Which Players Make The Mount Rushmore (Post 2000) For The Iowa Hawkeyes?

Since 2000, the Big Ten conference has been loaded with elite talents and some of college basketball’s greatest players. Fans have seen numerous Big Ten players earn All-Americans and National Players of the Year honors during that time.

But who have been the best?

With the offseason in full swing, BTPowerhouse has decided to sit down and break down the Big Ten’s greatest players since the start of the 2000-’01 season. We will be taking a look at each program and how it fits into the league.

This time, we will look at the greatest players from the last 17 seasons for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Please note that this evaluation only looks at college contributions at the particular school. It does not include a player’s contributions at another school or at the professional level.

Brief Recap Since 2000

Before we jump into the discussion regarding Iowa’s greatest players over the last 17 seasons, let’s take a moment to recap what the program has done during that time frame. Before we get to the best players, let’s dive into some of the statistics.

Brief Stats Since 2000

• NCAA Tournament Appearances: Six
• Winning Seasons: 12
• Big Ten POTY Winners: Zero
• Consensus All-Americans: One

Over the last 17 seasons, the Hawkeyes have had middling success, but not the level to other top-tier Big Ten programs. Since 2000, Iowa has made it to six NCAA Tournaments and in those trips the Hawkeyes have won a total of four games. In Iowa’s last NCAA Tournament appearance, the Hawkeyes lost in second round to eventually 2016 National Champion Villanova.

Although Iowa has a lack of NCAA Tournament bids in those years, the program also earned six NIT bids. In those showings the Hawkeyes made it to the NIT Elite Eight in 2002-03 and struggled to advance past the second round in other years. The team’s best finish in NIT came in 2012-13 under head coach Fran McCaffery when the Hawkeyes finished runner-up to Baylor.

McCaffery has done an excellent job turning the Hawkeye program around. In his seven years as head coach, the Hawkeyes have qualified for the postseason six times. Now let’s take a look at some of the players that helped Iowa basketball achieve NCAA Tournament and NIT success.

Iowa’s Mount Rushmore Since 2000

Aaron White 2011-2015

Aaron White was one of the more dynamic players to ever play at Iowa. White was special in his own funky way. He was a player that could get buckets on the low block, but was also someone that could score at the high post and take his man off the dribble as well.

White had a knack for beating his man down the court and getting easy buckets. He also had sneaky athleticism and would throw a crowd pleasing dunk from time to time. His unique set skills fit perfectly under McCaffery’s fast pace system.

The combination of skills and system helped White earn All-Big Ten First Team in 2015, Third Team in 2014 and All-Big Ten Freshmen Team in 2012. In White’s four years at Iowa, the team made the postseason each year, making the NIT twice and NCAA Tournament twice in his final two seasons.

Devyn Marble 2010-2014

Devyn Marble was a two-time team captain for the Hawkeyes. He finished his college career as one of only two Big Ten players since 1985–86 to total 1,675+ points, 375+ assists, 450+ rebounds and 175+ steals. Marble’s accolades include All-Big Ten First Team in 2014 and Third Team in 2013.

Marble also finished his career ranked fifth in Iowa career scoring (1,694) and free throws made (432), sixth in assists (397) and free throws attempted (595), and seventh in steals (176), while his 136 games played is tied with Melsahn Basabe for second all-time at Iowa.

With Marble’s help, Iowa made the NIT twice, finishing runner-up in 2012-13 and the team made the NCAA Tournament once. Marble deserves to be on this list because he was a key player who helped pave the way for more program success after he graduated.

Jarrod Uthoff 2013-2016

Once Jarrod Uthoff was finally able to take the court for the Hawkeyes in 2013–14 season as a redshirt sophomore, he was a key player off the bench, averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. As a junior, he averaged 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, Uthoff earned All-Big Ten Third Team that season.

Leading up to his senior season, Uthoff was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team. With the departure of White, Uthoff stepped into the role of the Hawkeyes' top scoring option. And he thrived in that role, earning Consensus Second Team All-America that season.

Over his three-year career, Uthoff averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 100 games. He finished his collegiate career ranked 19th all-time in Hawkeyes scoring (1,298 points), fourth in blocked shots (177) and 10th in three-pointers made (137).

Adam Haluska 2003-2007

This was a tough final call, but I decided to ultimately go with Adam Haluska over Reggie Evans here. Haluska played two more years at Iowa than Evans did and the team’s he was on were more successful.

In his collegiate career Haluska scored 1,847 points and earned All-Big Ten First Team in 2007. Haluska helped lead the Hawkeyes to two NCAA Tournament bids in 2005 and 2006. Haluska failed to get back to the Big Dance in his senior season, but he still had a great season, averaging 20 points, four rebounds two assists and one steal.

Honorable Mention: Greg Brunner, Matt Gatens, Reggie Evans, Peter Jok