Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball

Dear Fran McCaffery and the Iowa coaching staff,

My name is Geoff Estes. I am 25 years old, and possess a degree from the greatest university in the world: The University of Iowa.

I am 5'9" and weigh 170 pounds. I am white, and even with a decent vertical my arms are too short to touch the rim.

With all that being said, I think I would be a valuable asset to the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball team for the 2011-2012 season. 

I noticed that you recently signed a 26-year-old named Anthony Hubbard. That really got me thinking about becoming his running mate next season, so let me list the advantages of bringing me on as a “locker-room” guy alongside Hubbard next year.

First, the downtown Iowa City nightlife, which has claimed so many promising Hawkeyes careers in numerous sports, is no threat to us. 

I lived in Iowa City for four years prior to graduating, and by the end of my Iowa career I was more inclined to go to the early bird dinner at the Hamburg Inn than The Summit on a Saturday night. By the time most problems are arising downtown, me and Anthony will be just getting out of the latest Matthew McConaughey movie at the Sycamore theatres and getting ready to tuck ourselves into bed. 

I should make clear: That's separate beds. Bunks, perhaps, but separate. 

Secondly, I will be the prototypical “extra coach” on the floor (or bench). I recently finished coaching a seventh-grade basketball team for an inner-city school in Davenport, Iowa, and I feel that my experiences there have prepared me for a grueling Big Ten schedule. 

Quad Cities middle-school basketball can’t be that much different than D-1, right? Hey, maybe you guys could even learn some of the plays we ran last year!

Unfortunately, in seventh grade we couldn’t apply a full-court press until the final two minutes of each half, so you may want to stick with your own press-breaker.

Third, many people have voiced hope that Hubbard, while 26, has a lot of potential just waiting to be tapped. He is a largely unknown commodity. 

I too am largely unknown, except by the guys at the West Davenport YMCA. They know me as the guy who tries to take charges in pickup games. Another pro: I take charges, often because I can’t get out of the way in time. 

A fourth benefit of bringing me back for a basketball career would be my “hook-ups” in Iowa City.

Lisa Bluder lay claim to the gym today and the Carver renovations not done yet? No biggie. I worked at the Iowa City Rec Center for years. 

I could probably get us half the court (the other half is used for Jazzercise, and I'm sure not messing with those women). 

Finally, all jokes aside, I can shoot and pass. I'm in very good shape; just ask the treadmills at the Y that turn off from overheating every day I'm in there training like a madman for the call. 

Anthony Hubbard and I could be like the Jess Settles and…Jess Settles of this team.  The elder statesmen who are seasoned and wise. Settles spent the better part of a decade in Iowa City and is still beloved.

Maybe we could be the same type of calming influence the guys need on and off the court. 

I may not be able to play defense against Bryce Cartwright and actually contain him, but I can teach him a mean head fake and tutor the guys in French class. 

I understand there's a limited number of scholarships to give out (Maybe just give me a graduate assistant job?), but I feel as though I have a lot to offer, and you should send one of them my way. Your recent signing of a 26-year-old Ju-Co transfer has really inspired me to pursue my dream. 

If you give me a chance, I will step up the workouts I'm already doing. I'll even try P-90X and the jump-improvement shoes like Kramer wore on Seinfeld. I am willing to sacrifice. 

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to receiving my letter of intent in the mail in the coming weeks. 

Sincerely,

Geoff Estes

Iowa Alum 2010 (and maybe 2013 senior day guest of honor?)

P.S. I can’t be worse than John Lickleiter or Cully Payne, can I? Crap, I forgot they both "left" the program.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the site of recurring disappointment for years now (except when the wrestlers are in the building). Long gone are the days when Brunner, Horner, Haluska, Henderson, and Hansen won a Big Ten tournament championship in 2006.

For the past 4 years, Iowa fans have hibernated through the winter waiting for their gridiron heroes to return. However, next year will be different. While an 11-19 record is hardly cause for celebration and barely an improvement upon last year's 10-22 record, there is optimism in Iowa City. The Lickliter system of running out the shot clock and jacking up a three has been phased out in favor of Fran McCaffrey's (gasp) balanced offense. With only the Big Ten Tournament remaining, let's analyze why Iowa might actually have a good basketball team next year.

The Hawkeyes will lose one player from this year's squad, senior Jarryd Cole. Jarryd Cole's character will be missed. He was a guy who endured knee-surgery his freshman season and managed to bounce back and stick with the Iowa program when it seemed that everyone around him was transferring out of town. Cole was undersized for the center position but forced to play it, because, well, Iowa had no one else to turn to.

Aside from Cole's graduation, Iowa has an arsenal of young talent that, with one more year of experience, is ready to elevate Iowa from the bottom of the Big Ten to hopefully around the middle (baby steps). Here are the players that are causing Iowa fans to feel optimistic going to next year:

Melsahn Basabe shined this year for Iowa, averaging 11.2 point per game. His offensive effort was much much appreciated, but Basabe showcased his athleticism in other ways too. Against Iowa State, Basabe has 7 blocked shots...in the first half! Basabe's athleticism is evident and with another year under his belt perhaps Basabe can make his game even scarier to Big Ten opposition.

Zach McCabe is an interesting player because he has forward size but can also shoot from distance. McCabe had some good games, but was inefficient shooting on the season. His FG% was a mere .348. McCabe had his moments this year, but I'd like to see him improve his game a little bit for Iowa to contend next year. A 6'7" player that can shoot the three with enough efficiency could be a great addition to the Iowa attack next year.

Roy Devyn Marble is a scorer. He had some success this year coming off the bench. His career high came against IU when he scored 18 on 8-13 shooting. He can also handle the basketball, which has been an issue for this year's Iowa who lost their starting point guard to injury. Which brings me to the sophomores...

Cully Payne. It was hard to get a feel on how Cully fits into the McCaffrey system since his season was cut short after only 5 games. Nonetheless, he's a capable point guard with a smooth stroke from deep.

Eric May is the Blake Griffin of Iowa basketball. Well, sort of. He's made some incredible highlights with alley oop dunks (to the point where his teammates may have started to force the alley oop pass to him a little too much). May is a guard with the best 3-point shot on the team. He was the team leader throughout the nonconference schedule, but it was obvious that his confidence dwindled down the stretch of Big Ten play. He's failed to score more than 11 since January 16th. A fresh season could do May a lot of good next year and we might see May making plays and draining threes on a more consistent basis.

The senior class of next year is highlighted by Bryce Cartwright. This was the guy McCaffrey trusted with the ball in his hands when the Hawkeyes needed a clutch shot this year. Without Cartwright this year, I don't know that Iowa would've won a game in the Big Ten. When Payne went down, there was only one guy left to handle the basketball well enough to play point in the Big Ten. That guy was Cartwright. Cartwright can be trusted breaking guys down off the dribble and is a good option in an isolation situation. Cartwright's senior season will be special.

Matt Gatens is another one of the best players on this team. Gatens scored 12.6 ppg, the most on the Hawkeyes. Gatens has a great jump shot but is also a physical player. Gatens bleeds black and gold too. He committed to Iowa in the 9th grade. You have to believe that Gatens will want to bring Iowa a winning season next year.

Finally, there are the to-be-senior big men that didn't see that much time this year. Devon Archie and Andrew Brommer have a lot of similar qualities. Brommer's probably the better of the two, but the key to next year might be seeing how much these guys improve. If Iowa can have some sort of post presence outside of Basabe or a true freshman, it would help them win a lot more games.

The players, fans, and coaches are all yearning for more success at Iowa. With this cast of players coming back next year, improvement is guaranteed. Success is not out of the question. Michigan is having  great season this year when it was thought that they would finish at the bottom of the Big Ten with Iowa. Why not Iowa next year?

In the midst of the college football frenzy, the SourceMedia Group pulled off a great request.

SourceMedia Group, the company that owns the Cedar Rapids Gazette, requested and obtained a copy of Iowa head basketball coach Fran McCaffery’s newly-signed contract via the Freedom of Information Act. 

McCaffery, Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta, and Iowa President Sally Mason recently signed off on the terms of the coach's contract. The new Hawkeyes coach agreed to a six-year contract with Iowa that will pay him $1.1 million in the first year and $1.35 million in the final year.

For his coaching-related duties, McCaffery will earn $650,000 a year. He will also earn $450,000 annually in outside income, from activities like public speaking, television and radio programs, and an apparel contract.   

As part of the contact, Iowa will pay McFaffery's former employer, Siena College, $240,000 in three installments to cover the coach's buyout clause. McCaffery spent five seasons at Siena, taking the Saints to the NCAA tournament in the last three years. 

The contact also includes several performance-based incentives in the areas of student academics and team performance. If Iowa makes it to the NCAA tournament, there is a $25,000 bonus; $10,000 for the NIT.

Other perks of the contract include four Final Four tickets, six home football season tickets and six tickets to Iowa’s bowl game for him and his family.

Interesting to note that the contract includes more tickets to an Iowa bowl game than tickets to the NCAA final four. 

If all goes well for the new head basketball coach, there is the possibility for a contract extension after the 2011-12 season. If all doesn't go well, Iowa can fire McCaffery without cause while paying him half of his guaranteed annual compensation.

Despite a entering a program with the cupboards almost bare, things are going well for Iowa's new head coach so far.

Iowa's summer basketball league, Prime Time League (PTL), is off to a high-scoring start for at least one new Hawkeye.

Prime Time is a place for high school, college, and professional players around the state of Iowa to hone their skills in preparation for the season.

Over the past two decades, several great Iowa basketball greats have participated in PTL, including NBA players like Ryan Bowen, Reggie Evans, and Ricky Davis.

"[Davis] was by far the most electrifying high school player that I have seen come through the PTL," remembered former Hawkeye legend Kenyon Murray.

Incoming freshman Melsahn Basabe appears to be following in Davis's PTL footsteps.

Cedar Rapids Gazette writer Scott Dochterman labels Basabe an "electrifying dunker ." He has been the star of the summer on both ends of the court, and has proved he can take control of a game when he needs to.

“I wanted to play hard to show people I respected the Iowa fan base,” Basabe mentioned in a post game interview. “But I put pressure on myself. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

If his Prime Time League stats are any indication, the 6-7 power forward shouldn't have to worry about embarrassing himself come Big Ten Conference action.

The New York native continues to put up impressive numbers, averaging over 34 points and 10 rebounds a game in the three league match-ups so far this summer. He is also shooting better than 50 percent from behind the three-point line.  

Granted, he isn't going up against John Wall or Evan Turner on the court in North Liberty—He isn't going up against armless scrubs, either. 

According to ESPN Insider Magazine , Basabe is an "aggressive scoring forward with a versatile attack. He is athletic and extremely mobile, able to run and finish in transition, or score on the offensive glass with a quick second leap. He loves to face-up and take opposing four-men off the dribble."

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery hopes Basabe's quickness and ability will help out the somewhat weak Iowa front-court.  

Fellow front-court teammate at Iowa, Jarryd Cole, isn't playing this summer while he recovers from knee surgery, but he has watched Basabe in league play and likes what he sees so far.

“He's adjusting really well to the college game,” says Cole.

Hopefully he can adjust to the Big Ten quickly, too.

Friday, June 11, 2010 was a historic day for the Big Ten.

Commissioner Jim Delany announced that the Nebraska Cornhuskers will officially become a member of the Big Ten Conference as of July 1, 2011, marking a major step in the possible transformation of the college basketball landscape.  

Since the announcement, almost every basketball coach around the league has had a chance to express an opinion about Nebraska's addition to the conference.

Iowa's new head coach Fran McCaffery acknowledged being the newbie, but had positive things to say.

“I'm the new kid on the block, so all I would add to this discussion would be an appreciation for all that the University of Nebraska brings to our conference athletically and academically," McCaffery told reporters shortly after the announcement.  "I wholeheartedly agree that Nebraska appears to be a perfect fit.”

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber also had positive things to say. 

"Nebraska is a great addition to our league as another strong state school with a passionate following like so many in our conference," Weber said. "Doc Sadler is a great, defensive-minded coach from the Eddie Sutton coaching tree just like coach Keady, and his teams will always play hard and be a difficult opponent."

Indiana coach Tom Crean called the Cornhuskers a “first-class institution that for years has competed at the highest level.”  

"It’s very intriguing because I don’t think anybody really knows where it’ll all play out," explained Michigan basketball coach John Beilein.

Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis seems a little unsure about the recent addition. “The presidents and the commissioner have the wisdom and knowledge and the facts and figures to make the right decisions. We just do what we’re told and we go when we’re supposed to play and that’s just the way it is,” DeChellis said.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan had a little advice to offer Nebraska concerning their new conference.  

"I think the people in Lincoln will recognize the importance of Ohio State, Michigan State and Illinois coming in," Ryan said. "How we ended up being conference champs was taking care of business at home and then on the road. In order to be considered, you have to start knocking somebody out, play real close games and winning two out of three of them."

Purdue's Matt Painter said Nebraska should be a great addition to the league, but seemed cautious in his comments. "Anytime there’s change, you’re always a little leery of what’s going to happen.”

Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody has a different opinion about the new addition. "I'm not for it," Carmody told Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had something other than expansion on his mind recently, which made finding a comment about his opinion on expansion difficult. Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith seems to busy searching for a new job to offer comment on expansion.

Most coaches seem generally pleased with the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten, though. Most seem to acknowledge that it's an exciting time and look forward to the new challenge at hand. 

Nebraska basketball is no powerhouse threat in the conference, but adding another team will definitely make things interesting come conference tournament time.

As longtime ESPN announcer Chris Berman would say, get ready for some prime time.

Iowa's summer basketball league, called Prime Time League (PTL), is almost ready to begin. Prime Time is a place for high school, college and professional players around the state to hone their skills in preparation for the season. 

Iowa City attorney Randy Larson started the league 24 years ago. Larson, who also coaches Iowa City Regina boys' basketball, is League Director.   

Over the past two decades, several great Iowa basketball greats have participated in Prime Time.

Former Hawkeye player and current Iowa Basketball Video Coordinator Ryan Bowen has first-hand experience with PTL.

"There is nobody that understands the benefits of Prime Time more than Ryan Bowen," Larson recently told the Iowa City Press Citizen . "He excelled at it. The last two years [he played], he won championships."

Another former Hawkeye standout, Kenyon Murray , describes the PTL as a forum for the past, current, and future players to interact with each other as well as fans.

"I personally think that is shows both strengths and weaknesses of each player and allows the fans to know what they can expect from players as they enter the preseason workouts," Murray explained in a recent email. 

Murray has been involved in PTL in a few different ways over the years, both as a player and a coach, but his playing days ended about two years ago. He still enjoys the league and has fond memories of it.

"I have to say that my favorite PTL player was Ricky Davis because I played two years with him when he was just a sophomore/junior in high school. He was by far the most electrifying high school player that I have seen come through the PTL."

A few of Iowa's incoming recruits hope to electrify the coaches and fans, like Davis did.

Incoming recruits Zach McCabe, Devyn Marble, and Melsahn Basabe, as well as walk-ons Darius Stokes and Stephen McCarty are all expected to take part in the league this year.  

Prime Time had decided to go down to four teams this year, to take advantage of the rare circumstance of both UNI and Iowa having fewer than nine players returning. However, due to a recent string of announced walk-ons for Iowa, not to mention the rumored recent signing of Juco transfer Bruce Cartwright, Larson has opted to go with six teams. 

This will be Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery's first year with Prime Time, and he should have six or seven returning players competing. The league will give McCaffery a good look at how well the new players mix with the old.

Former Northern Iowa guard Ali Farokhmanesh is also said to be playing in the PTL this summer. Farokhmanesh helped lead the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in March and dazzled the country with his three-point shooting.

Tryouts are held at the University of Iowa's Fieldhouse Gym on Monday, June 7.  PTL games will start June 15 at the North Liberty Community Center in North Liberty, a town just north of Iowa City.

2010 Prime Time Basketball League Schedule

Fran McCaffery appears to have done his homework before taking over as head coach at Iowa.

In doing his homework, McCaffery looks to have developed a plan that includes reconnecting with the roots of Iowa's cherished basketball history. 

During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the University of Iowa men's basketball program was fairly successful. 

Under head coach Lute Olson, the Hawkeyes won a Big Ten regular season championship and made their last trip to the Final Four to date. Under head coach Dr. Tom Davis, Iowa managed regular trips to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Since then, Iowa has only one Big Ten tournament championship to go along with a handful of NCAA tournament bids and a record-setting number of loses last season. The lack of excitement and progress left many fans feeling rather lethargic.

To combat the apathy, McCaffery will tab into Iowa's past. He added two former Hawkeyes, Kirk Speraw and Ryan Bowen, to his staff to help coach a team full of Hawkeye offspring.

One of those offspring is guard Matt Gatens, the backbone of Iowa's returning players. Gatens is the son of former Hawkeye Mike Gatens, who played in 62 games at Iowa during the 1970s.

Matt won't be the only son of a former Hawkeye on the court for Iowa next fall. He'll be joined by incoming freshman guard Roy Marble Jr., the son of Iowa legend Roy Marble.

Marble Sr. was a McDonald's All-American and the runner-up for Michigan's 1984 Mr. Basketball. While playing at Iowa, he won Big Ten Freshman of the Year and went on to become the school's all-time leader in points, games played, games started, and steals.

Marble Jr. seems to have inherited his dad's basketball gene. He’s averaging roughly 26 points and eight rebounds a game at Southfield-Lathrup High School in Michigan.

Marble Jr. looks to start his own legacy at Iowa, it's the memories of his father that have fans full of anticipation to watch him start his career. He will be starting his career along side Darius Stokes , the son of another former Hawkeye legend.  

Stokes, a 6-foot-7 senior from Linn-Mar High School in Marion, IA, has accepted an invitation from McCaffery to join the team as a walk-on.

Darius is the son of Greg Stokes, a center for Iowa from 1981-85 who ranks third on Iowa’s career scoring list.

The younger Stokes only averaged about six points and three rebounds a game last year, but the potential is there for him to transform into greatness with the help of former NBA all-star Ryan Bowen and assistant coach Sherman Dillard guiding him.

Gatens has already surpassed his father's legacy. Stokes and Marble have their work cut out for them if they hope to do the same.  

Even if Stokes and Marble don't match their fathers' careers at Iowa, just having them on board helps bring some excitement back to the program, one of the key ingredients missing under former head coach Todd Lickliter .

"The people of Iowa, the university community, and, most importantly, his student-athletes, are buying into Fran's approach to Hawkeye basketball," Athletic Director Gary Barta told the Des Moines Register .

Barta has a point. The Hawkeye community is indeed buying into McCaffery's plan.

And they're already seeing a return on their investment.

As Gary Vaynerchuk would say, Fran McCaffery is about to crush it as head coach at Iowa.

Vaynerchuk is a self-proclaimed "online marketing trailblazer" who made a name for himself through social media and good business. Using his video blog, he became a world-renowned wine expert who revolutionized the wine and social media industries.

The New York Jets fan recently wrote a book titled, CRUSH IT! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In On Your Passion . In the book, he shows people how to find their passion and to turn it into a thriving business.

Vaynerchuk may have slipped McCaffery a copy of that book as he was leaving New York to take over as head coach for the Hawkeyes.  

McCaffery found his passion as a basketball coach a long time ago, but he seems to have kicked that passion into overdrive since taking over responsibilities at Iowa. The chance to turn a down basketball program into a thriving success again was all the motivation he needed.  

In his first month and a half in Iowa City, McCaffery has assembled an all-star staff of experienced coaches.  

He first brought in his assistant coach from Siena, Andrew Francis, who is known for his recruiting instincts and his ability to connect with players.

After Francis, he brought on former Hawkeye Kirk Speraw. Speraw, a former student-athlete under Lute Olson, brings a ton of coaching experience and Iowa AAU basketball connections with him.

After Speraw, he hired former Hawkeye and NBA star Ryan Bowen as the team's video coordinator and administrative assistant. For Bowen, the Iowa job is the perfect opportunity to begin a new life after a 10-year NBA career.

Most recently, McCaffery hired another assistant coach with a plethora of coaching experience, Sherman Dillard .  

Dillard has more than 25 years of college coaching experience and has a long-standing relationship with the new Iowa head coach. Dillard spent the past six years working as a basketball marketing representative for Nike and served as global camp director responsible for activities that included the Nike All-America Camp.

Combined, Dillard and Speraw have 27 years of experience as head coach. Add that to McCaffery's 14 years, and Iowa ends up with over 41 years of coaching experience on the bench.

Pat Harty of the Iowa City Press Citizen puts that into perspective .  

"To put that in perspective, none of Wisconsin's three assistants have been Division I coaches. Michigan State only has one assistant with Division I head coaching experience, with Mike Garland having spent three seasons as the coach at Cleveland State. Former Iowa coach Todd Lickliter also had three assistant coaches with no Division I coaching experience."

Hiring former head coaches to be on his staff is not a new technique for McCaffery.  

At Siena, he brought on Mitch Buonaguro as an assistant.  Buonaguro has over 30 years of experience and took over as head coach at Siena after Fran's departure.

Even with experience on their side, McCaffery's coaching army has an uphill battle ahead of them. They have to rebuild a team that finished 10-22 last season, lost one of it's top players in Aaron Fuller and lost two incoming recruits in Cody Larson and Ben Brust.

The harsh realities aside, early indications suggest McCaffery is well on his way to crushing it at Iowa.

Vaynerchuk would be proud.