Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On March 9, 2002, Luke Recker hit a 10-foot floater to propel the Iowa Hawkeyes past his home state Indiana Hoosiers in the Big 10 Tournament. A fitting end to the long saga of Recker’s college basketball journey, the shot stands as a memorable moment in Hawkeye hoops history.
Recker, a high school star from Auburn, Indiana, captured the state’s Mr. Basketball award in 1997 and initially committed to play for Bob Knight and the Hoosiers. However, after his sophomore season, he transferred to Arizona. When a tragic auto accident led him to transfer again, he found his way to play for Steve Alford and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
During his first season at Iowa, the Hoosiers came calling in late January, and Recker rose to the occasion. He helped Iowa to a 71-66 victory by pouring in 27 points. However, Recker broke his kneecap during the contest, sidelining him for the rest of the season. The following year, the Hawks struggled against Indiana.
With a 77-66 loss in Carver-Hawkeye and a 79-51 shellacking at Assembly Hall in Bloomington already on the books for the season, the Hawks rolled into Indianapolis for the Big 10 Tournament looking for revenge. After notching wins over Purdue and Wisconsin, the Hoosiers loomed. The tightly contested game came down to the final possession. With under three-seconds to play, Recker shot-putted an attempt over Indiana’s Jared Jeffries to capture a 62-60 victory. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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