Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Could the Iowa football season be in jeopardy and could the men's basketball team lose their two star players?

Episode Date: April 3, 2020

We break down to real possibilities on today's episode. With the Olympics being postponed until 2021, could the college football season be next? Also, there is a real chance that the Iowa basketball team loses two star players from this years squad. Both are on NBA radars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I thank God, I was born on the good arms of the Midwest, and not on the battlefields of Europe. It's a time of panic, and it's intercepted! It's picked off right away! Intercepted by Marty Hooker! Pick six! Eight seconds into the game! Buffen sets up deep in the pocket, goes down the field for Smith! Oh! He's got it. Smith. Touchdown, 85 yards. Iowa. Touchdown, 10.

Taking a shot in the end zone. It is caught. No offense. Touchdown. That's either one or you have it. Go ahead and three. Yes. Two-point lead for the Hawkeyes podcast,

your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Locked On Sports Network. As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade, and we are back for another exciting episode of the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast today. On today's episode, we're going to be talking a lot about what is expecting, you know, what are we expecting from the sports world over the next three to six months? The Olympics have been postponed. The, you know, the football season seems to be almost in jeopardy. What does this mean for Iowa?

What does this mean for sports in general? We're going to be talking a lot about that on today's episode of the show. Before we jump into the show, though, make sure you do like, review, and subscribe wherever you downloaded this podcast at. And also make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And just a quick reminder to, if you do subscribe, we're going to be dropping episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is technically considered our off-season now that there's really no college sports to cover. So we'll be dropping episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Likely on Monday or Wednesday's episode, we'll be dropping that Bakari Evelyn episode. So I'm really looking forward to that and I hope you are as well. So make sure to tune into that as well. Before we jump into the general gist of

the show, a couple of quick updates I wanted to make sure I covered on today's episode. First and foremost, two Iowa Hawkeyes got new landing spots in the NFL. Casey Kreider signed with the New York Giants and Adrian Claiborne signed with the Cleveland Browns. Sad to see Casey go from the Broncos. Actually hooked me up with some tickets through a good friend of his. So I obviously enjoyed that. And obviously a great spot for Adrian Claiborne going to the Cleveland Browns, an up-and-coming organization that obviously has a lot of history tied behind it.

Adrian will be a great addition to that squad. And then also, obviously I'm recording this show the night before. We should find out today, though, about the Naismith Award. Hopefully, Luka Garza can come away with one of these All-American Awards. He's also up for the Wooden Award. He was named a finalist, and we'll find that out next week. I would just hate to see Dayton's, Obitop, claim those awards and kind of do a sweep. I just think it's kind of garbage, and we talked about that on the last episode.

Luka Garza is getting screwed, just like we've seen a lot of Iowa Hawkeye players in the past get screwed on some of these things. So let's jump into it, though. First and foremost, the Olympics are postponed. And you might be thinking, what the hell does that matter for me? What the hell does that matter for Iowa Hawkeye sports, especially the football season? And I think it's actually very important. With the Olympics coming up in August, typically, they decided to postpone this until the following year due to coronavirus or COVID-19. And why that's important, first and foremost, let's get to the direct Hawkeye impact. That impacts Spencer Lee, who decided to not take an Olympic red shirt like a lot of other collegiate wrestlers did so he could help the Iowa Hawkeyes

win a national title, and he doesn't get to wrestle in the Olympics anymore. So he got doubly screwed. He chose to do the thing that is right for his team. He chose to do what was right for the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling squad, and he chose to go there and wrestle out the entire season while also training for the Olympics. And now he doesn't get a national title, and he doesn't get to go to the 2020 Olympics. So, I mean, I think it's obviously, I think Iowa should be favored

next year to potentially win a national title in wrestling. I think it's a good chance to Spencer Lee. It could also make the Olympic wrestling team next year, but it just sucks because he decided to not take that Olympic red shirt. Iowa doesn't end up wrestling due to coronavirus in the national championships and he doesn't get to go due to coronavirus in the national championships, and he doesn't get to go to the Olympics. That's just, it's so unfortunate for him. It sounds like he is planning on doing the exact same thing he did this year, next year, where he's going to train for the Olympics and train to win a national title for the Iowa Hawkeyes again, this time coming in as a senior due to the NCAA screwing over the juniors. And basically anyone who lost out on their season, they just lost a year of eligibility to really, despite not having the opportunity to compete for a national championship, whether

that was in women's basketball, men's basketball, or wrestling. So unfortunate stuff there. But what this means, though, so the Olympics decided to postpone. They are in August. And I think there's a couple of reasons, obviously the concern about when Corona virus is going to end, right? When is this pandemic going to slow down? I don't, I think there's a lot of unknowns about that and I'll get into some information I have on that. Um, the logistics behind it, you have to be able to plan for that.

If we're not able to know if we're going to be in this situation in August, it's hard to plan right now. And these nations are trying to figure things out. If we're not able to know if we're going to be in this situation in August, it's hard to plan right now. And these nations are trying to figure things out. Canada backed out already. I think the, you know, the Olympic qualifiers are unable to really take place due to a lot of this, you know,

this stuff coming up right now. So that is concerning. I think where it kind of concerns me at is the fact that there isn't that people aren't sure of what is going to happen. People are not sure if we're going to be having sports in August. And if we're not able to have sports in August, that means we're not able to have group type of things in August either, which means we likely may not see the college football season begin at that

time. We may not see the Iowa Hawkeyes kick off, you know, at the end of the summer, beginning of the fall, to start their football season with a new quarterback under center. There's a lot of things that I'm starting to realize is kind of waiting in the wings now. I work, I'm not going to tell you where, but I work for an organization, a hospital, and one of the things they're kind of telling folks is the surge

has not happened yet. Analytics predict that this could happen between the end of May and the early part of July. And if that is actually true, that means we're not going to be really entirely safe to come out of this until August. And that's really concerning from a sports perspective. I know I was super upset to obviously miss March Madness, upset to not see the Iowa Hawkeyes win a national title in wrestling, upset to not see Kathleen Doyle attempt to lead the Iowa Hawkeyes to another awesome showing in the NCAA tournament and play a couple home games at Carver. It just sucks all around to not be able to see that, but I think we really need to start bracing

ourselves for the possibility that sports are going to continue to be delayed even more so than we initially thought. You know, it was kind of assumed maybe a one-month, two-month thing, but I feel like this is turning into kind of a big deal. One thing, though, that could, you know, if the virus does slow down, if people are self-quarantining and staying inside and we're able to kind of kill this thing off, though, the Olympics being postponed could actually help the basketball tournament. And if you're not familiar, we cover the TBT, covered it last year, have a great relationship with the general manager of the Iowa United TBT team, Matthew Crawford. And this could actually help the Iowa United and help the TBT tournament simply because some folks, they were training for the Olympics, they were ready to go to the Olympics, but now they're not going to the Olympics and they want to join a basketball team.

They want to jump on and play basketball because they're not able to go represent their country. So a cool opportunity potentially for TBT if the virus does slow down and if they are able to have the tournament in late July, early August. So a really cool opportunity. I know those teams are really working hard on getting those teams put together. I know Matt almost has the Iowa United completely, that roster completely solidified barring any injuries or last minute dropouts. So pretty interesting stuff there on how that could potentially impact TBT with the lack of sports going on. That could really help the popularity of that tournament. And if you haven't had an

opportunity to watch it, I highly recommend you doing it. It's a great opportunity to see former Iowa Hawkeyes, former Drake Bulldogs, former Cyclones, former Panthers all come together and play for the same cause. And that's to represent the great state of Iowa. So enough about the Olympics though. Coming up on segment number two,

we're going to talk about the Iowa football season and how that could also be impacted, even if we do decide to have college football in the fall as expected. And also what are some of the options that it sounds like folks are weighing if college football is not able to happen right away. So that'll be coming up on segment number two. So as we talked about coming up before segment number two of the show on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast, the Olympics have been postponed. There's a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not football is even going to

happen or whether or not we're going to have sports this summer. And I think that impacts stuff like MLB. It impacts the NFL. It impacts a lot of different sports. And with the NCAA, football is the big moneymaker. So they need to figure out how are they going to be able to handle this. They can't just up and cancel the football season. So it sounds like they've been weighing a couple different ideas, whether that is shortening the season,

having just a nine-game conference schedule and kind of getting rid of the non-conference schedule, which would mean we wouldn't be facing off against our in-state rival, Iowa State. So another year for Iowa State fans to pretend like they are good despite not having beat Iowa in quite some time. They're also weighing the fact of playing half their games in the fall and half their games in the spring and finishing up next summer, which I think if that were the case, that definitely impacts draft preparation. That could impact Iowa season

in general. If we, you know, if a couple of guys do declare early for the NFL draft or decide to start training for the NFL draft, like an Aleric Jackson, right? I mean, he's a guy who is definitely going to be part of that draft conversation next year. Brandon Smith, Amir Smith-Marset, they're both, you know, they're both seniors as well. They could be guys who need to prepare for the NFL draft. So who knows what's going to happen if we decide to move the season and kind of split it up between the fall and the spring. And it'll be interesting to see if that does happen, how the NFL handles their draft as well. And if they decide to move back the NFL draft to allow college football to do that, there's a lot of impacts that happen outside of just moving the

season apart. That being said, let's say that the football season does actually begin when it's supposed to begin and we are able to play a full schedule. I think it actually impacts Iowa quite a bit because they're trying to break in Spencer Petras, who is going to be likely the new starting quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they are not able to have spring camp like they have had in the past. That is really a great opportunity to see the growth of some of the younger guys and get some of the newer guys who are going to be in a position to play a lot. They're going to be getting a lot of opportunities there

and a lot of playing time and experience with the first-team offense and defense. After having Nate Stanley for three seasons as a starter, there's a lot of uncertainty. I know we're all – I mean, I'm pretty excited to see Spencer play quarterback. I think he's going to be an absolute stud. He came in as a big-time recruit, played at Jared Goff's former high school, and I believe set a few records over Jared Goff's former record. So definitely has the talent.

But you always need as much time as you possibly can get to work with a new receiving group. I'm sure he has some experience with Brandon Smith and Amir Smith-Marset and those guys, but does he have as much experience as obviously a Nate Stanley does? Absolutely not. So building that up as much as possible is huge. And he didn't get an opportunity to do that in spring. He might not have an opportunity to do that in the summer, or it might be shortened. Think back to, you know, early 2010s, I believe it was 2011 when they had the NFL strike and undrafted free agents and, you know, NFL draft, you know, NFL draft prospects, first, second, third rounders, all those guys, they didn't get an opportunity to get as much time and experience in the NFL system before having to play.

So some of those guys were severely, some of their progressions were severely hindered because they weren't able to learn the offense because they didn't have an opportunity to do that. So that's really how this impacts the Iowa football team, breaking in quite a few new guys, right? the Iowa football team breaking in quite a few new guys, right? In the secondary, breaking in a new starting corner, although Riley Moss, Julius Brents, those guys, they have experience, but still breaking in a few new starters along the defensive line, breaking in three new starters, although Davian Nixon is a guy who basically played starter type of minutes, but this could have profound impact on the Iowa Hawkeyes,

whereas a team that has more experience returning is going to be in a better position. They're almost at a competitive advantage because they've had that experience together. While none of these guys can truly train together, at least having that experience and understanding kind of what to expect is definitely a competitive advantage. That, to me, is a big impact on the Iowa Hawkeye football season.

And if this continues on, you know, we may not see Iowa football for a little bit longer. And I think at that point Iowa fans would probably lose their freaking mind. I'm going to lose my mind if I don't get to see Iowa football this fall. Sports is something that I live for. And obviously not being able to see the March Madness tournament was huge. Again, like I said, just not being able to see football would be devastating. But when you have something like this, you have to take it very seriously.

So I get it. It just would be very, very frustrating to see. That'll do it, though, for segment number two. Coming up on our third and final segment, want to break down a few things about the NBA draft and what is happening with that and where a few Iowa guys stick in the latest big board from the athletics Sam Vassin. We are back for our third and final segment of the show today on the Lockdown Hawkeyes

podcast. Again, bringing you episodes every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and bringing you that Bikari Evelyn episode later or early next week. Excuse me. Before we left, though, I did tease you a little bit with the fact that there is a recent big board that came out from the athletic Sam Vassini. I know I don't do as well with names, but one of those has to be right. And on that big board, he had Joe Wieskamp listed at 64th, and Luka Garza listed at 90th.

And that is important. I think a lot of us are waiting to see if Luka Garza does decide to come back, if Joe Wieskamp does decide to come back. If they do, the Iowa basketball team could be a top five team coming into the preseason rankings. That's how good this team could be next year if team coming into the preseason rankings. That's how good this team could be next year if they are able to return those guys. But the fact that they are showing up on boards does give it a little bit more clout that they could be gone. I think 64th especially, there's a little bit more wiggle room to rise there.

For me personally, especially just watching the NBA, there. For me personally, especially just watching the NBA, the guys who go in the second round don't have nearly as much of a shot as the guys in the first round. Those are guys usually typically draft and stash type guys. We've seen Aaron White get drafted by the Wizards and he's been overseas for his entire career. Jared Uthoff, on the other hand, decided that he did not want to be a draft and stash. He wanted to pick his own spot and chose to go undrafted essentially and has been battling to get opportunity and to get minutes in the NBA. Does Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza want to do that? They still have eligibility left. Joe Wieskamp has two more years. Luka Garza has one more year. You know, why grind at that time if you still have an opportunity to

continue to grow as a player and potentially improve your draft stock, especially Joe Wieskamp? I think Luka Garza has done a ton for his draft stock already. The fact that he is on the big board I think is a huge accomplishment given where he was as a sophomore, made huge leaps due to his incredible work ethic, and had a fantastic season this year. I think that really put him on the map. What is kind of hurting him is the athletic limitations. People don't see a very high ceiling with Luka Garza. They don't feel like despite his post moves and what he can do on the court

against some of the top centers in the Big Ten and top front courts in the Big Ten, people still don't feel like he could be a true NBA player. So that is less about what his talent is and more about just there's some limitations to his game. And I think it's tougher to improve on those limitations, whereas Joe Wieskamp clearly has a very high ceiling. And what people need to realize with him is although he struggled a bit this season, especially towards the end shooting the ball, he has a great stroke. He's a fantastic three-point

shooter and he plays very solid defense as well. So teams are going to really like that. And a guy like Joe Wieskamp, you can get a guy like that in the second round. You could bring him off the bench, the 10th guy, and he can make two or three threes and help your second string unit out. Those guys are very valuable in the NBA. And we've seen Joe Weiss can't be able to shoot without having to create his shot. He can come off the screens and pop and shoot and do pretty well there. So he's kind of the bigger concern for me. I do think ultimately that they both return. I think that's the wise decision for both of them is to return. Again, like Luka Garza, I think he has an opportunity to put together one of the best careers in Iowa Hawkeye history. He can build off one of the most impressive seasons we've ever seen

and help carry this Iowa Hawkeye team to a Final Four even. There is some, you know, fantastic things that this team could accomplish if Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza both return. And the fact that they were not able to do that this season I think actually helps the case for them to both return. I think the big thing again, I think they're both going to test the waters. I think they're both going to declare for the NBA draft. Now that being said, in past years, kids would declare for the NBA, or young adults, excuse me, would declare for the NBA draft simply to get some evaluation, just to get some feedback from scouts

and NBA draft talent evaluators to see what do they need to improve on their game to be able to be an NBA draft prospect. Joe Wieskamp did that last year and ultimately returned. But how does COVID-19 affect that? Are they able to get as much feedback as they want? Is the draft even held the same time the draft has been held? There's a lot of question marks kind of surrounding this. And I think all of that actually plays again back into Iowa's favor that Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza both

are going to return this upcoming season. As we get more information with that, though, we'll obviously break that down and cover that and talk about what it means and what the implications are for Iowa. But at this point, even though they're on the big board, even though they're clearly on the radar for the NBA, I think the right decision for them is probably to return, especially if they want to beat NBA players, want to improve on that draft stock. The best decision from a team perspective is definitely to return. They only improved the chances of the Iowa Hawkeyes going far in the NCAA tournament next year. And as a fan, I would love to see them return. They only improved the chances of the Iowa Hawkeyes going far in the NCAA tournament next year. And as a fan, I would love to see them return. That being said, if they do decide to go into the draft, if they do decide to declare a la Tyler Cook, I'll wish nothing but the best

for them and have loved watching them play Iowa Hawkeye basketball. So though, that'll do it for segment number three and ultimately our show for today. Lots of great stuff coming up on the network. We're going to be doing some themes over the course of the next couple months. Without the sports, kind of break down a few other things that we think will be a lot of fun, such as some of the best seasons in Iowa Hawkeye history. That'll be coming up next week, followed by some other great content pieces that I think you're really going to enjoy right here on the show. So if you liked what you heard today, make sure to like, review, and subscribe. Make sure to be checking for the

show dropping on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And like I said, we have that Bakari Evelyn episode coming up, and we've been in contact with a few other former Iowa Hawkeye athletes to try to get them on the show as well. As always, I appreciate you listening. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And if you do like some of. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And if you do like some of our NFL draft talk that we've been talking about, obviously, that's really the only thing going on in the sports world right now. So lots of NFL draft talk coming up. But if you do like the NFL draft talk and you want to hear more about Tristan Wirfs and AJ Epineza and Michael Ojemudia and Nate Stanley. Make sure to follow our sister podcast, The Draft Dudes Podcast, hosted by Joe Marino and Kyle Krabs.

They are dropping episodes, I believe, every single day, so they can give you some of your draft fix if you're not able to get it all from the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thank you again for tuning in, Hawkeye Nation. Stay safe out there, and go Hawks.