In Devyn Marble's case, father knew best.
A few years ago, when the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was in the process of selecting a college, his mother had her reservations about Iowa. After all, Devyn's father, Roy, had starred at Iowa and was the school's all-time leading scorer. If Devyn chose to attend Iowa, wouldn't he always be in his father's shadow?
Even Roy questioned Devyn about playing for the Hawkeyes. Devyn would be carrying on a family legacy, his father told him, and he should be prepared for copious pressure.
Ultimately, the same bullheaded determination that has resulted in a successful career at Iowa also led Devyn to decide on the black and gold in the first place. And he has no regrets.
"A good trait and characteristic about me is that I don't let things get in my way," Devyn said earlier this year. "I don't think too much of it; I look at it as, this is where my dad went to school, and not really about the accolades he got from being here. At the end of the day, it was my decision, and I made the right one."
Devyn's choice has been validated in several ways, but perhaps none more noteworthy than a recent achievement. The junior recorded his 1,000th point on a three-pointer early in the first half of Iowa's regular-season finale against Nebraska, making him and Roy the only father-son duo in Big Ten history to both put up the century mark.
It's an honor that neither man takes lightly.
"I saw where this could happen if the work was put in," Roy recently told The Gazette. "The work was put in. It just sneaked up on me anyway. I’m just so happy for him. For me, I'm the proudest dad in the world. No getting around that."
Making Marble's record all the more fulfilling is that his success has coincided with a resurgence by his team. Following three straight losing seasons in which the Hawkeyes finished 8th or worse in the Big Ten, Iowa has finished above .500 each of the past two years, and this season Fran McCaffery's squad recorded its most wins since 2006.
After a rough stretch, the program appears to be approaching the consistency it had when Roy starred for Tom Davis in the late 1980s. Iowa qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of Roy's years with the team, and even made it as far as the Elite Eight.
"I just feel blessed as a father to have the opportunity to have a son who’s playing right now at the high level at the same university," Roy told The Gazette. "I'm happy for the University of Iowa. Coach (Tom) Davis and Fran. That’s like two decades of similarity in expectations and excitement of Iowa basketball."
