Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Basketball Game postponed vs. Northwestern, Remembering Chris Street

Episode Date: January 18, 2023

Iowa basketball was supposed to play Northwestern on Wednesday night. That game has been postponed because of Covid inside of the Wildcats program.Trent Condon returns to talk about why that sucks for Hawkeye hoops and that the honoring of Chris Street will not happen in the same way.Then Trent talks about the memories he has of the passing of Chris Street.A little football talk to finish up as the transfer portal is coming to a close.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Iowa's basketball game against Northwestern has been postponed. Because of COVID? What is going on here? You are locked on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome into the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. I'm Trent Condon, and thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. Whenever you get podcasts, and you can also watch us on YouTube,

hit that subscribe button. It helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. As we sit here a day before the honoring on the 30th anniversary of the tragic passing of Chris Street, we're waiting for a basketball game, a much-anticipated game against Northwestern, not because of the opponent, not because it's another Big Ten game. No, it was about everything that surrounded it. And the story comes out today, earlier this morning, that I will not be playing their matchup against Northwestern on Wednesday evening.

Instead, they look for maybe a new spot for that one. We'll get into that here today on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. And to break things down, we're also going to talk a little football today. Though the transfer window is coming to a close, how would we look at that transfer window? How Iowa did, and is it completely done? Still some wide receivers, still some hope out there about what potentially could happen with this Iowa squad. We'll talk about that and a whole lot more.

But obviously the big story of today is the postponement of the Iowa-Northwestern game. So we're going to talk about that. Looking forward to tomorrow's podcast. Former Hawkeye Wade Lookingville is going to stop by. He, of course, took over in the starting lineup after the passing of Chris Street, teammate of his, and a lot to say about that. I've had Wade on my radio shows now for years and a great perspective,

and I really want to pass that along to not just people like me that obviously grew up idolizing Chris Street as a basketball player and an Iowa kid playing, but for maybe some of the younger people out there and filling in some of those gaps that maybe you've got. And though we won't get the basketball game tomorrow night, we will fortunately get what sounds to be just an incredible documentary about Chris Street and his life that the Big Ten Network has been putting together,

dating back to last summer. They started working on this piece. And from everybody that I have talked to that has already seen the piece, nothing but incredibly great things to say about it. So we will break that down here today and talk about kind of everything going on in the world of the Hawkeyes. Let's start at the top with the news of Northwestern not going to be able to answer the bell. They would have had six players available. The Big Ten protocols that were put in place back in 2020 said you have to have at least 70. You also have to have a coaching staff member that is able to be there on the bench.

Now, going back to two years ago, this made complete sense, right? We were working with an absolute foreign virus that we didn't know a whole lot about. Many of the things that we thought we knew even at that time as college basketball was being played, football finally came back. Things have changed. There's no doubt about it. But at that time, he had to put a lot of things in place. He had to do a lot of different things.

He had to change things around. He understood it, and he lived with it, I think, for the most part. Yes, I understand there's different people with different ideas. We're not here to be political. That's not my strength. That's not what I'm here to do. I'm here to talk Hawkeyes with you. But let's just leave the politics out of this and just look at this

from a normal point of view. Not one side, not the other, just straight down the middle. You got it. You had to understand that it was not a regular time in the world and things had to change and evolve and be different. Here we are two years later. There were still protocols in place last season. Really, very few things were impacted a year ago by COVID. And yet here we are now two years later when it feels like we have a pretty good handle on things overall. Yes, there are still people that contracted. I get all that. Again, leave that alone. Leave that aside. That's not what we're here to talk about. But again, just from an outsider perspective, from a guy with a microphone, and that's about it. There's no medical background here, anything like that.

I thought we were past this. I really did. Now, if something came back, if we saw something completely different, yeah, you get new illness. Northwestern can't answer the bell. And now it's going to lead to Iowa having to change on their schedule. Iowa's going to have to adapt. They're going to have to change. Frustrating avenues. First of all, I was playing well, right?

And Northwestern, though they lost their last two games, they're still playing good basketball themselves. Look, they let the one get away last week against Rutgers. They went nip and tuck at Michigan over the weekend. They played really well and had some pretty substantial leads in that game. It's not like Northwestern's limping in with two losses. They played well in both those games. They just happened to come up in the short end.

That's going to happen in Big Ten play. Northwestern's playing some pretty good basketball. But how quickly this kind of all came together, it's such an odd situation. Like I said, I didn't think we were going to be here. I thought we were over this, but now I was going to be impacted. And where my mind first went was back when the beams fell at assembly hall at India, I was getting ready to head over there. They were playing really good basketball at the time. They adjusted the schedule. They had to change a bunch of things.

And Iowa, they played poorly down the stretch. Now, there are other reasons, just a random bean fall. But they had to play a part, right? And I don't care if it's 2% or 20% or 50% of the reason that Iowa struggled down the stretch. They struggled down the stretch. And you can point to something and a reason that it happened. And that's where we are here. First of all, you're going to rip off your fifth straight win.

There's not a doubt in my mind that Iowa was going to win that game against Northwestern tomorrow night. Not a doubt in my mind. Yes, upset's happening. I get it. But with everything going on with the program, with all the extras, with Chris Street, with Mike and Patty as parents being there, just on and on and on, It is incredibly difficult to imagine a situation against an okay Western team

where Iowa was going to lose that game the way that they had been playing. I just couldn't see it. So now that's not going to happen. So now what do you have next? Well, you go to a pissed-off Ohio State team who has played terrible basketball here over the last couple of weeks, including losing a home to Minnesota, something completely inexplicable for any team that considers themselves an NCAA tournament team.

They still haven't been able. So you're going to take on that squad that might get right against Nebraska. We'll see about that. But regardless, that's what you have next. And then that gets going to the ISM, and we know how well that's gone throughout the years, right? That is what is on the docket next. So it hurts Iowa in that aspect.

It hurts them as it pertains to what it was going to be. Five straight wins, maybe a little bit more momentum going in. Now you have a whole set of questions about it. Ultimately, it's not Northwestern's fault. Nobody wants to get sick. Nobody wants to get COVID. Nobody wants to get the flu. Nobody wants to have anything. It happens. Old Big Ten stature

said this is going to be a forfeit. And they amended those rules and they have changed it. Here we are today and they're figuring it out. I did see that somebody from Wisconsin, it might have been Jeff Petroikas who writes up there, I believe for the Madison newspaper, regardless, said something that Wisconsin wasn't even sure if they're going to play their game over the weekend against Northwestern. So we wait and see. It stinks for us as Hawkeyes. It also stinks because, oh, it should have been a great night

just not at Iowa basketball and getting maybe another step closer to an NCAA tournament bid. But also, Chris Street. We're going to talk about Chris Street when we come back. I, at the time, young kid in middle school, incredibly impactful that moment, that time. I think we all remember that. And another opportunity to tell his story 30 years later,

and that's not going to happen, at least at the same level, unfortunately. We'll talk about Chris Street, what kind of player he was, what kind of person he was when we come back here. It's the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. We're back with more here in a moment. Today's episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast is brought to you by friends at Built Bar. Looking for a delicious treat but don't want all the fat and calories?

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Looking for five-star reviews. Help us out there. And if you're watching on the podcast side of things, also hit us over there. Just hit that subscribe button. Let you know when we got an episode coming out to you. We got a premiere. We got a live episode coming in. Whatever it may be, it lets you know.

And more importantly, helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. As we roll through here, Iowa, we wait now for their next game. Coming up on Saturday at Ohio State, we'll see about the Buckeyes and we'll break that thing down a little bit later in the week. But I want to talk about Chris Street. And as mentioned, coming up tomorrow, former Hawkeye and teammate of Chris Street, Wade Lookingbill, is going to stop by. I'm looking forward to that conversation. And just remembering Chris, not as I remembered him, as a guy inside my television set, but as a person, as a teammate, and so many of the good things that have been

said about him. And in a way, I'm very excited to watch the documentary. I know it's going to be emotional. Everybody that has talked about it has said exactly that. This is going to be an emotional time. Be ready. Grab the tissues. That's going to be a piece of this also. And I know it will be for me.

So I remember that moment. And for some people, maybe it's your parents talking about JFK. There are other moments that people and generations remember. And for generations of Iowans, this is a moment that they will never forget. So I was watching TV that night, the night of his passing, and saw a report. And it was just one of those 10-second blurbs that they play or maybe played back in the day i don't know if they still do it but then they cut away to the anchor so i'm from north iowa i'm from osage and our local affiliate up there that covered iowa basketball back in the day

was kimt the basin station and it was the anchor saying just a little 10 seconds, an Iowa basketball player dies in a car accident. First of all, floored. Now again, we're talking about 1993. There's no internet, or certainly no internet in Osage. There's no way to find out right away what is going on. There's no AP wire that I can jump aboard. There's nothing like that. So I sit there what felt like hours, and I believe it was about a half hour, just waiting for the 10 o'clock news. And again, 12 years old, staying up because I guess, well, single family, I guess I was allowed to do that. So I'm staying up and just waiting. And my first thought was, anybody but Chris Street. just waiting. And my first thought was, anybody but Chris Street. And that's not a knock on anybody else, but Chris Street was so special. He was one of us. He was in Iowa. He was a kid that

busted his butt every single time out there on the hardwood. He was the guy that we all hoped to be. Now, I wasn't going to grow up to be six foot eight. It's a struggle to get to five foot eight. Look, that wasn't going to happen. I was never going to be an Iowa basketball player, but he was the guy to emulate. He was the guy that you wanted to be because of the way that he played, the tenacity that he brought. He didn't back down. He brought everything that you wanted out of an Iowa basketball player. That was Chris Street. And it wasn't about anybody else. It was about just not him. It's a terrible thing to think. I was 12. Thought a lot of terrible things.

And when it happened and the announcement came through, the breakdown, the questioning how could this happen? The bewilderment of somebody, yeah, eight years older than me, but still a God. For a 12-year-old boy, that's what he was. For a Hawkeye fan, I've told you guys before, if you've been watching me for a while here on the podcast,

or if you've heard me on radio for the last 19 years, Iowa basketball is what made me a sport fan. There wouldn't be Triconda talking sports without Iowa basketball. There's not a doubt in my mind. Yeah, I like football. Yeah, I like baseball. I got to see the Twins when I was 7-11 win world championships and got to watch the Hawkeyes do a lot of great things on the football field.

But for me, what grabbed me more than anything was Iowa Hoops. And knowing back in the 80s, on Thursday nights and Saturdays, I'd be able to watch the Hawkeyes. And it was the only sport during the week that I could watch. And those moments with Chris Street, and those moments with B.J. Armstrong, and Roy Marble, and Kevin Gamble, Brad Lohaus and on and on and on. Those guys were the stars to me. It wasn't about Michael Jordan.

It wasn't about Walter Baton. Yeah, I love those guys. It wasn't Kirby Puckett. No, because those guys, that was a different level. This is Iowa. This is our state. This is what we get to support time in and time out. And we get to support a person that you truly believe in, in Chris Street.

And just like that, it was gone. Watching SportsCenter that week and hearing the national love that was bestowed upon him and hearing what kind of prospect NBA people thought of him and what he could be at the next level and the way that his game would continue to evolve and take a guy at 6'8 with the quick feet that he had, the ability as a rebounder, a guy that could step out and hit a shot, and the continued development of that part of his game, all these things.

And he was going to be, yeah, it was great to watch B.J. Armstrong win a world championship with the Bulls and be part of those great teams. That was great. It's for Detroit, not Indianola, Iowa. And then just like that, it was gone. The Michigan State game, after they came back, that was one. So we didn't have cable.

And again, that was my reason that at the time I was able to watch Iowa basketball. That was it because that was all that was on. Had at the time I was able to watch Iowa basketball. That was it because that was all that was on. Had three channels, three, six, and ten. That's it. And the Austin, Minnesota, the Rochester, Minnesota stations didn't have a lot of Hawkeye talk. But I knew I'd be able to watch the Hawkeyes. That would be the game throughout the course of the week. That would be the time. But because the Michigan State game was on ESPN 2, it wasn't on regular. It wasn't on channel 3. I had to go to grandma's and watch it. It was late, and it's time to go. And he got school the next day, and this isn't going to happen.

And they came back. And that comeback, and Val Barnes hitting shots, and A.C. Earl doing just a little bit of everything. And having 40 cut into his head with the hairstyle. And just for a moment, seeing some kind of relief come out of those guys. And those, of course, followed it up the first game back in Carver. Super Bowl Sunday on CBS. Jim Nance on the call. And the Fab Five come to town.

And Iowa, the Wilder early on in that game, Iowa looked like, oh boy, this is going to be an onslaught. They kept fighting. And Kenny Murray hit the shot early on. And everybody does a little bit of something, and they find a way to beat the Fab Five and do it in front of Mike and Patty at that moment. If you don't know the story or don't know it well, I urge you, if you're a Hawkeye fan, if you're an Iowan, if you're a fan of sport,

if you're human, and this is a humanity story too, from everything that I've been told, you have to watch tomorrow night. Yeah, we won't get a game, but in a way, we realize just how secondary that is. There's a wonderful person that lost her life. There was a guy that was beloved, that wasn't able to put on the black and gold anymore. And in that moment, and the moment as you're watching that, yeah, we can be ticked off.

And I was with the postponement. Big picture, though, there's a lot more going on. Going to wrap things up here on Locked On Hawkeyes. When we do, there is a little bit of football news out there. Also, trying to figure out, when are they going to make up this postponed game? Again, it pales in comparison to what we're ultimately talking about on these next couple of days with Chris Street. But let's try to find a way to get this game in there,

make sure Iowa gets to 20, and get another victory, right? We're going to beat the Wildcats. We got to. We'll do that next time on Locked on Hawkeyes. Try counting back with you. One final tip on the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked on Hawkeyes your first link each and every day. Available wherever you get podcasts.

Hit us up with a five-star review. And if you are on YouTube, help me out. Hit that subscribe button. That's what we're looking for. Make sure you also check out our brand-new podcast. It's Locked On College Basketball. Everything you need to know about college basketball in one place. Plus here from big-name experts, insiders, coaches, and players.

It's Locked On College Basketball available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts. So as we run through here and we look at what the schedule potentially could be for Iowa the rest of the way. So you're looking here, the schedule overall is pretty tight. I mean, it's not ridiculous. here, the schedule overall is pretty tight. I mean, it's not ridiculous. We're not talking about Iowa having to go out there and play three games in four days or anything wild like that, or even the same thing for Northwestern. That's not what it is at this point in time. So that is the good news. So I found a couple potential dates. First of all, January 31st works very well. Iowa, in fact, would not have to really go on the road during that stretch,

so that one works out pretty well. Tuesday, February 7th, another possibility, and then towards the end of the season on Friday, March 3rd. That would stay away from two games in three days for the most part, keep the schedule basically the same for Northwestern, but as I mentioned a little earlier, we really can't lock this in because we're not sure if the Wildcats are even going to play their game over the weekend against Wisconsin. Because of that, we're still in a holding pattern. As more news becomes available, we'll certainly pass that along. But those are some potential dates that could work if we get to that point.

Now, over to some football. As we sit here on the 17th of January and still waiting, is there going to be any news? Are we going to find out anything, any changes in the Iowa football coaching staff? Not right now. Be patient. And I hear this, and it's funny. I hear this from people, guys on the beach, Chad Leistakow, Tom Aker, David Eichold,

all kinds of different people in that realm. You hear it from them. Just be patient. Well, you know, Dabo Sweeney goes out for Clemson, and I understand Clemson's a different level than Iowa. They won national championships. They made the college football playoff a multitude of times. They operated a different space than Iowa's.

Not that Iowa's is bad. Clemson's just different. Dabo goes out, a guy that's very old school, very difficult for him to adapt and change, like Kirk Ferentz. And he made a move, and it was absolutely lauded across the country. Not only going away from one of his guys, a guy that played for him as offensive coordinator, but then also bringing in a very well-respected, but a guy that does it a different way, offensive coordinator, going out and getting Lincoln Riley's brother from TCU. So you have that component,

and yet we're just supposed to sit here and twiddle our thumbs. Here's the frustrating avenue for me, just as a fan, just as somebody like you that just wants to watch the game, be entertained, and have fun, and cheer on the Hawkeyes, and do those things. Why do we have to wait? Why do we have to be so patient? Why do we, more than anybody else, why do we have to have our own set? You see what Wisconsin's doing. Yes, they brought a new coach, I get it. You see Clemson. They're out doing things. You see teams across the country. They're all working at a quick pace.

And here we are, just glacial, slow moving and waiting for what? New England to make a decision? To decide if they're going to bring Bill O'Brien back and with it, he's going to bring Brian Ferencz with him? That's what we have to wait for? We're talking in circles at this point. I with it. He's going to bring Brian Ferencz with him. That's what we have to wait for. We're talking in circles at this point. I get it. Around and around and around we go. But that's reality. And I guess that is our reality, right? We just have to wait a little bit longer. Well, we will have to wait no more for the transfer portal as it will be coming to

a close with it. And the closing of the transfer portal as it will be coming to a close with it. And the closing of the transfer portal, that means that players cannot enter into the transfer portal. Now, that does not mean that players cannot sign, cannot start school at a new program. Now, classes have begun at the University of Iowa. Basically, you still may have two weeks tops to still enroll and be able to catch up in your classes and be okay, at least from the registrar's office perspective. But remember, still have spring football after that. More guys are going to enter the portal.

There'll be another open window after that. You still got the spring and into the summer where guys still can move around a little bit. So that's still going to be a component. It's not over. The window's not dead. We're going to break things down a little bit deeper, go inside what Iowa did here during the portal time, and if there's any other names out there.

There was a wide receiver. Ford was his last name from USC. He entered the portal. A couple of Iowa coaches followed him. Cade McNamara followed him. Of course, Hawkeye Twitter, Hawkeye Message Wars. They get excited about that. Here we go.

Well, he commits to UCLA. We talked about the kid from Washington State. Allie, I believe, was his name. He's committed to Cincinnati and just on and on. It is an uphill battle for Iowa to recruit any kind of receivers. Be happy right now that we have Seth Anderson. At least we got somebody out of the portal and a pretty good freshman campaign that he was able to put together.

But that can't be it. Iowa's going to continue to shop. It's not going to be done. Reading a lot with Brad Heidrichs of the Iowa Swarm was talked about. This thing isn't done. They're still going to be working, looking to improve that roster, still looking for offensive line help if it's going to be out there. Is there a linebacker that makes sense, a cornerback to add some depth there?

These are all pieces in course wide receiver, the biggest of those pieces that are talked about. It's going to be better because it can't be worse. That's what we have to tell ourselves. We await the decision of Kirk Ferentz, what he's going to do. Is his hand going to be forced? Is Ryan going to take another job? Will he be offered another job?

All the questions that we have as the Hawkeye world turns. Tomorrow, looking forward to it. Wade Lookingbill will be joining us. He took over in the starting lineup for Chris Street after his passing. We will remember Chris and talk about just some memories of him

as a basketball player, as a person that's coming away in your podcast feed tomorrow here on Locked On Hawkeyes. Thanks again for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. For your second listen, check out our brand-new podcast, Locked On College Basketball. Our experts, Isaac Schottie and Andy Patton, bring you everything you need to know on and off the court.

Hear from the big-name experts, coaches, and players throughout the college basketball landscape. Locked On College Basketball, available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts. We'll talk to you tomorrow. We will do it without a preview of Iowa Northwestern, but a lot of other things to talk about here in the world of Hawkeyes, and we'll do it then. Thanks for watching. Hang out with us here today on Locked on Hawkeyes. Go Hawks!