Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Hawkeyes' Struggles: Is It Time for a Coaching Change?
Episode Date: January 22, 2025Can the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team recover from their recent setbacks? After a disappointing 72-67 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the future of the Iowa Hawkeyes under coach Fran McCaf...fery is under scrutiny. This episode critically examines McCaffery's leadership, questioning his current approach and exploring potential coaching changes. Key figures like Darren Devries, Steve Forbes, and Chris Jans are discussed as possible successors. The episode also previews the Iowa women's basketball team's upcoming clash against Washington, highlighting players like Lucy Olson and Hannah Stalke.Join us for an engaging discussion on the Iowa Hawkeyes' challenges and potential paths forward. Listen now for unique insights and expert analysis!Follow Trent Condon on X: https://twitter.com/trentcondonLISTEN TO THE PODCAST: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-hawkeyes-daily-podcast-on-iowa-hawkeyes-football/id1441592240SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0GTyz5ygevcGXdTF6QSoEoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnHawkeyesSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizepicksNow’s the perfect time to join.Download the app today and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE to get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup! That’s right—no need to win to get the bonus, it’s guaranteed. PrizePicks—Run Your Game!TALKSPACETherapy is a game-changer. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE and enter promo code SPACE80 to get $80 off your first month and show your support for the show.Rocket MoneyCancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney.com/lockedon today.Turbo TaxReady for stress-free taxes and the most money back, guaranteed? Head over to TurboTax.com today and get matched with your Expert. Only available with TurboTax Live Full Service. Real-time updates only in the iOS mobile app. See guarantee details at TurboTax.com/guarantees.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelFrom the first whistle to the final drive, FanDuel makes the NFL Playoffs even more exciting! Right now, new customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get THREE HUNDRED BUCKS in BONUS BETS – if you win your first bet! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. Make this playoff season unforgettable with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
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Another day another dreadful Iowa basketball loss this one may be one of the worst of the frame of cat free era
We break it down locked on Hawkeyes
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Well, that was dreadful.
Another Iowa basketball loss, three consecutive losses by the Hawkeyes. This one back at home and
following to what was the worst team in the Big Ten? The Minnesota Golden Gophers. Iowa fall 72-67 seven in a pitiful effort, a pitiful game, and maybe the most intriguing part is the
crazy, crazy injury to the cheerleader that was sustained with a couple minutes left in
the game. But we're here to talk about basketball, and we're here to talk about this program,
and we're going to get into the big picture of it. But boy, I was completely surprised. I really was as down as I have been over the last three, four weeks of
this Iowa basketball team and this program as a whole and
frame McCaffrey and just the the way that he looks completely
checked out. We'll get into that more a little bit later on. Also
later on the show we'll get ready for another team in the
midst of a losing streak. The Iowa women will talk about their
matchup coming up this evening against Washington and what for them very well could be a must
win. And this was a must win for Iowa. What is still in front of them in the back half
of the schedule, the likelihood that this team is going to put themselves in consideration
to be even a bubble team going into the Big Ten tournament seemed like a stretch if you're
going to lose a game like this. Yes, Minnesota won their last time out against Michigan. They did that at home.
This is a team that was 1-6 in conference play. This is a team that was ranked 100 at
Kemp-Homeroy. This was and is a bad basketball team. And any hope of being an NCAA tournament
team, you can't lose games like this.
Not when you just went on the road
and got absolutely obliterated by an average USC team
and an above average UCLA team.
Not when you gave up 100 plus points against Wisconsin.
Not when you did nothing in a non-conference
to put together a resume that would say that you
are an NCAA tournament team. and what still awaits this team
You can't do it and after the slow starts against USC and UCLA after letting UCLA UCLA the last time out
Start nine of nine from the floor for you to come out uninspired again
That's embarrassing
As we've talked about Freeman Caffrey's checked out
That's embarrassing. As we've talked about, Frey McCaffrey's checked out.
His demeanor is so unlike the guy that Iowa hired 16 years ago, unlike the guy that fought
and clawed and was there supporting his team.
He'll go out there and defend his guys.
Come hell or high water, that's what you're going to get out of Frey McCaffrey.
That Frey McCaffrey is gone.
Where did he go? water, that's what you're going to get out of Fram McAfee. That Fram McAfee is gone.
Where did he go?
I don't know.
But he is no longer present in the Iowa basketball program.
Is it quiet quitting?
It certainly appears that way from the outside looking in.
It does.
This guy has checked out.
And then after the game, he's complaining about the officials.
He's, oh, if I need to get a GoFundMe account, if I'd say what I really thought, you paid
millions of dollars. You got something to say. If you really
think you're getting a bad whistle, and you think it's that
egregious, come on and say it. Stop hiding behind. I might get
a fine. Come on. It's loser talk. Officiating in general,
complaining about officiating. And I think anybody that's
listened to me for the last two decades on radio, anybody
that's listened to me now for the last three years here at
Lockdown Hawkeyes, no, I despise the especially in
basketball, complaining about referees. It is, I believe, the
lowest form of just sports talk. You're going to get bad
whistles and there are bad things that happen all the time and a basketball is the most egregious
You can call foul every time down the floor
Just like you can call holding in football every single time now did I freak out a little bit after the Minnesota football game a year ago?
Yeah, I did
however
in basketball in a game like that in
A game where you allow Minnesota to score 1.1 points per possession and
Just a putrid Minnesota offensive team when you allow them to dictate tempo
What do you can't shoot your way out of a wet paper bag when you have all these things?
And then he come in there and you start complaining about officials
It's loser talk and that's what this team is right now losers the three in a row
And that's what this team is right now. Losers are three in a row, losing record in the Big Ten, and a long, long road now to build, if they're going to be anything close to even a bubble team.
And it wasn't just Ramacafri. It's trickling to the players. Peyton Sanford says that he was fouled four or five times. Peyton, you're a senior. You should know that's going to happen. That's Big Ten basketball.
There is physicality that comes along with it.
And if you want to play at the next level, guess what?
There's going to be physicality there.
There are going to be times that you're going to be fouled.
And it's not called.
Just for that to be the takeaway
in the post postgame press conference was terribly disturbing,
I thought, from this Iowa team.
Owen Freeman, distraught after the game, his demeanor very low, very dejected, as you think.
And this is the thing that's baffling for me.
So we know the fan base has been checked out for years now.
The fan base, and I tried to fight it for years and
tried to explain why, you know, the fans shouldn't be checked
out but they were. And there was no coming back. The Sweet
16 wasn't going to solve it. A Big Ten tournament championship
didn't solve it. There was so much more than just Ws and Ls.
It's the same things, watching the lack of rebounding, the hideous defense.
Late in the first half, you first you get a two for one.
Great work, right? You get a two for one, you get the bucket, you
cut it to two, you're going to get another possession out. Now
you give an offensive rebound. Wah wahwah. Here's Iowa basketball for you.
But then not only that, you have a foul to give.
Under 15 seconds left.
Does anybody on the sidelines say anything?
We know Fran doesn't.
He's got his hands in his pockets.
He's checked out.
But the other guys are still collecting checks.
Now what Shurm Diller's done for the last decade plus, I have no idea.
Where's Matt Gaetans? He played for the program. Can somebody stand up and holler? You have a foul to give as they're driving to the rim and getting a layup?
Nothing? No? I guess not. So now we know the fan base is checked out.
Fray McCaffrey is checked out. Maybe his assistants are also checked out.
At least they were in that possession.
But here's the scary thing.
Looks like these players are checked out.
They said all the right things outside
of complaining about officials in the post-game press
conference.
Fram said, we'll learn from this.
OK.
Peyton Sanford said that they're going to get there and he go through slumps and
you're going to pull yourself out of it. That's the right thing to say. Does anybody believe
that? Does anybody believe because I saw a group that comes back from the West Coast
that was absolutely embarrassed and they didn't have the fortitude to step up and say,
no, we're not losing to Minnesota, the worst
team in the Big Ten at home.
We're not going to allow that to happen
until the final couple of minutes of the game.
Finally, after 36 plus minutes, finally, there
was a little bit of something there.
Where's the passion?
That's hard when there's only 3,000 people in the stands.
It's hard when your coach is checked out.
But as a competitor, as a Big Ten athlete,
boy, that was tough to watch.
Let's go big picture here.
Talk what is happening going forward with this program.
Beth Getz, it's time to get out that notebook. Let's go big picture here. Talk what is happening going forward with this program. Beth gets...
It's time to get out that notebook. It is time to figure out some names that Iowa needs to start
looking at and starts need identifying. Dice Iowa program misses the NCAA tournament for the second
consecutive year. It is time for a change. We'll talk about why and some of the names that need
to be on the list when we come back this is locked on Hawkeyes.
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Locked on Hawkeyes.
Rapid reaction after Iowa falls at the hands of Minnesota.
72-67.
Third consecutive loss for the Iowa basketball team. So when we talk about the future frame of Capri. We talk about the buyout number approximately
$4 million is what I would know if they fire him after the
season. That's helpful. Money is there as we talked about with
Scott Dockerman yesterday. It shouldn't be an issue. Yes, it's
a changing way that we go about a college athletics and with
what's going to
happen starting in August, most likely with the $20 million given back to the players.
Well, we don't want to be $20 million, how that'll be divvied up.
They still got to figure that part of it out.
That aside, it's changing.
But also remember, Iowa hasn't had to fire a high-level coach.
It's a Todd Licklider, 16 years ago.
Iowa hasn't had to fire a football coach since the 1970s. It's been a little while.
Now, in the college athletics, this is not like the pros where
you can just stack up money, stack up money, and then maybe
look to go out there and have a shopping spree, if you will.
That's not the way that it works and inside the public
institution, you gotta spend the money as
it's coming in. However there is an opportunity here for Iowa to go out and make a move.
Framie Caffrey has taken this program back to what it was in the 90s. What Dr. Tom had it after
the big three moved on. This is what the program is. Good enough to make the tournament more times than not,
win a game in the tournament, but that's about it. That's the upside that you get out of
the Iowa basketball program historically, at least in relative recent history. You could
also argue that going back 25, 30, 35 years is not even distant history anymore, but if
I have a point on that one.
I think it's just saying I'm getting pretty old, but that aside, Frank McCaffrey, we
have to give him credit for getting this program back to relevancy.
If you've heard me say this before, at the time, the Iowa basketball job was looked at
incredibly poorly.
Steve Alford for all his warts, and there were plenty of them. He wanted
a basketball facility as most everybody in the Big Ten was getting basketball facilities,
basketball only practice facilities at the time. He was promised and promised and promised
and never came. And he said, I was a football school. And he was right. That's where the
money has been invested. And Iowa has not invested in their men's basketball program the
way that many of their brethren in the Big Ten and at similar statures across the country have.
And they've been left behind in terms of facility, in terms of fundraising, in terms of now what is
turned into the NIL. And though the Swarm Collective as a whole is doing well, the Swarm Collective is
as a whole is doing well. Swarm Collective is certainly in the top third of the major
conference collectives that are out there. A lot of that goes to football, as it should,
but men's basketball doesn't have the same pull at Iowa as it pertains to NIL that it does to many other programs. And that's where you are. We can still say, the friend did a good job
at Iowa. They do a great one. I think we're arguing semantics. He did a good job. He brought
the program back and we should celebrate that. But the time for a change is now. It has run
its course. We know the friend's never going to be able to get over
the hump. He is what he is. And because of the lack of discipline and teaching on the
defensive end of the floor, the way that he has gone about recruiting point guards, we
see that there is a certain upside that the program can hit and credit him for getting them there and being really consistent year after year you know that
I was gonna be solid and that's what they've been but the upside you're never
gonna be able to break through and that's how we get to this point you miss
the tournament for the second consecutive year with what's happening
with the amount of empty seats that you have at Carver the second consecutive year with what's happening
With the amount of empty seats that you have at Carver Hawkeye Arena with what you hope to do
Inside Carver Hawkeye Arena with some pretty major renovations Beth gets has talked about that plenty
And it's difficult. It's difficult to do because of the structure of Carver Hawkeye Arena. I know a lot of people would
Prefer to see a new
building built somewhere downtown. I know it's incredibly difficult to find a spot,
knock down the old Capitol Mall, go that direction, whatever it is. Tough to pull off. But there
needs to be renovation. And not just because of the adiabatic gap that you have between the basket and anything else. That open
space where there's a few people that are handicapped that sit back there.
Outside of that just wide open swaths of space. The huge bowl effect of Carp or
Hawkeye Arena and you have to have good seats go all the way back up to go to the bathroom.
You gotta go all the way back up to get a hot dog. You gotta go all the way back up to get your
Carver coat. Yeah, it's tough. So there's a lot that needs to be done. And can you do that right now
with this men's basketball program? We'll leave basketball to the side. We'll leave wrestling to
the side. Men's basketball is still. We'll leave wrestling to the side.
Men's basketball is still a big part of what pays the bills at Carver Hockey Arena. Even
with the successes of women's basketball and wrestling, still men's basketball is one of
your front porch items. And Framicaffrey has run its course. Good luck trying to drum up that support with this program in its current
state. Look, there's been other games, a couple of recent years where bad weather has come
and there weren't many people in Carver. And I know it's incredibly cold out there. I know
it's making that walk from whatever parking lot that you're sitting at and getting into
Carver Hawk area. It's not fun. Or you park at the Vine or Wig and Pen to make the walk up the hill. I made that walk plenty of
times. It's not a fun one. And certainly on a night like this. But to see estimates of 3,000,
3,500 people actually in the building, it's in a way baffling, but because it's been just this slow burn, I guess it isn't.
I remember growing up when Penn State joined the Big Ten and seeing some of those games,
they had some good teams.
Now, Calvin Booth and company, they had some good guys, Pete Lasicki, but just being absolutely
dumbfounded, they could fill up their building.
What is going on?
And now Iowa can't sell it out.
They're going to have a sellout this year.
Could sell it out for a top five Iowa state and in-state rival
coming in.
They're not going to sell it out when Purdue comes in.
They're not going to sell it out at all this season. That's
where we are. So let's get into it. Just the names that I jotted down. Now I think the
apple of many people's eyes is Darren DeVries. And I get that. Darren DeVries, who's now
at West Virginia, of course, was at Drake for the five seasons previous. His son, currently
injured Tucker, called a lot of his games in high school Tucker, really good shooter,
guy that can fill it up and has got a very diversified skill set offensively six foot seven could put it
on the deck a good rebounder a really good skill set well he might get a medical retchert
be available next year now his older brother Jared course played football at an all-american
level for the Hawkeyes he's a lifelong Iowan he was an assistant coach over at Creighton for a number of years,
both under Dana Altman and under Greg McDermott. I get it. Would he be willing to leave West
Virginia not just after a year and maybe putting a sour taste in some people's notes because
of that? After one year, it's not the best look.
The coaches have done it plenty of times, but that aside.
Here's another component to think about though.
What job is better?
Iowa in this new 18-team Big Ten where you're going to not only be playing a 20-game gauntlet,
you don't have the support, certainly, that you do
in other places in the Big Ten financially in terms of NIL and other
factors. Yes, it's home. Yes, it's Iowa. Maybe it's a job that you really want.
But West Virginia has had a lot more success over the last couple of decades
of basketball. Sweet 16s, a final four.
They've done a whole lot more and probably
in a better financial when it comes to NIL.
Can I was showing a willingness and an ability
to close that gap.
So when you start with Deer and Debris,
I think those are a couple of things that you
have to ask yourself.
Steve Forbes is another one that comes up often.
Another Iowa native from Lone Tree, Wake Forest.
Now, has it had a ton of success as it pertains to the NCAA tournament there?
In fact, has it made it?
Off to a 6-1 start though in the ACC this year.
What, 15-4 I believe overall after they beat Carolina tonight.
Steve Forbes though, a guy that I think would
covet the job, but does he have enough of a resume for some people? That would be one.
Another guy with Iowa ties is Chris Jantz, who's out of Mississippi State. The dude just
wins. Now, he was fired from his first job at Bowling Green for being a little handsy
at a bar. Okay. Since then, he's gone to New Mexico State 1. Now he's
at Mississippi State. Not an easy place to win in the SEC. He's winning there. Dude
who's a hell of a basketball coach. Iowa win, what's the catch phrase? Win, graduate, do
it right? I don't know. Christians, at
Iowa, that wins a ton of basketball games. Wouldn't that
be nice? Couple other names that I threw out there. Ben
McCollum, a lot of people talked about him. Year number
one at Drake, doing a great job with the Bulldogs. Of course,
long time at Northwest Missouri State at the D2 level. A guy
that's just been an absolute stud wherever he has been.
People go, wow, a D2 basketball coach. You know our beloved Bruce Pearl where he had to go
in purgatory for a while after that rat Jimmy Collins but a different story. D2 southern
Indiana and turned himself back into the Bruce Pearl that we know today. Josh Schertz at
St. Louis was at Indiana State last year. They were a fun program.
He was kind of that mid-major coach.
Was surprised he didn't get a bigger offer,
but moved up to St. Louis in the A-10.
Speaking of the A-10, Ryan Odom, I remember his dad,
who's now at VCU.
He's kind of been all over the place.
He was the one that had the big upset, though,
at UMBC Maryland Baltimore County.
16 seed over the one when they beat Virginia about eight,
nine years back.
Has been at Utah State also.
Really known as a really innovative line in basketball.
A lot of people look.
Jody Tower, that's a name maybe a little bit more
off the radar up at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
They're transitioning into the Division I level.
He's been there for a number of years, kind of an
interesting background. And what other name I throw out there,
and maybe this is a, well in fact two more, Brian Wardle,
Bradley, tough, hard nose, tough guy kind of attitude,
hasn't won as big as maybe you want to Bradley, but is turning
themselves into a really consistent winner every year in
the MVC. Finally, this is what maybe we need to dive in a
little bit more, is Porter Moser, who's at Oklahoma,
and hasn't made it a tournament yet at Oklahoma. It's your
number four pressures on they might be a tournament team this
year. Boy, the SEC is so incredibly difficult basketball
this year, but looking for that guy that is kind of looking for
the escape hatch, right? What Steve Alford did when he left Iowa for New Mexico.
I think those are some of the guys maybe to keep an eye on
as well that would make a little sense.
Excuse me.
And Iowa might be the kind of place.
So just some names to throw out there,
some with Iowa connections, some that maybe are off the radar.
There's people that want to see the radar. I know there's people
that want to see BJ Armstrong. BJ Armstrong has been retired to the NBA for 25 years.
BJ Armstrong, he's never coached. He just wanted to give him the job. Now, it could
go well. Fred Hoiberg's done a nice job. It could go the other way. It could be Clyde
Drexler. Not so much. Some people are bringing up Dean Oliver who's now running Iowa United here in the Des Moines metro area after being an assistant coach of Wisconsin
for a number of years. Interesting his son, really good football player as a
junior, physical kid but he's coaching up some big-time athletes there, probably
not. Never been a head coach. I don't want to go through on-the-job training
again after what we dealt with with Steve Alford,
his lack of experience as a head coach,
I just don't want to go that route again.
Well, we finish up here with a little more basketball talk.
Instead, it's going to be this time on the women's side.
Iowa-Washington tonight, a huge one.
They have to get this win.
What's going to happen with the Iowa women tonight?
We'll preview.
Coming up next, on Hawkeyes
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Back with you one final time locked on Hawkeyes
Trent Connard with you thanks for being with us
if you're watching again on YouTube hit that
subscribe button we're with you each and every
day talking Hawkeyes throughout the course
of the week your team every day
that's what we do here on the locked on
network so as we wrap things up
the Owlwins basketball team
we've been very
I guess disappointed overall overall, right,
with our conversation today talking about just the way this basketball season has gone
awry. Now with the Iowa women facing a five-game losing streak, you wonder, well, what's going
to be next for them, right? It starts here against Washington, because the schedule for
the Iowa women is daunting
as it is for the men.
I think the women's schedule is even more difficult here down the stretch what they
still have in front of them.
This Washington game provides one of the few opportunities that they have a real good chance
of getting a road victory.
After this, they're remaining home, uh, road games, excuse me, are against Minnesota,
top 25 team, their 7-2 on the year. Against Nebraska, who they just lost to, their 15-4.
At Ohio State, who's 16-1. At Michigan, another top 25 team, who's 13-5. That's what you have
on the road. Then you throw in the fact you still have to play fourth ranked USC at home, top ranked
UCLA at home.
This thing gets pretty daunting.
Let's play this game.
Iowa in that closing stretch after the one tonight against Washington.
They have nine games remaining.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Nine games remaining after this one tonight.
If we say that they beat Northwestern, Rutgers, and Wisconsin all at home, I think they will.
That gives them three conference wins. Three. That's not going to be good enough. That is not close to an NCAA tournament team.
You need to have more.
That would give them 15 wins overall.
That means winning, I believe, multiple of these games.
USC, UCLA, at Michigan, at Ohio State, Nebraska, Minnesota.
You have to win two, maybe three, maybe four of those games.
Certainly three.
And you at least feel good going into the Big Ten tournament.
That's why this one is, as we talked about on the mid side,
about as close to a must win as you're
going to find here for this part of January.
That's where we are.
So what's it going to take?
Well, we look at the numbers, and we look statistically.
And it's incredibly frustrating, because the Iowa women seem,
they're better than the record is.
Down the stretch, Lucy Olson, she's just struggled mightily.
She's really struggled overall.
She has not been able to certainly be the facilitator
that we thought she was going to be.
The mid-range shot has really
struggled. And though she shot it better from the outside than I think people thought she was going
to coming in, she's not playing at a high enough level. Hannah Stalky, we'll see about her and her
availability without her. I think it's time to let Ava Hyde knee. And we saw that a little bit
more the last time out, but put her in there 25 minutes.
See what she can do.
You know, they're doing that more and more
with Leah Guyton.
And Guyton coming off that ACL tear,
I think they still want to be careful with her.
They don't want to put her out there 35, 38 minutes,
anything crazy like that.
But this is the time.
Let's see what Ava Hyden can do.
Let's see what you can do against a Washington team
that it's a coin flip type of game. They're terribly okay. They're not a very good defensive
team and that's how you get them. They're not very good defensively. Iowa just has to
play well and that's been the story of this Iowa women's basketball team this year. It's
just these long stretches where they're bad. Bad
on the offensive end. Can't get any shots. Can't get good looks. And that's what we've
seen throughout this one. Got to score in this one. Can't try to win a 50-49 or 51-50
like they did the other night against Oregon. Get up and down. Play at the pace you want.
Get a victory. Get some good vibes going. I think we all need a little bit of that.
We'll be back with you after that one. Coming up with
the rapid reaction podcast as we're with you here tonight with
the Hawkeye men's side of things. We'll come up with some
new names if you have some new names, some different ideas.
We're the next Iowa men's basketball coach or maybe you
think I'm crazy. Let friendies to stick around. Let us know in
the comments section on YouTube. Hit Subscribe while you're there.
Appreciate each and every one of you.
We'll talk to you again tomorrow.
Go Hawks.