Tag: Ladji Dembele

Three stars from Iowa basketball loss vs. Iowa State

Three stars from Iowa basketball’s Cy-Hawk Series loss.

Iowa basketball (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) suffered a crushing 89-80 loss from Carver-Hawkeye Arena Thursday night vs. No. 3-ranked Iowa State (8-1, 0-0 Big 12) in the 2024 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.

While the Hawkeyes roared out to a 44-37 halftime lead on 58.6% from the field, a dominant Iowa State surge coupled with a troublesome Iowa second-half shooting performance allowed the Cyclones to escape from a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena victorious.

In addition to the poor second-half shooting by the Hawkeyes, being out-rebounded 29-18 by the Cyclones in the final 20 minutes certainly did not help their cause.

As a team, Iowa shot 28-for-63 (44.4%) from the floor, 11-for-28 from three-point territory, and 13-for-15 (86.7%) from the free-throw line. On the defensive side, Iowa collected 34 rebounds (26 defensive) in addition to five steals and four blocks for a combined nine forced turnovers.

While the cold second-half performance doomed the Hawkeyes, here are Iowa’s three stars from Thursday’s game that were difference-makers on the court.

Owen Freeman

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Freeman led the team in points with 16 on 5-for-8 (62.5%) from the field, including a rare 1-for-1 (100%) three-point shooting night. The sophomore forward also converted on 5-of-7 (71.4%) attempts from the charity stripe while recording five rebounds, three steals, and two assists in 26 minutes.

While Freeman was expected to have a bigger role against the Cyclones, his stat line was still more than respectable, especially against a very skilled Iowa State lineup.

Brock Harding

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Harding had another decent showing Thursday night by finishing with 10 points on 4-for-10 (40%) from the field to go along with eight assists, two rebounds, and one steal in 31 minutes.

Although Harding’s stat line does not necessarily pop off the box score, his ability to effectively facilitate the ball throughout the night proved to be well-appreciated by the Hawkeyes, especially in the first half.

Ladji Dembele

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Despite only playing 14 minutes against Iowa State, Dembele had the best shooting night of his Hawkeyes career and tied his season-high in points.

The sophomore forward finished with 11 points off 4-of-4 from the floor, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. In addition to his perfect shooting night, he also recorded four rebounds and one steal to round out his night.

Dembele’s ability to inject offense off the bench is one that the Hawkeyes will certainly look to utilize moving forward as the schedule becomes more rigorous later in the season.

Iowa will remain home for their next game on Sunday, Dec. 15, vs. New Orleans (2-6, 0-1 Southland Conference) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 1 p.m. CT.

The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network as well as through the radio on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Three stars in Iowa basketball’s win vs. South Dakota

As Iowa readies for Washington State on Friday, a look back at three stars from Tuesday night’s 96-77 win vs. South Dakota.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) earned another dominant win against the South Dakota Coyotes by a score of 96-77 on Tuesday night from Carver-Hawkeye Arena thanks to contributions from up and down the lineup.

While the Coyotes kept the game close by only trailing 42-36 at halftime, the Hawkeyes were able to slam the door shut in the second half to improve to 3-0 on the campaign.

As a team, Iowa shot 37-for-68 (54.4%) from the field, 13-for-31 (41.9%) from 3-point range, and 9-for-12 (75%) from the free throw line.

The impressive shooting performance from the Hawkeyes has been a trend over the first three games and one that head coach Fran McCaffery would certainly like to continue.

Even with an all-around team effort, three Hawkeyes stood out to help guide Iowa to victory.

Josh Dix

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dix powered the Hawkeyes’ offensive attack by contributing 23 points, five assists, four rebounds, and one steal in 27 minutes played. He had an impressive shooting performance of 8-for-10 from the field, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Dix’s outstanding mid-range jumper and confident 3-point shot shined for Iowa Tuesday night, especially in the second half as the Hawkeyes pulled away from the Coyotes.

Ladji Dembele

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dembele had a career-high in both points and rebounds versus South Dakota, finishing with 11 points on a 5-for-8 shooting night and eight total rebounds in 22 minutes.

The sophomore forward showed off a confident mid-range jump shot that the Hawkeyes will look to utilize moving forward, especially as the scheduled competition gets more challenging.

Seydou Traore

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Traore made his season and Hawkeye debut on Tuesday night, posting 12 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and an assist in 22 minutes. He shot 5-for-9 from the field, which included 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Traore, originally scheduled to receive minutes off the bench, was thrust into the starting lineup when forward Owen Freeman missed with an illness. Although he served as a fill-in for Freeman, Traore delivered a much-needed sense of athleticism to the Hawkeyes game.

One of his many highlights from Tuesday night’s win over South Dakota was an emphatic alley-oop slam off a beautiful Brock Harding pass with about 14:29 left in the second half that expanded a growing Hawkeyes lead to 61-43.

While Traore didn’t have one of the most impressive stat lines of the evening, he is a perfect fit for what the Hawkeyes want to run on both ends of the floor and has a very high ceiling moving forward.

Iowa’s next game will be against Washington State (3-0) as part of the John Deere Quad Cities Hoops Showdown from Moline, Ill., inside Vibrant Arena at the Mark.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network as well as the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Iowa freshman Ladji Dembele turns college hoops dreams into reality with Hawkeyes

Originally from Mali in Africa, freshman big Ladji Dembele is turning his college hoops dreams into a reality in Iowa City.

Freshman Ladji Dembele faces a unique adjustment ahead of his first season. Unlike the rest of Iowa’s 2023 signing class, he does not hail from Iowa or Illinois. Originally from Mali in West Africa, the 6-foot-9 forward played the last two years at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J.

Though a tough move, Dembele has felt right at home in Iowa City. That comfort in Iowa began when he visited the Hawkeyes for the third time before committing.

“When I came here, the way that I spoke with coach McCaffery and when I watched the practice, I felt like that was home for me. I said, ‘Why not come here?’ No matter how far it is, I felt like that was home for me when I took the visit,” Dembele said.

It has been aided greatly by his new teammates. In particular, the fellow freshman signees.

“Yeah, we made a group chat when everyone committed and we started introducing ourselves, so we have a good friendship,” Dembele said.

On the court, Dembele has faced a challenge of adjusting to a new style of play.

“The game is a little bit faster coming from high school, and you’ve got to be tougher. So, I would say physically and the pace. I’m trying to learn and trying to do the best I can.

“Coach McCaffery gives you freedom to dribble the ball as long as you don’t turn the ball over. I would say dribbling the ball and making shots more. That’s what I’m working on now,” Dembele said.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

While Ladji knows the steps he needs to take to move forward, those around him have had nothing but praise for how quickly the young freshman has come along.

“Ladji has been really impressive so far,” Iowa head basketball coach Fran McCaffery said at last Thursday’s media availability. “He’s obviously a big body. He’s probably 260 pounds now. He’s got a really good skill set. He moves it, he can put it on the deck and he can make threes.

“He has been a phenomenally impressive rebounder every day since he got here which is what we need from that position. I think that’s what we expected, but most freshman don’t come in and consistently rebound the way he has. It’s there. We thought it was there, but everyday he’s up over 10 rebounds at practice.”

Despite those claims by the four-star forward about the leap in physicality, it seems as though he’s immediately been up for the challenge. His great work on the boards and hustle were praised by his teammates as well.

“He works hard every single day. I mean, he goes after it, he gets every offensive rebound every time down the court, so just having somebody that plays that hard, we’ve been able to bond on the court and that’s transferred off the court as well,” fellow freshman signee Brock Harding said of Dembele.

To go along with his natural rebounding ability, Dembele is working hard in the film room to become a better defender, too.

“I watch a lot of defense. I’m not like a great defender, but I’m just trying to make sure I see the ball and I see my man. Pay attention on those little details. I think that’s the most important part for me,” Dembele said.

Dembele mentioned both Patrick McCaffery and Ben Krikke as players he’s often matching up with in practice and as the duo that he’s learning the most from.

“Patrick and Ben. They’ve helped me more, because those are the two players that I guard the most. They tell me the tricks, like how to defend the ball screens and stuff. And Tony also, because I would say he’s the captain of the team, so they help me a lot,” Dembele said.

For the St. Benedict’s Prep product, it has been a great journey so far. He is the first in his family to play college basketball. Dembele has been working hard on and off the court ahead of the season to make his dream of playing college ball a reality.

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