Former Iowa basketball star Luka Garza on coming back to the T-Wolves and his future
Former Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star Luka Garza had just finished a practice with the Iowa Wolves Thursday when he began to think about what Friday night may look like at Wells Fargo Arena.
Garza, who began the season in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was transferred to Iowa's roster in time for him to suit up for the Wolves' season opener Friday evening.
"It's going to be electric in the building," Garza said.
The game will feature the team's biggest draw. Garza, one of the most accomplsihed players in Hawkeyes history, will be the center of attention with the season begins.
He was already expected to be the talk of the night with the Wolves handing out bobbleheads of Garza before the first game. But with the ex-Iowa star back in Des Moines, excitement jumped even more.
Garza talked with The Des Moines Register about his offseason as a free agent, what brought him back to the Minnesota Timberwolves, how he makes the next jump in his career and why he's enjoying being back in Iowa.
Garza is embracing his time being back in the G League and being back in Iowa
“It’s an incredible opportunity for me to be here to continue to work on my game in the G League with these coaches and this coaching staff. And obviously, individually for me, I kind of spoke on it a couple of times last year, I never thought I’d have the chance to play and suit up in Iowa again. So, this is always a special opportunity that I don’t take for granted to be back here playing in this state. It’s always a place that will hold a special place in my heart.”
Even after becoming a free agent in the offseason, Garza wanted to come back to the Timberwolves
“I absolutely loved everything about last year, with starting off in the G League and midway through the year, getting a lot of great opportunities with the Timberwolves and playing in the rotation for quite a few games and trying to help impact winning at both the NBA level and the G League level. I felt like I got so much better and just the organization in general from the Iowa Wolves to the Minnesota Timberwolves, I feel like they have such a great staff and everyone has just given me the utmost confidence in me and my game. I was at a point coming into last season’s training camp where I didn’t know kind of what my future held in terms of the NBA and that belief and everything kind of just came once I suited up in both Iowa and Minnesota. I feel like ever since I’ve arrived, I’ve gotten better. And that’s the most important thing for me as a guy who’s always looking for growth and improvement in any area that I can find it.”
There were other opportunities for Garza in the offseason. But the Timberwolves made it clear they wanted him back
“There was such a sense of urgency from the Timberwolves organization to bring me back. For me, that was a position that I don’t feel like I have been in yet in terms of in the NBA where I felt like I was a major piece that they wanted to bring back. They made sure that they were reaching out and obviously wanted me to sign as fast as I could and didn’t want me to (miss) the opportunity of coming back to Minnesota and continuing to develop within coach (Chris) Finch’s system which I feel like is a perfect system fit for me. The way he coaches a game and the culture that (president) Tim Connelly is bringing in, it just completely identifies with who I am as a player and as a person. It was pretty seamless and a really easy decision for me to want to come back. Obviously, I know there would have been other opportunities for me. But, I felt like the best course for my future in the NBA was with this organization.”
Garza has spent his career bouncing between the NBA and G League. What's he need to do to make the next jump in his career?
“I’ve just got to continue doing what I’m doing every single day. In the NBA preseason, I felt like I had a really, really good stretch there in multiple games and multiple opportunities in the rotation and obviously we had a big game where I was able to play some big minutes in the preseason as well. So, I think it’s making the most of those opportunities which I have. But at the same time, I’m in a unique situation where I have three of the most elite big men in the NBA on my team. So, I’m playing behind Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. I know that I’m a guy that kind of has to be ready when the opportunity comes. That’s kind of part of it too. So, it’s just continuing to make the most out of everything that comes my way. I have confidence and trust and faith in my work and I know I’m going to get where I’m supposed to be.”
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Iowa basketball star Luka Garza talks Timberwolves, Iowa Wolves
