By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY — Brock Harding isn’t afraid to speak up.

Harding is just a sophomore on Iowa’s men’s basketball team, but even last year, when he was one of the youngest voices in the room, he was also one of the most demanding.

Teammate Owen Freeman is used to it, especially since they were also teammates in their senior season at Moline (Ill.) High School.

“Oh yeah, he’s yelled at me,” Freeman said. “Definitely.”

Even forward Payton Sandfort, heading into his senior season, has heard it, just maybe not as much.

Asked if he’s been scolded by Harding, Sandfort said, smiling, “He has, but he kind of knows not to mess with the big dog. It’s very rare.”

It’s a characteristic coach Fran McCaffery likes in Harding.

“He’s always had that in him,” McCaffery said. “It’s always been part of who he is. It’s one of the reasons why they won the state championship, why he was Mr. Basketball (in Illinois in 2023).

“He is not afraid to talk to his teammates, be direct. Sometimes he can be a little too tough, but everybody respects that about him because that’s how he is wired, and he is as tough a guy as I have ever coached. It’s why I recruited him. It’s why we love him.”

Harding knows there is a bit of a leadership vacuum with the Hawkeyes, with the departure of Tony Perkins and Patrick McCaffery. He’s more than ready to fill it.

“A lot of leadership roles opened up, and that’s always kind of who I’ve been as a point guard, who I’ve been as a player,” Harding said at Iowa’s media day on Monday. “So I think I’ve kind of got to step up as a leader and kind of be vocal with this team. Kind of run things how the coaches want to run it, run things how we want to run it as a team, and just kind of hold guys accountable, and I think really step up in that leadership role.”

Harding played in all 34 games last season, averaging almost 11 minutes. That playing time should see a significant increase, and Harding is prepared.

“I think just with more minutes comes a lot more responsibility,” Harding said. “I mean, as a point guard in the Big Ten, you’ve got to take care of the ball, while also with the style of offense we run just kind of playing quick, getting up and down. So I think it’s my job as the point guard, kind of controlling guys, getting shots where we want to get guys shots, not turning the ball over.”

It’s a role Harding has played over the years.

“Coaches have always been pretty open to my freedom, just kind of doing what I do as a point guard, kind of playing fast, playing smart, playing quick, and doing what I do,” he said. “just kind of playing aggressive, but not dumb. And I think just with freedom, there’s a lot more opportunity.”

“He has really, defensively, been way more physical,” Fran McCaffery said. “He is stronger, but he is shooting the ball extremely well. He changed his shot a little bit. Moved it up a little bit. Nothing major. He is shooting with great confidence.”

Harding was a 36.2 percent shooter last season, including 37.5 percent in 3-point attempts, although he took only 40 threes throughout the season. He worked with assistant coach Matt Gatens on his shot during the summer.

“Just moving the pocket up a little bit, just to get it over bigger defenders, just getting a little bit quicker,” Harding said. “And it’s been great. The coaches have been working on it with me a lot.”

Harding said he sensed a difference in his shot.

“Every time it’s out of my hand, I feel like it’s going in,” Harding said. “A  lot of the guys on the team have confidence when I shoot the ball, like, ‘Let it fly.’ And I’ve always been a pretty good shooter, but just getting the consistency down, and just with more reps comes more possibilities and more opportunity to shoot the ball.”

How Harding is playing isn’t a surprise to Freeman, his long-time teammate.

“Obviously, I’ve been a part of a Brock Harding-led team before,” Freeman said, “and you’re gonna see a lot of special things.”

Photo: Iowa’s Brock Harding (2) celebrates a win over Wisconsin last season. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)