By W.G. Ramirez
The Sporting Tribune
The John R. Wooden Award will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary this season. Leading up to the award ceremony on April 10, 2026, The Sporting Tribune in partnership with the Wooden Award and the Los Angeles Athletic Club will highlight past winners of the Wooden Award and the Legends of Coaching Award.
When you talk about pure college dominance in the late 2010s, Luka Garza’s name has to be near the top after what he did while playing for the University of Iowa, as he became one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the country.
Garza wasn’t just a big; he was skilled in so many areas, which made him versatile and able to do so many things, making him even more dangerous.
His advanced footwork on the block, his up-and-under moves, his spin counters and his soft touch with either hand made his play quite exquisite.
Garza was able to score over either shoulder, which made him extremely hard to scout. Most college big men had one go-to move – Garza had five.
The two-time consensus first-team All-American was named the 2021 Wooden Award winner shortly before being taken by the Detroit Pistons with the 52nd overall pick in the NBA Draft.
It’s not often you’re able to see someone of his stature being able to shoot with such finesse. It’s what separated him from traditional centers.
Garza shot better than 40% from 3-point range his senior year. Defenders couldn’t get a good scout on him since he could trail in transition and hit pick-and-pop 3-pointers at any time.
Garza forced opposing centers to guard 25 feet from the rim, and with the type of footwork he operated with, the spacing opened everything for Iowa’s offense, and for him to maneuver.
Garza’s will to win led him to play as if every possession mattered. He was constantly sealing defenders early, he always sprinted the floor in transition, he was dominating in crashing the offensive glass, and drew fouls at an elite rate.
He wasn’t flashy athletic, either; he was relentless, using his 260-pound frame to punish defenders. His ability to absorb contact and finish through it helped him in physical tussles, as he was able to wear down opponents over 40 minutes. Truth is, by the middle of the second half, defenders were exhausted, so he was wearing them down between 25 and 30 minutes into games.
Production-wise, his numbers were absurd, as he averaged 23.7 points per game as a senior, just another reason he’ll go down as one of the greatest players in Big Ten history, as one of the most productive scorers of the 21st century, and as a throwback dominant college center in a guard-heavy era.
Luka Garza proved that skill, work ethic, and physical dominance could still control modern college basketball.