Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Caitlin Clark falls in Game 1, Iowa football adds a new wide receiver, Payton Sandfort update

Starting point is 00:00:00 It was a rough go for Kaitlyn Clark and her debut in the WNBA. We break things down and Iowa football has received a new commitment from the transfer portal at the wide receiver position. All today, Locked on Hawkeyes. You are Locked on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, welcome in. I'm Trent Condon, live from Iowa City, and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:00:42 We're available wherever you find podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube. While you're there, make sure you hit the subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Well, it was a evening to remember tonight as Kaitlyn Clark made her debut in the WNBA. Did not go exactly the way that I know many Hawkeye fans hoped it was going to go. And certainly a lot of question marks about her going forward but we will talk about that today. I was picked up a new transfer

Starting point is 00:01:10 portal receiver something that was in greatly need for the football program and Peyton Sanford had his debut as he was playing in the NFL NBA combine excuse me and things did not go exactly great for young sandbark but let's get into it here today and kick things off as we are coming to you live from iowa city had a great game watch this evening from coach's corner in iowa city uh so great to see a lot of hawkeye fans out and about watching caitlin clark and her debut and a big thank you to uh everybody involved for that one making it happen in, we tried to go live right after the game, but a little bit loud in there because of all the Hawkeye fans having a good time and having a good Tuesday evening. So instead made our way back to

Starting point is 00:01:55 the hotel room and we are ready to go with that one after our Uber ride and ready to make things happen here this evening. So let's kick things off and just talk about how they debut. Of course, the two fouls early on definitely impacted things, as she was called with a couple of fouls early in the game, limited her minutes during the first quarter, really during the first half of the game. And you could see right away, obviously, there is going to be, in a way, a head-hunting kind of scenario for Kaitlyn Clark. She's going to get the best

Starting point is 00:02:27 perimeter defender on every single team. And though that was the case always when she was playing with Iowa and we knew that that was going to be the defense that she was going to see and that was going to continue, it looked different tonight. You anticipate that, you expect that. Obviously playing at the professional level, that is something that is going to be there. And you're playing against players that are bigger, stronger, faster. And I think that definitely showed up in a big time way throughout the evening. So you have that component, no doubt about it. But you also couple it with what we saw from her, some of the frustrations in the game.

Starting point is 00:03:01 And you look at this Indiana team, college basketball is a whole lot different than the WNBA. And you see definitely the skill level that is there. I don't think there's any doubt the length and size of the defenders that teams game after game are going to be able to throw after Caitlin Clark. There were moments that you, I think, were left wondering, boy, how difficult is this going to be? But I keep coming back to the same thing. With Kaitlyn Clark, she's going to find a way. She's going to find a way to get this done, and she's going to find a way to impact the game in a big-time level. Was this the debut that many people anticipated? I

Starting point is 00:03:42 don't think so. I think a lot of people thought that she was going to show up and right away, this was going to be dominating performances and doing whatever she wanted to. And we saw that's not going to be the case. But she's such a smart basketball player. You know, her basketball IQ was just at such a high level. And she operates at a level that is different than most any player. You can talk about the greats. You can talk about some of the greats in women's college basketball and how they operate at that same kind of level. But that's what you see out of Kaitlyn Clark. She's so smart.

Starting point is 00:04:17 She understands the game. She sees the game. And because of that, she's going to find a way. Is she going to be able to turn the corner every single time when she's going to the rim? No. The defenders are going to make that difficult. You saw a lot of face guarding out of Connecticut tonight, and that's what she's going to see a ton of. They're going to keep the ball out of her hands. And the other thing I think we need to realize,

Starting point is 00:04:38 and something that was definitely eye-opening to me this evening, was this Indiana Fever team is not very good. There was a reason that they finished 13-27 a year ago. Aaliyah Boston, number one pick from a year ago. She leaves you at times wanting more. She's such a physical presence. There are so many positives to her game, but I think that's a huge component to her is you want more from her. Now there was the behind the back pass and then she dribbles into traffic and turned it over there.

Starting point is 00:05:08 And there were many instances of that. But also, you got to put some of this on Kaitlyn. She was making passes that definitely worked in the college game, and they're not going to work here. I believe she's going to figure it out. I believe that she's going to find a way to definitely impact the game in a higher level. And you're going to see more of that from her, but definitely not the opener. I know a lot of Hawkeye fans anticipated here in game number one. Now, after that rough first quarter, we saw those glimpses and those glimpses that give you the opportunity to

Starting point is 00:05:41 understand that it's going to get there for her, that she's going to figure things out. The three-pointers, the shot was off a little bit early, didn't have the same kind of space. She's not going to be able to do her two dribbles and go to the left every single time like she was able to do at times in the college game. That's going to be taken away. She's going to have to find a way to play off the ball better. I think that's something that she's going to have to realize and understand. You're also going to have to do that. And when you're working off the ball a whole lot more and don't have the ball on your hands for basically 40 minutes a game, like she did in Iowa City, she's also going to have to understand how to set up screens, how to work off screens. And though that was a part of her game, it wasn't the biggest part of her game.

Starting point is 00:06:23 And that's going to come when you have an elite level shooter, the basketball IQ, athleticism that at minimum is okay at this level. She's going to get there. Were there some ticky-tack calls that went against her? Yeah, I think so. But overall, this was a learning experience. Now, for the WNBA, they need this team to at least be okay, right? We can't have a situation where Kaitlin Clark is out there playing for a team that is struggling when we get a month into the season. They need them, at minimum, to be competitive.

Starting point is 00:07:02 In the beginning, the schedule is not easy. Connecticut here, and then a back-to-back against New York. It's not going to be easy for them and easy for this Indiana Fever team, but that's where we're left with. And as we're speaking here today, it's the debut for also Las Vegas Aces. Megan Gustafson, Kate Martin making the team. A great story, obviously, there. And that's something that's going to be another big component.

Starting point is 00:07:28 But overall, frustrating at times, I think, for Kaitlyn Clark. I think we all realize, though, this is probably going to be a little bit more difficult for her and overall for this Indiana Fever team in year number one for her. Well, that is not alone. It was a busy night. We had the debut of Kaitlyn Clark this evening in the WNBA. We also had the iClub event over in Iowa City. And kudos to you, Hawkeye fans, sold that thing out.

Starting point is 00:07:56 Great to see. We got to hear from Lisa Bluter as she announced her retirement yesterday. She comes back to Des Moines. Got to hear from her. Of course, Kirk Ferentz with some news that we will talk about. Iowa has a new wide receiver from the transfer portal. Plus, the Hawkeyes are going to be playing a game on Friday in the upcoming season. We'll talk about that as we continue. This is Locked on Hawkeyes. passion drive and patience the formula for winning championship is also what keeps your ride or die alive ebay motor says everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits led headlights and more whether you're into

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Starting point is 00:09:07 Keep your ride or die alive today at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Welcome back. Trent Conant with you here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every single day. So let's get into what we have seen on the football front. As we've talked about now over the last week plus, Iowa has a new commitment

Starting point is 00:09:39 from the transfer portal with the addition of Brendan Sullivan coming in from Northwestern. But that is not all. Iowa has tapped in for a second time to the transfer portal and doing it through Indiana. So Northwestern, excuse me. So this is one I don't want to say is a huge surprise. We knew that Iowa was obviously shopping in the transfer portal. It is something that they definitely needed and something that they're definitely shooting for to make things happen. So with this, Iowa goes out there and they get the addition of a transfer wide receiver. That's not exactly going to excite you. This is not one that you're going to be left with saying, all right, I was got to figure it out at the wide receiver position. I think we are all excited about Caleb Brown and what we saw out of him a year ago. He needs to be more consistent, obviously catching the football,

Starting point is 00:10:30 but with the skill set that he has, a top 100 recruit coming out of high school, one of the top wide receivers in the country, went to Ohio State. And we saw those glimpses certainly a year ago, the physicality that he plays with and the ability to be a playmaker for this Iowa football team. We'll see about Seth Anderson, if he can be a guy, a Jarrett Bowie, a Dayton Howard. There's other guys that are out there. We have all those different players, but here comes Jacob Gill. Now the Jacob Gill numbers are not going to wow you During his 28 games in his career Jacob Gill posted 16 touchdowns, 195 yards and 2 touchdowns

Starting point is 00:11:13 Beggars can't be choosers We can't be sitting here and saying Well, this guy's not good enough for us Come on We know this is a depleted position We know that this is a guy that At minimum can add another rotational piece And that's what they need we know this is a depleted position. We know that this is a guy that, at minimum, can add another rotational piece, and that's what they need.

Starting point is 00:11:30 Look, there's not going to be any star receivers that are going to sign up and come play at Iowa. Tim Lester has his work cut out for him in order to show recruits, show players, that this is going to be an offense that, at minimum, is competent. I know we know it because we lived it, right? As Hawkeye fans, we all went through what this offense cratered over the last two and a half years.

Starting point is 00:11:53 I'm really going back to the game in 2022 against Penn State as Iowa pulls off the victory in a sense to number two in the country. Since then, it's been dog crap. It's been just absolutely awful. Maybe there's a little bit of Stockholm syndrome, and maybe we forget just how bad it has been. Folks, it's awful. Now, I had the opportunity the other night, sitting at home, folding some laundry, and went back and watched the Iowa-Northwestern game. Had it on there, had the BTN in 60, which is a great thing. Able to compress everything down and basically be able to rip through a game in 45 minutes.

Starting point is 00:12:33 There wasn't anything else on. The NBA, the NHL that night wasn't compelling. There was nothing in Major League Baseball that moved my needle. So I decided, let's go back. Let's take a look at a game that turned out to be a victory for the Hawkeyes and another one that they were able to find a way to get things done. Just watching the course of the 60, 70 plays that Iowa ran offensively that day. At times, maybe we forget just how bad it was. And when you have a guy like Jacob Gill that's willing to commit,

Starting point is 00:13:07 that's not going to wow you statistically with what he did at Northwestern. He's not going to be a guy that's going to suddenly say, all right, now we got another first-round draft pick at the wide receiver position. That's not going to happen. He's a beast. And maybe he goes out this year and he catches 15, 20 balls. And if he does, great. Because they need it.

Starting point is 00:13:30 This position is comprised with outside of a couple of veterans, the aforementioned Seth Anderson and Caleb Brown. It's a bunch of young guys that we don't have any clue about. We don't know if they can play this position at the Big Ten level. Look, there's a reason that Jared Bowie had to leave Florida to come to Iowa City, and it's because the best ACC and SEC programs didn't look at him. We talk about a guy like Dayton Howard. Big guy, 6'4", 210 pounds. He's from Kansas City, and he wasn't recruited by Kansas or Kansas State or Missouri.

Starting point is 00:14:09 This is the depth that we're talking about. Not only that, but most programs in college football, a normal roster has between 12 and 14 scholarship wide receivers. Iowa has nine. Well, now they have 10 with the addition of Jacob Gill. Iowa's behind. Iowa's development has been terrible. Beggars can't be choosers.

Starting point is 00:14:38 We can make fun of the numbers. We can make fun of the offense. We're hopeful that it's going to be different this year, and I believe that it will be. This is not going to be more of the offense. We're hopeful that it's going to be different this year, and I believe that it will be. This is not going to be more of the same. This is not going to be some kind of indictment of Kirk Ferentz and the way that he runs his football program. Yes, the connection of him and Son didn't work.

Starting point is 00:14:59 Yes, there were times that I definitely believe that Brian Ferentz should have been shown the door much earlier than he was during his tenure. But now it's time for a fresh start. It's time to see this offense become at minimum okay. And I think they can get there. Let's not poo-poo this. Let's not be that negativity. Look, there'll be plenty of time for that when we get to football season. There'll maybe be time for that when we get to football season. There'll maybe be time for that when we get to basketball season. We will have all that. But for the here and now, let's enjoy a guy that signed up to be a Hawkeye. Let's make the best of it. Speaking of the Iowa Hawkeyes, the men's basketball program, the biggest decision of the

Starting point is 00:15:41 offseason doesn't come from the transfer portal. It is going to be the decision that Peyton Sanford is going to make. He had his debut at the NBA Draft Combine and good news, bad news. It didn't go very well. We'll talk about it as we continue. This is Locked On Hawkeyes. Game time is an authorized ticket marketplace of the nba which makes getting playoff tickets even faster and faster and easier prices on the game time app actually go down the closer you get to tip off they have killer last minute deals all in prices views from your seat and their lowest

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Starting point is 00:17:56 All right, let's get into it as Peyton Sanford made his debut at the NBA Draft Combine and, at the NBA Draft Combine and, well, didn't go exactly well for young Mr. Sanford. Now, as we've talked about here in the last couple of weeks on Lockdown Hawkeyes and U.S. Airs, certainly know my opinion as we saw more and more mock drafts having for Sanford showing up. That is something that has been really across the board here over the last two or three weeks that he has at minimum showed up in the draft picks and a guy that's going to be drafted. And we saw the essential. We talked about this yesterday where a mock draft from Yahoo Sports had him going 26 overall to the Washington Wizards, very solidly making his way into the top

Starting point is 00:18:42 40 with many of the mocks out there but a big part of this was going to be what's going to happen here at the combine and when you look at a guy with limited athleticism that really has one skill set that's his shooting ability it didn't go very well he goes one of five from the floor is he played in the first scrimmage that was not very good but you also look at the parts of things, the physicality. We know that Peyton Sanford, in comparison to most of these guys going into the NBA draft, even in a down year for the NBA, he's not going to be at the top of the level as it pertains to what he does physically. But this was eye-opening. The five lowest combine score rankings from the 2024

Starting point is 00:19:27 NBA Draft Combine. This is talking about the guys that, when you put everything together, jumping, speed, all the athletic elements, these were at the bottom of the list. Fifth lowest, Jared McLean from Duke. Fourth lowest, Eriks Scarabin from UConn. Coleman Hawkins, the third lowest. There is Peyton Sanford, the second lowest score from these rankings. And then Cam Spencer, I was surprised by that one, of UConn, a finish in the bottom spot. Some other numbers for you in terms of what he is and kind of how he ranks in terms of some of those athletic numbers. Here we go.

Starting point is 00:20:08 First of all, can we find it again? Let me pull it up here. All right. Hand length, 30th percentile. Hand width, 25th percentile. Height without shoes. All right. That was pretty good.

Starting point is 00:20:24 54th percentile. Okay. all right that was pretty good 54th percentile okay uh max vert 28 inches that is in the first percentile you want to be at the highest percentile that was not the case for Peyton Sanford shuttle run was.4th percentile for that one. Three-quarter court sprint, ninth percentile. Same for the wingspan. The numbers are not great for Peyton Sample. Coupled with a poor showing in the scrimmage, look, we're selfish, right? We're Hawkeye fans.

Starting point is 00:21:03 I know some of you out there love the NBA. I understand that there are some people that, for you, the NBA is more important than college basketball. Without Peyton Sanford next season, this Iowa basketball team, frankly, they're going to stink. They're not going to be very good. They just aren't. But you put him back in the mix.

Starting point is 00:21:23 And we know this is an all Big Ten player. We know this is a guy that can score in a big time way. You couple it with the definite big time leadership that he showed a year ago and an opportunity to do that one final season. Look, if Iowa basketball is going to get back to the NCAA tournament, I don't think there's any doubt about it. Iowa needs to have Peyton Sanford be a part of the team for that to happen. Maybe this is enough to push him back. 60-40, maybe he was going to the draft. Maybe this is enough to push him back. We'll see what he does in the final scrimmages. If he has a couple of big performances and knocked down a bunch of shots, this can definitely change. This is not an indictment that says there is no way

Starting point is 00:22:09 that he can be drafted or no way that he's going to stay in the draft for this season. But as we go selfish, this is good for us Hawkeye fans. And that's okay to say that. It's all right. We want the best for Peyton. No doubt about it. He's a Hawkeye and you want the best for him. Before the Iowa basketball program, not too bad for us. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Also want to let you know Lockdown has launched the first ever National Sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. And now it's available on the Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV

Starting point is 00:22:45 channels app. Lockdown Sports Today is here for you 24-7, covering the top sports stories of the day with the local experts of Lockdown, plus our national shows covering every league. Find Lockdown Sports Today now available on the free Fire TV channels app. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We'll be back in Des Moines and back at it tomorrow as we got you covered. Your team every day here on the Lockdown

Starting point is 00:23:10 Network. Plenty of Hawkeye talk. Always something happening in the world of Hawkeye athletics. We'll react a little bit more. Kirk Ferentz mentioned the possibility of a Friday night game coming up for Iowa football coming up this season. We'll talk about that and a whole lot more coming your way tomorrow on Lockdown Hawkeyes. We'll talk about that and a whole lot more coming your way tomorrow on Locked on Hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:23:26 We'll talk to you then. Go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Caitlin Clark falls in Game 1, Iowa football adds a new wide receiver, Payton Sandfort update

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