Mike Gesell is not some twisted digital mixture of J.R. Angle, a liter of Big Red, and The Lord of the Rings' Gollum, as his picture may suggest. The Nebraska native has come instead to resurrect Iowa basketball.
Gesell, following my familiar messianic theme, is a consensus 4* recruit according to the major services, a top-100 player for the class of 2012, and the 17th best ranked point guard. He won two state titles for South Sioux City and averaged 25.2 ppg, 8.2 apg, 5.5 rpg, and 2.9 steals during his junior campaign in 2010-11. Those are salty numbers that barely brush the tip of the iceberg for what this scarlet-topped baron of ball handling will hopefully bring to the black and gold.
Landing Gesell is crucial mainly because he serves an immediate position of need. Although he plays primarily off-the-ball on his AAU team, that's because the point guard is North Carolina commit Marcus Paige, ranked by some sites as the top player at his position in the country. Irrefutable evidence exists to justify Gesell's prospects at the point, and that's a good thing because he will probably be anointed the starter from day one. Senior-to-be Bryce Cartwright, the reigning Big Ten assists leader, will leave a massive chasm upon graduation. At this time, a true point guard on the 2012-13 Hawkeye's roster doesn't even exist. In fact, after Coach Fran McCaffery failed to find a suitable point to back up Bryce for the upcoming season, it appears as if Devyn Marble, the lanky sophomore better suited for the wing, will have to assume back up duties to Cartwright once again for 2011-12. I imagine the Iowa coaching staff doesn't want to stunt Marble's growing development as a slashing scorer much longer, so Gesell may be forced to play the majority of games as a freshman. That's a tall task for any player, let alone a young man experiencing his first year of college, Division 1 competition, and the terrifying Wrath of Fran for the first time. The consensus seems to be that Gesell can handle it, but growing pains are inevitable and it will be interesting to see if Fran picks up another point, perhaps a more experienced junior college player, to ease the transition, both physically and mentally, from high school to college. It just doesn't seem wise to assign a freshman point guard 35-40 minutes a game, and continue playing Marble out of position as an emergency back up. Thankfully, Fran and his staff still have three scholarships to divvy out for 2012, so there is room to find a capable player.
Another reason to get excited about Gesell is because the Iowa basketball program finally landed a highly-regarded regional recruit. Gesell, who chose the Hawkeyes over good offers from Stanford and Nebraska, among others, erases (somewhat) what has been a bleak and depressing tradition in Iowa City for roughly a decade — the best in-state players choosing to play for more prestigious programs out of state. Outside of a couple notable exceptions (Matt Gatens, Brennan Cougi—nevermind), a number of very talented ballers from inside the Hawkeye state's borders have embarrassed the program and struck a dagger into Hawkeye hearts with commitments to faraway programs — Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison to Kansas, Jason Bohannon to Wisconsin, Marcus Paige to North Carolina, Grant Gibbs to Gonzaga (and other places), and even Kyle Korver to Creighton, although he wasn't as highly touted as he probably ought to have been. I won't even mention Harrison Barnes because that was such a pipe dream. But it's very satisfying to finally have a semi-local player commit to play for a nearby program instead of leaving Iowa for greener pastures. One component of Iowa basketball's fall from proud to pissant has been its inability to secure the best local talent, and this is a definite step in the right direction.
Gesell's choice also opens up the door to other possible prospects from within Iowa's borders possibly committing to the University of Iowa — AAU teammates Adam Woodbury and Kale Abrahamson. Woodbury is a 7-footer from Sioux City with a litany of offers from the major programs, including one from dreaded Iowa poacher Roy Williams at UNC on the same day Gesell committed to the Hawkeyes. Some Iowa fans are wondering if Ol' Roy's timing was purposeful, seeing as Woodbury might follow his buddy to Iowa City now, but I don't think Williams should ever be too concerned about a threat from Fran and crew at this stage in the game. Regardless, the UNC offer probably means it's a long-shot for Iowa to land Woodbury, but he is a lifelong Hawkeye fan, Iowa has recruited him for the longest duration, and now his teammate will be going there, so I believe there is a chance, slim or not, that he at least loses some sleep over the decision. Abrahamson is more likely to come, in my opinion — the wing player from West Des Moines Valley plays for former Hawk Jeff Horner, and doesn't carry the cache or host of suitors that Woodbury does. Fran didn't extend an offer his way until the Anthony Hubbard situation went down, but he would be a valuable scorer from the perimeter and add depth if he chooses the trek to the IC. Also, remember Gesell is Fran's second commit for the 2012 class — Kyle Meyer, a 6 ft. 10 power forward from Georgia, gave his verbal in the spring and has been impressive in the summer circuit, generating reputable Twitter buzz and sleeper status with his dunking proficiency.
Even if Woodbury and Abrahamson choose to take their talents elsewhere, Gesell's commitment is definite cause to celebrate. The prognosis for Iowa basketball is looking up for the first time in a long time, fan enthusiasm is steadily building again, and the Hawkeyes landed a highly-regarded regional recruit. Whether or not Roy tried to ruin the day, it's important to revel in the acquisition of a great player and the further distancing of Iowa from the dark days of Todd Lickliter. Some programs aren't so lucky.
On the other edge of the coin, Nebraska fans appear to be "circling the wagons," as BHGP writer RossWB noted on Twitter, for their coach, Doc Sadler, and his seeming inability to secure in-state talent. It all sounds very Lickliter-esque — I know it's only been a year or so since Hawkeye fans were in the same boat, but it's still nice in a sick sort of way to gaze upon a program that is facing concerns that we know all too well. Here's a story on the general mood of Nebraska basketball if anyone is interested — Nebraska Story.
Finally, extend some thoughts toward former Iowa recruit Eric Katenda, high school teammate of incoming Hawkeye frosh Gabe Olaseni. The versatile forward, signed on to play for Notre Dame next season, injured his left eye in grotesque fashion during a pick-up game in Washington, D.C. The damage is thought to leave permanent blindness, and he may never play again — Mike Brey told The New York Post that they are seeing if special goggles will allow him to play, but if not, they will still honor his scholarship.
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