Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - RESPECT: Hawkeyes' Ben McCollum REFUSES North Carolina Interview, Eyes Elite Point Guard in Transfer Portal

Starting point is 00:00:00 Ben McCollum says no thanks at a chance of interviewing for the job at North Carolina. Why the future of Iowa basketball burns so bright. You are Locked-on Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. And I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We got some transfer portal news as the portal opened up on Monday. On the women's side, a surprise in a bit with Tegan Malady ending the transfer portal.

Starting point is 00:00:43 Some story behind that one. And one that does not come as a surprise with Emily Rodriguez. We'll talk about that a little bit later on. David Eicholt will join us from Hawkeye Insider. We'll get his perspective on everything going on. The men in the transfer portal, Ben McCollum saying no, the women's side of things and also a little bit of spring football coming up with David Eichold. but we begin with the big news from Monday, and that is Ben McCollum saying no thanks to North Carolina.

Starting point is 00:01:09 Now, North Carolina, of course, one of the blue bloods of college basketball, an opportunity to get a job like that, one that is not easy, certainly to turn down. So the story behind this one comes from Matt Norlander from CBSSports.com. In fact, Matt's going to be on my radio show tomorrow, and we'll get his perspective and a little deeper dive into things. But this is a report that he had from Monday when he said,

Starting point is 00:01:32 This more on McCullough. He had contact with UNC last week as the search played out per sources. UNC was hoping to meet with him in-person Sunday for a proper interview, but he passed on that invitation to stay at Iowa. Malone's candidacy picked up speed as others removed their main. Michael Malone, the former Nuggets coach, is now the man at North Carolina. We don't care about UNC, well, unless they're trying to poach one of our coaches. This is about Ben McCollum saying no to an option.

Starting point is 00:02:02 opportunity to interview for that job. Now, that does not mean that he was going to get the job, but if he interviewed, but if you get to that step, you know things are trending down the line that very well could happen. And certainly great news here from the Hawkeye perspective. To have a coach that is this revered, that is this obviously in the want for college programs that are out there is a huge coup. And this is yet going to be another piece of ammunition that he is going to be able to use out there on the recruiting trail when the transfer portal opens up on Tuesday. And now obviously things are going to be going crazy at that point in time.

Starting point is 00:02:39 For an Iowa coach to say no, and we have been burned before. Now it's been a while going back to Lude Olson when he made the decision to move down to Arizona program that certainly was not running at the level of Iowa basketball. They're in the early 80s when he departed to go down there. Of course, what a national championship with the Wildcats resurrected that program into the power that they have become another final for this season. and Lude Olson was the one that did that, but it still is a rarity. Of course, we went through this for a long, long time with Kirk Farrants on the football side of things

Starting point is 00:03:10 and had opportunities in the NFL, had opportunities at the college level, but of course to stuck it out in Iowa City. And for the most part, I think most people are very grateful for that in the years that we've got out of Kirk Farrants in the way that happens. And this is probably going to be a reality. Ben McCollum, what he has done in the way that he is known in basketball circles, his name is going to continue to be out there. But if Beth gets, the athletic director for Iowa can continue to maintain this program,

Starting point is 00:03:36 continue to obviously get the finances that are needed to compete at the highest level, you just have to feel great about the spot that they are. We know in the transfer portal they have two major needs, and that is where a majority of their money, their spending is going to come at the point guard position going out and finding the replacement for Bennett Sturts, a huge need there, and then finding that rim protecting big man, a guy that can go in, Be your more traditional center that they didn't have this year. Man, yeah, obviously played hard, was aggressive in there,

Starting point is 00:04:08 but he was just giving up size and in the Big Ten. And as we see on Monday night, this national championship game with Michigan, size definitely still is an issue in basketball, regardless of the changes that we've seen in the style of play and the way things are played, you have to have big guys and certainly in the Big Ten. And that is going to be at the top of the list for Ben McCollum and Company of putting this together. There's going to be some names that emerge. We'll talk a little bit more with David Eichold about that.

Starting point is 00:04:33 And a few of those names may be to keep an eye on here as things open up. Still have the question, what's going to happen with Alvaro Fulgaris. If he is going to depart on going to the transfer portal, he's going to have offers, bigger offers than what Iowa I think is willing to spend at this point for a guy that was incredibly inconsistent throughout the course of the year. We saw him Burning Bright though, the way that he played in the NCAA tournament all the way up until the elite eight game. And another selling point for Ben McClellan.

Starting point is 00:05:00 To be able to do this with outside of Bennett Sturts, guys that were castoffs, guys that were not playing at the most well-known places out there from Manow and Combs and beginning their career at Ymoving before they made their way to Drake, the Northwest Missouri State guys, Tate Sage, who was ranked to the 300th by the recruiting services and what we saw out of him. It's exciting, a freshman class that is going to come in with a lot of firepower, Trey Thompson coming off his redshirt year, Ethan Harris, and the exciting. that he generates now going out there and finding some guards. I think that combo guard lead guard position is going to be important, along with the rim protector that we mentioned. But it is an exciting time when an Iowa coach says no to a blue blood, this is incredible news. Now, Beth Gets also needs to work on some kind of new contract,

Starting point is 00:05:49 and that's going to be not just the raise for Ben McCollum and certainly more assurances of what he wants and what he wants this program to do. Look, we got the right guy. And we go back to just over a year ago when we were having these conversations. And if it made sense to go after more of a Darren DeVries who ultimately chose Indiana, Iowa ends up with Ben McCollum and some of the maybe questions. Look, this guy was a D2 basketball coach just a couple of years ago. Is this going to work?

Starting point is 00:06:15 We obviously saw, yes, it can work in a big time way. And the excitement level continues to rise for Iowa basketball. And oh, that is a good thing. Let's talk more about this with David Eichold from 247 SportsHawkeye Insider.com is where you can find all the information for David. We'll get his perspective on this. We'll talk about the transfer portal on the men's side. A couple of names to keep an eye on as well. That's coming up as we continue right here on Locked on Hawkeyes.

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Starting point is 00:08:01 Locked on Hawkeyes, your first listen every day. Before we welcome in, David Eicholt, want to tell you once again about our Everydayer Club. You can get Locked on Hawkeyes every day ad free with our Everydayer Club. Plus, you can also join us on our members-only Discord server. Join us at Lockdownhawkeyes.com. That's Lockdownhawkeyes. Dot supercast.com.

Starting point is 00:08:24 Opportunity to talk with David Eicholt earlier today. Some of the news that has changed throughout the course of the day happened before we recorded. Just keep an eye on that. We'll get back into the women's portal as well, a little bit deeper with the question that we had. But here is David Eichold from 24-7 sports as we talk some more Hawkeyes with David. Let's get David Eicholt in here.

Starting point is 00:08:46 He joins us Hawkeye Insider.com 24-7 sports. Thanks for coming on, brother. How are you? We're staying busy, man, but it's all good. It's a fun time of year. And I'm just kind of counting down the days till the end of April. Then it feels like we get to check out a little bit more. We're good, man. We're thriving.

Starting point is 00:09:05 No, the portal obviously is going to keep everybody busy, no doubt about that. Hey, I do want to ask you, before we get into the portal, we'll do some football, obviously, as well, as we haven't spoken with you in a while, and No, Ference, etc., has met with you guys, members of the media. So we'll maybe bring that up again. But Ben McCollum's contract, there was some conversation as I was making their run through the tournament that Beth Getz was starting to renegotiate. or redraw the contract. Do you know where that is at or even if that story was accurate?

Starting point is 00:09:38 I thought that she was quoted in the piece, but I could be mistaken. Sure. So, I mean, from my sources of my understanding is I do think that they are going to be meeting sometime probably this week to iron out some of those details. And, you know, again, I think Beth knows that she's going to have to give an extension.

Starting point is 00:09:54 And I think Ben's also earned it just based on what he's been able to show. But, you know, North Carolina is approaching that Penn State football level to me. If they don't get Billy Donovan, I mean, then they're really striking out. And I think they're still going to try to go after buying thin from Vanderbilt. But if that doesn't happen, it's probably Scott Drew or Ben McCollum from my understanding. And I do know that some North Carolina donors have started to kind of poke around and see what the buyout is there.

Starting point is 00:10:21 And look, I don't think Ben McCollum's going to North Carolina. Okay. I mean, I'm not trying to instigate anything. I think Ben McCollum made it clear he wants to stay at Iowa. I would be a lot more worried about Ben. This is just my opinion, is if Kansas had opened up this season. Because, you know, Kansas will probably poke around at that point in time too. But, you know, from my understanding is Beth and Ben are likely going to meet early to midweek.

Starting point is 00:10:46 And I think they'll be able to iron out some details because I think both sides know they need to get done with how much Ben McCollum's name is trending. I wouldn't blame him for using some of that as leverage to continue to get more resources for himself. No doubt. And keep building things up. Help out your assistant coaches. There's a lot of different avenues that go into it. It's not just strictly about the head coach. There's a whole pot in this new era of NIL. Obviously, that's a piece of it too. So as we get ready to descend into it starting tomorrow, point guard, rim protecting big. I mean, is that it is maybe there'll be something else that pops up? But is that the two big ticket items that I was looking at and how set are they knowing some of the names that they're going to officially be calling some. starting tomorrow. Yeah, I mean, of course, I think those are the two. I also think they might poke around for maybe a combo guard, you know, just to kind of, you know, maybe put kale combs at the one in some circumstances. I think we know how much that helps Bennett starts, especially late in the season when he

Starting point is 00:11:44 wasn't the one bearing all of that responsibility. But yeah, I think Iowa knows that they're going to have to shell out some big money for a rim protector, and they're going to need a scoring kind of lead guard. We know that there's a few targets they've probably already identified. I do think some things are going to be the works. I think we'll hear about some visits probably here in the next 48 hours or so, at least the ones that will be scheduled out. But it will be interesting to see what Ben McCollum and company want to do.

Starting point is 00:12:10 Do they want to show out the money for an elite point guard and kind of a meh rim protector or an average rim protector? Or do they kind of want a probably good point guard, but maybe not an elite point guard, and then put more of those resources in NIL dollars toward an elite rim protector and kind of that elite big because there are some things. nice bigs in the portal right now that I think would definitely fit McCollum's system. And I think he knows after watching what Michigan's been able to do during their run, what Illinois was able to do, what Harris Reed for Yukon's been able to do.

Starting point is 00:12:40 Absolutely unbelievable. So I think they know the value of having an elite kind of ring guy. But I'd also throw this out there. That Kansas Center is on the portal right now. I know his asking price is about four to five dollars. Yeah. Really? That would work.

Starting point is 00:12:57 Yeah. There are some people in this camp that they're trying to think they could get $4 to $5 million. I'm saying that just from the market price so people understand what some of these elite bigs are going for. It's not going to be a cheap price bag. I thought you were going to crystal ball him. I was sorry. Oh, no, no, no. That price stags a little too much.

Starting point is 00:13:19 Yeah, that's a little steep. Wouldn't that be something a kid like that? He's talented, man, he could play. No doubt about that. What about Tavian Banks? What are we hearing as far as his likelihood? Any news out of Banks? You know, I think he's kind of prepared that it's over, frankly.

Starting point is 00:13:40 I mean, I think at this point, based on everything I'm hearing, I'd be very surprised if Tavion Banks, if he was given the waiver, if he came back, look, I think Iowa would obviously take him. But it's also one of those things, and this is where decisions have to be made. No matter what the percentage is, I mean, do you want to wait to find out if he's potentially back because that you're talking about, you know, withholding some NIL resources for potential other pieces in the portal.

Starting point is 00:14:04 You have to shift around kind of your thinking about the portal and all those things. I mean, as good as Banks was and look, banks in that first half against Florida, I hope people give him enough credit. He's a big reason why Iowa beat Florida in that game. He's consistently one of the toughest guys on the floor. I think you just can't bank on him coming back no matter how it looks.

Starting point is 00:14:25 especially with how critical these next two weeks are. I mean, we talk about McCollum's extension, we talk about the portal opening, all these things. I think that both sides would be open to that idea. And if you have to make it work late down the stretch, if for some reason he does get the waiver, you do what you can to make it work. But you move forward with the assumption

Starting point is 00:14:44 that he does not return to Iowa. Any specific names, anything that you think is going to be connecting the dots here on the men's side that makes sense that you think is going to be some of those initial calls that are going to be made, So I look at a couple. I think Finley Bisjack from Butler is going to be a guy, 17 points a game. Probably not the best assist guy, but he can go out there and he can get you a bucket. You know, his usage rate at Butler was incredibly high.

Starting point is 00:15:10 Another name, look at Isaiah Johnson maybe from Colorado. You talk about a guy who's a bucket, 17 points, three assists, 49% from the field, 38% from three. But I'll tell you, one of my favorite guys in the portal. Now, I don't know if I was going to call. but this would be one of my first calls. He's from Furman, Alex Wilkins, six foot five, 18 points, and five assists a game.

Starting point is 00:15:33 And Furman has one of the most efficient and fun offenses year and year out in college basketball. I think if you're talking about a guy that can create his own shot, a big playmaker, and a guy who's not afraid to go challenge opposing Biggs at the rim, I think he's the guy there. And another guy just from a front court perspective, Anton, I think is bonky from Charlotte. He's seven foot, yeah, seven foot two, about 11 and nine average, and he gets about two blocks a game. He's got one year of eligibility, but you talk about from a size and athleticism perspective, he kind of fits McComb's billing.

Starting point is 00:16:07 What about going the other way? Any Fulgaris News? I don't think so at the moment. I will say this. I would still lean. He does not return to Iowa if I had a crystal ball it. I mean, I'm 55, 45. I think both sides would like Dermay in Iowa City.

Starting point is 00:16:23 he has a good relationship with the coaching staff and his teammates have obviously spoken highly of him but we know what full garris would get in the portal and it's one of those things to where do you really want to allocate those resources to a guy with respect he made big plays his his iowa legacy is secured without question right do you want to sell out seven figures for a guy who was inconsistent all year i just don't i think the thing that ben mccullum wants more than anything else in what makes his system work and his exes and O's work, it's consistency. Alvaro made some big plays, but when he was bad and the matchup wasn't right, it just did not work out. And I think right now, given Iowa's roster, he'd have to play more of the five and he wants

Starting point is 00:17:07 to play the four and you talk about how much you'd want to pay him, which would take money away from getting an elite guard or a true rim protector. If Alvaro is willing to take a little bit of a discount compared to what he's being offered, I think you'd bring him back. But if you're given the choice about putting those, I'm just going out a hypothetical number here, right? If you have a $1.3 or $1.4 million, do you want to throw it to Alvaro Fulgaris or do you want to throw at a rim protector, given what's already on the roster and the log jam that's the shooting guard through the power forward position? Remember, they got Trey Thompson, Ethan Harris. I think you will, I want to say you let Alvaro walk, but it might be best for both sides if it does end up coming into fruition.

Starting point is 00:17:46 But I think you'd be welcome back to Iowa City. over to the women's side. We mentioned Tegan Mullaney in the portal, the unfortunate news of her boyfriend passing away and anticipate she's going to get closer to home. What about Emily Rodriguez? Still? I mean, yeah, we go back to,

Starting point is 00:18:02 we thought this thing was over in December, and here we are with the portal open. Is there even a sliver of hope that maybe Emily Rodriguez is going to be part of this team next year? I mean, I'm never going to say never, but I'd be stunned. I would too. Trent, I mean, I told you guys back in

Starting point is 00:18:18 December, I was pretty surprised she came back for that second semester. I think I know I'm not the only one of our colleagues that thought that. I thought she was kind of going to be off the team or they were going to part ways. But she's, it's unfortunate too, because Emily fits so much of what Iowa is missing. You talk about a person who could go create her own shot. She can finish at the rim. Yeah, I think at a time she was outplaced defensively, but she was still learning the system. But from a prototype of what Iowa needs. She does fit that bill. And with all of them that are already in the portal for Iowa, she would have a role. But I just think with the back injury, with all the other drama behind the scenes, and, you know, I'll say it. I mean, I told you guys back in December, do you know how

Starting point is 00:19:00 hard it is to pick off Jan Jensen? And even in her press conference, she said one sentence about her. It goes like, oh, well, she's, you know, she's working her way back. Jan does not speak that direct and that short at times. And it's not a character indictment. That's just how she kind of interacts with the media. I got to say, man, maybe 5%, and I still might be pushing it a little bit too high. I'd be floored unless something has drastically changed here over the last several weeks. Who's Jen going to be looking at? What's their area of need?

Starting point is 00:19:32 Yeah, I mean, I think it starts with perimeter shooting, outside shooters, snipers. I mean, you know, they go, it went six to 42 from three point range in the NCAA tournament. But if I'm then, you know what I do. I'd throw every dollar at possible. Mara Johnson from Virginia. Yes. Because she's in the portal and she is absolutely elite. I think she pair alongside Chit-chat, right, very nicely.

Starting point is 00:19:56 But obviously, name that's already out there and there is going to be a visit in the works. That's Iowa State Kenzie Hare, the former Marquette sharpshooter. I think she would fit a very nice need for what they need. But again, people are going to overreact to names if they're a rotational player and their stats. But I think it's important to remember, guys, they need probably four people out of the transfer portal. These are not going to be all impact players. But I think they need some elite outside shooting. And more importantly, I think this has been a key thing

Starting point is 00:20:23 that Jan Jensen's teams have been missing. They need more players that can create their own shot. They just do. Lucy Olson was the only one that was a shot creator on that team. Chit Chat, right, was good this year. We thought Addy deals would be a little bit farther along than she was. But at the end of the year, guys, the offense just came down to, okay, wait for Ava Hayen to get post position and do the high-low action.

Starting point is 00:20:44 And that's why teams collapsed in the pain until Iowa heard them from outside. But unfortunately, for Iowa, they never heard them from outside. Do you anticipate taking that a step further? The triangle offense that they employed this year was Stalky made sense in the high post. Is that something that is always going to happen under Jan Jensen? Or are we going to see some more evolution offensively of what they're trying to do depending on the kind of the pieces that they have each and every year? You know, I think that's always going to be somewhat of a staple.

Starting point is 00:21:11 And I think when you look at the roster they have, I think it works. look, I love McKenna Volichko. I think she's giving me an immediate impact player. I think she's an good enough shooter. It's good enough pass her. She's an ideal four for the system. Not high, low, I think is always going to work in that triangle offense. But I'd also point to this.

Starting point is 00:21:29 It's going to work a lot better when you have players that can make the outside shot consistently. Because I was offense, for the most part, guys, I don't think it was a problem. But when I know I keep pointing to Taylor McKay, but I really think that that hurt things. because her play style and her ability to stretch the offense, you know, the defense and be a catalyst on the defensive end, the floor, it really hurt this team.

Starting point is 00:21:50 I do think the biggest area of need of Jan Jensen's growth and something she's going to look very closely at this off season, when it comes down to getting a bucket and clutch time, they just always looked like they weren't ready for the moment. I mean, I think back to Chit-Chat, right, that last regulation against Virginia, and then you think about the end of the first overtime

Starting point is 00:22:09 when Ava got the ball with 1.5 seconds, left. And she just kind of stared and looked at the rim and didn't put up a shot. And she even made she thought there was more time on the clock than there was. But I think when you talk about out of balance plays, when you talk about end game situations, I think that's the area that really needs to grow more so than the actual scheme of the offense, if that makes sense. Done on basketball, a couple on football. Let's get your thoughts on where football is at as they go through their spring practices. You heard from Ference last week. What stuck with you,

Starting point is 00:22:40 David, Eichold? I mean, I think Jeremy Hecklinsky and Hank Brown's going to go down to the wire about who starts. I think Hank Brown's more of the traditional Kirk Ferrence kind of quarterback. He's more of a pocket presence. He does everything very consistent, according to the staff and the teammates. The teammates love him. But Jeremy Hecklinsky is a guy who wants to push the ball down field. But the other thing that was really interesting to me was I asked him about Hecklinski

Starting point is 00:23:05 and I asked him about the Drew Tate comparisons and his kind of gunslinger mentality. Kirk also brought up CJ Bethard in comparison with Hecklinsky, not from a physical standpoint, but he said Jeremy Hecklinsky is a guy who he'll make some passes, he'll force the ball to fit in ridiculously tight windows. He just needs to learn when to take those chances when not to. But he said CJ Bethard was the same way, and he kind of mastered when to take those risks versus not. And I think if you're talking about two of the, what, four best quarterbacks in Kirk Farrant's era, and you have a guy fighting for a spot, Kirk doesn't throw out those kind of statements lightly.

Starting point is 00:23:42 So I'm keeping a very close eye on Hecklinsky. The other thing is Tony Diaz, I think, is going to be a major part of this team. The way he kind of, I want to say, gushed about Tony Diaz, he made it pretty clear. He was pretty happy. That's gushing for him. I agree.

Starting point is 00:24:00 And my big takeaway, too, it wasn't a guy that's been on campus either. Somebody that has been there for a couple of months and have Kirk talk that way about a new guy. That is a rarity. So expectation is going to be through the roof again, and we'll see if they actually throw the ball down the field. Are you going to be holding your breath, David?

Starting point is 00:24:17 Not until I see it. Then again, we guys, we all saw two passing touchdowns from Cain McNam era in the first game. It's all what happened after that. We'll circle back around week six or so, and then we'll see where they're at. Good stuff. Huckayinsider.com, David, Icolt, David.

Starting point is 00:24:33 as always, appreciate your contribution. We'll talk in the weeks ahead. Thank you, David. Thanks, guys. Take care of a good week. Yeah, you're the same. David Eichold, as we check in on Iowa. Always great stuff from David Eichold.

Starting point is 00:24:47 Appreciate his time and a great insight there. We're going to talk a little bit more about the transfer portal on the women's side of things. Get into it a little bit more and a deep, deep roster change that we're going to see from the Iowa women's team. What Jan Jensen has up her sleeve, we'll talk about that as we continue. This is Locked on Hawkeyes. It's tax time, but for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot. Trying to book an appointment that's not the most convenient. Sitting in a waiting room with a stack of papers,

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Starting point is 00:25:52 Head to turbotax.com slash local to find a store near you and book your appointment today. Trent, kind of back with you one final time here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast. Glad to have you aboard with us. With the portal opening on the women's side, it'll be on Tuesday on the men's side. There's going to be a ton of action,

Starting point is 00:26:19 and we got you covered each and every day here with the latest on Locked-on Hawkeyes. Let's jump back over to the women's side and talk a little bit. Again, David Eicholt recorded that earlier in the day on Monday before it became official with Emily Rodriguez joining the transfer portal. No surprise, something that we anticipated was going to happen.

Starting point is 00:26:37 It was a little bit odd, I guess, that she waited until the day that the portal officially opened, but regardless, they move on from that. And we knew, we know that they need outside shooting. The way the end of the season went for them, the loss of Virginia in the round of 32, even the game before that in the NCAA tournament against Fairleigh Dickinson, they need outside shooting. And that injury to Taylor McCabe, though they were able to mass things,

Starting point is 00:26:59 certainly a little bit throughout the course of the year. Taylor Stremlow took a big step forward, but late in that game against Virginia, Chit Chat Wright looked very indecisive at that spot, even as well, she shot the three-pointer this, year, they need more shooting from the outside. You feel like the baseline is great. You of course have a potential All-American in the middle with Ava Hayden. We saw her emergence this season of the big step forward that you have. I anticipate you're going to see a big step forward also this offseason from Layla Hayes. That at times looked uncomfortable out

Starting point is 00:27:28 there as a freshman, but also remember some of the things we saw from Hayden as a freshman. And she's going to be your backup center, what they're going to bring in with Wichko and the excitement that's going to be growing there. Addie deal, I know that. There was a lot of excitement also, but a different type of player. And I think a different type of fit, certainly for this Iowa Women's squad. They're going to have to fill five, six roster spots. And the difficult part about this is going to be able to go out there and identify. Of course, if you got a home run, if you have somebody that is a no doubt about it,

Starting point is 00:27:56 going to come in, be a day one starter, going to be an impact type of player, you're not going to say no to that. But this is also a squad with a lot of experience. And you have to massage the locker room and understand that not all parts are going to be made and just going to be sitting there for you. You're going to have to go out there and earn it. And when you're looking in the portal and trying to bring in that kind of talent,

Starting point is 00:28:15 the other component to this is Iowa for women's basketball is in very good shape. The obviously run from Caitlin Clark has helped immensely. The amount of money that is being put in from outside forces in the NIL space definitely helps in women's basketball. It is in the top tier of women's basketball, not at the tip top, not at the absolute highest level,

Starting point is 00:28:36 but certainly most reports are top 10, top 15 at minimum range in terms of NIL spending. That's what Iowa has an ability to go out and do in the portal. I know a lot of people want to connect the dots. Adi Crooks, keep it local, go that direction. The fit just does not work at all with Ava Hayden coming back. Just cannot envision that the way that Iowa plays. It does not seem like a good fit, even as talented as she is offensively.

Starting point is 00:29:02 The defensive end of the floor certainly leaves things to be desired. And the fit's not going to be there for that one. They are after hair. They got a visit from her. Another Iowa State transfer, the one that would fit absolutely perfectly, would be Addie Brown. Doesn't appear like that's going to happen.

Starting point is 00:29:17 But we're going to hear a whole lot of names here that are going to be coming. Visits are already being set, and we will know very quickly what's going to be happening there. Jan Jensen, I asked the question to David Eichol, are we going to see a change in what they're doing philosophically on the offensive end of the floor as the team changes and evolves? Are I going to stay with that triangle offense? Is it going to be moving out of that?

Starting point is 00:29:36 And if they do stay with the triangle, that's fine, but we just have to see a whole lot more with it. And we talked about that certainly at different points off during the course of the season. If you're going to stay with that offense, there just wasn't enough on the outside to make it happen. It can't just be, we're going to throw passes in for the wing into the post. There needs to be more than that. And then the high post part of the offense that goes along with it, need to see certainly more direction. The great thing about that offense is that's out there. That's something that absolutely can be done.

Starting point is 00:30:03 But they were at times handcuffed, I thought, a little bit. And we certainly saw that in the last couple of games of the season. It's an exciting time. The portal is open. Iowa, both on the men's and the women's side, in really good shape. The wrestling transfer portal is already open. Also, a lot of stories starting to come out there. We'll get you covered.

Starting point is 00:30:21 Back coming up tomorrow, speaking of some other sports that are out there, we haven't talked a ton about the baseball and softball teams. Softball team got another top 25 win over the weekend. Baseball team got a series win against Minnesota. So we'll talk a little bit about that, kind of set the scene for the spring sports. with Iowa softball and Iowa baseball coming up tomorrow, but a whole lot on the transfer portal. Again, thanks for being with this year on your daily Iowa Hawkeye podcast.

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Starting point is 00:31:01 Dot supercast.com is where you can go and get the show ad-free. That'll do it for today. with you tomorrow thanks for joining us until then go hawks

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - RESPECT: Hawkeyes' Ben McCollum REFUSES North Carolina Interview, Eyes Elite Point Guard in Transfer Portal

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