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Fran McCaffery speaks on Tony Perkins' growth

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby: On3 Staff Report03/04/23
Tony Perkins, Iowa Hawkeyes guard
Iowa guard Tony Perkins goes under the rim for a layup attempt in a game on Feb. 19, 2023. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

The Iowa basketball team has had a pretty solid season, one that should certainly land the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday. One player, in particular, has really helped lead them there: guard Tony Perkins.

Perkins has been a mainstay in the backcourt, developing into a multi-faceted player that can be relied on in numerous ways.

“I think it’s a belief in himself,” said coach Fran McCaffery, asked about Perkins’ growth. “Wish I could tell you it was something miraculous that I did. I don’t think that’s the case.”

The long-time Iowa coach recalled earlier in his career the exact moment that he knew Tony Perkins would eventually be a very, very special player.

“He’s always been a gamer, and you know what that means,” McCaffery said. “I remember it was the COVID year, freshman year, they get a free year. We had a bunch of veteran guys so it wasn’t going to be a great opportunity for him to play a lot. So we’re on the road at Rutgers and we had injuries and foul trouble and put him in there.

“I said, ‘Oh, this dude is special.’ He was fearless, driving the ball, stealing, just handling it right in the middle of a very difficult road win. And I said, ‘OK, we have something special here.'”

Fran McCaffery credits the mental toughness of Iowa after Indiana victory

Assembly Hall isn’t a gym you can just walk into and win with ease. With that said, Iowa made it look pretty simple in their 90-68 victory over No. 15 Indiana, which gave them a season sweep over the Hoosiers.

After the game, McCaffery credited his team for doing everything they needed to do to win in Bloomington. He knows how hard it is to go on the road in the Big Ten and win but, based on the numbers, the Hawkeyes gave themselves a great chance as they ended up running away with it.

“I look at it like this. I’ve been coming down here a long time…We haven’t won too many times in here. But I look at it like if you sign up to play in this league? You want to play in this type of environment,” McCaffery said. “That’s what you’ve agreed to, that’s what you sign up for. And you have to want to compete against a really good team who’s playing well.”