Armstead Eliminates Iowa

According to the latest Pat Harty blog entry on the Press-Citizen website, Chipola Junior College point guard Malcolm Armstead has basically eliminated Iowa from his list of possible schools.

Armstead will reportedly choose between Oregon and St. John's. He also had received offers from Arkansas, Iowa and Providence.

While Armstead has made no public declaration that Iowa is out of the running, he has yet to even visit the campus. It appears Armstead's interest in Iowa was only luke-warm, contrary to what Harty had heard at one time.

In his blog, Harty wrote that someone close to the Iowa athletic department had informed him that Armstead had been a "silent commitment" to the Hawkeyes. Obviously, it wasn't true.

This means Iowa's 2009-10 roster may be complete. However, there are many cases in which players off the radar suddenly become of interest to Todd Lickliter, as in the situation with Cully Payne.

If Iowa is unable to secure another point guard, Anthony Tucker better be prepared to play some point as well. Payne is currently the only viable point guard option on the team, though Tucker may be able to fill the role. His meager assist numbers from last season don't bode well for him at that position, though.

Another Roy Marble At Iowa?

Roy Marble Jr., has some pretty good bloodlines. His dad still holds down the top spot in the Iowa record book with 2,116 career points scored, playing in Iowa City from 1986-89. He even helped the Tom Davis-led Hawkeyes to an Elite Eight appearance and currently works for the Big Ten Network as a color commentator.

Meanwhile, the younger Marble is one of the top players in the state of Michigan for the class of 2010. The 6-foot-5 Southfield native has a lot to live up to with a former NBA player as a father.

“I’m more comfortable on the court this year, and as a result, I see the game unfolding better and can react accordingly,” Marble Jr., told the Oakland Press back in January. “I don’t really feel hindered by the comparisons to my dad, because I think we have different types of games. He was a hard-core slasher, and I’m a better shooter than he was. His style was his style, and I know I’ve been able to create my own, so I just go from there.”

As a junior in high school, Marble earned Class A first team all-state in Michigan, averaging 21.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.0 steals. According to rivals.com, Marble has received recruiting interest from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Providence--none have offered a scholarship, however.

Even with Marble’s pedigree and solid play, he hasn’t gotten as much attention as he hoped for. Mike Avery, his head coach at Lathrup High School, believes it’s a mistake for D-1 colleges to overlook him.

From the Oakland Press: “For some reason, Junior has stayed under the radar for most of his career so far,” he said. “If the college recruiters are doing their job, he’ll be hard not to find as things move forward. Somebody will be able to snatch him away to their program and they’ll have a real diamond in the rough. He’s a pure scorer.”

Scott Burnstein, a sportswriter for the Oakland Press, seems to share Avery’s viewpoint.

“Roy Jr. is one of the true hidden gems of the 2010 recruiting class,” Burnstein wrote. “Just like his father, Roy Sr. - an all-Big Ten player at Iowa in the late-80's and NBA first round draft pick of the Atlanta Hawks - he has a knack for the bucket, utilizing a tantalizing array of offensive moves. An owner of one of the sweetest strokes in the state, Marble will be a huge sleeper for whatever college coach grabs him.”

Sounds like a good fit for Todd Lickliter’s Hawkeyes. It would be surprising if Iowa didn’t offer this talented wing player. Marble appears to have the stroke to fit into the system and a father who’s obviously familiar with the area. Recent reports indicate Iowa is interested.

And with little other major college competition, at least to this point, the Hawkeyes could have the inside track in gaining Marble’s services.

*Photo from Detroit Free Press.

Top Iowa Preps 2007-2010

I’ve compiled my own rankings of the top prep players in Iowa from 2007-10 using rivals.com and espn.com as a guide. These rankings provide a nice way to look at where the best talent in the state has come from and what colleges that talent has gone to.

It also makes it easy to look at the strength, or lack of strength, of each class. The 2007 group was woefully bad, producing mostly mid-major talent. The 2008 class, however, included three solid prospects in Matt Gatens, Grant Gibbs and L.A. Pomlee. Kaylon Williams, who started immediately at Evansville, also came from out of high school in 2008.

The 2009 class is headed by Iowa recruits Eric May and Brennan Cougill. Other than that, the pickings are slim. The 2010 class might be the best in a while, mostly because Harrison Barnes is one of the top five players in the nation. Iowa offered Barnes, Chanse Creekmur and Zach McCabe from the ‘10 group. The no. 5 rated player in that class, A.J. Derby, has 14 scholarship offers--for football.

2010

1. Harrison Barnes, SF, 6-6, 190, Ames
College Choice: Undecided; Speculation has him choosing between UNC, Duke, Kansas and Iowa State
ESPN Rating: 98
Rivals Stars: *****

2. Jordan Dykstra, PF, 6-8, 215, Rock Valley
College Choice: Iowa State
ESPN Rating: 70
Rivals Stars: ***

3. Chanse Creekmur, SF, 6-6, 200, Marshalltown
College Choice: Undecided
Rivals Stars: ***

4. Zach McCabe, SF, 6-6, 201, Sioux City
College Choice: Undecided
Rivals Stars: **

5. A.J. Derby, SG, 6-4, 215, Iowa City
College Choice: Undecided
ESPN Rating: 70

2009

1. Eric May, SF, 6-5, 200, Dubuque
College Choice: Iowa
ESPN Rating: 86
Rivals Stars: ***
2008-09 HS Stats: 24.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 50.7 fg%, 38.1 3pt%

2. Brennan Cougill, C, 6-9, 260, Sioux City
College Choice: Iowa
ESPN Rating: 88
Rivals Stars: ***
2008-09 HS Stats: 18.2 ppg, 13.3 rpg

3. Reece Uhlenhopp, PF, 6-7, 225, Urbandale
College Choice: Drake
ESPN Rating: 87
Rivals Stars: **

4. Nate Hutcheson, SF, 6-7, 185, Marion
College Choice: Western Michigan
ESPN Rating: 84
Rivals Stars: ***

5. Matt Morrison, SG, 6-1, 170, Solon
College Choice: Northern Iowa
ESPN Rating: 78
Rivals Stars: **

6. Malcolm Moore, PF, 6-6, 220, Iowa City
College Choice: Tyler (Texas) Junior College
ESPN Rating: 87

7. Zach Bohannon, SF, 6-7, 185, Marion
College Choice: Air Force
ESPN Rating: 80
Rivals Stars: **

8. Seth Van Deest, PF, 6-9, 200, Bettendorf
College Choice: Drake
ESPN Rating: 81

9. Jon Puk, C, 6-10, 215, Iowa City
College Choice: Albany
ESPN Rating: 79

10. Gabe Knutson, PF, 6-8, 205, Waukee
College Choice: Lehigh
ESPN Rating: 77

2008

1. Matt Gatens, SG, 6-5, 205, Iowa City
College Choice: Iowa
ESPN Rating: 91
Rivals Stars: ***
2008-09 Season: 10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpb, 2.2 apg, 40.3 3pt%

2. Grant Gibbs, PG, 6-5, 175, Marion
College Choice: Gonzaga
ESPN Rating: 89
Rivals Stars: ***
2008-09 Season: DNP; redshirted

3. L.A. Pomlee, PF, 6-8, 210, Davenport
College Choice: Iowa State
ESPN Rating: 87
Rivals Stars: ***
2008-09 Season: DNP; redshirted

4. Kaylon Williams, PG, 6-4, 185, Cedar Rapids
College Choice: Evansville
Rivals Stars: ***
2008-09 Season: 6.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.3 rpg; will transfer from Evansville

5. Austin Pehl, C, 6-9, 220, Cedar Falls
College Choice: Northern Iowa
ESPN Rating: 78
Rivals Stars: **
2008-09 Season: DNP; Redshirted

2007

1. Brent Barz, C, 6-10, 210, Johnston
College Choice: Northern Iowa; left the team
ESPN Rating: 81
Rivals Stars: ***

2. Clayton Vette, PF, 6-9, 245, Waverly
College Choice: Iowa State; left the team
ESPN Rating: 76
Rivals Stars: **

3. Kaleb Korver, 6-4, 175, Pella
College Choice: Creighton
Rivals Stars: **

4. Jordan Printy, SG, 6-4, 188, Marion
College Choice: Indiana State
ESPN Rating: 75
Rivals Stars: **

5. Tyler Sash, PG, 6-0, 195, Oskaloosa
College Choice: Iowa (football)
ESPN Rating: 75

Yet Another Haluska

How ‘bout that Haluska family? Adam played basketball for Iowa, leading the Big Ten in scoring as a senior. And Sean just finished his senior season at Iowa State, playing a large role off the bench.

Now there’s another athletic Haluska ready to enter the world of Division 1 athletics. 6-foot-4 Blake Haluska, the younger brother of Adam and Sean, earned third-team all-state in basketball at the Class 3A level this past season as a junior. The Carroll High School star is a good basketball player, but that’s not where his future lies.

Unlike Adam and Sean, Blake projects as a D-1 football player. Blake raised eyebrows with a huge junior season at the quarterback position. He threw for a school-record 2,385 yards, tossed 26 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions and completed 60.7 percent of his passes, working out of a spread offensive scheme.

“He is a fantastic athlete at quarterback,” Webster City head coach Bob Howard told the Daily Freeman-Journal. “He throws the ball very well and he runs very well. He's good, he's very good.”

According to rivals.com, Blake has received interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. While those teams have yet to offer a scholarship, a solid senior year would likely be enough to bring a few his way. Marc Morehouse of the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote back in February that Blake would “earn his share of offers.”

Haluska is described as a dual-threat quarterback who, at 185 pounds, must add strength and weight. He rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns to go along with his abilities as a passer, helping him earn first-team all-state for Class 3A.

His pedigree certainly won’t hurt his recruitment. His brother Adam was a great student, amazing athlete and is one heck of a nice person.

Last year I got a chance to interview Adam for a class. He seemed like he actually enjoyed talking to me. He didn’t seem at all annoyed to answer questions and he wished me good luck on my article. In addition, his dad Steve is the principal at Carroll High School.

I have yet to see Blake play, but from what I can gather, he’s a solid major college prospect, who Iowa certainly will take a long look at. If he’s half as talented as Adam, he’d be worth a scholarship offer. He would be a great character-guy with the measurables of a Big Ten quarterback. Perhaps he could be a solid developmental signal caller. I expect Iowa to eventually offer.


*Photo from the Daily Freeman-Journal. Blake Haluska is No. 11, in orange.

The Impact of Brackins' Return

Iowa State star player Craig Brackins announced on Friday that he will return to play his junior season for the Cyclones. In doing so, Brackins bucked speculation that he would enter the NBA draft. Most had pegged him as a first round selection.

That’s what makes his decision a bit curious. You would expect most players in his situation to jump at the opportunity to cash in on the big money a high draft pick commands.

Greg McDermott probably doesn’t care about the reason, though. He’s just happy that his best player will return. Brackins put up 20.2 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per contest in earning first team All-Big 12. He was about the only bright spot for a Cyclone team that floundered to a 15-17 record last season.

From the Associated Press: “It’s a big day for our program because we haven’t exactly had a lot of things go our way in the three years we’ve been here,” McDermott said. “For him to make a commitment to the program and to his teammates is a big decision for him.”

But Brackins’ decision, coupled with a nice 2009 recruiting class, could make for a dramatic difference. For the first time in McDermott’s tenure, the Cyclones have a legitimate chance at making a run at the NCAA Tournament in March 2010.

Incoming 6-foot-6 wing Marquis Gilstrap will team with Brackins to give Iowa State a formidable one-two punch. Gilstrap has just one year of eligibility, but he’s the type of guy that can produce immediately as a high-level scorer.

Throw in freshman-to-be Chris Colvin and Ames could finally have something to cheer about in a major sport. This is the most talented the Cyclones have been in quite some time. Thanks to Brackins, the roster has the look of a fairly decent Big 12 team.

What does the Brackins announcement mean for Iowa? It means the Hawkeyes have a very small chance of going to Hilton Coliseum this December and pulling out a victory. Beyond that, it might not mean a whole lot more to Iowa. Brackins’ junior season will almost certainly be his last at the collegiate level.

For Iowa State, it’s a chance to actually establish something positive under the current regime. An NCAA Tournament appearance might get the ball rolling and get the program trending upward again.

McDermott and his staff appear to be hitting the Chicago area hard for talented guards. Winning can only help their chances of recruiting such fertile ground.

The Cyclones would love to have a good season to try to entice superstar recruit Harrison Barnes as well. While the odds are that Barnes goes to a top notch program like Duke or North Carolina, a solid season could convince him that he could be a part of a winning 2010-11 Cyclone squad.

Thus, Friday’s news helps Iowa State in a number of ways. I hate to say it, but Iowa State could be beginning to turn the corner as McDermott enters year four at the helm. I don’t mean Big 12 championships are on the horizon, but perhaps several seasons of competing for NCAA Tourney berths.


*Image from USA Today

Favorite Iowa Basketball Moments

As the last installment of my favorites, I give you my most memorable Hawkeye basketball moments. All of them have occurred since 1998, about the time I started to follow Iowa basketball religiously.

1. 2006 Big Ten Tournament Championship Over Ohio State, 67-60

This game’s still fresh in the memory bank. Something about the Big Ten Tournament seemed to bring about the best in Steve Alford’s Hawkeyes. Jeff Horner recorded 16 points and 10 assists to lead Iowa, but the most lasting image was when Alex Thompson drained a crucial 3 to help the Hawks pull away from the regular season champion Ohio State. I still have a poster hanging in my room that commemorates the 2006 championship. Let’s just not talk about the NCAA Tournament that year.

2. 2001 Big Ten Tournament Championship Over Indiana, 63-61

Iowa came into the 2001 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 6 seed and in need of a couple victories to secure an NCAA Tourney bid. The Hawks were up to the challenge. They easily breezed by Northwestern (72-55), Ohio State (75-66) and Penn State (94-74) to set up a final with Alford’s former school. Miniature freshman Brody Boyd emerged in Luke Recker’s absence (broken leg) and poured in 22 points against Indiana. Reggie Evans earned Tournament MVP and had the key block of the Hoosiers’ Kirk Haston to seal the victory. I was excited, to say the least.

3. Iowa Beats Arkansas to Advance to Sweet 16

Tom Davis’ final season as Iowa head coach saw the Hawkeyes grab a No. 5 seed in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Iowa defeated 12th-seeded UAB 77-64 to get to the second round where Arkansas and Nolan Richardson’s 40 minutes of hell awaited. Iowa trailed by seven at the break, but came back to dominate the second half and post an 82-72 win over the Razorbacks. Dean Oliver and Kent McCausland each had 17 points for Iowa. It was great to see Dr. Tom go out the right way, even though Iowa lost 78-68 to Connecticut in the next game.

4. Luke Recker’s Heroics in 2002 Big Ten Tournament

The Hawks entered the 2002 Big Ten Tournament with a disappointing 16-14 record. Recker would not be satisfied. He scored 25 points in a first round win over Purdue, 28 in a quarterfinal victory over Wisconsin and 17 in a semifinal nail-biter over Indiana, to almost single-handedly get Iowa into the championship for the second straight year.

What was more remarkable than the production was Recker’s back-to-back last second shots to beat the Badgers and the Hoosiers. He used a pull up jumper from the free throw line to oust Bo Ryan and company and then a baseline runner to bounce Mike Davis’ Hoosiers. Each shot brought about an unbelievable rush of exhilaration through my body. Even though Iowa lost the championship game, it’s something I’ll never forget. Thanks Luke, for the memories.

5. Iowa Ends Kansas’ 62-Game Home Win Streak

Just about three months before Iowa’s Sweet 16 appearance of 1999, Iowa pulled off one of the greatest upsets in school history. Dr. Tom’s 5-1 unranked Hawkeyes traveled to Lawrence, Kan., Dec. 8 to play the No. 10-ranked Jayhawks. The home Jayhawks were 12-point favorites and carried a 62-game home winning streak into the contest. Surely Iowa was no match.

Somehow though, the Hawks prevailed even after trailing by a wide margin. McCausland threw in five 3s and Jake Jaacks added 14 points.

I listened to it all on the radio, I didn’t have cable or satellite then, and could hardly believe it. They even show the players celebrating after this game on Hawk Vision before Iowa basketball games now. It was simply one of the greatest games of the Tom Davis era.

*Photo from Getty Images.

Top 10 Favorite Names

Here are my favorite names of recent Hawkeye basketball players. The criteria used was, well, my own subjective, biased mind. Hey, I can play favorites when it’s my favorites.

10. Brody Boyd (2000-04)

Boyd was a little pepper pot in Alford’s early Iowa years. I like the way the name rolls off the tongue.

9. Chauncey Leslie (2001-03)

Leslie might be the best player on this list, but his name can’t match Jaacks. Still a pleasant name though.

8. Duez Henderson (1998-02)

Duez scores points for having a unique name. Don’t make fun though, Duez did the dirty work for some good Iowa teams.

7. Joe Fermino (1999-01)

This list does not discriminate against little-known, seldom-used players. Fermino may not have made much impact, but you can’t tell me he doesn’t have a great name.

6. Guy Rucker (1996-99)

This “Guy” had some real good potential when he came to Iowa. His play didn’t live up to expectations, but his name never let anyone down.

5. Kent McCausland (1996-99)

Great shooter, terrific name. The alliteration in his name is beautiful. His parents deserve a gold star.

4. Kurt Spurgeon (2002-04)

The DeWitt, Ia., native contributed literally nothing to Iowa basketball, except a cool last name. That means something in my book.

3. Devan Bawinkel (2008- )

How can you not appreciate Bawinkel? I know all he does is shoot 3s. His last name gives you something else to poke fun at.

2. Antonio Ramos (1998-00)

Ramos, a 7-foot-2 beanpole, proved that height isn’t everything in basketball. You gotta have skills too. But it’s still fun to say, Antonio Ramos.

1. Jacob Jaacks (1998-00)

Jaacks’ (pronounced Jakes) name is so perfect. He basically has one name for both of his names. His parents had a heck of an idea. ‘Hey, why not just give him the same first name?’ -- um, ok.