a combined 16 minutes per game last season, Lickliter said their status as scholarship athletes won't change, either.
"That is the anticipation now," he said.
E-mail DI Sports Editor Charlie Kautz at:
charles-kautz@uiowa.edu
But if Iowa's 57-50 victory over Southeastern Louisiana acted as Cole's only consolation back on Dec. 29, it certainly hasn't stopped the newly named 2008 team captain from working aggressively to get back on the hardwood next winter.
That good news came Monday from first-year head coach Todd Lickliter, who said he's been pleased with the progress Cole has made in his off-season rehabilitation.
"I think he is doing wonderfully," Lickliter said. "He is not ready to play yet, but he sure looks good. He has been in the weight room, and I talked to the doctor the other day, and he just seems to be right on track.
"He attacked this rehab the way I knew he would, and we are really excited. We hope he is back on the court playing in September and he is ready to go in October."
Limited to just 13 games and six starts last season, Cole showed flashes of potential manning the low post, averaging 6.6 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds in 2007.
And while there's no way to equate where those stat totals would've ended after a full season, the Hawkeyes clearly could've used the extra points in the paint - where seniors Kurt Looby (3.6) and Seth Gorney (4.3) combined for just under eight points per contest.
Picking up the slack was senior-to-be and Cole's 2008 co-captain, Cyrus Tate, whose statistical outputs (8.3 points, 5.4 rebounds per game) ballooned alongside his responsibility when the true freshman went down.
Using Cole's re-emergence as an example following the team's 19-loss inaugural season under Lickliter, the coaching staff has instilled a sense of higher expectations around Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"We talk about team goals," Lickliter said. "We want to re-establish the winning tradition. No one was satisfied with what happened this year, and we weren't pleased with the results."
Strength an off-season focus
After a season in which the Hawkeyes were banged, bruised, and beaten up by some of the Big Ten's best, Lickliter said Monday that he saw a definite need for his roster to bulk up physically this spring.
"I don't think there is any question that we had a lack of physicality that we need in this league," he said. "We need to improve our depth, but we also need to improve individually, and that is something we can do.
"There is no way you can be too strong. We are not allowed to oversee [weight training] or gauge it, but we encourage it and hope our guys take advantage of it."
Palmer, Angle to remain with team
While Freeman and junior-to be guard Dan Bohall have parted ways with the Iowa program since last season, Lickliter said Monday that he doesn't anticipate any more roster changes prior to next year.
Asked about senior-to-be J.R. Angle and former Oak Hill Academy prospect David Palmer, two players who averaged a combined 16 minutes per game last season, Lickliter said their status as scholarship athletes won't change, either.
"That is the anticipation now," he said.
E-mail DI Sports Editor Charlie Kautz at:
charles-kautz@uiowa.edu
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