Iowa City has arguably the greatest female college basketball player, Caitlyn Clark. The Hawkeyes have also produced some historic players on the men’s side of the game. If you think about it, there was a point where Iowa arguably had some of the best college basketball talent in the country. Iowa basketball may not be on the same level as Indiana or Illinois, but they have seen some success in recent memory.
The Hawkeyes have made three final fours in their history with the last coming in 1980. The highest of the highs for Iowa came in the late 1950s when they went to back-to-back final fours. That group was led by a group of players tabbed the ‘Fabulous Five‘. What that group did for Iowa basketball is nothing short of historic. This program has always been a resurgent one, and even at their lowest points, they have always found a way to stay in the hunt. The same can be said of the team in their current era under Head Coach Fran McCaffrey.
McCaffrey has pushed Iowa to a new level, and the amount of Hawkeyes who have reached the NBA in recent memory is impressive. A lot of those more recent Hawkeyes could certainly make a case to be on the all-time Hawkeye lineup. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at Iowa’s all-time starting five.
Iowa Basketball: Hawkeyes All-Time Starting Lineup
Guard: Ronnie Lester
You have to always have a point guard, and there have been very strong shooters in Iowa history, but Ronnie Lester is Iowa’s all-time great as a ball-handler. Lester burst on the scene in the late 1970’s and showed his outstanding court vision. He was just the leader Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson needed. Lester quickly rose to the top of the Big Ten in terms of point guards, just behind the likes of Michigan State’s Magic Johnson. Olson would later coach plenty of high-caliber guards at Arizona. Though he tabbed Lester as the best he had ever coached.
Lester’s toughness and strength helped lead the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Championship in 1980 along with the team’s most recent Final Four appearance that season. A two-time All-Big Ten performer certainly left a great legacy at Iowa. He finished his Hawkeye career with over 1,600 points and nearly 500 assists. He was selected in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers before quickly being traded to Chicago. After four seasons with the Bulls, Lester latched on with the Los Angeles Lakers and earned an NBA Title in 1985 serving as ex-rival Johnson’s backup.
Lester was always a tough and strong guard, but he will always be a big what-if especially because of the significance of his Knee injury during that 1980 Final Four run. The injury ultimately held him back from a likely decade-long NBA career. Lester is a Hawkeye legend, and deserves this spot as the point guard given, his court vision and defensive skillset.
Guard: BJ Armstrong
Iowa athletics has long liked finding talent in the Detroit, Michigan area, and that was no different with guard BJ Armstrong. Bloomfield Brother Rice’s own took his talents to Iowa in 1985, and the rest was history. The best way to define BJ was he was born to shoot the ball. And boy did he do that. Though he never quite got to an All-Big Ten caliber player, Armstrong was an important figure in Iowa basketball history. In 130 games in the black and gold, Armstrong scored over 1,700 points. His scoring wasn’t his only major attribute, though, as Armstrong left Iowa as the school’s all-time assist leader. He still ranks seventh all-time in that statistic.
After a great four years at Iowa, Armstrong carried his ability over to the NBA where he was the 18th pick in the 1989 Draft. The Bulls certainly knew what they were doing when they picked him, as he went on to be a part of the three-peat from 1991-1993. That led to a great 1994 season that saw Armstrong named an NBA All-Star. He bounced around a bit after that but stuck in the NBA until 2000.
Armstrong remains a major part of basketball as he went into working as an agent for several pro players. Though his No. 10 at Iowa remains in the jersey rotation, he remains the most memorable to ever wear that jersey.
Guard: Roy Marble
Having a three-guard lineup appears to be the best way to go in this hypothetical all-time team. You have to look no further than the legend Roy Marble. Hard to believe the state of Michigan let this guy leave the state. But, Lansing’s Marble went to Iowa, and boy was he good. He entered Iowa as a Parade High School All-American in 1985 and turned that into an outstanding freshman season that saw him win Freshman of the Year in the league. Marble had four outstanding seasons as a Hawkeye, and his scoring went outmatched for 32 years, as he left Iowa with the record for points in a career. His record stood until 2021 when a fellow player on this lineup broke it.
Marble was taken in the first round of the 1989 NBA draft much like Armstrong was. Though his career pro career wasn’t as accomplished, Marble is arguably Iowa’s greatest talent. Marble’s legacy at Iowa was only further cemented by his son, who also wore the Black and Gold, as Roy Devyn Marble took to the floor at Carver-Hawkeye Arena from 2011-2014. Sadly the elder Marble lost his fight with cancer in 2015.
Forward: Keegan Murray
There is nothing better than family history when it comes to Iowa basketball. Look no further than the Murray twins of recent years. Both are currently in the NBA and carving their paths, but both had very interesting Iowa careers. They are identical twins, so many would think their games are similar and they would be right. Both were great college players, but Keegan Murray gets the nod for this lineup.
Murray made four starts as a freshman and played in some huge games as he quickly provided glimpses of what was to come in his sophomore campaign. Murray ended the 2020-21 season on the All-Big Ten Freshman team. His second and final season at Iowa was special. Not only did Murray take a major step, but he became one of the best players in the Big Ten and the whole country for that matter. His scoring average went way up as he averaged nearly 24 points per game and scored 822 points in 35 games that season.
It was enough to earn him first-team All-Big Ten, Consensus All-American, and the Karl Malone Award. He was key in helping lead Iowa to the 2022 Big Ten Tournament Championship. His success and quick growth as a Hawkeye led to him being drafted 4th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Since debuting for the Kings, Murray has quickly risen to be one of the most important players for future success in Sacramento. Though he only spent two seasons at Iowa, Keegan is certainly qualified to be in this lineup.
Center: Luka Garza
The starting center for this lineup is undeniable. Luka Garza is a freak of nature. His growth throughout his career at Iowa was magical. He came in pretty undervalued, and sometimes clumsy-looking. That was put to bed by the time he left Iowa City. Garza could score, rebound do it all.
After two developing years at Iowa, alongside other great players, Garza took the forefront in the Big Ten. The two-time Consensus All-American rose to the forefront of College Basketball in 2020 and 2021. He became an unstoppable force for the Hawkeyes during his junior and senior seasons, as he won back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year Awards, among plenty of other attributes.
There certainly weren’t many that could stop Garza from scoring. His senior year was huge, as he captured both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award cementing his place as the best player in College Basketball in the 2020-21 season. Individual Awards were the name of the game for Garza in his final two years. His scoring throughout his career was right on pace with all of the Iowa greats, and he became the guy who broke a 32-year All-Time Iowa Scoring record, as he passed Marble for that record in February 2021.
Garza’s Iowa career is something to remember, and that hard work he put in carried on to the NBA where he was a second-round pick in 2021. After bouncing around between the main roster and G-League with the Detroit Pistons for a season, Garza has found a home with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Garza may not have had a lot of team success at Iowa, but he’s still arguably one of the best to step foot in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and his number 55 won’t soon be forgotten.
See Previous All-Time Big Ten teams below:
