Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Pt 2 - Former Hawkeye Jeff Horner joins the show to talk about the Iowa United, Truman State, and his time as a Hawk

Episode Date: June 13, 2019

Part two of our conversation with Hawkeye great Jeff Horner is on today's agenda. We talk more in depth about his international career and his time as a high schooler in Mason City on today's episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are listening to the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast, your daily podcast covering the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Locked On Sports Network, hosted by Andrew Wade, editor at DearOldGold.com. It is Thursday morning and we are back with another fantastic episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. I am your host, Andrew Wade, editor over at DearOldGold.com, and we are bringing you part two of our interview with Jeff Horner, the former Iowa basketball player and current coach of the Iowa United, the team that is going to be playing in TBT, the basketball tournament, the $2 million winner take all tournament. So I'm excited to give you part two of our interview

today. Before we jump into that though, I do have my housekeeping items that I always need to take care of on every single show. First of all, today's show is actually brought to you in part by hotels.com. Hotels.com, great way to book all of your trips and you do not want to hate like your friendship when they book some awesome trips. So make sure to do it on hotels.com so you can book your own get rewarded basically everywhere hotels.com be there do that get rewarded also if you are tuning into the show for the first time or if you just haven't subscribed in the past make sure to like subscribe and review very important that you review that helps me out a lot make sure to like subscribe and review wherever you download this podcast at whether that is Apple podcast, Google podcast, Spotify,

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be posting and when we're going to be posting it. That being said, though, let's jump into our last final part, part two of our interview with Jeff Horner. If you didn't get a chance to listen to part one, make sure to check that out on yesterday's podcast. We're going to jump into part two right now. We're going to pick off right where we left off with Jeff Horner. It's going to seem like we just kind of started randomly, but I promise you I cut it off at

a normal point and we're going to jump into that point right now. Now you mentioned that you've, you know, you talked to Fran McCaffrey, obviously you have a little bit of a relationship with him. What are your thoughts on Fran McCaffrey as a coach? And the reason why I asked that is because I feel like Iowa Hawkeye

nation is really divided on Fran and to give you kind of my initial thoughts, you know, kind of what side I'm on. I like Fran a lot as a coach. I feel like he brings a lot to the game, and I feel like the passion he shows is actually a positive and it's something that players can really get behind.

So I wanted to get your thoughts, though, on Fran McCaffrey and what you think of him as a coach. Yeah, I think, you know, Fran being a former point guard and just knowing the game from that perspective is something that, you know, I've been on the road recruiting and I've talked to him and talking to Fran. It's awesome. And, you know, he's helped us out in quite a bit. You know, we're trying to get a game with him this year.

We'll see if that happens. Not sure. You know, all that kind of stuff is difficult, you know, when it comes to, you know, who they need to play, those types of things for NCAA tournament stuff too. So I completely understand those things. But Fran has always been good to me. You know, I really like his up-tempo pace as far as basketball goes and you know I think uh Fran Fran's a great person and he does it the right way and you know sometimes

you know with all this kind of stuff coming out in the media with you know coaches doing this and that when you know we've all known it's been going on for a long time I think to have a coach that does it the right way you know is something that's extremely important. And, you know, unfortunately in today's game, player deficient player, you know, departures or, you know, transfers are something that just happens, you know, it's something that you can't really have control over it. You've got to continue to keep on recruiting your players while they're in

the program. So it's obviously really interesting. And then, you know, when you have injuries like the Bohannon injury, you know, you just, it just feels like everything keeps on, you know, piling on at this point, you know, for him. So I do like Fran. I like his fire. I think he, you know, I did think that he needed to tone it down just a little bit.

And I think that he actually did that this year. You know, obviously he got in the, you know, the thing with that Ohio State. But in the end, I still think on the sidelines he was a lot better this year and he coached the guys more. And I think when you have that, just being a head coach now, being a young head coach where I'm pretty fiery, sometimes when you do those types of things, that's kind of how your players react too. So then when you're in a crunch time situation,

sometimes you want to be calm because you want your players to take that approach to it as well. But I really like Fran. I think he's got a really good thing going in Iowa, and I'm hoping that he can keep it going in the right direction because I do think he's a really good person, and I think that it's tough to win in Iowa, but I definitely think they have the resources to do it,

and so I'm hoping that he can get that going in the right direction. Yeah, I mean, you made a great assessment of that. He did seem to be a lot calmer on the sidelines. And the fact that he blew up in the tunnel after the game, I know, you know, the things that came out obviously weren't great. But the fact that he tried doing it after the game behind closed doors, I felt like in some, of weird way was almost a growth in him, but obviously didn't work out that way with the suspension. And you did talk about Jordan Mohannon is going to be potentially out this year. Thankfully, they have Joe Wieskamp coming back.

Just announced today that he's going to be returning. Not that that was too much of a surprise. And interesting, you have a connection with Joe Wieskamp because you held the Iowa high school scoring record for nearly 20 years. And then, you know, Joe broke that. So what were your thoughts on Joe breaking that? Have you watched a lot of, I mean, you talk about watching a lot of Iowa Hawkeye basketball games. Have you watched Joe back in high school and that kind of thing? Yeah, definitely. You know, obviously I followed Joe closely in high school, you know, obviously he's going to be an Iowa Hawkeye. So I always keep up on things like that and, you know, just kind of watching him.

And obviously with me being up at North Dakota, I actually recruited, you know, some of the guys that were on his Iowa Barnstormers team for AAU. So I watched Joe play a ton during the summertime too. And, you know, he always struck me as a kid that never got rattled, could really shoot it, is more athletic than what people think, always competes, great shooter. So, you know, he's everything that people for Iowa Hawkeyes want. You know, so I think he's going to be a great player for years to come.

I hope he stays around for, you know, a few more years. And, you know, with the way the rules are with the NBA draft, you know, he'd be dumb not to enter his name in the draft and get feedback and all those types of things. So, you know, it's just kind of the nature of the beast nowadays that you might as well, you know, go get as much information that you can for the NBA because that's obviously, you know, the end goal, you know, after you're at Iowa and winning and all that kind of stuff. So, you know, in the end, you grow up, you know, dreaming about being an Iowa Hawkeye,

and I'm sure he's living out his dream, but you also grow up wanting to play in the NBA too so um I think that you know he's doing great he's doing great things and I watched him you know all season long you know he had he had his ups and downs you know here and there which that's very typical of any freshman you know I think a lot of people think sometimes that just because you're touted so highly that you're supposed to come in and play perfect every single game that's just not going to happen and I think Joe had a great freshman year though and he's only going to build on that. I'm going to interrupt the podcast briefly to give you a quick and very important message because I think it's that important.

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And for a limited time, we have a Father's Day special where you can enjoy a free set of bottle opener collar stays until June 16th if you order today. So make sure to go check out twiddlery.com, enter the promo code LOCKEDON, and start wearing some awesome dress shirts today. Yeah, I mean, it would be great to see him play for three years. But, I mean, I think they'll be pushing it. But it'll be great to see him for three or even four years in an Iowa Hawkeye uniform. He could go down as possibly one of the best players in Iowa basketball history if he can continue that trajectory.

And one of the things I want to talk to you about is you're really, you know, you kind of hold a lot of records for the Iowa Hawkeyes career leader in assists and three-pointers, 10th in the Big Ten in assists. You had a great career for the Hawks, started all four seasons. What was your favorite memory as an Iowa Hawkeye? I would definitely say my favorite memory was definitely being in Ohio State for the Big Ten Tournament Championship. That season was extremely special in our eyes,

especially because it kind of hurt. We kind of lost, you know, a couple in the regular season that, you know, we probably should have known that we couldn't get back, but, you know, that kind of happens. And so, you know, the funny part about it was, you know, we got to play Ohio State once in the regular season. We beat them, you know, and they obviously had us. They beat us by one game for the regular season title.

And then we beat them again in the Big Ten tournament. So, you know, I don't know if there was any doubt of who the better team was that year. But unfortunately, you know, it just didn't roll the way that we wanted it to. So, you know, you never know how those things work out, especially because you don't play everybody in equal amount of time. So that's just kind of college basketball in general. But I would definitely say that is you know just the relationships that um you know you built over the four years i mean to me that's really what it's all about you know on

the court stuff is awesome um that type of thing but you know like a couple weekends ago we were at the kenny arnold benefit back in mason city and bruner brought his kids down and you know i brought my kids down and haleska brought his kids down and that was the first time that all of our kids had been able to hang out with each other and see each other so you know just knowing that you know we can we had that camaraderie and now that we're still here we are you know what 14 years later you know coming back and seeing each other's kids and seeing families you know puts a lot of things into perspective with sports and that kind of thing and And, you know, I know that's kind of hard for a fan to, to really probably realize in a sense, because, you know,

you really focus on where the program's at now and all you want to do is win. So, you know, but in the end, you know, stories like that are what is I think really special to the, to the real genuine people in athletics. Absolutely, man. I mean, those relationships are everything. I mean, that's kind of the whole point of playing on teams. You have those relationships, you build those relationships with those teammates, and you remember those memories with them for years to come.

So you did have some opportunities to play in the NCAA tournament, and that was obviously, you know, I think we wish that the Hawks would have gone further, but, you know, it happens. You did have some opportunities, though, to play in the NCAA tournament. How do you think that helps youks would have gone further, but it happens. You did have some opportunities to play in the NCAA tournament. How do you think that helps you coming into the basketball tournament being a similar style of single elimination and kind of winner-take-all? Yeah, I think it's good. Obviously, my junior year in the NCAA tournament,

I think that we could have got a worse draw with Cincinnati. So, you know, they were long and athletic, and let's just be honest, we weren't. So, you know, that was a tough matchup for us. And, you know, we gave them a fight and a battle, but, you know, in the end, you know, they kind of just wore us down with their length and defense and stuff.

And then, obviously, you know, senior year, we all know what happened. Still haunts me, gives it to me in my mind. But, you know, the one thing that I can always take is that we always did you know really well in the big 10 tournaments um except for my freshman year so my sophomore junior and senior year i thought we you know did pretty well in the big 10 tournament so hoping to take a lot of a lot of stuff out of that but the team that comes in and plays with the most confidence every single game is the team that's going to go in and and be able to win it i mean you're either going to go in there and win or you're going to you're going to come out with a loss.

So, you know, you might as well go in there and compete as hard as you possibly can. And, you know, it's going to take some luck here and there. There's no doubt about that. But that kind of stuff happens. And sometimes, like I said, you know, you just got to kind of stay down on the mistakes and make sure you're competing and play with a lot of confidence. I think that's going to be what's more important for this. Absolutely.

Well, I'm really excited to watch you guys play. I just have a few quick questions, kind of more personal questions, if you don't mind us wrapping up here. Do you have a few more minutes this season? Yeah, no worries. Perfect, man. So what was your favorite stop in your professional career? I know you were overseas a little bit.

So where did you like the most? career I know you're overseas a little bit so where did you like the most uh I would say the first year I played in a small town called Brie Belgium um I would say that the people there uh were awesome there was nine Americans on our team and I actually keep in touch with a lot of those guys still today um so being there it was awesome to to get to meet those guys um you know my first year overseas because it was hard you're a rookie you're to meet those guys, you know, my first year overseas, because it was hard. You're a rookie. You're going all the way overseas. You know, you got no one was with me that year.

So, you know, I'm kind of sitting there by myself. And, you know, to have those American guys that were veterans with me being a rookie was an awesome place to be for the people. But my favorite spot that I was at, I was actually in the south of France, in the French Riviera, in a place called Antibes, France. So I got to play a season there where I was, you know, the town was right in the middle of Nice and Cairns. And so kind of being in that, it's kind of a tourist spot anyway. So, you know, being on the beach and living there was was freaking awesome. So rough life. Yeah, exactly. And, you know, we were like 45 minutes from Monaco. So, you know, I'd go up there and check that out.

And it's a beautiful, clean place. I mean, it was unbelievable. So being in the French Riviera was definitely the most, was definitely probably the best place for me. Jealous. And you talked about Brie. You know, Brie is pretty close to Bruges. Did you ever make it up to Bruges?

Yep, we did. So my wife and me, we went up there a couple times. We went to Amsterdam and Cologne, Germany and went to Paris. And I actually played in Paris for a month before I ended up getting cut and coming back and playing in the D League that year. So I was kind of all over the place. I really like Paris, but I saw it once and that's all I need. I couldn't agree more. I went to Paris right after I saw it once, and that's all I need. I couldn't agree more.

I went to Paris right after I graduated school, and I said, this is fine. I'm good to never come back. Yes, exactly. I was the same way. That's funny, man. Well, outside of basketball, you were a really good baseball player, it sounds like, as well.

Did you have any – I mean, it sounds like when I was doing some of my research, you had some scouts coming by and whatnot. Did you ever consider a career in baseball? I did. my research you had some scouts coming by and whatnot did you ever consider a career in baseball um i i did um i actually was being recruited quite a bit by uh ferentz too for football so um it was it was a difficult decision um i guess it wasn't really a difficult decision but in the end you know as i started to get older you know you kind of go back and you're sitting there thinking well you know should I do the football baseball thing instead of you know instead of play the basketball thing am I gonna have a better chance to be a professional athlete you know type of thing so it was an interesting it was an interesting dynamic that came out in high school just because, you know, I loved competing, but obviously basketball was the sport that I focused my most time on.

And, you know, I always think back of, well, what if we would have, you know, focused a lot of your time on, you know, baseball or football, you know, getting in the weight room and, you know, definitely had a few scouts come through at Mason City. Obviously I was in Nero where Jeff Clement was, you know, I played against him in high school in baseball. So he was a beast. Yeah, I think when the scouts kind of, you know, they saw him and sometimes I pitched, you know, I think they kind of, they kind of saw that a little bit too. And they kind of became interested in that. So it was a cool, cool thing for that to

have back. But yeah, I, you know, there's one thing that I probably regret, and that was uh not playing baseball my senior year because I think I would have a chance to get drafted um and so but in the end you know all college basketball players they go down that summer and you know they play in the primetime league and so you know kind of felt that I had to had to be down there for that if I wanted a chance to you know to start a point guard the following year so I do regret that that a little, not playing my senior year and maybe trying to play football and baseball in college. You know, obviously I couldn't have played all three, you know. It would be pretty cool, though, if you tried.

Yeah. Pull a Connor McCaffrey. I don't know if my coach will let me do that, though. That's awesome. Well, I have one last question. And this question, I'm pretty sure about, you know,

10 people are going to actually care about, but being from Newton, I just want to get your thoughts on Newton, Mason city and Newton. We're kind of, you know, rivals playing in the same division of the CIML. What are your thoughts on,

on Newton, Iowa, man? Oh man, we had some, we had some battles and that was, that was in every sport, you know. I mean, I'll never forget my first football game was against Newton.

And I was like a 160-pound freshman. I played varsity. And since Newton had such a run-heavy offense, our defensive coordinator moved me from free safety and he moved me up to linebacker. Oh, dear God, I feel bad for you on that one. Yeah, so, you know, I'm sitting here trying to, you know, tackle like Travis Burns and Travis Shrum

and these guys who were just, you know, so much more massive than I was at that point. They were just so big, you know, I'm sitting there and, I mean, they get a full head of steam at me and here I am, this 60-pound freshman, you know. Like, oh God, oh God, oh big, you know, sitting there. And, I mean, they get a full head of steam at me, and here I am, this 60-pound freshman, you know. Like, oh, God, oh, God, oh, God. You know, it's like they were the one that hit me, and I just tried to put my arms around them and bring them down with me.

So, but we gave them a fight in, you know, baseball with Derek Schemmerhorn. And I think it was his brother, too, who played. Was it Travis? I want to say it's Jared. I can't remember. Did he go to, like Is it Travis? I want to say it's Jared. I can't remember. Did he go to Kansas State? Derek went to Wichita State. Well, Derek did, but I want to say his brother went.

Maybe it was a different guy. John. Yes, correct. Yeah, he threw really hard, too. We had really good battles with them. And then, you know, basketball was a little bit different because I always kind of thought that Newton was a little bit more of a – They sucked at basketball.

Yeah, football, baseball, school. But, you know, I know guys like, you know, Robbie Kahn and, you know, Sibula. And we always – we went back and forth. So it was all a great competitive spirit and it was a lot of fun for sure. Yeah, I mean, you're literally talking about all the guys I grew up kind of idolizing being from Newton, so that's always good to go down memory lane. Well, hey, Jeff, I really appreciate your time on the show today. Appreciate you taking the time to talk to us on the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast.

Any last things you want to say before we jump off the show today? Nope, just excited. Awesome, man. Well, I'm excited to watch you guys play on the Iowa United. I want to have you back on maybe after the season or whatnot, but good luck and go Iowa United. All right. Sounds good.

Thank you. Thank you, Jeff. All right, and that concludes our interview with Jeff Horner. Again, a big shout-out to Jeff Horner. It was great talking to him, a very energetic guy. You could tell he's very passionate about basketball. And honestly, just a really good dude. As you listened to the end of that podcast,

you obviously heard him talk about guys he played against in high school, guys who didn't play college sports, basketball and honestly just a really good dude as you listen to the end of that podcast you obviously heard him talk about guys he played against in high school guys who didn't play college sports and he knew exactly who I was talking about which I thought was really cool if you are a Newton person you especially loved that last part of the interview I almost guarantee it if you are not from Newton Iowa then I do apologize but I hope you enjoyed and got to understand a little bit more about Jeff Horner for me personally, he's such a down-to-earth, very Iowa type of person. You know, that kind of guy who remembers and respects and loves everyone and is really passionate about his state.

And I'm really excited to see what he can do coaching this Iowa United team. They're putting together a very talented roster of players. Sorry, excuse me. They've already put together a talented roster of players. I think having him as the coach is going to be a fantastic addition, one that's going to bring a lot of energy to the sidelines. So make sure to check out them play in Wichita during the regional for

the TBT. I'm going to be down there so make sure to catch me if you know what I look like. Feel free to say hey and say how much you love the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. Always appreciate getting that feedback. You can also leave whatever feedback you want on Apple, Google, Spotify, wherever you download this podcast at.

Please leave a review there as well. You can also email me at LockedOnHawkeyes at gmail.com, tweet at me at LockedOnIowa, or message me at LockedOnHawkeyes on Facebook. So, again, I appreciate you all tuning in to today's episode of the LockedOnHawkeyes podcast. This is the last episode of this week. We'll be back next week with more great content as some of that stuff comes up. And again, thank you for listening, Hawkeye Nation. Go Hawks! We'll see you next time. you