Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - The Future of Iowa Basketball under Fran McCaffery

Episode Date: February 10, 2023

In today's Locked on Hawkeyes Podcast Trent Condon is joined by Jason Jordan, Locked on's College Basketball recruiting analyst.They take a look at the Hawkeyes 2023 recruiting class including Owen Freeman, Ladji Dembele, Brock Harding & Pryce Sandfort.Also a look towards 2024 with Cooper Koch, son of Hawkeye JR Koch in the fold.What makes Fran McCaffery a good identifier of talent? And what does the future bring with Iowa now having a better NIL situation with the Iowa Swarm?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.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, if you're looking for instant reaction from the Iowa-Purdue game, I'm sorry, I can't help you out today. I'm actually on vacation. We go back in time. We're going to talk Iowa hoops. We're going to talk about the future. Recruiting from Sports Illustrated. Coming in with us today, Jason Jordan.

Break things down. The 2023 class. I look forward to 2024. What makes Fran McCaffrey such a solid recruiter? His ability to identify candidates in the recruiting realm. We'll get into that here today on Locked On Hawkeyes. Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked Hawkeyes podcast.

I'm Trent Condon. Thanks for hopping on with us here today. And thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. We're available wherever you get podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube. While you're there, hit that subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook,

official sportsbook of Locked On. Make every moment more. Visit fanduel.com slash locked on today to get started. Well, we got the Super Bowl coming up in just a couple of days. Iowa fresh off the game against Purdue. You missed it at the top. No, not an instant reaction here today. I'm in Mexico.

As you are listening and watching me right now, I'm in Mexico. So instead, a little bonus episode here for you. We are going to talk about this Iowa basketball team, what they have in front of them, looking towards the future. This season, it's been fun up and down, certainly throughout the course of the year. The highs that we've seen, the lows that have been there, the lowest of lows, the loss to Eastern Illinois, the 0-3 start in the Big Ten, and then battling their way back and what they've been able to do over the course of this season. But it's a veteran squad.

You know, you look at this team and what Iowa has now going forward, you look at them and it's going to be difficult for Iowa to sustain at this kind of level. Are they going to have to hit the transfer portal? I absolutely think that's something that is going to be key in the offseason. I think absolutely a big is going to be a part of that, either a four or a five that's a big piece a gundelay has not developed at the way that we hope for yes he's given some good minutes in the past but he's certainly not a guy that you can count on that's going to be able to go out there and give you six eight ten minutes a game it's just not realistic that you're able to do that so you have that part of it and

then you couple it with riley mulvey now is there still a chance you know we've seen those little glimpses out of him this year that it gets you a little excited, right? You say, maybe, maybe it's going to turn on. Look, big guys, they take a while to develop and there's a certain part of them just offensively really far behind. I think we've seen enough athletically from Mulvey that he can hang around. He can be a competent player in the Big Ten.

I'm not even sure if it's a starter, but it does feel like there needs to be a stopgap. So Owen Freeman will be the big that comes in next year. He's not a 7'1 guy. He's not a monster. He's a 6'10". Iowa's got by just fine on guys like that. It doesn't have to be a 7-footer, obviously, to compete, and we saw that. Luka Garza, not a 7-footer. Now he's 6'10.5", but still, Iowa's done well. Then, of course, Rabracha, what we've seen the last couple of years. But Rabracha, he departs. And Connor McCaffrey, he departs.

And you also wonder, there's always movement that's happening in the transfer portal. You look around and, again, just speculation, but you wonder some of those guys that aren't going to be with Iowa. Transfer market, here's another thing. I would try to tap into it a year ago. I know there's some people out there that don't believe the frame of Caffrey works in the transfer portal and he's against. That's not right.

He is a guy that also believes in fit and much like Kirk parents on the football side of things. It also has to be the right foot, their culture, what they build culturally. Both of those guys is very impactful to what they do in the day in and day out basis. It's just the reality of the way that they do things. That is super important. There are some coaches out there, frankly, they don't care. Just bring in the most talent. We'll figure it out. And some coaches can do that and do a good job. There's others that try to do that and it could be a disaster. Well, for him, McCaffrey, he does not

want that. It is about finding the right fit. A year ago, they went out there and Fardaz Amak, he was one of the top players in the transfer portal. He was a big guy. He was a guy that they really thought that they had a good shot at, but they didn't have the Iowa Swarm, the collective, the NIL group out there. They were up and running at that point. They weren't at the same level that they

are here today. And we've heard about the investment that they have continued to make. We know a lot of that investment is going in to the basketball program. And we've seen what's happened here in the football program, what they've been able to do in the soft season, going out there, obviously from the get-go, getting Cade McNamara right away. I mean, that's a huge, huge coup. The Iowa Swarm got one of the top transfer quarterbacks to transfer to Iowa with that crappy offense. And Frank McCaffrey has a ton to sell. Look, this Iowa team, if they make the tournament again this year, that'll be eight of 10 years making the NCAA tournament. Yes, we can complain about success in

the NCAA tournament. Only four wins, not getting to the second weekend. I get that. That's a side. We move past that, right? That is something that I think, frankly, is a different type of conversation. It's a conversation that moves to the side for what we're talking about here today. But you lose that off of this year's team. Team next year, all right? Ulus comes back. Perkins comes back.

The backcourt is there. Do the bench guys? Do you see Aaron Ulus? If he's looking maybe for even a bigger role, what does it mean for DeSante Bowen? Sanford, he's going to be here. His brother comes in next year. We'll talk more coming up here a little bit with that,

with Jason as he's going to explain the thought process with these guys and kind of the prospects, and we'll get into that here throughout the show today. But it's going to be different. I think the transfer portal is going to be a really big piece of what Iowa is going to do and what they're going to be for next year's team. But after making the tournament eight of the last 10 years, if they follow through and finish this up, the success that they've had the upper division and upper half of the big 10 finishes seemingly

on a yearly basis and on top of it what he has done with these unheralded guys from luca garza identified them early the murray brothers look i had a scout tell me when they were in high school that chris and keegan murray Murray, at the time, of course, they just had offers from Western Illinois. That was their only D1 offers at the time. In fact, the only D1 offers before they went down and played prep school. And this person told me that was a stretch. That Western Illinois at that time was a stretch.

And, well, Keegan goes on to become the number four pick. And, of course, we see Chris Murray doing what he's doing this season. Look, you just never know. But Iowa has a lot to sell. Well, we are talking a lot of basketball here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. And happy to be joined right now by Jason Jordan as he stops in with us. Jason, thanks for hopping on Locked On Hawkeyes as we go around this Iowa Hawkeyes squad and take a look towards the future here

today. How you doing? Oh, doing well, man. Glad to be here. Well, we look at this year and we look at this program and kind of what they are. This is not a program that goes out there and competes for the McDonald's All-Americans. That's not what Fran McCaffrey does. It is going out there and finding the diamonds in the rough. And I was just talking right before you hopped on here, Jason, about Luca Garza. He was a top 100 Kip, top 75, had some pretty decent offers, but that was somebody that Frey McCaffrey identified right away. And people looked at him in high school and said, boy, he can't move real well. I don't know how that's going to work in the Big Ten.

He goes on to be national player of the year. The Murray Twins, when they were in high school, really skinny, skilled, could shoot the ball. But how do they fit in the Big Ten? They go to prep school. They get bigger. And people were killing Fran McCaffrey because it wasn't just one scholarship. It was two scholarships. And we see Keegan, what he did last year, becoming the number four pick.

And Chris, a great year here. What do you think about Iowa basketball and the way that Fran McCaffrey identifies? What is he looking for? And what do you see on that circuit where he's not going for top 20 players year in and year out? You'd love to have one, obviously, but what he does that's different from many of his Big Ten brethren? Well, I mean, that's his brand, you know, getting in there and developing, you know, that's a credit to him because then, you know, when you can say that that is your brand, then you can go to a top 20 kid and say, hey, man, look what I did with this diamond in the rough. Imagine what I could do for you. Maybe you were going to be an NBA player, yes, but maybe I can develop you into an NBA all-star,

multiple NBA all-stars. So that is definitely the sale and the pitch. I've heard from guys that go for the 3. know, the 3.5 star to four star tiers. And then they jump out there for a five star, maybe once in a cycle. And that is definitely the pitch that they tend to use. But yeah, I mean, Fran McCaffrey has, you know, I mean, he's got results that he can point to tangibly. And that certainly helps in that regard.

You know, also, we're seeing more and more guys from this Iowa team over the last five, six years, make the league. You know, we've seen Weeskamp bounce around, Tyler Cook, guys like that. Now nobody's going to become a star and maybe that's what Keegan Murray will ultimately become. But at this point, still just getting that volume, getting five, six, seven guys in the league. How important is that when you're out there recruiting? Because I know everybody wants to play in the league. How important is that when you're out there recruiting? Because I know everybody wants to play in the league. How big of a selling point is that to point to a half dozen guys that are now there? Oh, it's huge. It's huge because the reality is most, and I do mean by far

most, coaches cannot say that. So yeah, you're going to lead and end Zoom calls, conversations, meetings in the office with that fact, because that is something that's the trump card of all trump cards that, you know, by and large, most people can't say that, that they have multiple NBA players. And you're just the net. You could be the next one. I think you really could be the next one. And, you know, then they have the guys call you and talk about how much they were developed. And, yes, all this matters, especially to the tier player that they tend to focus on. Well, Jason, I want to jump in here and look at the 2023 class. We haven't talked a ton about this class, even going back to signing day. It was football season. It's hard that November signing period to get real deep. And we had a crazy football season here in the state of Iowa,

and it still continues here today, even in the the offseason but to the basketball and Hawkeye fans we love our Iowa basketball it's something that I grew up on it was such a big deal in the 80s and the 90s and though it's not at the level it once was people still love their Hawkeyes and you look towards the future now probably the easiest one and I think the one most people have the best handle on at least where I'm from I live here in central Iowa and live in West Des Moines, called a bunch of Price-Sanford's games. We see his older brother obviously playing for the Hawkeyes. So he is a different type of player.

Tell us a little bit how he is different, what you see that is different. Peyton, great shooter, and Price can fill it up too, but what maybe makes him different than his older brother? Yeah, well, I mean, you know, when you talk about Price, you definitely have to leave with his ability to stretch the defense. He's a stretch for extraordinaire. I mean, when he gets his feet set, it is going in. It is going in.

I mean, he has a quicker release. I mean, he's also a really feisty rebounder. He plays with a lot of intensity and strong motor. But at the end of the day, be clear, he's going to stay on the court because he's able to knock down shots from the perimeter. And at 6'7", he's going to be able to be a matchup problem to slower bigs and guys he can take out there on the perimeter. Because, you know, he can get to his spots well, too. But again, he's going to earn his time knocking down shots from the perimeter for sure. I obviously called a bunch of their games. I do a lot of our high school broadcasts here in central Iowa.

And so I've seen him a ton. I've seen them both. I would say Price, a tick more athletic and maybe a more well-rounded game than Peyton did certainly in his high school career. Yeah. I think that's something that people are missing. Oh, it's another Sanford. He's just a shooter.

I think there's more to Price's game. I think he can be more than just kind of that one-trick pony when I watch him. Yeah. At the end of the – but for offensively, you know, yeah, he can do more. I agree with you on that. But at the next level – so I call him a stretch forward. Some people think he can potentially play on the wing. I always gauge it because NBA guys always gauge it like this.

It's not about so much what you can do offensively. It's about who can you defend on the other end of the floor. So, you know, I think Price is going to be have a better he's going to fit in better defensively guarding a four. He's probably not going to guard that many threes at that level. And so, you know, when he comes back on the other end of the floor, you know, his ability to knock down shots is, I agree that, you know, he's definitely going to be able to create, you know, he can get by his man. I do think he's a really feisty rebounder. I think he could, he's very active down there in the paint, but yeah,

I definitely think his ability to stretch the defense is going to be something that stands out more so than that. But I agree with you. He definitely has other aspects of his game that are strong. Owen Freeman, young man that played in Illinois, transferred a little bit closer to Iowa City. He's finishing up his career still on the Illinois side of the river over there in the Quad Cities at Moline

and teaming up with Brock Harding, who we'll get to in a moment. But Owen Freeman, big frame, 6'11", white top of player. I mean, what kind of guy here? It's hard to tell. I mean, I've seen some clips of him, certainly AU stuff. It's just so hard for a big guy to kind of see what they are. So what have you seen out of Owen Freeman? Yeah, I mean, I like him. Good footwork, great hands, finishes with both hands. You know, he can be a rim protector, but the biggest thing about him is at his size he's really high iq guy so he um he finds shooters like so he's not just putting your head down banging and you know i'm gonna shoot it because i got the ball in the paint so i have to shoot it

so he's also looking to pass out of the double team and stuff like that so um that's always something that stands out about guys at that size um because you know the kickout's always something that stands out about guys at that size because, you know, the kickout's always going to be there when they converge down. And he's really good at finding open shooters on the perimeter. I see him in kind of a wide range of opinions. I see some places got him top 150. I guess the question is, you know, is he I've seen a list at 611. I've seen other places list him at 69. I would guess he's not 6'11", because everybody

have him listed there. It's hard to get a consensus. Do you know? And it's kind of guesswork, ultimately. I would say I've seen 6'9", 6'10". That kind of stuff. It depends on how he wears his hair that day. But he plays really big. I'll tell you that. And that's what I tend to look at. Um, he knows how to use his body. He's wide. Um, you know, he's got long arms. And so he's fit. The fact that he can finish with both hands is invaluable as you will know. Um, but again, his, um, his IQ is a thing that stands out to me, especially on the offensive end. Jason, let's jump over to now his high school teammate for the final year. They played AU ball together, know each other incredibly well, Brock Harding. Now, this has been a guy that has been much debated on Twitter

and the Hawkeye message boards about a guy that is little. I mean, he's listed at 165 pounds. Maybe he's getting there, but he's tiny in comparison to most of the point guards you see out there. He's fun to watch. He does a lot of dazzle. He'll he'll make those wild plays out there, but he's just frankly not very big. What do you like and what are some of your concerns with Brock Arnie? Yeah, I mean, size, if you want me to start with concerns. Yes, size. But, you know, I say size because that sounds cliche.

But I mean, they shine rough and probably smaller than him. And he's a he's a he's an absolute animal on the court. This kid is too. Brock is too. So, you know, people say little man complex, so he plays with more energy. But, you know, he's crafty, gets to his spots well. He's another high IQ guy and, you know, a creative scorer, crafty, gets scores at all three levels.

And, again, my thing is, yes, he's small, but does he get to his spots? The answer is yes. So a guy that can do that against, you know, especially in the spring and summer, because you can do it against your high school, can you do that in the spring and the summer is what I tend to look at. And he tends to get to his spots. So eventually, you know, I mean,

he's not a guy who you're going to worry about losing early so you know i think he could definitely he'll probably be like one of those fan favorites yeah because he's the guy that's going to run through three brick walls for brand um and so he's going to bring the energy and that kind of guy is the guy who's really gonna be invaluable especially in march you know the thing that I love too about his story, grew up wrong side of the river over on the Illinois side of things over there. His family, Illinois fans, I think both of his parents went to Illinois. His brother played baseball over there and the Illinois offer, A, didn't come, never was coming. And I think Underwood was very truthful with him, like that you're just not the kind of guy we're looking for.

You saw that rivalry game on Saturday, Iowa, Illinois. I mean, that is a heated basketball I think Underwood was very truthful with him, like you're just not the kind of guy we're looking for. You saw that rivalry game on Saturday, Iowa-Illinois. I mean, that is a heated basketball rivalry. And now you get this component. You get this guy that grew up wanting to be in Illini and never got that offer, and he's going to have a little extra something every time that that game comes around. I think that's going to add an extra layer to that rivalry.

Absolutely. I mean, as feisty as he is, I could only imagine. He's probably going he's banging his head into the locker room before the game. So I could definitely see him being that guy. The guy is really going to spoil that game, probably for Illinois, but I'll definitely be watching for that. No doubt. Yes. It's a good one. Jason, one final guy in this recruiting class. We're talking with Jason Jordan here from SI taking a look at Iowa basketball and looking towards the future. And the guys that we talked about, they're driving distance. We've seen them. High school

people, a lot of people go to their games. We get those reports. That is not the case right now with Dembele. Comes in, prep school, out east. It's a guy that Iowa got in on pretty late. All of a sudden, he was getting a few offers late in the game. But I know there were some people that thought maybe he was going to wait till spring to make his commitment and sign in the spring. He was a guy a lot of people thought maybe could blow up here through the course of this season. But he's kind of the great unknown. So fill us in what we know about him.

I really like him. He played well with the Rins this past summer on the EYBL, which I don't know, just that Nike EYBL is by far and away the most deep, the deepest, most talented league in the spring and summer. So if you're there and you're productive, that tends to weigh heavier,

especially in rankings and things like that. But he's definitely a guy who's six, eight can stretch the floor. Definitely knocks down perimeter shots pretty efficiently. But he's very physical as well. Athletic guy, scores well in the low post, knows how to shield his body, creates distance between he and his defenders when he gets them on his hip. But, you know, that inside-outside combo offensively is what makes him most dangerous. And he's also a high IQ guy.

He will pass as well out of the double team. And he's always aware of matchups that he can exploit. And he tends to do well when he's got a matchup that he can exploit. He's either going to get fouled or go to the free throw line. Or he's going to score. So, yeah. He's a guy I really liked. I liked him all summer.

I thought he was a workhorse. I like a guy who has a big motor. But it's not just that. He's a guy I really liked. I liked him all summer. I thought he was a workhorse. I like a guy who has a big motor, but it's not just that. He's a skilled guy as well. Thinks he's going to fit in pretty well here to what Iowa does and kind of the style, the up and down pace that they play at and some athleticism on the wing,

something that always Iowa can use. I'm excited about him and kind of a different kind of player than some of the ones we've seen out of the wing here over the last few seasons with McCaffrey. Then we fast forward to 2024 and Cooper Koch. So I'm old and JR was in school the same time I was. So JR was a guy that I think surprised a lot of people. He came in incredibly skinny to Iowa city, ended up being an NBA draft pick. And now here's a son

getting ready to play for the Hawkeyes. It makes me feel incredibly old. He is a guy that can fill it up from the outside and he's got size. I mean, speaking of kind of a custom made Iowa player, we love our former Hawkeyes and now their sons after what Kenyon did the last couple of seasons with Keegan and Chris Murray and what they've been able to do. Cooper Koch, top 100 player for some people and some of the services out there. What have you seen from him?

Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm with you. Like, you know, in 24, it's wild how these guys are just so skilled. I mean, 24 isn't even young anymore. I mean, the juniors are pretty much seniors, especially on the recruiting trail. But 6'8", he's also like a 6'8", 6'7", 6'8", guy. Stretch four, knocks down shots. The thing I would like about him, I like about him the most, is how patient he is offensively.

I've seen guys try to, like, more, you know, longer athletes, try and speed him up, but he plays at his own pace, and he tends to make the right read at all times, whether it's calling his own number or creating for his teammates. So he's definitely a guy that, you guy that thinks the game a couple plays ahead. And you can tell he's got a basketball background because he knows how to think the game through. And I think that's going to ultimately be the reason that he's going to be productive in year one when he steps on the campus. Cooper, I don't think is a guy that's going to wow you athletically i saw him a couple of summers ago out in vegas and

he's just so fundamentally sound hits the corner three and he just knows how to play the game and that was you know going into his sophomore year of high school and you can just see he had that intelligence and yeah he's not going to beat you off the bounce a bunch there's going to be guys are going to get in front of him and he'll still find an angle and still be able to find a way to get it done. He's another one that season's kind of custom made for frame McCaffrey and his style. Yeah, absolutely. You know, at the end of the day, the best thing about him is, is he's productive, right? So, um, and that's all encompassing. Um, he's not just going to knock down shots. He's going to get a rebound. He's going to get a tip out. Uh, he knows how to be in the right position, uh, to take charges, even stuff like that, you know, so he's going to be a rebound. He's going to get a tip out. He knows how to be in the right position to take charges,

even stuff like that. So he's going to be a productive player, especially in that system because he's a system player. And so I think he'll thrive in that regard. Well, we'll wrap up with this. We're talking with Jason Jordan from SI as we take a look around Iowa recruiting in the future. And one thing I was talking about at the top of the show today,

the future of Iowa basketball. Last year, they were involved with Vardaz Amok, one of the biggest transfers that were out there. And the NIL, though they were underway, they weren't at the level they are now. We've seen Iowa football really hit it in the transfer portal much bigger than they did in the past. And Bray McCaffrey is going to have some work to do in the portal, certainly this year. In portal destinations, in a place like Iowa, the money's going to be there now they can compete with not everybody but most everybody when it comes to that you got a system that's fun you've had success on your way to the eighth ncaa tournament in the last 10 seasons so you have

that component top half finishes in the big 10 seemingly every single year so there's a lot to sell for iowa what is it like though, in that transfer game? Something that we just haven't been involved with here in Iowa very much in what kind of destination would the Hawkeye program ultimately be? Yeah. I mean, to your point, I mean, those points are all going to sell and, you know, to be clear, the transfer portal has only been a thing in the last couple of years, right. To the, to the extent that it, it is, it isn't crazy now it's changed. It's literally changing the game. So it's all new for most people. So, you know, the fact that you all have all those pros in your, in your favor, are going to bode well for you in the transfer portal.

I think them having the biggest thing I would say, I say unfortunately, fortunately uh like to your point you're gonna be able to sell the nil part but also you're gonna be able to point to um recently sending players to the nba right so those are the two things that stand out the most especially for transfers because um you guys are probably going to be looking for like the top tier transfers the ones on the top 25 list. And so whether it's true or not, all of them think they're going to be lottery picks.

It's just the truth. So you're going to have to sell that. And I think you guys have tangible things to sell that are really going to make a difference and probably going to lure you in some real, real heavyweight talent. Because trust me, in the transfer portal, this is probably going to be the deep end of that. Trust me, I've already had some conversations. There's going to be deep talent in the transfer portal. So man, I'm telling you, there's going to be some names in there. I can't wait. Oh, absolutely. Going to be good. And I was in a good spot for it.

Hey, Jason, this is a lot of fun. Love talking basketball and love breaking things down and looking towards the future of Iowa Hoops. Appreciate your time here today. Thanks. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. People want to see your work.

What's the easiest way to get involved? See, I got your, of course, Twitter name up there as well. People follow along with what you're doing over at SI. Yeah, for the most part, everything that I do is going to be on Twitter and then on my Instagram, Jason C. Jordan. So definitely come check me out. I post everything there. It's the easiest way to keep up with everything going on.

Perfect. Hey, Jason, be good. Appreciate it. Thank you. Jason Jordan, give him a foul along with it. Jason N.C. Jordan, great stuff out of him, and it's fun. Take a look at that future of Iowa basketball and what they are going to be. We'll take a quick timeout.

We'll continue on the other side. A lot more coming here on this bonus episode of Locked On Hawkeyes as we take a look towards the future. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. This year, the only app you need at your Super Bowl party is FanDuel. It's America's number one sportsbook. We're excited about our new sports betting partner for Locked On because they're the number one sportsbook in America, FanDuel.

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today a lot of fun there breaking down the future of iowa basketball and some of the names that we're going to get to know here in future years. Again, you're joining us here on Friday. No instant reaction to the Purdue game. I'm on vacation. We're going back in time a little bit here, but really wanted to get a lot of good information out to you when we look towards it.

And a lot of fun about this Iowa team and what they built nationally. Top 30, 35 class, something like that, with the four prospects that they signed. Cooper Katcha then in 2024. And looking forward to Fran. It's kind of turnkey. Now fill in those gaps, right?

And get those right guys in there. Well, we talked in this busy week a ton. We, of course, had the situation with Brian Ferentz. What craziness that was. We had the women's basketball game with Indiana. We had the men's game against Purdue. We look forward to the weekend and what's still to come. Just so much going on.

So happy to be able to be with you each and every day here on Locked On, Hawkeyes, bringing it to you and breaking things down as it happens. Had LaShawn earlier in the week, LaShawn Daniels, former Hawkeye running back, who joins us here on Locked On, Hawkeyes. He can go back. A lot of great football conversation with LaShawn. My buddy Biz stopped in. It's been a while since Biz has hopped on with us,

talked a lot, and brought some positivity to things, which is needed from time to time, and always fun there. Go back in the archives. You can find all of that on the Locked on Hawkeyes feed. Make sure you hit that subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Very important. Get that subscribe button. Get those numbers up. front of more Hawkeye fans. Very important. Get that subscribe button.

Get those numbers up. Our goal, let's get to 2,000. 2,000 members by the time we get to March Madness. I know we can do it. Hawkeye fans, you guys are the best. We can definitely. Thanks. Not even 30 seconds.

It's two seconds. Click subscribe. That's all you got to do. Make sure you check out our brand new podcast as well. It's Locked On College Basketball. The time is now to get ready and get yourself ready for the big dance, for March Madness. You want to know about not just the Big Ten, not just the Hawkeyes. You want to know about everything?

Locked On College Basketball. It's everything that you want to know about college hoops in one spot. Hear from the big names in the sport. Our experts, insiders, coaches, players. They have it all locked on college basketball, available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts. I'll be back with you next week. Looking forward to, well, I still got a couple more days of vacation.

I'll be getting back late on Monday night. We will have a reaction to the weekend that was. So much going on in the world of Hawkeyes today. A look towards the future here on Locked on Hawkeyes. Have a great weekend. We'll talk to you again next week.