Taking Down Giants: Iturbe following father’s basketball footsteps

Iker Iturbe had never been one to shy away from a challenge. He made a career out of taking them head-on. 

But on Jan. 21, 1995, he came up against the heaviest challenge he’d ever seen.

Iturbe, a freshman playing basketball for Clemson, went through his usual pregame routines ahead of the Tigers’ conference matchup against Wake Forest—eventual ACC champions. The Demon Deacons came in ranked No. 16 in the country. Clemson hadn’t been ranked in years. 

The Tigers readied to do battle against a figurative giant.

Iturbe, on the other hand, prepared to face a literal one. 

The 6-foot-7 center learned before the game that he’d be drawn up against Wake Forest’s rising star: a sophomore forward/center by the name of Tim Duncan.

“I knew it was going to be hard,” said Iturbe. “I wasn’t intimidated, but I knew it was going to be a tough day to try and guard that guy.”

Iturbe was the tallest player getting consistent minutes in Clemson’s lineup, so by default, he obtained the honors of guarding Duncan—the future NBA Hall of Famer. As a freshman, Iturbe held his own against Duncan. The Tigers couldn’t pull off the upset but kept it close throughout.

Iturbe still keeps a picture of himself and Duncan going to war in the paint.

“Tim was definitely the hardest player I ever had to guard,” he said. “But there were a lot of guys I played against back then that were great.”

He has no trouble listing them off, either. Names like Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, and Antwan Jamison roll off effortlessly. Iturbe played in college basketball’s premier conference during arguably its most glimmering of golden years.

Iturbe played from 1994-98 as a Tiger. He played for the Spanish national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and EuroBasket 2005. He spent the bulk of his post-collegiate career playing for Real Madrid in Spain, one of Europe’s most prestigious basketball clubs.

Iker Iturbe (right) guards future NBA Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan during a game. Iturbe referred to Duncan as the hardest player he was ever tasked with trying to stop.

But Clemson was where Iturbe learned just what it takes to compete at the highest level.

“A lot of high school guys, they think they are so good when they get to college. But you realize really fast when you get to college that you’re not actually that good,” said Iturbe. “A lot of guys are way better than you in different ways. Coach [Rick] Barnes taught me to push myself to limits that I never thought I could.

“When you think you’re tired, you go another hour of practice. That’s what it took to play at that level and compete against guys who, looking at it now, are NBA legends.”

PASSING IT ON

Julen Iturbe has seen his dad’s highlights. Iker’s college, high school, and professional tapes—all of it.

Iker was never going to force Julen, his youngest son, into basketball just because he played it in his day. 

Thankfully for him, Julen fell in love with the sport on his own.

“I first started playing basketball in first grade, but I think the game really started coming to me by the time I got to fourth grade,” said Julen. “At that point, that’s when I knew it was what I wanted to do. Even at that point, I think I knew college basketball was my ultimate goal.”

Iker coached Julen for many of his younger years. He was instrumental in helping teach Julen the fundamentals of the game.

“Before I moved down to South Carolina, my dad coached me from first through fifth grade,” said Julen. “He taught me a ton of what I know.”

Iker saw Julen’s potential as a kid.

“It was third grade when I realized Julen had that ‘it factor,’” said Iturbe. “I have coached a lot of kids, and you can tell when someone has it or doesn’t. Some people are born with it, and I think Julen is one of those people.”

Iker Iturbe (left) has been a mentor throughout his son Julen’s winding basketball journey.

Julen could read the game better than anyone his age. He was a wizard passing the ball. Julen’s basketball IQ was through the roof.

He’d play one-on-one with his older brother, Alexei, outside in the driveway almost every day. They’d work out and lift together, too.

“That was the thing about Julen. I never had to push him to train or do anything,” said Iker. “He had it in him to want to do it on his own.”

NO HESITATION

Riverside head coach Allen Arnold remembers the exact moment Julen first made his jaw drop.

It was a playoff game back in 2021 against Mauldin toward the end of Julen’s freshman season. The Warriors and Mavericks headed into overtime tied at 60. 

The Warriors controlled the tip. The ball was passed to Julen on the wing. Without hesitation, the freshman forward pulled up from 26 feet away.

Nothing but net. Riverside went on to win and advance to the upper state championship.

“That’s when I knew this dude had no fear,” said Arnold. “For a freshman to step up and just pull one in a game like that with no hesitation? I knew at that point he had real potential.”

Arnold’s intuition proved correct. Julen is a senior now at Riverside. He’s grown into a multi-year all-region player and one of the biggest names in high school basketball in South Carolina. 

He’s a force on the glass, a pristine passer of the ball, and can shoot the three as well as anyone. Standing 6-foot-7 just like his father at Clemson, he’s a high school basketball unicorn of sorts.

Teams design defensive game plans specifically aimed at stymying him.

“There’s nothing Julen can’t do, and that’s what makes him so hard to stop,” said Arnold.

Julen is a senior now at Riverside, where he currently has the Warriors at an 18-4 record. He’s committed to play at American University next season.

After his time at Riverside is finished, Julen will be competing at the next level, just like his father. He committed to play collegiately at American University in late 2023.

“The biggest things I liked about American were the coaching staff and the guys they have on the team,” said Julen. “Even watching them play this year, I see the way they share the ball is great, the way all the guys get involved in the game. I think it’s the perfect fit for me.”

For now, however, Julen’s focus is straight ahead. He’s helped push Riverside to an 18-4 record currently in his senior season and a shot at a region title. 

Iker has been watching and cheering him on from the stands every game, just like he’s always done.

But before Julen says goodbye and heads off to college, he wants a shot at the big one.

“We think we have what it takes to go all the way and win state,” said Julen. “That’s what we believe. It won’t be easy. We know that fighting through this region is going to be important in helping make that happen.

“It’s not just one guy out there doing the work for us, either. We’ve got all five guys—and everybody on the bench—ready to play as soon as the jump ball goes in the air. That’s what will give us a chance.”