IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) In an era when many college players want to speed up their careers in hopes of going pro, Iowa's Jack Nunge took an unusual step back last season.

The sophomore redshirted for the Hawkeyes, and they hope that will help him blossom into an impact post player this winter.

The 6-foot-11 Nunge, who started 14 games as a freshman in 2017-18, took the year off partly because Iowa wanted to balance out its frontcourt depth for the next few seasons and partly so he could bulk up. Nunge's work behind the scenes - along with the expected loss of star forward Tyler Cook to the NBA - should put him in position to compete for significant minutes this season.