John Bohnenkamp, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa –
NORTH LIBERTY – The breakout season that Devyn Marble is coming off is only more motivation for the junior-to-be.
This summer is about one thing for the Iowa guard – getting better to become a dominating player.
The two dunks he had in Sunday’s Prime Time League game brought an eruption of cheers from the standing-room-only crowd, and showed just how explosive Marble has become.
“He’s really hard to defend,” said forward Zach McCabe, Marble’s teammate during the college season but his opponent in Sunday’s game. “He just finds ways to get to the basket.”
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It’s what Iowa coach Fran McCaffery wants from Marble. The Hawkeyes were notorious last season at not finding ways of finishing, so McCaffery wants Marble to be his closer. Get to the basket to get points, or get fouled.
He wants a consistent eruption from Marble, and Marble looks ready to deliver.
“That’s the big key, finishing strong,” Marble said. “That’s one of the things I had to work on, my explosiveness. That’s the step I needed to take in my development as a player.
“Just having the mentality to go in and dunk. Go in and finish.”
Marble’s numbers grew last season. His scoring output more than doubled from his freshman season – Marble averaged 11.5 points last season after just 5.7 the season before.
And now that Marble is likely moving back to a more familiar position, those numbers could grow.
Marble has had to fill in at point guard in his first two seasons – as a freshman, he was the backup to Bryce Cartwright after Cully Payne went down with a season-ending injury, then last season, he took over as the starter early in the season when Cartwright was plagued with injuries, and alternated among the guard spots after Cartwright was healthy again.
Marble finished the season with 126 assists, second on the team behind Cartwright.
Now, with incoming freshmen Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons ready to step in as point guards, Marble can move to the ‘2’ or ‘3’ spots in Iowa’s lineup.
Marble feels more at ease in those positions.
“I do feel a lot more relaxed, because it doesn’t take such a toll on you,” Marble said. “Being a point guard, it’s not easy, especially in the Big Ten.”
That experience with running the team, though, allows Marble to add another dimension to Iowa’s offense.
“When Mike and (Clemmons) are in there with me, that’s three ballhandlers on the court,” Marble said. “And when you’ve got that, there’s so much more you can do.”
Marble, though, doesn’t want to just be an offensive threat. He wants to be more of a lockdown defender.
“I think it is something I struggled with last season,” Marble said. “Just having mental lapses. But I’m a really good defender when I put my mind to it. That’s the key, just putting your mind to it.”
Marble said he had more of a defensive mentality as a freshman.
“That’s what kept you on the court,” he said. “I think I approached it a lot differently (as a freshman), and I think I have to get back to that mentality to shut people down.
“I just want to be more dominant. Not always having to score to dominate the game. There’s rebounding, playing defense. I want to do all of those things, because I know it will help the team.”
That’s why Marble knows this is a critical summer.
“Just doing the little things,” he said. “Getting my mind right, my mentality right. I know I have to be a leader coming into this season. I’ve got to push myself. I have to keep pushing myself.”
He also knows that the expectations on him will be higher.
“You can’t be satisfied with what you did the year before,” he said. “You have to continue to get better. It’s not what people expect from me, it’s what I expect from myself.”
