Iowa Basketball-What Now?

Iowa Basketball has officially hit the panic button, at least in the eyes of the rabid, fickle Hawkeye faithful. There have been no reports of Todd Lickliter reading to little tykes at the local children's hospital as news of 4 players' transfers reached him, and no rushed, misguided attack on some distant enemy only partially responsible for our suffering, but Lickliter is still stuck in one of the most pressure packed situations since George Bush had to react after the 9/11 attacks...okay, maybe not that much, but the whole damn cornfed state of Iowa has their bloated blue eyes focused on him, and if he can rebuild this basketball program or not after 3 straight years in the crapper. Now, with two major players and two bench players gone from the team, it appears as if the Hawks are back to square one in the rebuilding phase, something the already fed-up, apathetic fans don't want to hear. With attendance at a painfully empty all-time low and statewide interest nowhere near it was in the Lute Olson/George Raveling/Tom Davis hey-day, fans are getting so frustrated they are even lamenting taking the much vilified Steve Alford and his slicked head of egocentricism for granted. Is this fair for poor old Lickliter, or are his impersonal tactics and strict adherence to the vaunted system the reasons why we haven't been able to win yet and the players don't want to stay? The first thing I want to say is impossible to express without a bevy of cliches...Rome, or Duke/North Carolina for that matter, wasn't built in a day. Quite frankly, Lickliter needs time to garner the type of players he wants, for the school to finish building the renovations (practice facilities, making Carver more accessible and modern) that they are just starting, and for his players to stay on board! He had amazing success at Butler, a mid-major school in a weak conference several notches below the Big Ten, so there are still question marks with recruiting and the like even though he had such success, especially against powerhouse teams in the tournament. I'm not a big fan of his whiny bench body language or plethora of references to "The Butler Way" or the "system," but I believe a lot of that is just him trying to re-affirm to himself and to the Hawkeye fans that he CAN win with this style of play, emphasizing the three point shot, disciplined passing in the half-court, and stingy defense, especially coming from the guards.

The big loss the Iowa Hawkeyes have faced in the past couple of weeks is Jake Kelly. Not only did he have the venerable distinction of being my favorite player on the squad and the most entertaining to watch by far, he simply our most skilled offensive guy and the only player on the team with a slick batch of one on one scoring moves, effective against any team with his long arms, slithery body, and smooth touch. After Jeff Peterson hurt his hamstring against Wisconsin, Jake came in at the point guard position and came into his own, looking amazing and supremely confident with the ball in his hands at all times. Jake drove, dished, and swished three after three, keeping Iowa in every game they played towards the end of the season and leading the Hawks to exciting upset wins against Michigan and Penn State. He averaged more than 20 points a game and racked up the assists, and was forced to guard the opposing team's best player every night. I will definitely remember Jake for shutting down Manny Harris in our win over UM. Kelly is transferring back home to Indiana State, as he has been confronted with brutal tragedy since his mother died in a freak accident plane crash over the summer. This is a horror few guys will ever face; no one should lose a parent at 19. Jake has my full support and I hope being back home will re-energize his spirits and ease his troubled mind. I know the boys in Terre Haute got themselves a new basketball fan for next year, and it has nothing to do with Larry Bird. Peterson is also transferring, probably to Missouri Valley cellar-dweller Missouri State, located in Jeff's hometown. Jeff had the point guard spot locked up until his injury, and though he is more a natural scorer and still had occasional turnover lapses, he showed signs of major improvement in his overall offensive game and decision making. Jeff couldn't have been dissatisfied with his role, as Jake's departure meant the point guard spot was all his again, but I think his relationship with Lickliter was severed Jeff's freshman year when he was benched the entire 2nd half of the season. His confidence seemed destroyed and hurt, and I think he struggled to find respect for Todd after this. Seems like he never got over it. The other two transfers are David Palmer, a tantalizing big man who showed flashes of star potential but never developed the consistent game to fit Lickliter's wishes, and wee little Jermain Davis, an energetic defensive guard who played with wanton abandon but who lacked the skill or size to probably be a Division 1 player. Davis and Palmer were unlikely to see much time off the pine anyway, but losing Kelly and Peterson not only leaves us without our best player but our only two point guards. Iowa also loses scrubmeister JR Angle to graduation, and Cyrus Tate, Iowa's most physical and cosnsistent post man, will retire his banging body from the black and gold for eternity.

As far as recruiting for next year, we should see a small bounty of riches if Lickliter can succeed in wooing some players to Iowa City, seeing that 4 scholarships are now available. Word on the internet street is that the reason some of the players grew discontented was because ole Lick told a few of the bench scrubs that they should leave so he could put their scholarships up for better use. Pretty harsh folks, and a pretty good reason to be upset if those are your teammates that he is talking to. Of course, it is all speculation and I'll just put on my naive blinders and choose to believe they all left for personal reasons. Still, that's three years in a row that our best player has departed. Just saying. The only two recruits who signed their letter of intents so far are Sioux City Heelan big man Brennan Cougill and Dubuque's Eric May, both statewide stars who have led their repspective squads to state titles and are some of the brightest stars in all of Iowa. Devon Archie, a frenetic athlete from a JUCO in Indiana, has verbally committed and will sign during the spring signing period later in April. The same appears true for Cully Payne, a true point who de-committed from Alabame after Anthony Grant became the new coach. He fills a vital need for the Hawks, who don't have a true point without him. Iowa is also trying to get at least two JUCO plyers, Malcom Armstead and Torye Pelham. Armstead is another point guard, a spot we cannot have too much of, while Pelham is an athletic big man who can score and bang around the rim. Our lack of size and athletes around the paint area is about as sore a need as the point guard position, but we'll see if we can land any of these guys. Marcus Jordan, 23's son, was also offered a scholarship, but citing the fact that he didn't want to play against his brother at Illinois (yeah right, like his brother will actually be playing anything but garbage time the next few years) and the fact that they recruited him first, Jordan selected Central Florida, which is understandable considering he probably wants to escape the gargantuan shadow of his father and make a name for himself. As far as the guys we are getting, Cougill is expected to fill a large role for us, both figuratively and literally. He is a large golden bear of an Iowan, with good scoring skills around the basket as well as a wide body for rebounding, good size at 6 foot 10, and sharp passing. He is not going to be a wunderkind right away, or maybe ever in his career, but is not meant to disparage him. He will provide such valuable size down low, where the Hawks are thirsting for anyone over 6 foot 7, and bring a stabilizing rebounding force who knows what it's like to win big ball games. May probably doesn't have the size or strength to be a 1st-year Big Ten wonder, but he is a great scorer at the high school level, even better than Matt Gatens, and a very solid athlete and hardworking teammate. I expect him to be a solid bench contributor providing depth for the rest of his career. I don't know much about Archie, but I've heard he's a raw athlete who attacks the rim and the boards with reckless abandon. Sounds kind of like a Kurt Looby type, but I'm not going to be pretend like I was overly thrilled that the only video I could find of him on the internet was getting dunked on by now former Hawkeye Jake Kelly. Stevie Wonder can see that Iowa needs more athleticism, however, and I think it's a good pickup. Payne is supposedly a really smooth, unselfish passer who is also a dead eye shooter. He lacks blow-by speed or athletcism, but he seems to posses all the skills that a Lickliter point guard should have, so frankly I'm excited about the guy. God knows we need a point guard more than anything else, at any cost. Goofy white guys were a staple of the Butler Way, why can't Iowa continue the tradition?? I'll take it.

And for the players we have returning, they are few and far between, led by Jesus Christ himself, Matt Gatens. Gatens was dubbed the savior of Iowa basketball before he even made it to his senior year of high school, an all-around American stud who hustles, makes shots, plays unselfishly, and just seems like an overall divine figure. He has Big Ten strength and fearlessness already, which I love to see, and assumed a leadership role on this youthful squad. He doesn't have gamebreaking athletic ability or great one-on-one skills, but the guy is a total player and should be one of the better Iowa-bred Hawkeyes ever when his career is over. You can bet the pressure will be scintillating next season. Anthony Tucker, fresh off a series of alcohol problems, illness, and academic ineligibility, should actually be ready this season. If you don't feel for the guy, you don't have a heart. He had maybe the toughest freshman year a kid could have, and through it all he has been a dedicated Hawkeye affirming time and time again that he is staying and intends to turn things around. Before his problems, he was one of the brightest stars on the entire team. His shot is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, and he just knows the game on the offensive end. He's not merely a spot-up shooter, as he can drive and crash the boards too. Can't wait to have him back and watch the Tucker redemption show. I'm really excited for Jarryd Cole, who will be a junior next season. That's shocking to me. He's also the only guy remaining from that 1st Lickliter class, or the guys that were basically Alford recruits. Cole is undersized for what he's asked to do, but he plays with amazing energy and passion, fighting for every rebound and banging with bigger opponents on defense. Cole is very athletic and finishes with ease around the rim, but still needs polishing on his jittery post moves and practice on his outside jumper, of which there is none in his game. This is a guy who works harder than anyone, however, as he showed us with his rehab and his improved free throws, so I believe in the guy. Devan Bawinkel is a great role player who is asked to do nothing but shoot three pointers, which he excells at. He can be streaky, like anyone who relies strictly on the outside shot, and he will probably be asked to play way too many minutes, but leave the man open and thou shalt pay. Aaron Fuller is an important returning cog as well. Fuller has great talent and versatility, oozing with the potential to be a star playing different positions. He has long arms, attacks the glass, is smooth going to the basket, and can hit set three pointers. He also made the best hustle play all season, an outstanding block on a fastbreak that sparked our overtime win against Wisconsin. He makes a lot of boneheaded, unforced errors and looked like a lost freshman out there, but those are things that will heal with time. I think Fuller will be very good next year. Andrew Brommer returns after a rather ugly freshman year...he was considered the weak link of last year's class, but definitely proved that he wasn't quite ready for D1 ball. With the lack of depth, a redshirt wasn't possible though. He has good size and plays with more energy and quickness than Seth Gorney ever could, but the poor guy can barely make a layup in traffic and shot an embarassing free throw percentage. Hopefully he gets better, becaues I'm not convinced yet. Lickliter's young dumpling of a son is also a walk-on point guard for the Hawks, and though he looks like a 12-year old water boy I'm sure he's a good guy and a contributing practice player who the other players get along with. Or not, seeing as all the message board freaks seem to contend that Lickliter is on par with Satan in the eyes of the ballers.

In closing, I realize that in this modern age of college basketball, it is tough to win at Iowa. We had winning tradition and a sterling program for 2 or 3 decades, always good for the 2nd round with maybe a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 run thrown in (Final Four for Lute Olson!!), but with the contagious optimism of the Steve Alford era, when we though we were getting to that "next level", we instead received an arrogant greaseheaded prick who was only looking out for himself and his own future success. He had some pretty good teams, especially the beloved '06 team that had the infamous 1st round loss, but interest in the program died and fans felt a seperation from Iowa basketball for the 1st time since before Lute. Alford just wasn't an Iowa guy, and his salivation over the Indiana job when it opened up made it all the more apparent. Now the poor fool is stuck in New Mexico making NITs every year, and our program was left to rot with lack of fan support, no good recruiting connections or players left, crappy facilities way behind the times, and a program in shambles with a dated tradition that young fans can't even remember. Iowa is a tough place to recruit in the 1st place with the weather, cornfields, and steady supply of obese white people, but it's a fabulous college town if you can get past the stereotypes and the surrounding terrain of green grass and corn stalks. Lickliter is a man firmly dedicated to winning basketball games his way and developing a special system or tradition of doing things, and I like the idea of that unique, well-defined style being our mantra for years to come, but it takes serious time and recruiting flair to develop that, and Lickliter hasn't proven that he can do that in the Big Ten yet. I'm rooting for him, because I would sure love to have an established basketball progam, since at that point players won't give a crap about the boring state and will only want to play for a Big Ten winner. A lot is left to prove for Lickliter, and while things are fairly bleak I'll be rooting for him all the way.