Incoming Iowa basketball player Anthony Hubbard says his past makes him appreciate the chance to play college basketball even more. The Virginia native saw his basketball career come to a halt when he was charged with armed robbery at the age of 18 and spent nearly four years in prison.
The 26-year-old signed with Iowa out of Frederick Community College and says he is not going to hide from what happened. Hubbard says he feels he is a good person and has grown from his past and moved on. He says there will be people that will not like him, but he says he can live with it.
Hubbard says he does not mind being asked about his past and knows he will hear about when the Hawkeyes are on the road next season. “If the worst thing that I have to deal with is the media, or someone at a game saying something, then I think I am well off,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard says a lot of people have given him a chance to turn his life around and he does not want to disappoint them. He says the most pressure comes from his family, as not only is he representing himself and the university, he is also representing his family.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery says he did extensive background checks on Hubbard and does not feeling signing him was a big risk. McCaffery says everyone else thinks it is a bigger chance, but he says the challenge is getting Hubbard ready to fit in with the other players.
McCaffery says Hubbard’s recruiting visit to Iowa was different from other players. He says most of the time it’s a recruiting trip to sell players, but he says Hubbard had to sell himself and convince a lot of people. McCaffrey says Hubbard met with people that recruits normally would not meet with and answered questions that normally would not be asked.
Hubbard averaged better than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this past season.