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<p class="maintitle"><span class="Fid_17"> The big fella pushes
Hawkeyes forward </span> </p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Yes, Iowa’s
Adam Woodbury shoved Temple’s Obi Enechionyia out of his way
before he caught Mike Gesell’s air ball and flipped it into the
basket.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> No, push-offs aren’t pretty.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> No, this wasn’t a pretty game.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> No, Woodbury isn’t a
particularly pretty player.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> So what? Winning in the NCAA
men’s basketball tournament is beautiful, period. Woodbury
cemented his place in Hawkeye basketball history with his catch
of Mike Gesell’s airball and subsequent last-second basket in
Iowa’s 72-70 overtime victory over Temple on Friday in Barclays
Center.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> “He’s not calling that foul
with two seconds left in the game,”</span><span class="Fid_6">
Woodbury said. “That’s just not something a referee does. It’s
just part of the deal. It is what is, a battle down low. It was
a fight for 45 minutes.”</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> How perfectly symbolic of
Woodbury’s four-year college career. A play that was both rugged
and intelligent paid off big-time for the big fella.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> “Make sure you call him the
big fella,” freshman teammate Ahmad Wagner whispered to me in a
corner of the Hawkeyes’ locker room.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> Big fella, it is. With broad
shoulders. He has taken way more than his share of criticism
over four years and stared straight ahead without blinking. He
has always </span><br>
<span class="Fid_5">known who and what he is. It didn't matter to
him if the outside world appreciated him as long as his team
did.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_20"> </span><span
style="font-weight:bold;"></span></p>
<img src="cid:part1.02050808.02030200@gmail.com" onload="if
(this.width > 460) {this.height = this.height * 480 / this.width;
this.width = 460;}" height="152" width="203">
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_15"> Iowa center Adam Woodbury
(left) is hugged by guard Anthony Clemmons (5) after their
overtime victory against Temple during the first round of the
2016 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Friday at the Barclays
Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.</span></p>
<span style="font-weight:bold;">MIKE HLAS</span><span class="Fid_18">
I THE GAZETTE</span><br>
<hr><span class="Fid_5">'I think Mike was honestly the hero on that
last play,' Woodbury said, 'because he actually got us a shot. If
he doesn't put that on the rim, I have no chance to go get it.'
The shot didn't actually graze the rim, and Woodbury made the hero
play. But why quibble with someone who's being humble? Genuinely
humble, by the way.</span>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> When Woodbury scored, he
didn't go nuts. He didn't hop atop the scorer's table and tear
off his jersey. He didn't climb into the fifth row of the
stands. He stood under the basket and let his teammates pile
onto him.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> Some 1,300 miles from</span><span
class="Fid_5"> here, a group of 30 Hawkeye fans did enough
roaring for their Sioux City native son. Included were Lance and
Brenda Woodbury, Adam's parents.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> The Woodburys have gone on so
many trips to watch their son over four years, to North
Carolina, to Orlando, to the Bahamas. It's required a lot of
time, a lot of money. But they couldn't make this one.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> The main reason is it's the
busiest time of year in Lance's line of work. He is
self-employed, owning a Kitchen Solvers franchise (Brenda is a
payroll/administrative coordinator at Morningside College).
Lance specializes in kitchen remodeling, and this a period when
there are a lot of home shows to work.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> 'Others do what I do where I'm
from,' Lance said by phone after the game, 'If you're not</span><span
class="Fid_5"> there, the competition will get you.' Which is
similar to something he has preached to his son.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> 'I've always told Adam if
you're not in the gym, somebody's getting better than you.'
Another reason was something Lance refused to use as an excuse.
But it costs a pile of money to go to New York City, especially
on short notice.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> The NCAA doesn't help families
of players here with travel costs. It does pay up to $3,000 in
expenses for families of players who travel to the Final Four,
and another $1,000 to families of players in the national title
game.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> The NCAA is in the middle of a
14-year, $11 billion contract with CBS and Turner Broadcasting.
Somebody's making money.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> 'I wish we could have been
there today. If</span><span class="Fid_5"> they win Sunday (here
against Villanova), we'll try to go to Kentucky (for the Sweet
16). Adam understands.' That's what Woodbury's coaches say about
him. He gets it. And he works.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> 'A great person from a great
family,' Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw called him. 'He's
bluecollar personified and has been from Day 1.' 'He's a guy who
literally brings it for you every day,' Hawkeyes head coach Fran
McCaffery added. 'For a coach, when they recruit somebody, they
hope they get that guy.' Iowa barely had any offensive rebounds
for most of this game, but suddenly it was getting second- and
third-shots. Woodbury tapped the ball out to teammates to extend
possessions.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> In a game that often felt like
it was slipping</span><span class="Fid_5"> away from his team,
Woodbury grabbed his team's final misfire and nestled it in the
basket.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> 'I didn't come to Iowa to make
game-winning baskets,' he said. 'I came to play in the NCAA
tournament, to help the team win big games, and be with a great
group of guys. I've done all three, I guess.' Big fella. Big
win. But not the biggest self-congratulations.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_5"> 'I've already moved on to the
next game,' Woodbury said. 'I know if you're resting on your
laurels, you're going to get beat the following</span><span
class="Fid_5"> game.'</span><span class="Fid_5"> His dad, who
had to hurry across town to make a 5 p.m. work appointment after
the game, will nod in approval when he reads that.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> •</span><span class="Fid_4">
Comments: (319) 368-8840; <a
href="mailto:mike.hlas@thegazette.com"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:mike.hlas@thegazette.com">mike.hlas@thegazette.com</a></a></span></p>
<img src="cid:part3.08060200.02050902@gmail.com" onload="if
(this.width > 460) {this.height = this.height * 480 / this.width;
this.width = 460;}" height="154" width="234">
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_16"> The Iowa bench reacts to a
3-pointer against Temple during a firstround game of the NCAA
men's basketball tournament Friday at the Barclays Center in
Brooklyn, N.Y.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_15"> Cliff Jette/The Gazette</span></p>
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