CONNIE HAWKINS WAS FROM BROOKLYN

Hawkins played on the freshman team never varsity

Basabe had a similar recruiting ranking with Larson and was better than Brust’s ranking. I think this was a very good pick up.

Sportstalent do you read dude or do you just blather on. Thanks for adding clarity hawkdoctor too many people are spouting off without giving this guy a chance.

Basabe was offered by George Mason, VCU, Seina and Drexel…
Larson signed with Florida
Brust has offers from Boston College, Wisconsin and Northwestern.
No comparision.

I am just sick of Iowa coaches (Alford, Lickliter and now Coach Fran) recruiting kids that are mid-major talent that have no chance to be difference makers in the Big Ten.

wspanic201: I don’t disagree with you on rankings in recruiting, if they held true Iowa Football would never compete in the Big Ten. The one thing I am focused on here is this. How many 6-7 PF’s make significant impacts in the Big Ten. They do if they have superior athleticism, I hope Basabe has this attribute. Iowa can get guys that are 6-8 or taller with athleticisim, they have in past and need to start again. I look at programs like Illinois, MSU, OSU, Minnesota and Purdue that are bringing in players that are 6-8 and above and it is scary. My fear is that Iowa will continued to get hammered by these teams on the boards and put no fear into these teams with their 6-6 center Cole and 6-7 power forward Basabe. It comes down to match-ups, Iowa needs some big bodies to match up, even Duke figured that out after a while, Singler wasn’t big enough to match up with other people’s bigs, look at the front line they have now and they don’t get destroyed on the boards. Rankings are perception for current high school kids, the perception now is Iowa can’t get kids to stay and they can’t get top players in the program, not even in the state. I am scared with Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State, he brings a ton of credibility to that program and the in-state kids. Coach Fran wants to focus on the in-state kids and that is great, but he also needs to get some quality out of state players in. I believe Coach Fran will be fine in the end, I just don’t think this signing was needed, now if Basabe is also an ambassador for Coach Fran in the locker room and has an impact there, then that is great too, someone with familiarity and nothing but a positive influence. I want Basabe to be a good player, I love Iowa basketball like no other, I want to back in the NCAA tournament and the top tier of the Big Ten, it can be done. GO HAWKS

Hey did you know he was offered a scholarship by Seton Hall too?
I hope Basabe becomes a James Winters type player, no factor until his Jr/Sr year, you know that is not a bad thing. I hope he contributes before then, but if he doesn’t, but gives us 2 or 1 solid year that is more than some players who have recently left the program. If Basabe is athletic then I want him on this team period, Iowa has lacked athleticism for years. That was one thing about TD’s teams, they were uptempo and always had some athletes that could play in the open floor. It is about development for the Iowa program right now, this is step in that direction. If Basabe comes in stays for 4 or 5 years and gets his degree, because that is what it really is about then Coach Fran has succeeded in his first recruit. Freeman, Kelly, Fuller, Davis, Palmer will not have degrees from Iowa that is what bothers me the most. Iowa has proven they can win games while having true student-athletes and that is more than I can say for some schools. I want this signing to be a step back into that direction. Understand this and it is me just being a stubborn hick, I am going to have problems with recruiting until Iowa gets back to Michigan, Illinois and Iowa, UNLESS it becomes proven that the ‘new’ areas prove out. There are proven grounds out there and Iowa still has feelers there, but not as strong as they once were…that is thanks to Alford and Lickliter, I am not ripping them, that is fact. I would like to see Iowa’s graduation rate to date starting from Alford’s first class. I am done quibbling, I just want to see my beloved Hawkeyes back where they belong, in the top tier of the Big Ten.
GO HAWKS