OT: My "Bests" of the Decade

As we say goodbye to the 2000's, here's a list of my "bests".

Hawkeye Players


FOOTBALL - Shonn Greene


BASKETBALL - Jeff Horner


WRESTLING - Brent Metcalf

Sports Teams (specific team, not most consistent over the decade - i.e. '02 Hawkeyes):


NFL - 2006-07 Indianapolis Colts


MLB -2003 Florida Marlins


NBA - 2007-08 Boston Celtics


COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 2004 USC Trojans


COLLEGE BASKETBALL - 2000-01 Arizona Wildcats

Entertainment


MOVIE - Mulholland Drive


SONG - Green Day - "Jesus of Suburbia"


ALBUM - Bright Eyes - "I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning"


VIDEO GAME - God of War (I/II)


TV SHOW - LOST


BOOK - Michio Kaku - "Physics of the Impossible"


TECHNOLOGY/GADGET - Mobile Data (i.e. - Blackberry, iPhone, Droid)

News


GREATEST EVENT - HDTV comes to the masses


WORST EVENT - 9/11


"WHO CARES" EVENT -Michael Jackson's death

Feel Free to Add Yours HERE

MEN'S BB: Little John Ballin'

Who didn't see this coming?

Of course everyone expected the walk-on redshirt freshman coach's son to take it at the 3 time All-Big Ten defensive team member and 2007-08 Big Ten Defensive Player of Year... and then go off-hand, off-glass to finish the fast break. Everyone saw that coming.

And then to come back a few possessions later and go behind the back on another fast break to streaking Eric May. Just business as usual.

Then the Iowa Hawkeyes' John Lickliter hit the long trey and things got silly.

I kid, of course, because I care. Seriously, though, it's totally worth the watch...

Video below:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTnkSikAnDw

Anthony Tucker: What Next?

Has sophomore guard, Anthony Tucker, played his final game as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team? Who’s to blame for what has happened? Has Todd Lickliter’s rocky tenure at Iowa started its final descent to freefall?

Article up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog - Iowa vs. SCSU Preview/Prediction up on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. South Carolina State is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog - Iowa vs. Drake Preview/Prediction up on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. Drake is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

OT: The Top 10 Worst Christmas Songs of All-Time (REVISITED)

Back by popular demand, here are the Top 10 worst Christmas songs of all-time.

WATCH / LISTEN TO THEM HERE

I haven't revised the list yet, but I am always open for suggestions.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog - Iowa vs. Iowa State Preview/Prediction up on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. Iowa State is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog - Iowa vs. UNI Preview/Prediction up on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. UNI is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog - Iowa vs. Prairie View A&M Preview/Prediction up on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. PVAMU is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog - Iowa vs. Virginia Tech Preview/Prediction up on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. Virginia Tech is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog: Iowa vs. NCCU Preview on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. NCCU is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog: Iowa vs. Texas Preview on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. Texas is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: VanLaere Vlog: Iowa vs. Bowling Green Preview on Hawkeyenation.com

My preview/prediction for the upcoming game vs. Bowling Green is up on Hawkeyenation.com.

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think PART SIX OF EIGHT (JARRYD COLE)

In an eight part series written for Hawkeyenation.com, I am out to prove Iowa Hawkeye Basketball will be better thank you think.

Part SIX is up:
http://www.hawkeyenation.com/basketball/iowa-hoops-will-be-better-part-vi-jarryd-cole

If you missed the other articles in the series, here are they are:

PART ONE - YEAR THREE
PART TWO - MATT GATENS
PART THREE - DR. TOM AND EUROPE
PART FOUR - ANTHONY TUCKER
PART FIVE - STRENGTH
PART SIX - JARRYD COLE

Parts 7 and 8 to follow...

FOOTBALL: Iowa Holds Firm at #4 in the Latest GRI Rating

GRI (Gade Ratings Index) - 11/4/09

Rank	Team	Points	Last	This Week
1.	Florida (10)	162	1	vs Vanderbilt
2.	Alabama (5)	149	2	vs LSU
3.	Texas (2)	144	3	vs UCF
4.	Iowa	113	4	vs Northwestern
5.	Oregon	78	9	at Stanford
6.	Cincinnati	75	6	vs UConn
7.	TCU	70	7	at San Diego State
8.	Boise State	62	8	at La Tech
9.	Georgia Tech	30	NR	vs Wake Forest
10.	LSU	25	10	at Alabama

Dropped Out: USC (5).

Also Receiving Votes: Penn State 22, Pittsburgh 2, Utah 1.

About the GRI: The GRI has been successfully ranking college football teams for 5+ years. The GRI consists of voters from across the nation. Currently at least one of our voters represents the following regions: Midwest, West Coast, Southwest and Atlantic Coast. The first GRI is released each year on the Wednesday after Big Ten Conference play has started. It is then released on a weekly basis for the rest of the regular season. The GRI continues to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to unbiased, comprehensive college football rankings.

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think PART FIVE OF EIGHT (STRENGTH)

In an eight part series written for Hawkeyenation.com, I am out to prove Iowa Hawkeye Basketball will be better thank you think.

Part FIVE is up:
http://www.hawkeyenation.com/basketb...art-v-strength

If you missed the other articles in the series, here are they are:

PART ONE - YEAR THREE
PART TWO - MATT GATENS
PART THREE - DR. TOM AND EUROPE
PART FOUR - ANTHONY TUCKER
PART FIVE - STRENGTH

Parts 6-8 to follow...

FOOTBALL: MSU's Jeremy Ware's Helmet to Helmet Hit on Iowa's Colin Sandeman

It was the right call by the officials, no matter how long it took for the flag to come in.
I don't know how any self respecting football fan can not see that this was a blantant H2H.

Here's the video.


Here's the screenshot.


It's pretty obvious, folks.

Ware should be given a 1 game suspension from the Big Ten, while the Big Ten Network should suspend Wayne Larrivee for his lack of knowledge and the way he approached the hit. If Coleman from Ohio State was given a suspension, so should Ware.

Check the rules

PROTECTION OF DEFENSELESS PLAYERS—In 2008, the committee
introduced a separate rule prohibiting initiating contact with and targeting a
defenseless opponent (Rule 9-1-3).
The following are situations in which defenseless players are susceptible to
serious injury:
• The quarterback moving down the line of scrimmage who has handed or
pitched the ball to a teammate, and then makes no attempt to participate
further in the play;
• The kicker who is in the act of kicking the ball, or who has not had a
reasonable length of time to regain his balance after the kick;
• The passer who is in the act of throwing the ball, or who has not had a
reasonable length of time to participate in the play again after releasing the
ball;
• The pass receiver whose concentration is on the ball;
• The pass receiver who has clearly relaxed when the pass is no longer
catchable;
• The kick receiver whose attention is on the downward flight of the ball;
• The kick receiver who has just touched the ball;
• The player who has relaxed once the ball has become dead; and
• The player who is obviously out of the play.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS FR-9
These players are protected by rules that have been in place for many years. It
is of the utmost importance that participants, coaches and game officials carefully
and diligently observe safety rules.
Intentional helmet-to-helmet contact is never legal, nor is any other blow directed toward an opponent’s head. Flagrant offenders shall be disqualified.

WISCONSIN BADGER BADGER BADGER BADGER

It's Badger Week. BHGP already put up the mandatory Badger video.

Here's my version, complete with our favorite coach playing the role of the snake.

WISCONSIN BADGER BADGER BADGER BADGER (Flash Version)

Poor Quality YouTube Version:

FOOTBALL: GRI Released, Iowa Moves Up to 7th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GRI (Gade Ratings Index) - 10/14/09

Rank	Team	Points	Last	This Week
1.	Florida (12)	173	1	vs Arkansas
2.	Alabama (6)	164	2	vs South Carolina
3.	Texas	149	3	vs Oklahoma
4.	Virginia Tech	117	6	at Georgia Tech
5.	USC	92	5	at Notre Dame
6.	Boise State	65	7	at Tulsa
7.	Iowa	52	10	at Wisconsin
8.	Ohio State	51	8	at Purdue
9.	Cincinnati	43	9	at South Florida
10.	Miami (FL)	28	NR	at UCF

Dropped Out: LSU (4).

Also Receiving Votes: LSU 27, Oregon 21, TCU 8.

MEN'S BB: Fantastic ESPN Story about Former Iowa Hawkeye Jake Kelly

ESPN's Dana O'Neil writes about Jake Kelly's transfer from Iowa to Indiana State. In the article, people unfamiliar with the situation will come to understand why Jake left, as well as what type of man Coach Lickliter is.


Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly

Iowa fans were there Jake when he lost his mother, I would encourage them to support him with the Sycamores, as well. This Hawk fan will be.

Good luck, Jake!

FOOTBALL: Latest GRI Poll is out - Iowa is at #10 this week

It's Wednesday and we all know what that means, the Gade Ratings Index is released.

This week's ratings are below

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GRI (Gade Ratings Index) - 10/07/09

Rank	Team	Points	Last	This Week
1.	Florida (11)	172	1	at LSU
2.	Alabama (7)	163	2	at Ole Miss
3.	Texas	149	3	vs Colorado
4.	LSU	105	5	vs Florida
5.	USC	86	9	OFF
6.	Virginia Tech	82	4	vs Boston College
7.	Boise State	67	6	OFF
8.	Ohio State	38	NR	vs Wisconsin
9.	Cincinnati	36	10	OFF
10.	Iowa	35	7	vs Michigan

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (8).

Also Receiving Votes: Miami (FL) 25, Oregon 13, TCU 11, Auburn 7, NC State 1.

About the GRI: The GRI has been successfully ranking college football teams for 5+ years. The GRI consists of voters from across the nation. Currently at least one of our voters represents the following regions: Midwest, West Coast, Southwest and Atlantic Coast. The first GRI is released each year on the Wednesday after Big Ten Conference play has started. It is then released on a weekly basis for the rest of the regular season. The GRI continues to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to unbiased, comprehensive college football rankings.

FOOTBALL: Why Tate Forcier will Struggle Against the Iowa Hawkeyes

Some basic stats to project Tate Forcier's struggles in the upcoming Oct 10th Iowa game.


PHOTO COURTESY OF (RASHAUN RUCKER/Detroit Free Press)

Listed stats are:
Pass Efficiency Defense
Total Defense
Scoring Defense

Take a look at the defenses (specifically pass defenses) that Forcier has played against.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Western Michigan
PE D - 79th
Total D - 89th
Scoring D - 71st

Notre Dame
PE D - 76th
Total D - 96th
Scoring D - 58th

Eastern Michigan
PE D - 6th
Total D - 72nd
Scoring D - 99th
EM is 6th in PE, but Forcier was only 7/13 for 68 yards because the game was in hand.

Indiana
PE D - 86th
Total D - 46th
Scoring D - 63rd

Michigan St
PE D - 101st
Total D - 49th
Scoring D - 64th

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Now, look what he faces this Saturday -

Iowa
PE D - 4th
Total D - 32nd
Scoring D - 10th

And Tate Forcier has yet to win a game on the road.

Forcier has been pretty good so far. He makes freshman mistakes, though, and Iowa will capitalize on those.

Forcier hasn't played away from home in a stadium like Kinnick with fans like Iowa's.

Forcier hasn't seen a defense remotely as good as Iowa will bring on Saturday.

I think the frosh has supreme talent and potential, but he'll be shell shocked coming into Kinnick - not only because of the environment, but because of what the D will be bringing at him.

UM's hope will be on the ground in this one.

Iowa will handle Forcier, and the Wolverines, this Saturday.

MEN'S BB: ESPN/Sagarin puts the Iowa Basketball Program 10th All-Time in the Nation

Iowa has never been an elite program? Think again...

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2009/1004/cbe1.pdf

Iowa 10th all-time.

Pretty impressive.

Eight Big Ten teams in the Top 15; Five Big Ten teams in the Top 10.

FOOTBALL: Thoughts on the Iowa Hawkeyes Going into the Arizona game

The depth chart was released today....

IOWA OFFENSE
WR ....... 7 McNutt , 15 Johnson-Koulianos
LT ......... 79 Bulaga, 77 Reiff
LG ........ 78 Richardson, 73 Gettis, 68 Kuempel
C ......... 52 Eubanks, 67 Koeppel
RG ........ 63 Vandervelde, 74 Doering
RT ........ 60 Calloway, 56 Zusevics
TE ......... 81 Moeaki, 82 Reisner
QB ........ 12 Stanzi, 16 Vandenberg/14 Wienke
WR ....... 86 Stross, 26 Chaney, Jr.
RB ........ 32 Robinson, 3 Wegher
FB ......... 36 Morse, 47 Leppert

IOWA DEFENSE
DE ........ 94 Clayborn, 58 Daniel
DT ........ 95 Klug, 61 Meade
DT ........ 46 Ballard, 93 Daniels
DE ........ 91 Binns, 64 Hundertmark
OLB ...... 49 Edds, 45 T. Nielsen
MLB ..... 43 Angerer, 48 T. Johnson
WLB ..... 42 Hunter, 33 Tarpinian
LC ......... 10 Lowe, 28 Prater
SS ......... 9 Sash, 31 Cato
FS ......... 30 Greenwood, 20 Conklin
RC ........ 19 Spievey, 2 Casti llo
PT ......... 5 Donahue, 6 Guthrie
PK ........ 1 Murray, 8 Mossbrucker

My thoughts:
1.) That offensive line is killer. I love it! I love it! I love it! I hope that five can go all year with Reiff get some spot minutes at OT.

2.) Iowa's WR Corps is FANTASTIC. I think it is easily Ferentz's best squad he has ever had at Iowa. Easily.

3.) Does anyone really think Prater won't get most of the minutes on Sat? I think he will. Although, give Lowe credit, he looked good vs. ISU.

4.) Our safeties are pretty seasoned for their age. Almost like having Jovon Johnson and Antwan back there, but with more talent. Greenwood is to Allen and Sash is to Johnson. Obviously not a perfect comparison as two player CB and the other two played S, but it still will lead to stability in the backfield.

5.) I don't have any problem with Robinson ahead of Wegher. He didn't do anything to lose carries last game. Averaged (I think) something like 5 YPC and held onto the ball, what else do you need? Split carries between the two freshman will help them make it through the season... it's a long one.

6.) Our TE squad is stacked too. Without taking time to look, I'd say Iowa's TE squad is best in the Big Ten for sure.

7.) Stanzi has the weapons, he needs to know how to fire them accurately now!

MEN'S BB: First Glance at the New White Basketball Uniforms

No Script wording on them unfortunately, but here's a look at them.



Asst Coach, Joel Cornette, put a goal out there that when he hit 200 Followers on Twitter, he would post the pic.

Why not Script font next time?

FOOTBALL: Discover ISUISU.COM: Iowa State Fans are Already Looney... Oh Boy

http://www.isuisu.com/2009/09/2009-iowa-state-cyclones-football-season-prediction/

9/12 Iowa (2008 record: 8-4, 2008 result Iowa 17 Iowa St 5) – It would appear that both offenses are going to have big advantages over the defenses. Iowa State, with the spread offense, should have luck moving the ball down the field against a defense that will be missing its top two DB’s for the contest. The Hawkeyes will play a 4-3 defense that the Cyclones should be able to exploit. Iowa has a very good offensive line and should be able to lean on an undersized ISU front seven. However, the Hawks will most likely be missing OL starter Julian Vandervelde and the RB’s are still unproven. The Cyclones have won the last two against Iowa at Jack Trice and Iowa is team that gets better as the season moves along.
Prediction: Iowa State 30 Iowa 28
Win (55% chance of victory)

Ok, let's get this straight.... a team that had 10 losses last year (a current 10 game losing streak mind you), went winless in the Big XII, has a new coach/new system has a 55% chance to beat a nationally ranked Iowa team coming off a News Years bowl win, having won 6 out of their last 7 games.

Look, I know... I know... Iowa plays like donkey crap against ISU, especially in Jack Trice stadium. However, some of this stuff is just ridiculous.

• First things first, Iowa was 9-4 last year, not 8-4.
  
• ISU's offense will have an advantage over Iowa's D? The same Iowa D that is arguably the best defense in the entire Big Ten?
• Iowa will be missing its top 2 DBs? Is this foresight to say Amari Speivey will be injured? How often do spread offenses exploit Iowa's 4-3? Better do some research on that one too.
  
• And the post says Julian is out, so supposedly that's going to have some affect on the line's play... huh? JV is a very nice lineman, but Iowa is deeper than the Pacific Ocean at OL. Seriously.

Wait, wait there's more... check out the About Us page.



So... what exactly is that dude pointing? Hmmm.......

MEN'S BB: 2010 Iowa Basketball Recruits All Ranked in Top 175 per Gibbons

Link courtesy of Jonathon Brust (jdbrust on Twitter).

All 4 of 2010 Iowa BB recruits in Gibbons top 175!
http://tinyurl.com/Iowa175
Larson #103, Brust #136, McCabe #150, Marble #161

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think PART FOUR OF EIGHT (ANTHONY TUCKER)

In an eight part series written for Hawkeyenation.com, I am out to prove Iowa Hawkeye Basketball will be better thank you think.

Part Four (Anthony Tucker) is up on Hawkeyenation.com

Read it HERE

OT: BREWSTER GOOGLES - Be the first to own a pair!

Ever wonder what it must be like to see past what's truly in front of you? To be able to live on another level? To exist in another state of mind?

Throughout the past few years, Big Ten fans have witnessed Tim Brewster's infamous hype-machine. It's obvious he sees things that simple folk just can't see. He's just that much more in tune than everyone else.

Now, for a limited time, you too can see what Tim Brewster sees with the all-new BREWSTER GOOGLES! WOOOOOOOOO!

There are literally millions of uses for the Brewster Googles; some examples include:

Player Talent Comparisons!




Intrawebs Fun!




Past Games!




ORDER YOURS TODAY!

MEN'S BB: Full game video of Iowa Commit, Cody Larson (AAU Reebok AA Camp)

Follow THIS LINK - Click on D-One vs. Dakota Schoolers on the right hand pane.

Larson is #34 in the white.

Thanks to hawkfaninboston for the heads up.

Of the 4 recruits verballed to the Hawkeyes for the 2010 class, Larson still remains my favorite to make the most impact.

MEN'S BB: Coach Joel Cornette is Now on Twitter

Iowa Hawkeye Assistant Basketball Coach - Joel Cornette - @joelcornette is now on Twitter.

MEN'S BB: Coach LaVall Jordan is Now on Twitter

Iowa Assistant Men's BB Coach, LaVall Jordan, is now on Twitter.

Linky Link

http://twitter.com/HawkeyeCoachJ

MEN'S BB: F Zach McCabe from Heelan Verbals to the Iowa Hawkeyes

As reported by Rob Howe on Hawkeyenation.com, Zach McCabe has given the Iowa Basketball Staff his verbal commitment. The verbal rounds out the 2010 class, which includes Larson, Marble, and Brust. Coach Lickliter had four targets for the 2010 class and he landed all four... something that is just GREAT to see.




McCabe, a two-sport stud out of Heelan and former teammate of current Hawk Brennan Cougill, recently did very well at an AAU tournament. Offers began pouring in, and some fans were worried that Iowa had lost its chance to land him.

Zach is a legit 6'6" who has range, but can also finish around the basket. He has decent hands and ball-handling for his height. Last summer, McCabe was out of the spotlight, as the #1 ranked player in the land, Harrison Barnes, was the main man on All-Iowa Attack. This summer, however, scouts have seen what McCabe can bring to the table.

According to a source up here in Minnesota, McCabe is one of the best shooters in the nation.
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/2009/07/harris on-barnes-writes-diary-f.html

When Barnes left his All-Iowa Attack AAU team this summer to play for Howard Pulley, it was a blessing in disguise for Sioux City wing Zach McCabe, who proved to be one of the best shooters in the country. He recently picked up an offer from Minnesota, Virginia, Utah and Arizona State this week.

How Long Until the NCAA Bans Twitter?

From an Indy Star Article:

Twitter time

Several players on the Spiece Indy Stars 15-and-under team have taken to Twitter and have quickly developed a following. Jeremy Hollowell, a 6-6 sophomore-to-be from Lawrence Central, had 222 followers as of Thursday.

Spiece teammates Austin Burgett, Ron Patterson and Kellon Thomas all have accounts, as does coach Chris Hawkins.

"A lot of the college coaches are on there," Hollowell said. "I like having it on my phone because I can do it anywhere."

Hollowell took a visit to Indiana University earlier this month and has an unofficial visit to Purdue scheduled for Aug. 1. He previously had scholarship offers from Cincinnati and Iowa, and on Thursday Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio State and Xavier offered, said Hawkins.

---

Will this force Lickliter to get a Twitter Account? Will he need it to compete with TomCrean for Hollowell's services?

If coaches are able to talk to recruits basically by texting, isn't that illegal? It certainly is a grey area. Not sure how long the NCAA lets this go.

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think PART THREE OF EIGHT (EUROPE AND DR. TOM)

In an eight part series written for Hawkeyenation.com, I am out to prove Iowa Hawkeye Basketball will be better thank you think.

Part Three (EUROPE AND DR. TOM) is up on Hawkeyenation.com

Read it HERE

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think PART TWO OF EIGHT (MATT GATENS)

In an eight part series written for Hawkeyenation.com, I am out to prove Iowa Hawkeye Basketball will be better thank you think.

Part Two is up on Hawkeyenation.com

Read it HERE

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think PART ONE OF EIGHT

In an eight part series written for Hawkeyenation.com, I am out to prove Iowa Hawkeye Basketball will be better thank you think.

Part one is up on Hawkeyenation.com

MEN'S BB: Roy Marble, Jr Commits to Iowa

Rob Howe of Hawkeyenation has confirmed that Roy Marble, Jr. has committed to play basketball for Coach Lickliter and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

This leaves Iowa with one more scholarship for the 2010 class, where Iowa hopes to sign Zach McCabe.

More to come...

MEN'S BB: Hawkeyes Land SG Ben Brust 2010 Recruit

The message boards, Twitter accounts, Facebook statuses lit up from the Iowa media and fans yesterday when it was made known that the Iowa Hawkeye Men's Basketball Program had received its second commitment for the 2010 class in Ben Brust. Brust, a 6'2" shooting guard out of Mundelein, IL, is the second consecutive recruit for Iowa out of the Chicagoland area (Cully Payne being the other one). Brust is a SG with deep range, great BB IQ, and underrated defensive skills. Links to many article below.

Ben Brust Makes it Official

“It is official … I’m going to be Hawkeye,” Brust told me. "I did all my homework, and I know this is what the right place,” he said. “It’s a great college town, the atmosphere … academically it’s what I’m looking for in a school." Brust, a 6-foot-2 incoming senior at Mundelein High School, averaged 28 points a game last year as a high school junior before breaking his leg. He said he’s completely healed from that injury.

Iowa lands a good one in Brust

Iowa, though, is the fortunate one, landing Brust before he potentially played himself up during July. While Brust is not in the category of difference-maker, he is a step up for the program and is underrated nationally. He's a 6-2 scorer who is more bouncy and athletic than most people give him credit it for. And he puts the ball in the hole, both as a shooter, off the bounce and as a slasher. He's a multi-faceted scorer who will certainly provide a lift for an Iowa program that finished 5-13 in the Big Ten last season.

Brust opts for the Big Ten

There is no question that Brust is one of the premier shooters in the state of Illinois and just might be the best that there is from the class of 2010. He has range that extends well beyond the 3-point line, a quick release and the ability to get his shot either spotting up or coming off the dribble. However, there are also other parts of Brust's game that get taken for granted. For one, he is much more athletic than a lot of people give him credit for. He has also greatly improved his ball handling skills. To top it all off, he is also an outstanding student and a gym rat with a work ethic that is second to none.

Hawks Add Guard

Brust verbally committed to the Hawkeyes Wednesday, selecting Iowa over scholarship offers from Northwestern and Butler. Brust said Stanford had shown interest and was beginning to study his transcripts when he settled on the Hawkeyes, joining Sioux Falls, S.D., forward Cody Larson in Iowa's 2010 recruiting class. He'll also join Payne -- they have been buddies since middle school when they met through basketball in the Chicago suburbs -- in the Iowa backcourt when Brust arrives on campus.

Brust Says Yes to Hawkeyes (subscription required)

Iowa landed it's second commitment in the 2010 class when Illinois product Ben Brust chose the Hawkeyes on Wednesday.

Video from Ben's injury shortened 2008-09 junior year:


Good luck to Ben and welcome to the Iowa family!

OT: Tom Crean - Great Coach, Awful on Twitter

Apparently there are two types of coaches on Twitter.

1.) A coach that is just great on Twitter (great being a large blanket adjective that you can construe any way you want), yet just awful at actual coaching. Examples: Tim Brewster, Ron Zook.

2.) A coach that is just awful on Twitter, yet great at actual coaching. Example: Tom Crean.



Not only does Coach Crean incorrectly use homonyms (are/our, your/you're) on a regular basis and forget modifiers (like... say... "not"), but he Tweets about reality TV. Brewster and Zook's Twits are pure comedy for several reasons (head to BHGP for the breakdown), yet Crean's just make me cringe.

I realize Twitter isn't the place for the Grammar Police, but you have to step back and look at what you are putting out their [sic] for your recruits. Because we all know these Twitter accounts are nothing but "legal" forms of communication to potential college athletes.

I am still dreading the day Lickliter and Ferentz are forced to open their Twitter accounts.

Men's BB: 2009 Primetime League Draft Results

http://primetimeleague.com/2009ptlrosters.htm

2009 Prime Time League Rosters

1. Jill Armstrong/Lepic Kroger Realtors Coach: Dan Ahrens Matt Gatens – Iowa Matt Schneiderman – UNI John Moran – UNI Nick Kramer – ex. Upper Iowa Aliou Keita – ex. Drake Matt Morrison – UNI Adam Rodenberg – UNI Tay Parker – ex. Iowa Lakes C.C. Nick McFarlin – ex. Radford College Jonathan Burnett – ex. Uni. of Windsor 2. L.L. Pelling/Iowa City Ready Mix Coach: Kevin Sanders Jarryd Cole – Iowa Devon Archie – Iowa Duez Henderson – ex. Iowa Jason Price – ex. Iowa Dallas Hodges – ex. Wayne St. Michael LaFrenz – Upper Iowa Rodney Jackson – ex. Kirkwood C.C. Caleb Recker – ex. Iowa Austin Pehl – UNI Gemayal Randell – ex. Parkland College Don Stokes – ex. DuSable H.S. 3. Culver’s of Coralville Coach: Ron Nove Adam Koch – UNI Ali Farokhmanesh – UNI Kaylon Williams – Kirkwood C.C. Brad Joens – ex. Wayne St. Andrew Brommer – Iowa Riley Larson – ex. Cornell Nick Larson – ex. Upper Iowa Jerome Edwards – ex. Iowa Westland Keaton Frye – Uni. Of Dubuque E.J. Hicks – Indian Hills C.C. 4. Mike Gatens Real Estate/McCurry’s Coach: Randy Larson Jordan Eglseder – UNI Kyle Schlaak – ex. Winona St. Eric May – Iowa Matt Lesan – Upper Iowa Malcom Moore – ex. I.C. City High Brian Haak – UNI Jordan Stoermer – ex. Kirkwood C.C. Keith Steffeck – Upper Iowa John Lickliter – Iowa Jordan Bontrager – I.C. West 5. Imprinted Sportswear/Goodfellow Printing Coach: Kevin Lehman Eric Coleman – ex. UNI Aaron Fuller – Iowa Cully Payne – Iowa Devan Bawinkle – Iowa Clayton Vette – Winona St. Anthony James – UNI Marc Sonnen – UNI Antonio Jones – UNI Alex Novak – Morehead St. Dan Bestul – Upper Iowa 6. Vinton Merchants Coach: Ray Swetalla Anthony Tucker – Iowa Darryl Moore – ex. Iowa Brennan Cougill – Iowa Dain Swetalla – ex. Augustana Kerwin Dunham – UNI Nate Garner – ex. Evansville Jake Koch – UNI Bryce Brunz – Central Missouri Mark Lafrenz – Upper Iowa Tucker Wentzien – Upper Iowa

Areas of Note:

• Only 6 teams this year

• If the roster order is by round (highly likely):
  Cully Payne drafted before Devan Bawinkle.
  Devan Archie drafted early.
  Tuck drafted first round.

OT: What's Tom Crean Doing? Oh, Nothing... Just Watching the Real Housewives

Coach Crean loves him some reality TV.


(Pic pops)

MEN'S BB: Hawkeye Win in Europe; Defeat Basket Ferentino

By looking at the boxscore, it appears Jarryd Cole had his way a couple of days ago against Basket Ferentino. The Hawkeyes didn't shoot the ball particularly well from behind the arc, but the guys did well cleaning up the boards.

BOX SCORE
Score by period      1st    2nd     3rd     4th     Total
Iowa Hawkeyes         27     13      24      14        78
Basket Ferentino      12     19      16      11        58

Next up, is the Greece Senior team, not to be confused with this Greek team of Seniors.

MEN'S BB: Video on the Europe Trip and Player Shortage

Good little video clip here. Cool to see Justin Johnson come back to help out, as well.

MEN'S BB: Don't Be Surprised if Greg Heiar Ends Up w Larry Eustachy

Eustachy looking to spread the recruiting love, as well.

First, it was news that Chipola forward, Torye Pelham was headed to S. Mississippi.
Then yesterday, on the final day of the spring signing period, Chipola forward, Gary Flowers signs with S. Mississippi.

Scott Dochterman hinted at this last month, and with the Flowers commit, it seems imminent that Chipola Head Coach, Greg Heiar will be coaching with Eustachy next season.

Interesting.

MEN'S BB: Matt Gatens is Iowa Freshman of the Year

Per the Daily Iowan.

In other news, ice is cold and raccoons look like little thieves.

MEN'S BB: PG transfer from Oregon, Makes Room for Malcolm Armstead

Alright then... looks like the commit to Oregon was a bit premature, but when it was all said and done Armstead will likely be a Duck.

PG Kamyron Brown is transferring.

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Will Be Better Than You Think

Honestly... the Starting Five isn't half bad

Tucker
Bawinkle
Gatens
Fuller
Cole

The Hawkeyes are going to be in trouble in the depth dept, but if any of the incoming recruits can give Iowa good minutes, this team isn't as bad as some people want to make it out to be.

Also, Brommer can only get better. Cougill suddenly went from one of the better centers in the nation (holding his own against the nation's best on the AAU circuit last summer) to "fans" saying he's not Big Ten material. Gatens is going to be better (All-Big Ten better) and we didn't get to see all that Tucker can do on the offensive side of the ball (he'll surprise EVERYONE next season). Cole might be 100% now (you saw what he could do when he was).

In-depth breakdown of next year's team in the next few months...

MEN'S BB: OK, Armstead not heading to Oregon - yet

First he's going to Oregon.

In other point guard news, Malcolm Armstead of Chipola (Fla.) Junior College signed with Oregon.

“Yes,” Chipola coach Greg Heiar said in a text.

Then he's not. Or is he?

Armstead's recruitment has been one of the weirdest developments I have seen in a long time. From at once being a silent verbal to Iowa, to signing with St Johns, to signing with Seton Hall, to signing with Oregon, to who the hell knows?

Crazy.

MEN'S BB: Jeff Peterson Finds a Home at Arkansas

Former starting point guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Jeff Peterson, is headed to Arkansas.

Interesting move by Peterson considering the Razorbacks already have Courtney Fortson on the team (proven stud) and Julysses Nobles committed (future stud). If Jeff is transferring for increased playing time, it's not happening at Arkansas, that's for sure.

MEN'S BB: Malcolm Armstead Chooses Oregon

I'm not one to put much merit into what people say on MySpace or Facebook, however if Mac's status is legit, Ernie Kent just picked up a big time PG for the Oregon Ducks.



"Malcolm Armstead is headed to OREGON next yr so stop having these recruitment sites call me its over... I just told the world lol bout time it feels good now."

Personally, I'm happy for Armstead. I think he had a hard time with the recruitment process and he had a lot of people in his ear telling him what they thought he should do.

With Malik Stith signing with St. John's and Moore signing with Washington State, it was only a matter of time before Armstead went with Oregon.

Plenty of rumors and insider information on what went down with Iowa's recruitment of the JUCO PG. Personally, I think Lickliter and the staff blew this one. Iowa needed help at the guard position desperately. Of course, if Malcolm didn't fit Lickliter's style (see Tony Freeman), then I understand why the recruitment ceased. Regardless, I put this one down as a miss for the staff.

Recruitment needs to pick up something fierce - where's Roy Marble when you need him? I think he'd look good in the DBO position at Iowa.

FOOTBALL: Bucs Glad To Grab Bruggeman

Former Iowa center Rob Bruggeman is attempting to make Tampa Bay's 53-man roster (Cliff Welch)

Former Iowa center Rob Bruggeman was targeted by the Bucs in the seventh round. But when the team traded away one of its three seventh-round picks to move up in the fourth round to get Kyle Moore, Tampa Bay had to resort to signing Bruggeman as an undrafted free agent and the team thinks it has a steal.

---

Read more here: http://www.pewterreport.com/articles/view/5444

FOOTBALL: Did you know Bobby Bell is the "Greatest Defensive Player of All-Time"?

Well, according to Tim Brewster he is.




OK, Bell was good (strike that - GREAT), but to say the best defensive player of all-time? Really? Put down the juice, Brew.

Even if Brewster meant "Greatest [Minnesota Golden Gopher] Defensive Player of All-Time", I still would call him on it. Hell, I'd put Bronko Nagurski ahead of Bell. Sure, he made his living on offense, but he was a beast on defense, as well.

One thing is for certain, Brewster is... uh... excited...

MEN'S BB: Steve Alford Tries to Spin, Ends Up Doing a 360

Props to Hockey04 for the link to the story, topingyou for pointing out the quote.

FoxSports reports on Alford's incentives.

Forget the fact that former Iowa Hawkeye Mens Basketball coach, Steve Alford, gets paid $10,000 for each time his team beats a Top 20 team. Instead, check out the way he tries to spin the academic successes of his players.

"Our academic situation has taken a 360-degree turn and all three seniors graduate (this spring), and Ro (junior Roman Martinez) will graduate next year. So we've really made a lot of strides in the areas I was hired."

Really? A 360-degree turn? Perhaps Steve needs to head back to grammar school and figure out where a 360-degrees puts you.

Derp.

MEN'S BB: Who Is Iowa's Primary Target for 2009 Now?

With Malcolm Armstead likely out of the mix after "postponing" his visit to Iowa City, who does Iowa look at to bring in with one of their three outstanding scholarships available? By all accounts, Armstead's trip to St. John's went extremely well; couple that with a lack of communication between the staff and MA and things don't look too good for Iowa on that front.

Iowa needs to grab a backcourt player this year. I realize the staff doesn't want to just pick a warm body for the sake of filling a scholarship, but the backcourt needs some help. Not necessarily a point guard (Payne and Tucker can both handle that position), but either a 1 or 2. I don't think Iowa can really compete with only three scholarship guards on the team. Besides Armstead, I don't know of anyone else in the 2009 class that has a current scholarship.

One name floating around is Kaylon Williams, but as I've said before - he isn't ready for Iowa and Iowa isn't ready for him. A possible destination could be Kirkwood - maybe after a year there, the staff will give him another look and vice versa.

Dyricus Simms-Edwards visited Iowa last year and the staff liked what they saw. He was banged up last summer, so he didn't play much on the AAU circuit, but from what I've read on recruiting sites and blogs, he has legit game.

Kierre Greenwood's name was brought up when New Creations played SCC in game this past season. The Iowa staff was down there to look at some recruits and ended up bring impressed with his game. First hand accounts of his game seem to be encouraging. I don't know anything about this kid other than what I have Googled in the past - there wasn't much talk about him among anyone I have talked to.

So the short answer to who Iowa is recruiting at PG? Who the hell knows?

MEN'S BB: As expected, 2009 PG Cully Payne Commits to Iowa

Rob Howe has confirmed that Cully Payne has verbally committed to the Iowa Hawkeye basketball program.

Iowa fills a much need roster spot with a much needed PG.

Iowa is still pursuing Malcolm Armstead, who will be making a visit to Iowa shortly.

MEN'S BB: Iowa Basketball Recruiting Heating Up

With just over two weeks left before the spring signing period, recruiting has really started to heat up for those programs with scholarships to fill. Iowa would just happen to be one of those programs wanting to do just that, considering they just lost four of their players before they were expected to leave.

So what's happening on the scene? A lot. Some of it we know about, much of it we don't. Here's some of the latest information.

CULLY PAYNE



If this name sounds familiar to those of you who follow Iowa Hawkeye Basketball recruiting, it's because the Iowa staff heavily recruited Cully after he decommitted from DePaul his junior year. At that time Iowa was one of the Top 3 for Payne's services, but ultimately he chose Alabama. Things changed, however, when Mark Gottfried stepped down from his coaching duties for the Crimson Tide. Bama went on to hire VCU's Anthony Grant and just recently Payne was allowed out of his LOI. That throws him back on the market. Washington State was another player in Payne's recruitment, however Tony Bennett has left that school for Virginia. It would seem that Iowa is in good shape with him. Payne will be in town tomorrow for visit, where a commitment isn't totally out of the question at this part of the game.

I am, by no means, trying to pimp Hawkeyenation.com, but if you aren't a paying member of the site, this would be the month to jump on board. Rob Howe has been doing a great job getting in touch with the recruits, and he has a gem of a interview with Cully Payne.

Rob Howe's Interview w/ Cully Payne (3/31): AUDIO - TRANSCRIPT

More info on Payne from ESPN - Definitely a recruit that fits what Iowa is looking for.

Cully injured his back this winter, so hopefully that isn't a chronic injury.

Don't be surprised if the coaching staff had this in play for some time, Payne's AAU coach has been quoted saying that Cully had made his decision a while ago.

MALCOLM ARMSTEAD



Still being told that Mac is the #1 priority for Iowa, and I don't blame them. They were recruiting him before they lost the services of Kelly, Peterson, and Davis. Now it's even more important for the staff to reel in a talented point guard. And while Payne might be able to fill that role, Iowa's backcourt is pretty limited with only Anthony Tucker and Devan Bawinkel returning. Someone with the speed and skills that Armstead possesses is exactly who the Hawks need in their lineup.

There are several guards to keep an eye on during the next few weeks leading up to the signing period. Their decisions could effect what Armstead decides to do. Rico Pickett and Melvin Goins are two JUCOs that both Tennessee and Kentucky are involved in (these schools are also looking at Armstead). Today, Goins committed to Tennessee, so that should effectively eliminate Bruce Pearl from landing Armstead. Kentucky is in the middle of a coaching change, so that, too, will help out Iowa. Julysses Nobles is another name to remember. Arkansas is looking at him for PG. If he commits, I don't see room for Armstead especially with Courtney Fortson on the team already. He is reportedly supposed to pick his school tonight, hopefully it will be Arkansas. Then it will likely be down to Iowa vs. Providence and a few other Big East and SEC schools for Armstead's services.

I thought it would hurt Iowa the longer it took, but with the way these other recruits are committing, it's actually helping Iowa, in my opinion.

If Iowa could land Armstead, they would have a starter at PG for the next three years.

TORYE PELHAM


He's still on the radar, but I personally don't buy the fact that he and Armstead are a package deal. I'm not saying the two aren't tight, they did play prep ball together and now at Chipola, but it's pretty hard to find a college that has two spots open for two JUCOs in the spring signing period. I'd love for Iowa to be that college, though. That said, I don't think they end up at the same school. Iowa can definitely use an athletic forward who can get up a la Doug Thomas.

Missouri has come knocking and with the style of play they have going on down there, it would seem like a logical fit for Pelham.

VINCENT WILLIAMS

PG who was thought to have been destined to go the prep school route has seen a bunch of offers come his way. Another Florida guard recruit possibility. Very slight of build, but has good skills. I just recently received this info from a friend and haven't looked into it much. Not even sure Iowa is really going after him, but it's a name that's out there. He may have to go prep route to refine his game and get stronger, though.