HuskerHawkeye.com Contributor
Football season in just around the corner. There has been plenty of talk about the Hawkeyes and their prospects for 2011. In upcoming blogs, I will take a more in-depth look at Iowa's prospects and how I think the Hawks will finish.
Today, I want to look a little farther ahead to basketball season where optimism is running high for both the men's and women's programs.
Let's start with the men.
Iowa finished 11-20 in Fran McCaffery's first season. But, unlike the previous season under Todd Lickliter, the Hawkeyes were competitive in most games and closed the year with a big win over top-10 ranked Purdue and gave Michigan State a battle before falling 66-61 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
So the big question entering 2011-12 is simple. Does Iowa have enough to make the postseason for the first time since the Steve Alford era?
The ingredients are there. Matt Gatens is back for his fourth year as a starter and sophomore forward Melsahn Basabe showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman. Bryce Cartwright came on and was a solid point guard. He took over after an injury to Cully Payne and ran the team quite well from the point guard position.
Sprinkle in the talents of athletic swingman Eric May along with developing sophomore Devyn Marble and Zach McCabe and it is reasonable to think Iowa will be much improved this winter.
The only significant losses were the graduation of 3-year captain Jarryd Cole and Payne's transfer to Loyola of Chicago.
The incoming recruits have potential.
Junior college transfer Anthony Hubbard's story has been well-chronicled. He is 26 and is a convicted felon after spending four years in prison on a robbery charge after an incident in 2003 when he was 18.
McCaffery said he conducted an extensive background search on Hubbard. He talked with numerous people familiar with Hubbard's background offering him a scholarship. When you are building a program, you have to take some chances. Hubbard could be a difference-maker for the Hawkeyes.
Incoming freshmen Gabe Olaseni (6-10) and Aaron White (6-8) will provide much-need size inside while Josh Oglesby (6-5) is an outstanding long-ranger shooter.
Iowa's schedule is favorable. They won't leave the state of Iowa in the non-conference season. The league schedule will be released later this summer, but the Big Ten should be down some this year as several teams have to replace a number of talented seniors.
Win total? 17-20 is not unrealistic. Of course there are questions. Who will be the No. 2 guy at the point behind Cartwright who logged heavy minutes last season without much relief. Iowa didn't sign a point guard so Marble will be counted on to provide relief.
The fan base is excited. The upgrades to Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be finished and a new practice facility will open for this season. The elements are there for a breakthrough season.
Those elements are also in place for Coach Lisa Bluder's women's team. Iowa was ranked in the Top 25 most of last season and finished 22-9. The Hawkeyes bring back plenty of firepower from that team, headed up by juniors Jaime Printy and Morgan Johnson along with seniors Kamille Wahlin and Kelly Krei.
There was one loss, but it was a major one. Kachine Alexander was simply the best rebounding guard in the country. She finished her career with 910 rebounds, 1,239 points and 339 assists. Alexander will be missed, but Iowa is welcoming its most-hyped recruit in Bluder's 13-year tenure.
Samantha Logic is a 5-10 guard from Wisconsin. She was rated as a Top 15 prospect by ESPN's HoopGurlz. Logic is one piece of a five-player class that should provide Bluder much-needed depth. She is an outstanding ball-handler and passer. Her talents should lead to open shots for 3-point sharpshooters Printy, Wahlin and Krei.
This team has all the elements to be a Sweet 16 team. The big concern is the lack of size. After 6-5 Johnson, there isn't a player taller than 6-2.
If Iowa can stay away from injuries, 2011-12 can be a special season.
Football season in just around the corner. There has been plenty of talk about the Hawkeyes and their prospects for 2011. In upcoming blogs, I will take a more in-depth look at Iowa's prospects and how I think the Hawks will finish.
Let's start with the men.
Iowa finished 11-20 in Fran McCaffery's first season. But, unlike the previous season under Todd Lickliter, the Hawkeyes were competitive in most games and closed the year with a big win over top-10 ranked Purdue and gave Michigan State a battle before falling 66-61 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
So the big question entering 2011-12 is simple. Does Iowa have enough to make the postseason for the first time since the Steve Alford era?
The ingredients are there. Matt Gatens is back for his fourth year as a starter and sophomore forward Melsahn Basabe showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman. Bryce Cartwright came on and was a solid point guard. He took over after an injury to Cully Payne and ran the team quite well from the point guard position.
Sprinkle in the talents of athletic swingman Eric May along with developing sophomore Devyn Marble and Zach McCabe and it is reasonable to think Iowa will be much improved this winter.
The only significant losses were the graduation of 3-year captain Jarryd Cole and Payne's transfer to Loyola of Chicago.
The incoming recruits have potential.
Junior college transfer Anthony Hubbard's story has been well-chronicled. He is 26 and is a convicted felon after spending four years in prison on a robbery charge after an incident in 2003 when he was 18.
McCaffery said he conducted an extensive background search on Hubbard. He talked with numerous people familiar with Hubbard's background offering him a scholarship. When you are building a program, you have to take some chances. Hubbard could be a difference-maker for the Hawkeyes.
Incoming freshmen Gabe Olaseni (6-10) and Aaron White (6-8) will provide much-need size inside while Josh Oglesby (6-5) is an outstanding long-ranger shooter.
Iowa's schedule is favorable. They won't leave the state of Iowa in the non-conference season. The league schedule will be released later this summer, but the Big Ten should be down some this year as several teams have to replace a number of talented seniors.
Win total? 17-20 is not unrealistic. Of course there are questions. Who will be the No. 2 guy at the point behind Cartwright who logged heavy minutes last season without much relief. Iowa didn't sign a point guard so Marble will be counted on to provide relief.
The fan base is excited. The upgrades to Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be finished and a new practice facility will open for this season. The elements are there for a breakthrough season.
There was one loss, but it was a major one. Kachine Alexander was simply the best rebounding guard in the country. She finished her career with 910 rebounds, 1,239 points and 339 assists. Alexander will be missed, but Iowa is welcoming its most-hyped recruit in Bluder's 13-year tenure.
Samantha Logic is a 5-10 guard from Wisconsin. She was rated as a Top 15 prospect by ESPN's HoopGurlz. Logic is one piece of a five-player class that should provide Bluder much-needed depth. She is an outstanding ball-handler and passer. Her talents should lead to open shots for 3-point sharpshooters Printy, Wahlin and Krei.
This team has all the elements to be a Sweet 16 team. The big concern is the lack of size. After 6-5 Johnson, there isn't a player taller than 6-2.
If Iowa can stay away from injuries, 2011-12 can be a special season.
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