1 Day Until Iowa Basketball: Maishe Dailey

It’s November, which means Iowa Hawkeyes basketball is HERE! While the Hawks played an exhibition match on Saturday, we’re still counting down the days until Iowa’s first official game tips off tomorrow. The countdown continues with… Maishe Dailey.

Previously:

55: Luka Garza

51: Nicholas Baer

35: Cordell Pemsl

30: Connor McCaffery

25: Tyler Cook

24: Nico Hobbs

20: Riley Till

15: Ryan Kriener

13: Austin Ash

10: Joe Wieskamp

5: C.J. Fredrick

4: Isaiah Moss

3: Jordan Bohannon

2: Jack Nunge

Maishe Dailey
Guard: 6-7, 195 lbs
Sophomore: Beachwood, Ohio (Beachwood)

Dailey saw his workload more than triple as he jumped from his freshman to sophomore years and his slash line reflected as such. He improved in virtually every measurable statistic as his workload increased from 12 games in 16-17 to playing in all 33 contests this past year, averaging about 16.5 minutes of time on the floor. He averaged 5 points, 1 ½ assists and 2 rebounds a game last year.

His career-high 16 points and 7 assists against Colorado last year in what was probably Iowa’s best (only good?) win last season—he also had 13 in Iowa’s three-point loss to Michigan State at home. In the offseason, it appears he shed about 10 lbs, adding some muscle to an already wiry frame could be good for someone with Dailey’s skill set.

It’s no certainty his numbers this year will be duplicated from last year – or even close to replicated. He’s now the third-string point guard with a healthy Connor McCaffery. And as BoilerHawk presumes, now that McCaffery is healthy, it’s expected he and Jordan Bohannon will run the floor at the same time as Bohannon slides to shooting guard and leaves C-Mac at the point. Throw Isaiah Moss and superstar recruit Joe Wieskamp hanging around the guard table, Dailey likely sees himself as the odd man out in this game of musical chairs.

Still, that doesn’t mean Dailey can’t be of value to this hoops squad. His wingspan alone could keep him on the floor for pivotal defensive possessions and it’s not like he’s completely useless as a scorer or ball-handler. He’s versatile enough in both the front and backcourt to provide a spark at a variety of positions while some guys get a breather. He’s going to be looked at as a spark off the bench who can provide a small scoring surge or key on his man during a defensive possession. And while we’ll likely see less of Dailey this year than we did last, I think his ability and athleticism will make it so his presence isn’t completely forgotten.