Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Caitlin Clark's Logo Three ELECTRIFIES Carver-Hawkeye - How Does IOWA Women's Hoops Take Advantage?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Caitlin Clark, back to where it all began. In the state of Iowa at Carver Hawkeye Arena, the queen of her court returns to her kingdom. 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 and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes Podcast. I've been covering the Hawkeyes for over 20 years on the radio in the state of Iowa, including currently on the Iowa Sports Radio Network. We have stations all across the state. Sioux City, Quad Cities, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids,

Starting point is 00:00:43 and our flagship, 106.3 KXNO in Des Moines. You can hear me each weekday talking the world of sports with Ken Miller from noon until 2. This episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Make sure you use the code LOCKDOWNCOLLege at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. Your team every day. That's what we do here on the lockdown network. I got you covered on the Hawkeye front. Thanks for being with us here today. And a shout out to you every day is with us each and every day. Greatly appreciate each and every one of you. We got a lot to get into including the Iowa baseball team losing a series for the first time

Starting point is 00:01:21 in a while as they go out to Seattle and get beat by Washington. What does it mean as they try to hold on to first place in the Big Ten and the number one seed that comes along with it. What does it mean more importantly in my mind for their NCAA tournament situation as they try to put together that resume to be a tournament team. Also Iowa Softball locked up their spot in the Big Ten Softball tournament and Possibility maybe even locked up their bid in the NCAA tournament. We'll talk a little bit of Iowa softball. Ben McCollum, his new contract is out. The details are there from Scott Dockerman of The Athletic. We'll talk a little bit about that. Ben McCollum and a couple of keynotes there in the continued roster construction. What's the latest in

Starting point is 00:02:02 the transfer portal for Iowa Hoops? We'll get into that here in just a moment. But we begin today with something that happened in Iowa City, though not exactly a Hawkeye event. It certainly felt like a Hawkeye event. And that was the return of Kaitlyn Clark back to Carver Hawkeye Arena, back to the state of Iowa, and what a scene it was in Carver. Now, we saw, I think right away, that the Brazilian national team was a little bit overmatched against the Indiana Fever. But it was about so much more than just the game. It was about so much more than what we saw between the lines, because to see this again,

Starting point is 00:02:41 and remember what the run was over the last couple of seasons and what Caitlin Clark built herself into. You know, there was also this component. So Saturday, there was some rumblings and turned out to be breaking news that Caitlin Clark wasn't going to play in their exhibition opener against the Washington Mystics. And I know it left right away, a lot of concerned Hawkeye fans that had gobbled up these tickets for Sunday at Carver of what this was going to be. And I know it left right away a lot of concerned Hawkeye fans that had gobbled up these tickets for Sunday at Carver of what this was going to be. And she even going to play. Now she was out there, she was playing and dealing with a leg injury, but you could see she was good to go. However, to be able to bring this back, to be able to bring this back to the state of Iowa,

Starting point is 00:03:21 just for an exhibition game. Because this is something so incredibly special. I know a lot of people have wanted to put together what this is like, right? When we think back through history, what is this? In a sporting world, what is this like? And a lot of people land on, this is Tiger Woods, what he did in the 97 Masters, what he did building the popularity. And though he built popularity in golf, there's no doubt. And though he took it to another stratosphere than what we've seen, we're still talking about golf. And the Masters back in the 80s,

Starting point is 00:03:56 and that's as far back as the TV numbers that I could find would go, was still getting an eight share. It was still getting good television numbers back in the 80s and 90s before Tiger got there. Yes, it's a niche sport. The WNBA and women's basketball in general, we're talking a lot of rungs down.

Starting point is 00:04:16 This isn't even close to even the popularity that golf had before Tiger. This was a niche of a niche of a niche. And Caitlin Clark completely changed that. Caitlin Clark did. Not Angel Reese. Nobody else. Not Asia Wilson. It was Caitlin Clark. And that's okay to say. You can say that because it was one player that changed it. The structure, you want to give credit to the people that came before, have at it. But there is one person that changed us and took this to a spot we have never seen before for women's basketball, and that's Caitlin Clark. It's as simple as

Starting point is 00:04:54 that. And to have her return to hit the behind the logo, logo three, with the 22 spot where she broke the scoring record and to be three feet behind that a 36 footer. The crazy thing is it was a good basketball play. This was not just, hey, let's rub it in their nose a little bit. When you're just looking at it in the strictest form, you're trying to get a two for one at the end of a quarter. You're trying to get two possessions against the other teams.

Starting point is 00:05:23 One, that's just good basketball It's also good basketball because she was one of the few players not women players that could do that That can line up from 36 feet and splash into three-pointer and it doesn't feel asinine. She Steph Curry You want to go deeper on the list? Probably not She is incredible and it was great to see leading into the game, after the game, sticking around. So I know the question's happening right now. Well, that's the Indiana Fever. Look, we got Lockdown Podcasts on women's basketball. We got things covered in all fronts here. This is not an Indiana Fever podcast. What this is, is an Iowa Hawkeye

Starting point is 00:06:06 podcast. So what does it mean for the Hawkeyes? This goes back to a conversation we had about a year ago. And when we were talking about the decision to hand the reins to Jan Jensen is how important it is for the Iowa women's basketball program. If this is going to continue to be a thing, this is not just a blip on the radar. This is not having a once-in-a-generation player and then you go back to what you were. If you want to maintain and then build upon it and become a consistent winner at the high levels, you have to take advantage of what Caitlin Clark was. And really what it comes down to is the class, excuse me,

Starting point is 00:06:45 that they're recruiting right now. The class of 2026, Iowa has been involved with a number of high-level prospects. Harpering from down in Georgia, Pjorn from down in the Kansas City area, Jenica Lewis from here in central Iowa, Johnston. And those are just a few of the many players. Iowa, Johnston. And those are just a few of the many players. This is the time. This is the recruiting class. You were able to build the bridge a year ago. Getting Lucy Olson out of the portal was huge. Being a tournament team, being relevant, still being part of the conversation, the lexicon of Iowa basketball, still seeing those crowds travel, still seeing Carver Hawkeye Arena filled up, those were all great things to build that bridge. But we have to get to the other side. We have to get to the other

Starting point is 00:07:30 side and in order to do that, this is the class that needs to happen. They're still sniffing around the portal. They got chit chat as the point guard. Would love a little bit more depth back there. Addie Deal comes in with a class of 2026. If this momentum's really gonna carry on, this is the time. Jan Jensen does her due diligence. She is an excellent post-coach, as we know. She's been a tremendous recruiter in her career. But it's different as the head coach, as the assistant. Pressure's on.

Starting point is 00:08:01 I believe she'll deliver. I believe in Jan Jensen. I believe that she will be the one that gets it done But that's what you have to do Because we've seen plenty plenty of programs that have been able to have those runs I go back 30 years ago to Cheryl swoops when she was at Texas Tech Do we think of Texas Tech women's basketball is a thing now, but we did for those three years Or they got to a national championship game, Texas Tech was a thing.

Starting point is 00:08:25 It's because of Cheryl Swoops. Don't become Texas Tech, Iowa. Don't become the Red Raiders women's basketball program. That's the job at hand for Jan Jensen. Capture, build, and get this program up there where you're competing year in and year out where Sweet 16 is kind of the baseline. And then you go from there. That's what you're looking for.

Starting point is 00:08:48 That's what you're trying to do in the Big 10 and nationally. And the opportunity is there for this program. Locked On Hawkeyes, your team every day. That's what we do on the Locked On network. We got a whole lot more. We're going to talk some more basketball coming up. Ben McCollum, his contract details have been released. We will get into those a little bit. Plus talk to you a little bit about this roster

Starting point is 00:09:08 and a new name has been floated out there a little bit more. A big guy for the Iowa men's basketball program. We'll get into that. Plus the weekend that was for Iowa baseball and softball. All as we continue, this is Locked on Hawkeyes. Get the supplies you need from the site made for the skilled trades, Supply House. Whether in plumbing, HVAC, or electrical work, Supply House is the reliable way to order products online. Their easy to use website is packed with helpful resources and the latest product info to help you get the job done right. Plus, with a complete inventory of over 200,000 parts from 400 top brands,

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Starting point is 00:11:00 Hawkeye fans Ben McCollum new contract has been released and to be honest, a couple of things I think jumped off going through the details. Scott Dockerman of the Athletic, he was the one that got the FOIA request so we're able to get our hands on this one and a couple of things as mentioned. First, 80% of a scheduled compensation would be owed if they terminate him before 2028. Let's hope we don't get to that point. I think we're going to be in good shape there. There are bonuses in there for NCAA tournament, tournament wins, Big Ten Coach of the Year, National Coach of the Year, all the different things that are in there and certainly hoping

Starting point is 00:11:42 that that is going to be the case. But yeah, overall, I didn't think there was a ton to look at and say other than this, I thought they got a really good deal. Remember, Ben McCollum was pretty coveted and I believe he probably could have held out for even more. I think this is something that he could have pushed a little bit harder in terms of the contract and what he was able to get. At the end of the contract, the total compensation is just over $4 million a year. If Ben McCollum turns out to be what I expect, and I think a lot of us expect, that's going

Starting point is 00:12:23 to be looked at as a huge win a huge win for the athletic department and What you hope goes hand-in-hand a return to relevancy Just in the minds of Hawkeye fans It's so difficult to go back and watch games from last season You go through and rip through you know some highlights I just see the atmosphere I carve her see what it had fallen into and Ben McCollum is already working to get out of that malaise to

Starting point is 00:12:59 get this fan base excited again I know we got a lot of younger listeners out there. And you know, for you, you could be under 30 years old and you haven't seen relevant basketball. You maybe have a vague memory, at best, if you're in your late 20s, early 30s of that Sweet 16 run Which is incredible because for me growing up Almost felt like a birthright that you're gonna be certainly in the tournament Am I formative years as a youngster seeing them in the elite aid in the sweet 16 what they were what the program was

Starting point is 00:13:46 And now what it is so I get it this is not to knock the Hawkeye fan base and for people not showing up to checked out women's basketball wrestling program a lot going on easy to just flip on the TV and and the unfortunate part it's not like it was flipping on the TV 20 30 years ago where you knew exactly where the games are gonna be is it on ESPN plus that is easy to be BTN plus is FS1? Is this a Big Ten Network game? And trying to figure all that out. If you're an over-the-air person and you don't have cable, you don't have that and so many cord cutters out there, where you find the game, it's just a different environment and it went hand in hand with people not showing up. All the excuses are over. Because this team at minimum is going to be good. And when you look around nationally, and you see many people have them as a tournament team, we

Starting point is 00:14:30 talked about Joe Lennardi last week. You have that component to it. If you look through not just Joe Lennardi, but nationally people putting this team, what they did in the transfer portal. And I get it, it's a volume play also. Look, they only had one guy coming back. They took work to get Cooper Kach back for his second season. And that's going to help when it comes to those portal rankings. But you start with Sturtz and Fool Garris.

Starting point is 00:15:04 What else they've been able to build around this and they're not done. So here's a new name for you and this one, I'll be honest, this feels way out there, but it's a big guy not a seven footer but a physical post-presence six foot eight this derider deritter

Starting point is 00:15:32 He's belgium. His first name is spelled th I j s let's start right there help me with pronunciation out there youtube hit it up in the comments Deritter derider We'll figure it out if they get up So this guy is 22 years old. It's been part of the Belgium National Pro League over there 22 years old is Apparently eligible though to come over very well could be eligible to come over as a freshman and have four years of eligibility six foot eight physical a man

Starting point is 00:16:04 That would come in with freshman eligibility. And yes, he is not a seven footer, but the physicality that he plays with, the wingspan that he has over seven foot, he is a guy that would be able to help out inside for them. And maybe a little bit more. This, this, this Dorita I Don't know something like that. So that's a new name now. This is where it's coming from There has been a guy that's been on truly Donovan go back to Ben McCollum being hired we talked about truly a lot and his website and the insights that we got from there and One spot on Twitter that I saw this is not

Starting point is 00:16:49 from there. And one spot on Twitter that I saw, this is not rivals and on three and 24 seven and all the Hawkeye websites and the people that are in the recruiting game and certainly in the Iowa recruiting game reporting this. This is a far off place. However, something to keep an eye on. It would change, I think what things are. And there is a working theory that is out there right now. It's a reason that we continue to just kind of wait, right? Trying to figure out what this is going to look like, how this roster is going to be set. We go through a couple of the other names that have been talked about a lot. It might be a holding pattern. That's the working theory at this point in time. That they're just waiting to see exactly what happens with this guy from Belgium and that's why it took a couple of the guards

Starting point is 00:17:35 that they brought in. A Gliese, a high point kid, the kid from Florida International was at Williams last week, those two guys, they're just waiting to see with this international prospect what he's going to do in terms of the roster. They're in good shape. Need one more. Combo guard center. That's the last piece.

Starting point is 00:17:57 And maybe both, but financially probably not both. I think that's where we are with Ben McCollum and the structure Good stuff and an exciting time to be a Hawkeye fan. It's Iowa basketball team. I think it's gonna be different I think they're gonna make it easy for us to root for the Hawkeyes once again this year Well, it's always easy to root for the Hawkeyes Let's talk a little bit about what's happening the Iowa softball team has qualified for the Big Ten tournament and a Path that maybe has them set up for a run. Have they done enough to be an NCAA tournament team? The Iowa men baseball side, who did

Starting point is 00:18:30 not go well over the weekend in Seattle, bounce back on Sunday. We'll get into that when we come back. This is Locked on Hawkeyes. Ever check your bank account and wonder, where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping and entertainment, it's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch Money comes in. It's your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn't just a budgeting app, it's a complete financial command center. You can track all your accounts,

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Starting point is 00:19:59 half off your first year Monarch money.com. Trying to back with you one final time on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Iowa baseball over the weekend. They went out to Seattle and had a lead on Friday night, let it slip away. Another tough one on Saturday, bounced back and got the win on Sunday against Washington. Now the good news is that this is not a deplorable Washington team. In fact, this is a Washington team that was right there towards the top third of the Big Ten and trying to put themselves in consideration for the NCAA tournament. Still though, to lose, give up the lead in the seventh inning, then to give it up in the bottom of the night. Only three hits in that

Starting point is 00:20:50 Friday night affair from Washington to still take the L. That one was pretty close to devastating. Same thing then, it was another walk-off on Saturday as they lost three to one. The two-run poke in the bottom of the night put it away for Washington in that one before Iowa bounces back on Sunday and gets the win eight zero there. So, couple of things. Tuesday, tomorrow, they take on UIC. These midweek losses can't afford it and that'll set up the stretch for these final six games of the regular season and Iowa, boy do

Starting point is 00:21:21 they have opportunities. Starting this weekend in Des Moines. it will be Oregon State. The Beavers, 34 and 12 on the year, ranked number 12 in the country. Their RPI sits at number 10. Principal Park will have it Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Sunday on getaway day against a very good, very talented, and the computer number say it, Oregon State team. You win that series, we're changing our tune. Then you wrap up with perhaps the biggest home series in decades at Duane Banks Field as they will wrap up the regular season against Oregon. The Ducks rank number 10 in the country, RPI at 24, but most importantly for Iowa, this will be a chance to solidify themselves at the top of the Big 10 and with it, bring home a regular season championship.

Starting point is 00:22:09 I believe that regular season championship could go a long way for Iowa punching their ticket into the NCAA tournament, regardless of what happens in Omaha. Iowa sits right now at number 66 in the RPI rankings, 3-0 against Quad 1. It continues to be those losses in Quad 4 that continue to be that anchor as they drop throughout the course of the season. Just too many games in Quad 4. Their record currently sits at 11-6 in Quad 4 games and 8-3 in Quad 3. That is really what the biggest issue is right now for Iowa baseball. Let's jump over to the softball side of things as the regular season came to a close. There were three, I think maybe more difficult than we thought games against Rutgers are really tough

Starting point is 00:22:56 ones down at the end, but Iowa gets the sweep to finish off the regular season. 35 and 17 on the year. Playing some great softball down the stretch though. Great pitching performances against Rutgers and now the tournament bracket is set for them as they are good to go on that front. RPI sits at number 48. The difference as we've talked about here on lockdown Hawkeyes Iowa doesn't have those bad losses on the softball side. They're 13 and 0 against Quad 4. Four victories against Quad 1. That is huge also. Four and 10, they've had plenty of opportunities, but four and 10 against Quad 1. And a lot of people like to put, what have you done against the best teams that

Starting point is 00:23:34 you played? 14 and 15 against Quad 1 and 2 combined together. That is a really good mark for a bubble team. I feel like they are safely in to the tournament. But with Big Ten softball, this has changed also. As the Big Ten softball tournament, the way that they're doing things looks a little bit different. It's a single elimination tournament. Now, Iowa will open up as the number six seed,

Starting point is 00:23:59 they get Penn State. Penn State, a team that they swept here just a couple of weeks ago at DeWayne Banks Field. They won 2-1, 10-2, and 3-1 in those three. If they get a victory, they'll move on to the quarterfinals and take on Nebraska. Now Nebraska, I went to that series and watched them on Saturday and that one didn't go well. A lot of wind-aided homers from the Huskers that day. But remember, I will bounce back on Sunday, got the victory against the Huskers there. So though it'll be incredibly difficult, there's no doubt about that.

Starting point is 00:24:30 Iowa has beat this team. They will have those expectations. You win that one, then you're playing with house money. I think you have absolutely locked yourself in then to the NCAA tournament. If they get to the semifinals, it'll likely be UCLA who will be waiting in that semifinal. And remember, they beat UCLA also, split that series earlier this year too. So, you know, the bracket sets up, I think, in a way where at least there should be some confidence here. Start

Starting point is 00:24:55 with that win against Penn State. Go from there. That will begin on Wednesday as things will get going in the Big Ten softball tournament. And all the games, all 11 games, will be broadcast on Big Ten Network BTN. We'll have all of that as they will also for the Big Ten baseball tournament coming up here in just a few weeks. As always, thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:25:19 For your second listen, make sure you check out the Portal Show. Brian Smith has the latest rumors, Portal entries and signings. Be the most informed fan on the rapid changes to the college football landscape. Find the Portal on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. We will continue our breakdown, our post spring breakdown

Starting point is 00:25:38 of what's happening on the football front. A deeper look at all the positional groups are gonna be doing that here throughout the course of the next couple of weeks. We'll keep our eye on that transfer portal. Anything else buzzing? I talked about a couple of those names in there for the men's basketball front. Women's basketball still continues to shop around a little bit and see what else is out there. We'll talk about that certainly throughout the weeks. And then baseball and softball. Looking to wrap things up here over the next couple of weeks and hopefully with both of those teams in the NCAA tournament. Boy,

Starting point is 00:26:09 how absolutely incredible that would be for both of those programs. If you're watching us on YouTube, hit subscribe, really would appreciate it. Five star reviews on the audio side, something that we need to get all the Hawkeye fans out there that we can in front of us. This is Locked On Hawkeyes and the Locked On Network, your team every day. We will talk to you again tomorrow. Until then, go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Caitlin Clark's Logo Three ELECTRIFIES Carver-Hawkeye - How Does IOWA Women's Hoops Take Advantage?

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