Iowa Basketball: Appreciating Adam Woodbury

Throughout the duration of his Iowa basketball career, Adam Woodbury has been a polarizing figure. There were lofty expectations (perhaps too great) placed upon him when he became the most heralded recruit for Iowa in quite some time back when he committed in 2012.

His first three seasons did not live up to those high expectations, and he became an easy target for fans, both opposing and his own. He was likely most known for poking players in the eyes, thanks to a couple high-profile instances last season. However, it is not time to dwell in the past, it is time to appreciate Adam Woodbury for all that he has done for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Going into his senior season, Adam Woodbury averaged 5.8 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game. He often drew the ire of fans for his tendency to get in foul trouble and some questioned whether he could dunk or not. But it is what he did on the defensive end of the floor that always went unnoticed.

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When he got to Iowa, Woodbury gave the Hawkeyes something it had not had for a long time, a true big man. In Fran McCaffery’s first two seasons at Iowa, Zach McCabe and Jarryd Cole often played center, both were 6-7. That combined with a lack of talent on the rest of the roster meant that the Hawks were going to get eaten alive in Big Ten play. That is exactly what happened. From the start of his career, Woodbury has been excellent on defense.

Not only was Woodbury a big body, but he did a great job at little things that often go unnoticed. For example, he has always been effective at defending the ball screen at the top of the key, not allowing the guards to penetrate to the basket. Another major impact Woodbury has had on defense is his communication. Communication is one of the most important parts of a zone defense, which Iowa plays quite frequently. Woodbury is always communicating with his fellow teammates on defense.

If you sit close enough to the action, you can constantly hear Woodbury yelling out instructions to his teammates. Also, if he sees a teammate out of his position, often times Woodbury will physically move the defender to where he is supposed to be. It’s no secret that this is a main reason why the Hawkeyes have been playing better defense, especially the last couple seasons.

One aspect that was often overlooked in his first three seasons, was that Woodbury actually contributed well in extended minutes. His most notable instance of this was in the First Four game against Tennessee. Woodbury scored 16 points, which is still a career high, and grabbed 8 rebounds in 30 minutes, and looked like the best player on the floor. There was often a correlation between minutes played and offensive production for Woodbury, but with Gabriel Olaseni contributing valuably off the bench, there was not a necessity for Adam to play a ton of minutes.

With Iowa basketball having a terrific season, Woodbury is playing by far the best basketball of his career. In my eyes, it is no coincidence that he is doing this while playing the most minutes he has in his career. He has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in five of the Hawkeyes’ last six games, a feat Woodbury had only accomplished five times in his previous 121 games. He has also achieved a double-double in four of those contests. He is finally becoming the player that fans thought that he would be on the offensive side of the ball while still providing the Hawkeyes with terrific defense.

No he doesn’t give you 20 and 10 every night, and he doesn’t block shots to the third row or throw down thunderous dunks, but Adam Woodbury does the little things that make the Hawkeyes a great team. It’s been a long road for Adam Woodbury, but there is no denying that the decision by Woodbury to attend Iowa and his contributions in his four years has improved the Hawkeyes for the better.

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