Hawkeye freshman Cougill needs to work on toughness
By JOHN BOHNENKAMP The Hawk Eye (Burlington)
NORTH LIBERTY (MCT) — Brennan Cougill got a lesson in his second night of playing in the Prime Time League.
The forward from Sioux City, a freshman this season with the Iowa basketball team, was given the assignment of guarding former Drake forward Aliou Keita, who has a few years of experience on Cougill.
Keita was able to back Cougill down for most of Wednesday’s game with the freshman getting a hard lesson from the veteran.
Cougill was bothered by the fact that Keita won more of the battles than he did, but he understood those were the lessons he had to learn.
“I want to get adjusted to the physical style of play that the Big Ten has,” Cougill said. “In high school, I didn’t go against guys like Aliou Keita and (Iowa forward) Andrew Brommer and (Northern Iowa center) Jordan Eglseder. That’s basically what I want to learn, to guard a guy who is bigger.”
The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Cougill is expected to give the Hawkeyes something they haven’t had in the last couple of seasons — bulk inside. But Cougill knows he has plenty of work to do.
“I welcome (playing time),” Cougill said. “But I know that from the moment I stepped on campus, I have to be ready to go.
“You can’t come in and be scared of these guys. You’ve got to be able to show you can hold your own. Confidence is key.”
Cougill’s PTL coach Ray Swetalla added,“He’s doing really well. He’s got a long way to go athletically, though.”
Swetalla has been impressed with how Cougill has handled the tougher competition inside.
“He’s got skill,” he said. “He’s made some post moves, he’s passed the ball well, he’s only had one or two turnovers.
“He’s got some size, he’s got some skills. But as a freshman, he’s got a long way to go with his strength and conditioning.”
Cougill was Iowa’s Mr. Basketball, averaging 18.2 points and 13.3 rebounds as a senior at Bishop Heelan.
Now Cougill is a Hawkeye, and he’s embracing the role.
“The team really accepted me pretty well,” Cougill said. “It’s been great so far. “It’s all positive energy, nothing negative.”
