2008 Woodie Awards
Baptism by fire for Hawk frosh
Charlie Kautz - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Wearing a royal blue sweatsuit embroidered with the logo of his alma mater around Carver-Hawkeye Arena Tuesday, it's clear that Jeff Peterson's role, if not his wardrobe, will be accelerated to the college level when Iowa begins its regular season Friday night.
Labeled as the early replacement for the team's leading returning scorer Tony Freeman, who suffered a broken bone in his foot last week and is expected to miss four to six weeks, the DeMatha High School product will likely see significant playing time to start his true freshman season.
"Obviously, losing Tony this early, it hurts," Peterson said. "But at the same time, I think it can help us somewhat just gaining experience for certain people."
"Tony's a great player, so obviously it's not a good thing to lose him at all. He brings so much to the table, not only his playing ability but with his leadership and his experience. He's in positive spirits, so I think he's going to continue to lead us even though he isn't with the team right now."
Spending 31 minutes on the hardwood in last week's exhibition win over Simpson College, Peterson only scored two points - but his maturity and ability to share the basketball has earned him the respect of the coaching staff.
"Jeff has done a great job," first-year men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter said Tuesday. "I'm thankful that he's come in here with the right approach, and he's really done a great job of picking things up because of his attentiveness.
"He's probably made gains faster than somebody who doesn't care as much, but he also has a great mind for the game, and that's been important to us."
Listed as one of five projected starters for the season-opener against Idaho State, Peterson's experience at a high-profile prep school in the Washington area should help him handle the pressure of a starting spot at Iowa.
"The high school I went to, we traveled a lot, we played in front of numerous crowds that had a lot of people in it," he said. "We played against some of the top teams in the nation, and it's definitely going to help."
While the Hawkeyes can't control whether Freeman returns to full strength by the expected rehabilitation timetable, Lickliter knows the junior will do everything in his power to get healthy in a hurry.
"The great thing about guys such as Tony is when they get a setback, when they release him, he'll attack it," Lickliter said. "He'll be ready as soon as possible. I know he's in good hands, but I just feel bad for him because I know he's competitive and such a big part of it.
"… I know what Tony's in control of, he'll do."
E-mail DI Sports Editor Charlie Kautz at:
charles-kautz@uiowa.edu
Labeled as the early replacement for the team's leading returning scorer Tony Freeman, who suffered a broken bone in his foot last week and is expected to miss four to six weeks, the DeMatha High School product will likely see significant playing time to start his true freshman season.
"Obviously, losing Tony this early, it hurts," Peterson said. "But at the same time, I think it can help us somewhat just gaining experience for certain people."
"Tony's a great player, so obviously it's not a good thing to lose him at all. He brings so much to the table, not only his playing ability but with his leadership and his experience. He's in positive spirits, so I think he's going to continue to lead us even though he isn't with the team right now."
Spending 31 minutes on the hardwood in last week's exhibition win over Simpson College, Peterson only scored two points - but his maturity and ability to share the basketball has earned him the respect of the coaching staff.
"Jeff has done a great job," first-year men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter said Tuesday. "I'm thankful that he's come in here with the right approach, and he's really done a great job of picking things up because of his attentiveness.
"He's probably made gains faster than somebody who doesn't care as much, but he also has a great mind for the game, and that's been important to us."
Listed as one of five projected starters for the season-opener against Idaho State, Peterson's experience at a high-profile prep school in the Washington area should help him handle the pressure of a starting spot at Iowa.
"The high school I went to, we traveled a lot, we played in front of numerous crowds that had a lot of people in it," he said. "We played against some of the top teams in the nation, and it's definitely going to help."
While the Hawkeyes can't control whether Freeman returns to full strength by the expected rehabilitation timetable, Lickliter knows the junior will do everything in his power to get healthy in a hurry.
"The great thing about guys such as Tony is when they get a setback, when they release him, he'll attack it," Lickliter said. "He'll be ready as soon as possible. I know he's in good hands, but I just feel bad for him because I know he's competitive and such a big part of it.
"… I know what Tony's in control of, he'll do."
E-mail DI Sports Editor Charlie Kautz at:
charles-kautz@uiowa.edu
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