Fuller bulks up, and the rebounds come down

Posted on Nov 09, 2009 by Scott Dochterman.

Aaron Fuller’s got game, and everybody could see that last year.

Iowa’s sophomore forward scored 16 points last year in a road loss at Penn State. He showed a good left-handed shot from the perimeter and solid post moves as well.

But Fuller, who stands 6-foot-6, often was missing from stretches of games and was overpowered by many of the Big Ten’s top posts. Gaining strength was an off-season priority, and 10 pounds later, it shows.

“I’m just trying to get more consistent,” Fuller said. “Last year I had streaks of being on and off, so I felt like that was something I needed to work on, just getting up extra shots. I made a point of that after practice. That’s something I really needed to work on.”

Sunday in an exhibition against NAIA Marian (Ind.), Fuller overpowered his competition for 15 rebounds, including 12 on the defensive end. He’s playing with confidence, from the way he challenges shots to how aggressively he fights for rebounds.

“To play in the Big Ten, everyone is strong,” Fuller said. “Last year I was getting pushed around a lot, so I made that one of my goals to fill out more weight, get stronger. Now I feel like I can hold my own down in the post this year.

“I don’t want to sound cocky, but the weightlifting has helped a lot,” Fuller said.

Along with the weight gain, Fuller has benefited from a new strength program developed by conditioning coach Rusty Burney. Fuller now bench presses 285 pounds, a considerable improvement from last spring, and is 15 pounds from joining junior post Jarryd Cole in the team’s 300-pound bench press club.

“I definitely want to join that club,” Fuller said. “It’s better than to say you bench 200 and whatever.”

Fuller, a Mesa, Ariz., native, came to Iowa as The Arizona Republic’s Player of the Year and set his high school single-season scoring record with 631 points as a senior. Last year he started 19 games and averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds. His minutes ranged from all 45 in an overtime victory against Michigan to 10 in a double-overtime win in the regular-season finale against Penn State.

One exhibition down and the season to go, Fuller has made a good impression on Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter.

“Aaron has a knack, not only a knack, but he pursues balls and he can rebound outside of his area, which is a good talent to have,” Lickliter said.