Could the Hawks Win With Only Iowa Recruits?

Let's play the hypothetical game. What if Iowa could only recruit players from in-state? In this scenario, Todd Lickliter and his staff could select any players they wanted from Iowa and those players would have no choice but to be Hawkeyes. Could Iowa be competitive while recruiting only from within the Hawkeye State? Let's look at what the roster might look like right now if this were the case.

Pos. Name, School (Ht, Wt, Yr, Hometown)
G Jason Bohannon, Wisconsin (6-2, 198, Jr., Marion)
C Jordan Eglseder, Northern Iowa (7-1, 280, Jr., Bellevue)
G Ali Farokhmanesh, Northern Iowa (6-0, 190, Jr., Iowa City)
G/F Matt Gatens, Iowa (6-5, 215, Fr., Iowa City)
G Grant Gibbs, Gonzaga (6-4, 204, Fr., Marion)
G Brian Haak, Northern Iowa (6-1, 180, Jr., Spencer)
G Sean Haluska, Iowa State (6-3, 210, Sr., Carroll)
F Casey Harriman, Creighton (6-5, 205, So., Ida Grove)
G Kaleb Korver, Creighton (6-5, 190, So., Pella)
C Austin Pehl, Northern Iowa (6-10, 235, Fr., Cedar Falls)
G Bryan Peterson, Iowa State (6-1, 180, Sr., Clinton)
F L.A. Pomlee, Iowa State (6-8, 235, Fr., Davenport)
G Jordan Printy, Indiana State (6-4, 180, Fr., Marion)
F Alex Thompson, Iowa State (6-10, 235, Sr., Ames)

Well, that's the list. There are numerous other native Iowans playing for mid-major programs but these are the best players from Iowa in division I basketball.

The list certainly looks rather unimpressive. It's hard to imagine this team would be considerably better, or even better at all, than the actual Hawkeye basketball team. However, there are a few players that would be great additions. Jason Bohannon would be a nice point guard, Grant Gibbs was a highly-touted recruit, and Jordan Eglseder would give Iowa a huge post presence that it really needs.

You can't just look at one season to answer the question though. From a year-to-year basis, Iowa would likely be competitive with only in-state recruits. Think about it. A long list of talented preps have graced Iowa high school basketball courts for the last several years. There's Kirk Hinrich, Raef LaFrentz, Ryan Bowen, Ricky Davis, Dean Oliver, Adam Haluska, Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner, Nate Funk, Kyle Korver, Matt Gatens, Jason Bohannon, Grant Gibbs and probably many others that escape my memory.

Then there's Harrison Barnes in 2010, plus Iowa signees Brennan Cougill and Eric May in 2009, and Iowa commitment Chanse Creekmur in 2010. A lineup with Barnes, Gatens and Gibbs would certainly have the potential to be top 25 material in 2010.

Thus, Iowa could put together decent teams. Sure, Iowa doesn't produce a Harrison Barnes or Ricky Davis every year, but they could still be respectable. Iowa would fill its roster with players that may otherwise become quality players at Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Drake or even Kansas. There would be lean seasons, such as in 2008-09, but also some top 25-caliber teams from time to time.