Luka Garza

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Luka Garza
Luka Garza 2020.jpg
Garza with the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2020
No. 55 – Detroit Pistons
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-12-27) December 27, 1998 (age 22)
Washington, D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High schoolMaret School
(Washington, D.C.)
CollegeIowa (2017–2021)
NBA draft2021 / Round: 2 / Pick: 52nd overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentDetroit Pistons
2021–present→Motor City Cruise
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Luka H. Garza (born December 27, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he was the consensus pick for national college player of the year for the 2020–21 season. As a junior he was named a consensus first-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year. Garza played for Maret School in his hometown of Washington, D.C., where he was a four-star recruit.

Early life and high school career[]

Garza grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. He learned to play basketball from his father, Frank, who played for Idaho. Garza watched video tapes that his father collected of former National Basketball Association (NBA) post players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and attempted to recreate their moves.[1]

He stood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) as a freshman attending Maret School in Washington, D.C., but was not able to dunk a basketball until he was a sophomore.[1] In high school, Garza was coached by Chuck Driesell, son of Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lefty Driesell.[2] In his senior season, he averaged 24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Garza led Maret to the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) title game and earned D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year honors.[3] He left as his school's all-time leading scorer, with 1,993 points.[4]

Recruiting[]

He was a four-star recruit and chose to play college basketball for Iowa over offers from Georgetown, Georgia and Notre Dame, among others.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Luka Garza
C 		Washington, D.C. Maret School (DC) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sep 10, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 111  247Sports: 105  ESPN: 100
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Iowa 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  • "2017 Iowa Hawkeyes Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.

College career[]

Garza (right) in December 2019

Freshman season (2017–2018)[]

In his college debut versus Chicago State, Garza had 16 points. He had his first double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds the following game in a win over Alabama State and was named Big Ten freshman of the week.[6] As a freshman, Garza averaged 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.[7]

Sophomore season (2018–2019)[]

Shortly before his sophomore season, Garza underwent surgery to remove a nine-pound (4.1 kg) cyst attached to his spleen.[8][9] He also dealt with a sprained ankle in January 2019.[7] In the NCAA Tournament, Garza had 20 points and seven rebounds to help Iowa upset Cincinnati.[2] He averaged 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[10] Garza was named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media.[11]

Junior season (2019–2020)[]

Garza scored 44 points, third-most in Iowa history, in a 103–91 loss to Michigan on December 6.[12] He followed this up with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 72–52 win over Minnesota and was named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.[13] In an 84–68 win against Iowa State on December 12, Garza had a tooth jarred loose after taking an elbow from teammate Joe Wieskamp. Garza returned to the game and finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds.[14] Garza had 34 points and 12 rebounds in a 89–86 loss to Penn State on January 4, 2020.[15] He was named to the midseason watch lists for the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy.[16][17] On February 13, Garza tallied 38 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in an 89–77 loss to Indiana.[18] At the close of the regular season, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.[19] He was then named National Player of the Year by the Sporting News.[20] Garza averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a junior, earning consensus first-team All-American honors.[21][22] Following the season, Garza declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[23] On August 2, he announced he was withdrawing from the draft and returning to Iowa.[24]

Senior season (2020–2021)[]

On November 27, Garza scored a Carver–Hawkeye Arena-record 41 points, including 36 in the first half, on 14-of-15 shooting while posting nine rebounds and three blocks in a 103–76 win over Southern. He joined John Johnson as the only players in program history to record two 40-point games.[25] In his next game, on December 3, Garza scored 30 first-half points as part of a 35-point, 10-rebound performance in a 99–58 victory over Western Illinois.[26] On December 11, he posted 34 points and six three-pointers in a 105–77 win over Iowa State.[27] Garza scored his 2,000th point in a February 2, 2021, win over Michigan State.[28] On February 21, he recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds in a 74–68 victory over Penn State, surpassing Roy Marble to become Iowa's all-time leading scorer.[29] After a win over the #25 Wisconsin Badgers, athletic director Gary Barta announced that they would be retiring #55 for Garza.[30]

At the close of the season, Garza was again named Sporting News Player of the Year, becoming the first repeat winner since Michael Jordan in 1983 and 1984.[31] He averaged 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior,[32] and became the first player in Iowa men's basketball history to twice be named Big Ten Player of the Year[33][34] and consensus first-team All-American.[35]

Professional career[]

Detroit Pistons (2021–present)[]

Garza was selected with the 52nd overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA draft.[36] After a standout Summer League performance, Garza was signed by the Pistons to a two-way contract with them and their G-League affiliate the Motor City Cruise.[37]

National team career[]

In September 2020, Garza expressed his interest to represent the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team internationally.[38]

Career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Iowa 33 26 21.7 .557 .348 .681 6.4 1.1 .3 1.0 12.1
2018–19 Iowa 32 30 23.7 .531 .292 .804 4.5 .9 .3 .5 13.1
2019–20 Iowa 31 31 32.0 .542 .358 .651 9.8 1.2 .8 1.8 23.9
2020–21 Iowa 31 31 31.5 .553 .440 .709 8.7 1.7 .7 1.6 24.1
Career 127 118 27.1 .546 .367 .701 7.3 1.2 .5 1.2 18.2

Personal life[]

Garza's father is of Spanish American origin, and his mother is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, of Bosniak origin. Both of Garza's parents have basketball experience: his father, Frank, played collegiately at Idaho, and his mother, Šejla (née Muftić), played professionally in Europe. His paternal grandfather, James Halm, played college basketball for Hawaii. His maternal uncle, Teoman Alibegović, is the all-time leading scorer for the Slovenia national basketball team.[39] His cousins Amar Alibegović, Mirza Alibegović and Denis Alibegović are all professional basketball players in Europe. His maternal grandfather, Refik Muftić, was an accomplished association football goalkeeper, spending his entire career with FK Sarajevo.[40]

Garza's mother is also an executive assistant at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Washington, D.C.[41]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Emmert, Mark (February 6, 2019). "Iowa's Luka Garza studies the masters in attempt to become elite scorer". Hawk Central. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Feinstein, John (March 22, 2019). "Iowa's Luka Garza is a rising star, and Lefty Driesell has been saying it for years". The Gazette. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Whooley, Connor (March 20, 2017). "Iowa hoops commit Luke Garza wins Washington, D.C., Gatorade Player of the Year". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  4. ^ Mullan, Dillon (March 21, 2017). "Maret big man Luka Garza wins D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  5. ^ Goodwin, Cody (September 10, 2016). "Four-star big man Luka Garza commits to Iowa hoops". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Iowa and Minnesota Earn First Weekly Men's Basketball Honors: Minnesota's Jordan Murphy earns Player of the Week honors; Hawkeyes' Luka Garza named Freshmen of the Week". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 13, 2017. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sophomore Luka Garza on a tear for surging Hawkeyes". USA Today. Associated Press. February 5, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  8. ^ "Iowa C Luka Garza shooting for opener after cyst removed". USA Today. Associated Press. October 8, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Eickholt, David (December 14, 2019). "Luka Garza is "as tough of a player as you're going to find"". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. ^ Meredith, Luke (December 5, 2019). "Luka Garza's Monster Start Propels Surging Hawkeyes". Associated Press. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN". BigTen.org. March 11, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Kahn, Andrew (December 7, 2019). "Luka Garza dropped 44 points on Michigan but it didn't matter". MLive. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  13. ^ Eickholt, David (December 10, 2019). "Luka Garza named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  14. ^ Creglow, Zach; Emmert, Mark (December 12, 2019). "Iowa star Luka Garza has tooth jarred loose, returns to game: 'I'll do anything for this team'". Hawk Central. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  15. ^ Emmert, Mark (January 4, 2020). "No. 25 Iowa falls 89–86 to No. 21 Penn State at historic Palestra". Hawk Central. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  16. ^ "Gonzaga's Filip Petrusev among new faces on Wooden Award midseason list". ESPN. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Bohnenkamp, John (February 13, 2020). "Garza Named To Robertson, Naismith Lists". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  18. ^ Leistikow, Chad (February 13, 2020). "Iowa wastes another huge night from Luka Garza in loss at Indiana". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  19. ^ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  20. ^ DeCourcy, Mike (March 10, 2020). "Iowa's Luka Garza is Sporting News' 2019-20 Player of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  21. ^ Dauster, Rob (March 10, 2020). "NBC Sports College Basketball All-American Teams". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Luka Garza: Consensus First-Team All-American". University of Iowa Athletics. March 24, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  23. ^ "Iowa's Luka Garza declares for NBA draft, keeps eligibility". ESPN. April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  24. ^ Dauster, Rob (August 2, 2020). "Luka Garza returns to Iowa to make a run at Player of the Year, Final Four". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  25. ^ Bohnenkamp, John (November 27, 2020). "Nearly perfect Garza scores 41, No. 5 Iowa routs Southern". The Washington Post. The Associated Press. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  26. ^ Doxsie, Don (December 4, 2020). "Luka Garza scores 30-plus again as Iowa beats Western Illinois". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  27. ^ Hlas, Mike (December 11, 2020). "Luka Garza torches Iowa State in second half, Iowa wins 105-77". The Gazette. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "Garza reaches 2,000 points as Iowa tops Michigan State 84-78". USA Today. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  29. ^ "Luka Garza becomes Iowa's all-time scoring leader". KCCI. February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  30. ^ "Iowa to retire Luka Garza's number at end of season". The Athletic. March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  31. ^ DeCourcy, Mike (March 9, 2021). "Iowa's Luka Garza is Sporting News' first repeat winner as Player of the Year since Michael Jordan". Sporting News. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  32. ^ Kasabian, Paul. "Luka Garza Wins 2021 AP Player of Year Award over Ayo Dosunmu, Cade Cunningham". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  33. ^ "Luka Garza Voted Big Ten Player of the Year". University of Iowa Athletics. March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  34. ^ "Garza repeats as Big Ten player of year; Howard top coach". AP NEWS. March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  35. ^ "Luka Garza Unanimous Consensus All-American". HawkeyeNation. Retrieved April 2, 2021. Garza has earned unanimous consensus first-team All-America status for a second straight year as a result of being voted to All-America first teams by the NBAC, Sporting News, Associated Press, and United States Basketball Writers Association. Garza becomes the program’s only repeat consensus All-America honoree.
  36. ^ "2021 NBA Draft results: Picks 1-60". NBA.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  37. ^ "Pistons sign Garza, Smith to 2-way contracts". ESPN.com. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  38. ^ "Luka Garza aiming to play on Bosnia's national team". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  39. ^ Goldwein, Eric (February 25, 2016). "Maret's Luka Garza keeps family basketball tradition going". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  40. ^ "Košarkaš Luka Garza: Želim predstavljati BiH". Glas Amerike (in Bosnian). Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  41. ^ Doxsie, Don (January 18, 2020). "Garza's rise the product of work, toughness and Dad's plan". Quad-City Times. Retrieved January 24, 2020.

External links[]

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